Yellow Leaves on Bottom

[McKinney88]

I have a tomato plant that has some yellow leaves on the bottom. I Googled it and found an article talking about how when the plant matures, the bottom leaves can turn yellow and need to be pinched off. Does anyone here do this?

[valley]

McKinney Greetings, RE: removing lower leaves that have yellowed. Yes, when we get around to it and No if we don't. Well, myself I must admit: I don't bother with that in the garden. If I'm overwintering a plant in the house I would because it's right next to me at the window.

Let's see what other tomatokorts have to say.


Richard

[imafan26]

Most plants will have yellow leaves on the bottom as they mature. They can be taken off, sometimes they will fall off. It is best to mulch tomatoes to prevent splashing and take off the leaves on the bottom of the tomatoes to prevent fungal problems.

As long as the plant is healthy it is normal.

[McKinney88]

I took off the yellow leaves on the plant and put mulch around them.



Is that enough mulch? Is it ok if the mulch is touching the stems? I wanted to get the mulch down before it rains in a couple days.

[rainbowgardener]

No, sorry, but you really don't want mulch touching the stems. It holds moisture and can rot the stem out at that point and it makes a perfect pathway for bugs and diseases in the soil to get to your plants. Clear mulch away from a circle a few inches away from your stems.

Otherwise, looking good! how much space is in between your tomato plants?

[McKinney88]

No, sorry, but you really don't want mulch touching the stems. It holds moisture and can rot the stem out at that point and it makes a perfect pathway for bugs and diseases in the soil to get to your plants. Clear mulch away from a circle a few inches away from your stems.

Otherwise, looking good! how much space is in between your tomato plants?

I will clear the mulch from around the stems then. I would say about 20" between plants. I know its probably a little close.

[feldon30]

I will clear the mulch from around the stems then. I would say about 20" between plants. I know its probably a little close.

from your Garden thread:

4 Park's Whopper Tomatoes
1 Cherry Tomato
1 Better Boy Tomato

That's gonna be pretty close for sure as Better Boy and Park's Whopper are indeterminate/vining varieties, so the plants may reach 5-7 feet tall and 3' across depending on season and growing conditions. But at this point I'd just leave em and see what happens.

[McKinney88]

I will clear the mulch from around the stems then. I would say about 20" between plants. I know its probably a little close.

from your Garden thread:

4 Park's Whopper Tomatoes
1 Cherry Tomato
1 Better Boy Tomato

That's gonna be pretty close for sure as Better Boy and Park's Whopper are indeterminate/vining varieties, so the plants may reach 5-7 feet tall and 3' across depending on season and growing conditions. But at this point I'd just leave em and see what happens.

Hmm good information. I don't much of anything about the different tomato plants, I will have to consider that more next time. I have some red brandy wines I just started from seed and some virginia sweets I have not started yet. I also have a black krim and a beefsteak.

[imafan26]

Most of the tomatoes on your list are large fruited indeterminates. The smaller cages won't be enough. Large vined tomatoes should be 36 inches apart, smaller vines 24 inches with more space between rows. Planting them too tight will block air flow and that can lead to fungal problems that will spread like wildfire. As it is, you will need to be vigilant for pests as well.

Since you are planting so many tomatoes it might be easier to use a Florida weave instead of cages. It is more work than cages but it keeps the vines off the ground and works best if you have more than a few tomatoes to plant. Otherwise, you will need a lot of cages. Remember the tomatoes vines will stick out of the cages and over the top if the cages are not tall enough. You will need space in order to get around the cages too.

https://www.webgrower.com/information/to ... ethod.html

[McKinney88]

I hope my tomatoes will be ok then. I am planning to change out the smaller cages anyways.

[dtizme]

I grew better boy and early girl last year about 24 " apart. They ended up just fine. A bit of splitting in a few of the tomatoes but that was it, no diseases or anything like that. They produces alot. I used stakes as opposed to cages but trying a few different methods / varities this year. Got some cherokee purple and yellow pear heirloom starters so hoping they will do well. We'll see how they do compared to the hybrids. As for you stick with what you got going and if it doesn't work out so good adjust for next year. Good luck.