Software
Houzz Logo Print
webuser_617303121

My tomatoe are ailing

3 years ago

I live in a relatively cooler area of the San Francisco bay area. I bought some cool weather strains of paste tomatoes from the Master Gardeners and they are doing terribly. Last year at this time my tomatoes were about 3 feet tall. This year it looks like they haven't grown at all since I bought them in April. I put them out when it first warmed up at the end of April and the leaves turned white. I read that this is from too much sun, so I brought them back inside. I put them out again last week, transplanted them to larger containers and the wind last week buffeted them terribly, They're too heavy to move back inside now. They're alive but they look very sad. I don't think they have put out any new leaves since I put them out a month ago. I have fertilized them, don't know what else to do. The plants I started from seeds aren't doing much better. They've grown up to a point (a few inches high) and no further. All the plants are in full sun.

Comments (9)

  • 3 years ago

    Apparently you didn't harden off the tomato plants before putting out the first time, or didn't water then adequately. Second time around It appears you didn't harden them off again. Protecting them from the wind is another reason to harden them off for about a week to strengthen the stems to handle it.

  • 3 years ago

    Just keep growing. White leaves sounds like sunscald (especially if you started the plants under lights). So, kevin's possibly right about the hardening off. What kind of fertilizer are you using, and how often? How are you applying it? If it's cold, foliar sprays aren't a great idea, I've found (they're a great idea when the temperatures are a lot warmer—but not while the sun is out). What varieties are you growing? Are they in the ground or containers? What did you give them last year that you didn't give them this year, if anything? Did you start the plants the same way last year?

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Not all cool-season varieties are adapted to the same areas.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I wonder if the OSU (Oregon State University) varieties would be well-adapted for your area (like Oroma and Saucy). However, if it's really sunny, I don't know that that would be the best idea. My area is sunny, and Oroma does better in the shade here.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    It's also possible the plants are just too cold to put on a lot of growth. So, you might just have to wait until it warms up, or give them something like black plastic to warm the soil.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    No, not thrips, not powdery mildew. I think it's just too cold this summer for any growth. We'll see what June brings, but so far they're saying that it's not going to be much warmer than May here (mid fifties to sixties, not much of a summer)

  • 3 years ago

    That's no fun. Are those the high or the low temperatures for the day?

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Mid fifties to sixties during the day, fifties at night. I covered them with some transparent plastic sheeting to protect them from the wind. They look a little better but are not putting out any new leaves.