Everyone is worried about their tomatoes this year. Either the bushes are growing like gangbusters but aren’t producing tomatoes, or the bushes are scrawny and overloaded with fruits for their size.
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable garden plant in the U.S. While they are easy to grow, they also have the largest variety of problems of any garden plant. Many of the troubles can be attributed to over-watering, under-watering, and inconsistent watering. Other problems are caused by too much fertilizer and temperature extremes. Some of these issues can be controlled, some can be moderated, and others are totally out of our control.
Too much watering can compact the soil around the fine roots hairs, forcing oxygen out of the soil and making it impossible for the plant to take up the nutrients and, ironically, the water, it needs. As a result the leaves may curl inward upon themselves and become firm and leathery. Since the plant looks wilted, you will be tempted to give it even more water, but resist the temptation. Try to gently aerate the soil around the plant and cut back on watering a bit.
Over-watering and inconsistent watering cause blossom end rot. A blackened, water-soaked spot appears near the blossom end of the tomatoes. It enlarges and turns brown and leathery. The problem is due to a calcium deficiency. You can eat the unaffected portion of the tomato but most sources say to remove them as soon as you notice them to allow the plant to use its energy to produce new, healthy tomatoes. In order to do this, calcium is needed, and quickly. One way to get calcium into the plant is through foliar feeding, or spraying it onto the leaves. A source of calcium is calcium chloride, a de-icing salt. Check your leftover bag from last winter and make sure it says calcium chloride or “CaCl” on the package before using. Dissolve 3 T. in a gallon of water and spray the plant’s foliage three times a week. You can also spray the plant with skim milk or water the plant with milk.
If your plants are growing well, but have not set fruit, resist the urge to fertilize. They probably have too much nitrogen already. Sometimes blossoms drop off the plant without forming fruits. This happens when soil moisture is low and winds are hot. Fruit set can be encouraged by gently shaking the plant in the middle of a warm, sunny day. It sounds silly, but it really works! Blossom drop can also be caused by nighttime temperatures below 55º F or above 75º F. And there’s nothing we can do about that.
Tomatoes sometimes crack if they get a lot of water after a prolonged dry period. The insides of the fruits are so happy to get water that they start growing too fast and pop right out of their skins! This is another reason to try to provide a consistent watering schedule. If we ever get a good rain this summer, a lot of tomatoes will be popping their skins. If tomatoes are ripe or nearly so when this happens, pick and use them immediately because mold can form in the cracks if they remain on the plant.
Leave a Reply