Neochiq
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Fungus on Tomatoes

I have put more effort in to these tomatoes than anything in my life besides raising my kid. I am completely new at gardening and being that I’m from Florida, I planted on my porch. We have too much rain for outdoor gardening! It would flood the seedlings.

Ok- so I’ve been growing these tomatoes from seeds in this special tomato cage. (I don’t know what variety, I’m sorry I can’t remember) but I planted these way back in May and they’ve never gotten flowers!

About half way in to growing I realized I hadn’t fertilized them so I bought an organic fertilizer and it helped them grow bigger.

Then this idiot lawn man used his blower about 2 months again and blew debris right in to our patio. It covered my tomatoes in a black dust. I sprayed them down gently ... but ever since then I’ve had trouble.

First, my box began growing mushrooms, which I would pluck out of the soil. Then it started getting white ‘things’ on the stalk. I thought they were eggs but they are squishy. Then it kept spreading... and killing branches... spreading.... killing smaller plants. I read up on it and it turns out it’s a fungus.

I looked up organic DIY remedies and it said diluted apple cider vinegar and more sunlight. I did both to no avail. They are dying every day. Is there any saving these?!?!!

Should I dump it out and begin again? I think it’s been too long to expect anything from this bunch?

Is there anything I can do? What about next time?

I was so excited for tomatoes. I guess no green thumb for me. Pictures attached... I have put many hours of work in to these babies to get them to grow so big!
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PaulF
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Location: Brownville, Ne

What you have is quite a mess. Before you start again it would be good for you to do some research on how to grow tomatoes in Florida. Your plants are way too leggy and both dried out and nutrient starved. Be sure the soil used is right for container plants, the fertilizer is correct for both the beginning and later life of the plants. I would suggest getting rid of everything and starting over. You are infested with bugs as well.

Although I am in the mid-west, we have a home in Florida and realize the problems you face are greater than ours in Nebraska. There are plenty of Floridians who will be able to give some sound advice. Most of all, don't give up, try again and have fun.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

The white things are mealy bugs. If it has been three months and you have not even had a flower yet, it sounds like they were stressed. They did not get enough fertilizer to keep them actively growing. On the patio, they may not be getting enough sunlight. I would get rid of the plant. It not likely to recover and produce.
Grow tomatoes at the right time of the year and you should be able to grow them outside. If it rains a lot, I mean for days on end, you could put the tomato in a large planter on a dolly and bring them into a sheltered place if it rains for days on end.
Tomatoes require 6-8 hours of sun to produce fruit. They like temperatures between 60-80. Unless you grow one of the Florida heat resistant tomatoes, most tomatoes will stop producing if the temperatures exceed 88 degrees.
I use 18 gallon pots, I do not use organic fertilizers in pots. There is not a large enough soil microbe population in a pot to be self sustaining. If you want to do organic in pots, you will need to feed the tomatoes weekly with fish emulsion and kelp meal and use about 3 cups of Tomato tone worked into the soil before planting.

I use 2 cups of a general purpose fertilizer with slow nitrogen mixed into Miracle grow potting soil. (do not use moisture control). I plant one tomato to an 18 gallon pot and I plant it deep, taking off all the lower leaves and planting the stem as well.
My plants are in full sun, and they get an additional tablespoon of fertilizer when they first bloom, first fruit, and monthly for the rest of their life. When the weather is hot and humid, spray with a fungicide weekly. You can use whatever you like, I use sulfur weekly, but neem or a botanical oil can be used as long as the temperature is below 90. I do not try to grow tomatoes in the rainy season. Remove the lower leaves and mulch to prevent splashing onto the leaves. If I see pests, I blast them off with water from the hose early in the morning so the leaves have a chance to dry. I might use alcohol in a spray bottle early in the morning. I don't usually have a lot of pests because I have a good garden patrol. If you keep your plant healthy it is less likely to be attacked, since pests prefer stressed and weak plants. Tomatoes have a large root system. When they are fully grown an indeterminate tomato can be 8ft or taller and need to be watered once or twice a day especially in the heat. You just want to try to keep the water at the root and not on the leaves.

Neochiq
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Thanks! It’s what I feared. This is our first home and my first venture EVER in growing something. Are there any good tutorials for beginners? A step by step for organic gardening? I’d like to know what I’m doing. I was very excited

pepperhead212
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Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

A lady in Panama City FL (so you might be in a warmer area) grows 2 crops of tomatoes every year. The first one is pretty much gone, as it got simply too hot for them, I think in early July! And one problem that many people in the south have with tomatoes is nematodes. Up north, a deep freeze kills them off, but in the south, they have nothing to do this. Container growing is one solution; she grows them only in sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), for this reason.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yep. Like pepperhead212 said, GOOD NEWS is THIS is the right time of year for you to start what they call Fall Tomatoes in Florida. Summertime is just too hot for them to bloom and set fruits.

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!potatoes!
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I can't imagine the plants ever not being all leggy and gangly like that (or getting good fruit set, for that matter) growing in half-light on the porch.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yes... that is a good point — we Should address that.

First off all, it’s a good idea to choose tomato varieties that will grow well in containers, not the typical ones that grow to 6-8 feet in the ground and require 15-20 gallon planters. Short genetic dwarfs (NOT the tall ones) which grow to 3-4 feet can be grown in 5 gallon buckets and are available in determinate and indeterminate salad size to slicer beefsteak size fruits. Micro-dwarfs are tiny plants suitable for growing in 1-2 gallon containers. There are also patio variety sprawling short varieties which are suitable for growing in 12-14” hanging baskets.

If you decide to grow on the porch again, a supplemental light is probably needed — A 4 foot 4 tube shoplight if you want to grow 4-6 micro-dwarf plants or 2-3 dwarf or hanging basket varieties to mature size plants.

I’m going to recommend a seed source which I rarely do.
Bunnyh Hp Seeds offers a number of micro-dwarfs which are tiny plants suitable for growing in 1-2 gallon containers. They are mostly cherry sized fruits and determinate which means they grow quickly, fruit all at once and then are done. But you need that earliness for shorter growing periods — in spring before the summer heat, and after summer heat in the fall before frost (unless you live in the warmer part of Florida). If you live in Frost-free part of Florida, then you can grow indeterminates and longer maturing varieties in the fall into winter. The owner lives in Florida as well and offers some varieties that are resistant to the soil borne diseases and nematodes there so they can be grown in the ground.


—looking forward to reading about your successes! :-()

UTtomatoman
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You might want to consider growing tomatoes in planters. There is a great organization that has dedicated itself to developing tomatoes that will grow well in containers called the dwarf tomato project. They've developed micro dwarf plants that will do well in 2-5 gallon containers up to plants that will produce full sized tasty tomatoes in slightly larger planters 7-20 gallon pots. Here's a link to their website https://www.dwarftomatoproject.net/

I went to a nursery that deals with landscaping and has many trees and got some 15-20 gallon black pots that were leftover from landscaping jobs. They're perfect for the full sized tomatoes developed by the dwarf tomato project. Good luck and enjoy learning about your tomato options.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Actually the University of Florida has developed some really good heat tolerant tomatoes and recommendations for what tomatoes will do well in containers.

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu ... atoes.html

Tomatoes need a big pot and at least 6 hours of sunlight. Depending on how much light you can get onto your porch throughout the year, you might try to grow other things that may be less demanding.



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