Tomato Pots and Potting-On

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

How Many Pots Do I Need?
I was recently asked why it is necessary to use several pot sizes when growing tomatoes from seed – why not just plant the seeds directly into the ground?

Here are some reasons why it is best to plant into small pots then increase the pot size as the plants grow.

Roots Encourage Plant Growth
When plant roots reach the side of their pot, the plant develops more quickly. This has the advantage of earlier flowering, but if kept in a small pot for too long, the roots will become “root bound” and the plant growth stunted.

Forcing
It’s a bit of a balancing act and some growers leave plants in small pots for longer than average … this is called “forcing” which can shock a plant into flowering very early. However, in my experience it usually produces a reduced yield.

Slower Growth, Space, Pot Weight, In On Cold Nights.
If you sow directly into a large pot it takes seedlings longer too mature and produce tomatoes. There is also an issue with space for all your seedlings and weight too at the early part of the season when small plant may be put outside during the day and brought in at night to avoid frosts.

Tomato Growing Supplies

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Tomato Blight Treatment

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

Tomato blight, also referred to as potato blight, is a fungal condition which is the result of wet, damp weather and mostly affects tomato plants growing outside.

Even so, greenhouses that are inadequately aerated can also be a reason for the appearance of blight, on account of high humidity and condensation.

Tomato Blight Treatment Plan
If blight has infected quite a few leaves the time has come to spray with Dithane 945 or apply Bordeaux Mixture. This can prevent the disease from spreading, and more to the point, from contaminating other plants, but there isn’t a complete cure for blight, it is only possible to prevent it becoming even worse.

If it has been wet locally for a sustained period of time, and you are growing tomatoes in the garden, it’s possible that your plants have blight.

The mixture of wet leaves and high humidity over a sustained period of time is nearly curtain to result in tomato blight. As a fungal disease, it can very easily get spread around from plant to plant and on fingers too, so it’s a good idea not to touch plant leaves and take the chance of spreading the disease to healthy plants.

It is usual to have some fungal infection on a small number of lower leaves whenever growing outside if you live in an region that receives a good deal of rain. Take off the contaminated leaves and leaf branches, and always keep the base of plants clear of decaying leaves. Good air circulation at soil level assists in keeping plants healthy and may avoid having to use a tomato blight treatment in the first place.

Blight treatment for tomatoes often come under the heading of systemic fungicide, so that’s what to look for.

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How To Avoid Blossom Drop

Posted on May 11, 2011 by

Someone recently wrote in with a tomato problem that I’m sure many people have experienced, including me! The question was:

“Last year I had plenty of flowers on my tomatoes but a lot of them withered and dropped off without producing much fruit. Where did I go wrong?”

The answer is:
It’s called Blossom Drop – when flowers fail to set and are aborted by their plant.

This happens for a number of reasons but mainly because air humidity is too damp or very dry and the pollen is unable to do its job.

Mist plants and tap them gently – that helps. Also, you can use the vibration from an electric tooth brush or shaver against the flowers which acts a bit like a bumble bee. Bees are often used by professional growers to help pollinate tomato plants and other fruit.

Sometimes if a plant becomes stressed it also aborts its flowers.

Blossom Drop can be most frustrating when it happen on a tall variety and a whole truss fails to set.

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