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bogiefidget
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Too much Magnesium in Tomatoes
Hi I live in zone 7 and this is my first attempt at gardening . My husband and I have put in raised garden beds and containers that have our tomatoes and peppers. I had used a dirt mix of top soil, garden mix and a little manure. Everything has been going really well until I read somewhere that tomatoes and peppers lack Magnesium and that I could that by putting a little Epson salt into the dirt and with this I added a little more cow manure just last week. Now my tomato plants look wilted and have some discolored leaves on the bottom but I also have lots of blooms and some small tomatoes. So I don't know if I have hurt them that they won't come back to there big bushy plants that they were or if I have hurt them so bad that they can't recover. Please help this greenhorn gardener.
https://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/publicatio ... heet59.pdf
Too little magnesium is rare especially if you are using manure. Only a small amount is needed.
yellowing on bottom leaves and chlorosis are symptoms of magnesium deficiency, but other micro deficiencies can be a cause as well. Zinc, chloride, viruses and the natural aging proccess can do the same. Nitrogen deficiency will show up on the lower leaves first.
Wilted leaves on the bottom is more likely a problem with late blight or heat stress.
https://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/v ... o.htm#heat
If you see blossom end rot on the tomatoes, it is probably water stress that is causing the wilting. Wilting will also occur in the middle of the day.
Water splashing on lower leaves causes some fungal growth and wilting, so I always remove the lower leaves on my tomato plants. I also have them in 18 gallon pots and they are watered daily so I really don't really have water stress problems unless I skip watering. Mulching helps to conserve water. In pots I use several layers of newspaper or I cut up the bags that perlite, compost, and peat moss come in. It keeps down the splashing especially when I use a watering tube and mulch. I have some wild tomatoes growing like weeds in the garden and sometimes along with wild bitter melon around the yard. They are on their own and they seem to not need a lot of help. I also grow heat tolerant varieties. They don't always have the greatest taste but it is that or no tomatoes in summer. The birds that bring them are pretty picky, they will not eat bad tasting fruit anyway.
If you have been planting tomatoes in the same spot repeatedly, pathogens can build up, so it is better to move them to another spot when you have problems or look for more disease resistant varieties.
Too little magnesium is rare especially if you are using manure. Only a small amount is needed.
yellowing on bottom leaves and chlorosis are symptoms of magnesium deficiency, but other micro deficiencies can be a cause as well. Zinc, chloride, viruses and the natural aging proccess can do the same. Nitrogen deficiency will show up on the lower leaves first.
Wilted leaves on the bottom is more likely a problem with late blight or heat stress.
https://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/v ... o.htm#heat
If you see blossom end rot on the tomatoes, it is probably water stress that is causing the wilting. Wilting will also occur in the middle of the day.
Water splashing on lower leaves causes some fungal growth and wilting, so I always remove the lower leaves on my tomato plants. I also have them in 18 gallon pots and they are watered daily so I really don't really have water stress problems unless I skip watering. Mulching helps to conserve water. In pots I use several layers of newspaper or I cut up the bags that perlite, compost, and peat moss come in. It keeps down the splashing especially when I use a watering tube and mulch. I have some wild tomatoes growing like weeds in the garden and sometimes along with wild bitter melon around the yard. They are on their own and they seem to not need a lot of help. I also grow heat tolerant varieties. They don't always have the greatest taste but it is that or no tomatoes in summer. The birds that bring them are pretty picky, they will not eat bad tasting fruit anyway.
If you have been planting tomatoes in the same spot repeatedly, pathogens can build up, so it is better to move them to another spot when you have problems or look for more disease resistant varieties.
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GardeningCook
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- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
- Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a
First off - you as a new gardener - repeat after me: "If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!". Your tomatoes were doing well, but you read something & decided to "head 'em off at the pass" & add Epsom salts & more manure to your raised beds. And now the tomatoes are doing poorly.
Assuming your tomatoes are in full sun & not undergoing any other forms of stress, I think all you can do at this point is wait things out. They'll either work through the "help" you gave them or they won't. It may take some time, but give them a chance.
And don't try to fix anything that doesn't need fixing!!
(One quick question - is the manure you're using well-composted? It's not just fresh from the cows' - ahem - butts, so to speak, is it?)
Assuming your tomatoes are in full sun & not undergoing any other forms of stress, I think all you can do at this point is wait things out. They'll either work through the "help" you gave them or they won't. It may take some time, but give them a chance.
And don't try to fix anything that doesn't need fixing!!
(One quick question - is the manure you're using well-composted? It's not just fresh from the cows' - ahem - butts, so to speak, is it?)
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GardeningCook
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- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
- Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a
imafan26 wrote:It is possible that the manure is the problem. I usually only put that in when I prep the bed, so it can be diluted in the soil. It not only stinks, but can burn plants if it is just on top.
Fresh manure should NEVER be added to current garden beds. However, if it's properly composted first, it's a wonderful organic soil amendment. Properly composted livestock manure WILL NOT STINK, in any way, shape, or form. It will be a lovely, dark, crumbly substance with nothing but the scent of earth. If you're using manure that stinks, you shouldn't be using it in your garden.
I've used properly-composted chicken manure, rabbit manure, & horse manure for DECADES, with no "plant burning" or other problems, & with excellent results. The KEY here is that livestock manures need to be well-composted before garden application. The only variation from this is if one wants to apply fresh manures to a fallow garden area in the early fall, let it sit/compost through the winter, & then turn it under in the early spring.
Steer manure isn't that bad, but even composted, chicken manure is not low odor. Pelleted chicken manure is better, but it still has a smell. Fish emulsion draws flies and cats and even the low odor version has a smell. I would not describe any of these as 'earthy'.
Fresh manure should not be used on edibles because of the risk of pathogens. Fresh manure can burn plants especially if it too much is applied. It is also high in salts which is not a good thing.
Fresh manure should not be used on edibles because of the risk of pathogens. Fresh manure can burn plants especially if it too much is applied. It is also high in salts which is not a good thing.