Questions about my tomato plant...

[RobinDz62]

I read online somewhere that using your dishwater after you are fininshed washing the dishes is a good bug repellent for plants.
What do you think?

I am interested in natural/non-toxic sprays I can make at home to keep bugs off my plants and vegetables. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Which is best for tomatos?...Is morning sun better since it is not so hot, or is afternoon sun better?

I still have my tomatoe plant in a container, but I have moved it outside.
I am now seeing a couple leaves turning yellow. I looked for bugs but I do not see any. Are yelow leaves a problem I need to be concerned about??

[The Helpful Gardener]

Hey Robin,

Well there is soap if you are using it, but there is detergent if you arte using that; the first might be beneficial, but the latter could be harmful.

There is all that food detritus in the water, sort of fertiliztion and addition of minerals, which seems beneficial to me. The soap as non-ionic surfactant makes it distribute through the soil profile pertty quickly...

So a qualified maybe. Garbage in = garbage out; if you are using a harsh detergent it is probably a bad idea, but otherwise it can't hurt...

HG

[rainbowgardener]

Tomatoes want morning AND afternoon sun, at least 6 hrs (unless you are in a really hot summer climate with many days over 90, then maybe a bit of protection from hot afternoon sun).

If your plant is big and has been around for awhile and just the very bottom leaves are yellowing, this is natural. As the plant keeps growing at the top, eventually the bottom-most leaves die off. Otherwise, the yellowing is likely some nutrient deficiency. Growing tomatoes in containers, they need a lot of water. Adding that much water all the time, tends to flush nutrients out of the soil, so then they need fertilization also. Look for a tomato fertilizer that is lower in N, like 5 - 10 -10. Maybe add a little Epsom salt in the soil. (This is not the advice I would give if you were growing in the ground, but a container is a pretty artificial environment.)

[TZ -OH6]

If you have a choice go for morning sun. It helps dry off the morning dew and conserves soil moisture (hot afternoon temps/sun) which will help prevent blossom end rot.