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How did mulching kill my tomato plants?
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Author:  beachstone [ Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:22 pm ]
Post subject:  How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

So yesterday after 6pm, I experimented by adding different materials of mulch to some of my tomato plants. With two of them I mulched it with manure and they didn't die. The other ones I individually tried straw, dead grass roots, and those fluffy things that hang on trees. All the mulched ones died! The un-mulched ones were all fine! It also got quite cold last night, around 38F. One or two of the tomato seedlings died as well, so obviously it must have been the cold for them.

So how did mulching just a little bit cause my tomato plants to die so quickly? Again:

All un-mulched tomato plants = Fine. None died.
Mulched with manure = Fine
Mulched with 1) straw, 2) dead grass roots, 3) fluffy tree hangy bits = Dead or dying!

All things being equal, how much mulching kill my tomato plants?

Author:  northwesterner [ Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

Where are you? Here in North Texas it is way too early to plant tomatoes, the soil is too cold. Do you have pests like cutworms in the soil? They'll kill plants very quickly.

Author:  beachstone [ Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

But why would identical plants, with only the mulched ones, die overnight, after just being mulched for less than a day? They'd all been in the ground for a week or so already.

Author:  northwesterner [ Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

You can remove yourself from the site - or a moderator can do that. Are you trying to unsubscribe the newsletter? I haven't figured that out, I keep getting it at work where I don't need it.

Author:  beachstone [ Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

Lol. But anyway, I think it must have had something to do with insulation and the cold killing it. How exactly I don't know, but the takeaway for me is that I'll only mulch tomato plants after night-time temperatures get into at least the 50s. Other plants I've had mulched have been fine though.

Author:  northwesterner [ Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

Are your tomatoes in the ground?

Quote:
But why would identical plants, with only the mulched ones, die overnight, after just being mulched for less than a day? They'd all been in the ground for a week or so already.


Did they die or literally fall over, cut off at ground level? You could have cutworms in the soil, and they are that fast. And the soil is too cold this time of year and after this winter to have them in the ground in this North Texas area anyway. Mulching should help, not hurt, except the cold soil is a problem.

Author:  beachstone [ Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

No the stem was still good but all the leaves and branches withered away. I think mulching prevented the heat from radiating up to keep the leaves warm and thus killed it.

Author:  northwesterner [ Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

There is no heat in the soil right now, I think that is your problem. It's too early to plant tomatoes, they languish in the cold soil right now.

Author:  beachstone [ Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

All of my other tomato plants were thriving and still are. They've been taking off with the mycorrhizae and other things. Night-time temps are over 50F now. It was just the mulched ones that died.

Author:  northwesterner [ Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How did mulching kill my tomato plants?

The soil should be about 60 degrees before the tomatoes will be really happy and thrive. How are they doing now?

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