We just had 6 inches of rain over the past 3 or 4 days. the temps have been on the cool side as well. My tomato plants look SUPER funky. I can't even explain to you exactly how they look, sort of colorless but at the same time green/purple/yellow at the same time. BUT... what else is happening is the branches (I know that isn't the word and I'm having a brain malfunction at the moment) are all breaking off when I barely touch them. theyre small tomato seedlings, perhaps 6-8" tall. I am not sure if this is happening because of all the rain we had, or if it is because I sprayed the baking soda, soap, yogurt spray on them. I am trying to ward off fungal diseases because of my acid soil and acid water. If it is the spray I did, I would like to know so I can not spray it again. perhaps it is a combination of the cool temps and rain? thoughts?
if need be, I can take a picture later.
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barnhardt9999
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That much rain would severly stress seedlings that small and probably got them to a very weak state. In the end though it sounds like you probably loved them to death.
Lesson for next year:
1) Don't spray anything preemptively. Wait until a problem is present then address it. You wouldn't take a dose of chemo just because cancer might happen. Same principal for plants.
2) Don't plant if its going to rain 6 inches shortly afterwards. 7 day weather models can't forcast showers or temp very well but they do see tropical deluges plus or minus a day for timing (learn to use noaa.gov - your local weatherman/lady is an actor and eyecandy - not a meteoroligist).
3) Look for local seeds that are resistant to your fungus. Try to find the old guy in your neighborhood with the biggest garden and best looking plants. He probably has been growing in the same spot for a long time and has plants adapted to your environment. Most gardeners love for people walking by to admire their plants and ask for seeds.
Lesson for next year:
1) Don't spray anything preemptively. Wait until a problem is present then address it. You wouldn't take a dose of chemo just because cancer might happen. Same principal for plants.
2) Don't plant if its going to rain 6 inches shortly afterwards. 7 day weather models can't forcast showers or temp very well but they do see tropical deluges plus or minus a day for timing (learn to use noaa.gov - your local weatherman/lady is an actor and eyecandy - not a meteoroligist).
3) Look for local seeds that are resistant to your fungus. Try to find the old guy in your neighborhood with the biggest garden and best looking plants. He probably has been growing in the same spot for a long time and has plants adapted to your environment. Most gardeners love for people walking by to admire their plants and ask for seeds.
Well, I was advised to spray this from some pretty admirable people on this forum. It is a way to help me gain some headway on my problematic soil that I have. I can link you to the thread if you'd like. They told me to spray weekly to help ward it off. I get lots of fungal diseases. I have very acidic soil that I am trying to amend, and very acidic water that I am trying to pretreat this year before watering them.
yes, perhaps I shouldn't have put my plants out the week before, but in all honesty, it is getting later and later in the growing season and we don't have a very long one as it is.
yes, perhaps I shouldn't have put my plants out the week before, but in all honesty, it is getting later and later in the growing season and we don't have a very long one as it is.
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rainbowgardener
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Yeah, I was part of giving that advice. It wasn't mean't mainly preventative, but to deal with a whole bunch of different fungus problems that sheshee had already going on, probably related to all the acidity creating a beneficial environment for them.
But probably I should have said, it's never a good idea to spray your whole garden with anything without testing it on a plant or two first, to see what happens.
It's a little difficult to sort out what causes what when there's a bunch of different things happening at once, but yes that much rain and cool temps could definitely be very hard on young tomato seedlings...
And yes the clock is ticking on your tomato growing season. My plants are getting close to the top of the cages and full of tomatoes and I have a later fall frost date than you.
But probably I should have said, it's never a good idea to spray your whole garden with anything without testing it on a plant or two first, to see what happens.
It's a little difficult to sort out what causes what when there's a bunch of different things happening at once, but yes that much rain and cool temps could definitely be very hard on young tomato seedlings...
And yes the clock is ticking on your tomato growing season. My plants are getting close to the top of the cages and full of tomatoes and I have a later fall frost date than you.
I feel like I"m not going to get a crop of anything. the weather has been SO bad, they haven't grown at all since I put them in. last year they grew nearly a foot a week!!! we're nearing mid june and they are so small and pathetic, I am really feeling quite down. maybe I should scrap it all and buy large seedlings... but at the same time, I picked these variites for a reason and I've worked so hard... if only I had more space for planting...
maybe I'll get some and stick them in at the clay field... my garden away from home.
maybe I'll get some and stick them in at the clay field... my garden away from home.
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rainbowgardener
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Some years are always better than others, but you are learning a lot.
One suggestion about the acid environment is to focus on growing things that like it. Plants that don't like acidity will be more stressed by it and the more stressed/ weaker a plant is the more vulnerable it is to diseases, pests etc.
Potatoes like acid soil. Tomatoes do too, but not as acid, more in the above 6 / below 7 kind of range. Carrots, beans, and peppers all like somewhat acid soil. Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries all like really acid soil and of course so do azaleas and rhododendrons.
I often mourn my alkaline soil, especially for my native woodland shade plants. A number of the wildflowers I would love to grow there, won't tolerate my soil, including mountain laurel, wintergreen, bunchberry, and others. For awhile I tried to force them to grow there, working on amending the soil, etc. But after I tortured enough plants in to a long slow death, I gave up on that and focus on the ones that tolerate my soil well.
One suggestion about the acid environment is to focus on growing things that like it. Plants that don't like acidity will be more stressed by it and the more stressed/ weaker a plant is the more vulnerable it is to diseases, pests etc.
Potatoes like acid soil. Tomatoes do too, but not as acid, more in the above 6 / below 7 kind of range. Carrots, beans, and peppers all like somewhat acid soil. Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries all like really acid soil and of course so do azaleas and rhododendrons.
I often mourn my alkaline soil, especially for my native woodland shade plants. A number of the wildflowers I would love to grow there, won't tolerate my soil, including mountain laurel, wintergreen, bunchberry, and others. For awhile I tried to force them to grow there, working on amending the soil, etc. But after I tortured enough plants in to a long slow death, I gave up on that and focus on the ones that tolerate my soil well.
Ok, so I am toying with the idea of purchasing some larger tomato plants. I just found some brandywines that the 6 pack are 4.75. I can get some other variities at this other place for $2 for a 6 pack, but they won't be brandywine and I really like brandywine. BUT... the 4.75 ones, some have a disease. I am so mixed! there was a 6 pack that didn't have a disease, but IDk.. they're next to each other. probably bad news I'd guess.
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rainbowgardener
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Oh no... you have enough problems without buying diseased plants! Bad news! Find a good local nursery, not big box, I'm sure you could find healthy tomato plants. Not a 6 pack. You are looking for big healthy plants in 2 qt or gallon pots. Spend a little more money buy two healthy plants and you will be much happier with the results.
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rainbowgardener
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the ones that were at the gas station were in these really nice trays and looked like they were grown with the coconut coir mix stuff. they looked like they were really nice except for the dots on the leaves.
I'm heading to the nursery this morning
I'll pick up something there for a fallback I need to have some sort of fallback LOL. we got dumped on again last night. thankfully we are going to have 4 days of sun and heat. hopefully my plants will grow!
I'm heading to the nursery this morning
I'll pick up something there for a fallback I need to have some sort of fallback LOL. we got dumped on again last night. thankfully we are going to have 4 days of sun and heat. hopefully my plants will grow!