Does the container have good drainage? Is it staying very wet or very dry?

The container has several holes drilled in the bottom of it, probably every 2-3 inches or so. I generally let a couple of days go between waterings (though I watch for drooping or other signs that they're getting too dry). However, I was out of town for almost a week and my dad took over watering. I don't know how often he watered or how he watered (I try to not get any of the leaves wet). Also, we do have a sprinkler system set up in our yard that gets some of my plants but this particular container is one that actually doesn't get sprayed by it.

I have yellowing and worse on the bottom portions of almost all my plants in raised beds where I had tomatoes the last year. the ones in "virgin" soil are not yellow at all in almost all cases. My Celebities are in the bad group.

It would not surprise me if it were disease from last year, but my experience is more limited than others on the board.

So far my tomatoes all look healthy except my Juan Flammee which is yellowing and spotting.

I am concerned about Kelley's two plants in question...they truly look bad and aren't fruiting, but I have no idea how to ID what is happening.

Jo

Kelly,

Yellowing of tomato foliage is not just a symptom of disease. It also could be a symptom of stress (of any kind) or a symptom of a nitrogen deficiency.

Celebrity is one of the more disease-resistant tomato varieties out there and it generally performs very well in our climate.

Run through this checklist of possible causes of yellowing leaves and see if anything on it sounds like a good possibility:

Plant roots are too wet

Plant roots are too dry

Plant is alternating between being very wet one day and very dry the next (strive to keep soil evenly moist and to avoid the two extremes)

Plant roots are too hot (often a problem in dark-colored containers)

Plant has had moisture on the foliage and has developed powdery mildew (see link)

Plant has had a lot of watering and the available nitrogen is leaching out of the soil, so plant is starving for nitrogen

Plant was initially overfed nitrogen which caused an imbalance between top growth and roots. The smaller root system is strugglng to support all the top growth.

The plant has suffered some sort of damage to its vascular system

The plant is in the early stages of Early Blight. Sometimes you'll see the yellowing first and then the concentric brown ringed spots appear on the leaves.

If the yellowing foliage is occurring from the bottom up, to some extent the older, lower leaves will often be shaded out by newer top growth and senescence occurs. This is normal. It also is normal for lower leaves to die naturally of old age. By then, they have served their purpose and the bulk of the photosynthesis is now being conducted by newer, younger leaves and the older leaves simply turn yellow and drop off. This is normal beavior.

The plant has suffered from salt damage. This can occur if your water is high in salt or if fertilizer salts have accumulated in the container and watering is not leaching them out of the growing medium. It also can occur if someone uses Epsom Salts as a fertilizer and gives too much, or too strong of a solution, to plants---especially in containers. I've linked a photo of salt damage below. While you're at the TAMU Tomato Problem Solver, navigate back to the 'leaf' page and check out the photo of powdery mildew, which often shows up as yellow splotches on the leaves.

Also, check the undersides of the leaves carefully for small pests.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Foliage--Salt Damage

several of my tomatoes also suddenly got yellow leaves on the bottom, in different parts of the garden, already mulched -- not mulched yet -- different varieties, but it happened when that sudden heat wave hit, and has not worsened. They are the very lowest leaves, under the setting fruit, so I am just going to see if it resolves itself.

I'm just hoping it was that sudden brutal heat. But come to think of it, I should write down the ones that did not yellow (if there are any!)

It is not uncommon for the bottom leaves to yellow in my garden. I normally associate it with soil splash and just remove that branch. If it is all over the plant then that is a different story. I am going to remove a plant today that has just struggled since it has been in the ground and is not getting any better. That will be the first one I have had to take out this year, but I'm just not sure this one can ever recover.