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ezzirah011

Keep Tomatoes From Getting Too Much Water..

16 years ago

My poor tomato plants were stressed as it was, now they are getting too much water I fear, and I also fear that blossom end rot will be the bane of my first year of gardening!

How can I keep them from getting too much water?

Thanks!

Comments (3)

  • 16 years ago

    Ezzirah011 that is easy to answer. Move to extreme SW KS next door to me. That will no longer be a problem. LOL. I assume you are growing in the ground? Raised beds? Any way you can help with drainage? Otherwise about the only things I've read is some make ditches to carry the water away and even cover the plants with plastic during heavy rains to shed the water. If your plants are in a low lying area this probably wouldn't work. This is a problem I have no real experience dealing with. Along with usually being on the dry side here I have great draining deep sandy loam soil. So the only times I have issues is if I really overwater by leaving the hose on for a long time. And usually that is more of a stress issue. Sure several of those that do will be along shortly and give you some better advice. Hope they survive and produce well for you. Jay

  • 16 years ago

    Ezzirah,

    Unless your plants are in raised beds that are raised several inches above grade level, there's not much you can to to prevent excess moisture from reaching their roots.

    If they're in a raised bed, trenching helps by carrying away some water, but roots in raised beds usually move down into/below grade level soil as the season progresses and the plants, and their root systems, enlarge so a lot of your plants' root systems will be down in the grade level soil where rainfall may be keeping them too wet.

    Covering the ground with plastic might help a little as it would keep water from soaking into the soil, but it also could cause the soil to overheat and cause root issues, including some root diseases, so only put down the plastic when rain threatens, and remove it after the rain stops.

    BER develops from alternating cycles of very dry/very wet soil. You normally don't see it in persistently wet soil. So, if your soil isn't getting very dry in between rain storms, BER is less likely than you think.

    The only way to really deal with excess rainfall is to have your plants in raised beds to begin with, and those raised beds need to have a loose soil mix that drains very well.

    Excess moisture can be harmful but plants can be surprisingly resilient. Last year, my tomato plants (both those in raised beds and at grade level) survived 11.89" of rainfall in one day, followed by 6 to 7" more rain in the next 4 or 5 weeks. I lost a plant or two, but that's a small percentage since I had over 100 plants. Even though we had recurring moisture until late July or early August and all the problems that come with it, I had one of the best tomato years ever. So, don't fret too much over excess moisture. Plants can survive it.

    Dawn

  • 16 years ago

    Whew...that is a comfort! Thank you everyone for your advice!