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martina_vackova

Tomato plant problem? Peppers dont grow.

8 years ago

Hey, I am total rookie gardener. We have started our garden with my boyfriend for the first time this year. We made raised beds on our rooftop/terrace which is partially covered with grass and filled them with common gardening mix (i have no clue what kind of soil they used for the grass underneath).

I have two question. One regarding my tomato plant which we have grown from seed (march) and transported outside (mid may). It seems to be growing fast but the leaves look little odd. Is this normal or maybe some sort of pests? I have been treating it with rapeseed based organic insecticide as a prevention every 10-14 days and using fertilizer (http://www.growthtechnology.com/product/green-future-organic-garden-fertiliser/) about once a week or every 5 days (ps: should i increase the frequency?)

In the same bed with tomatoes we have peppers. One we started inside from seed (early april) and one we bought on the market as a seedling mid may and both transported them outside same time as the tomatoes but they have not seem to grow an inch since then. They are still very small and the one we started from seed took some beating initially because of the strong winds which broke some of its leaves. I have been treatig them with the same frequency and same fertilizer as the tomato plants. Why this might be? ( Since late may we had mostly great really warm weather over 70 degrees during the day and around 50 (or more) at night.

this one we started from seed

this one we purchased at the market and the leaves have been turning yellow a bit


I water all plants once a day in the morning and if it gets really hot and soil is dry then sometimes again in the afternoon.


Thank you for help!


Comments (6)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Stop poisoning them and get rid of that black plastic stuff. You're growing food.

    Tomatoes grow like weeds if given the right soil, fertilizer, sun and water. Stop drowning your plants. A good soaking (one inch in a rain gauge) at this size should last for a few days at least. Feed with half strength Miracle Gro tomato or plant food once a week. If you top dress with aged manure and compost, you won't need any fertilizer except once or twice. Plants need 6 hours of sun.

    What kind of soil did you use? Bagged soil? Some already have fertilizer in it and then you don't need to add any. That would damage the plant. If you got the soil at a dump area, it could have weed killers in it, too. Just some thoughts. But get rid of the black stuff. You're cooking the plants.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    It sounds like you've got a somewhat unusual set up there. How deep are the beds?

    First thing first. Stop spraying the insecticide. The rule of pest management is to identify a pest first and then treat accordingly. Indiscriminate spraying to prevent an unknown something from attacking the plants is never advised.

    As for the fertilizer, I have no idea what the N-P-K of the fertilizer is but using it every 5 days seems like a lot.

    Watering every day, sometimes even twice a day, also seems like an awful lot when the temps are only in the 70's. But then it depends on how deep the beds are. Also depends on how much you are watering. A light sprinkle does nothing. The beds need watered deeply and you need to be sure the soil has been thoroughly watered, not just the top. And before you water again you should always stick your finger as deep into the soil as possible to feel how moist or dry the soil is.

    Rodney

    Martina Vackova thanked theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
  • 8 years ago

    Agree with all of the above but will add that your location makes a BIG difference in the climate and how it affects plant growth so you need to include that info. Unless you live in the desert daily watering is way too much. Even every other day is too much. The roots drown and die and the plants turn yellow. And if it is only 70s in the day time I'm guessing you are north enough that it is a bit early for peppers to kick in anyway. They are heat loving plants.

    All that plastic? Do you really think it is necessary for some reason? It cooks the roots in mid-summer heat, kills the beneficial soil bacteria, and makes watering and feeding difficult.

    As mentioned already you are using some unusual products, even for organics. So I guess you'll just have to follow the label directions for frequency of application and amounts. The plants clearly need something they aren't getting or it is all being washed away by all the water..

    But when trying to grow organically you first have to understand how organics work and don't work. That requires research first. And in this case that fertilizer makes it very plain on their website that your soil components play a very big role. Yet you say you have no idea what is in the "common gardening mix" you used. That is a problem you need to resolve or you are just wasting time and money and need to skip the organics until you gain a better understanding of them.

    Rodney already made the point about you never, ever used pesticides to prevent something that doesn't even exist. Just because something is supposedly organic doesn't mean it is harmless. Organic pesticides can kill beneficial insects just as easily as they kill pests.

    Dave

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    OK, thank you for all the info. I will definitely check the soil before watering and water less often.

    Here are my additional comments. I live in czech republic so summer does get hot but not extremely.

    1) I used the black fabric - mulch sheet which was recomended to me as a prevention against fungal diseases.

    2) raised beds are 13 inches deep

    3) Fertilizer & soil : I do know composition of the soil I have used. I dont know composition of the soil bellow the raised bed (we did not separate them) The fertilizer does have composition on the label and I am adding both bellow. As for the frequency i simply followed instruction on the label. Is this enough information? Would I still need to do the soil test?

    4) pesticide: I was just following direction on the label which recomends using as a prevention and it also states it is not harmful to beneficial organism. So I am just following the instructions. But maybe i shouldnt?

    5) I have actually discovered plant lice on of the small peppers yesterday.

    I hope this additional information help. So do you think that there is something wrong with the tomato plant or not? (appart for maybe the overwatering)

    Thank you very much!

  • 8 years ago

    I can see in the photos that the beds aren't filled to the top. Is the soil 13 inches deep, or are the sides of the bed 13 inches tall?

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