Will miracle grow help droopy tomatoes and beans?

[newtogarden]

Please help I'm kinda new to this. I planted a big garden of:
6 beefsteak
6 yellow pear tomatoes
4 roma
4 green beans
4 zucchini
carrots
14 yellow and red bell peppers


I planted last weekend which its Monday and a couple romas and beans look droopy and even a litle gray. Will miracle grow help? Any help would be immensely appreciated. Thank you

[rainbowgardener]

No, do not fertilize plants that are already struggling, especially with synthetic fertilizer. It just forces them to try to put out lots of growth that they don't have the resources for and stresses them worse.

Did I read that right that you just planted a couple days ago? Set out transplants? Probably most of what you have is transplant shock. That would certainly account for the droopy anyway. Just keep them well watered (but not with any standing water) and they should perk back up in a few days.

These are plants you bought? Do you know what conditions they were in before you bought them? If plants have been in protected situations (inside a greenhouse for e.g.), they should be hardened off, that is adapted to full sun and wind etc, gradually. Otherwise that would also cause the drooping and even some sunburning which might be the "gray" you mentioned, although usually it's more beige-ish.

If your weather is like mine in Ohio recently - i.e. very hot and sunny - that is a very stressful time to be planting things. Newly planted plants are tender and don't have established root systems, so they aren't as able to cope with summer heat. Again, keep them well watered and perhaps provide some shade from the afternoon sun.

[johnny123]

Water.
Tomato plants should get a quart a day without fruit and 1/2 gallon a day with fruit.

[cynthia_h]

Water.
Tomato plants should get a quart a day without fruit and 1/2 gallon a day with fruit.

There are very few hard-and-fast rules in gardening.

As with so many other guidelines to taking care of our plants, adding water depends on the dampness/dryness of the soil they're planted in. If the soil retains water, simply pouring X amount of water onto the plant's roots because of a rule could lead to over-watering. OTOH, if the soil is sandy and very fast-draining, such amounts of water might not be enough, especially during periods of very hot temps.

Check the soil about an inch down using the low-tech instrument known as "the human finger." Poke "the human finger" directly into the soil down to the first knuckle and assess the moisture content of the soil. If it's dry, then add water. If it's moist, don't add water. Perform this measurement daily at approximately the same time (e.g., morning, mid-afternoon, or evening) each day and become familiar with what your plants require.

Side benefit: Daily checking will also give the gardener early warnings of enemy incursions (destructive insects, diseases, etc.) and welcome bulletins that reinforcements have arrived (ladybugs, praying mantises, other beneficial insects and pollinators).

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[johnny123]

Water them.

[newtogarden]

Thank you so much for all of your advice!!!

I'm so glad I logged in this morning since my husband was mixing the miracle grow as I was reading!!!!! I wish I could've taken a video of me running out there screaming STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did buy the plants from a local hardware store and they were kept in a greenhouse, obviously did the wrong thing when I planted in the sun, but now I know. We planted the garden where an old pool was and had screened top soil brought in, it's a nice dark brown, so soil isn't my problem. We were thinking of adding lyme though, but won't until I do some research.

[Marlingardener]

Definitely get some shade on those baby plants! They will do well for you, but they just need to settle in. You can rig up any kind of shade structure you like (newspaper tents, old sheet, plywood A-frames) that will stand up to the wind and will be easily moved.
You can get your soil tested at your county agricultural extension office. The report will tell you what is lacking and what is sufficient in your soil. Don't add lime until you know you need it.

[Tony02905]

Miracle Gro IMO is not ideal for tomatoes or vegetables. My experience has been that the nitrogen content promotes mostly leaf growth and does nothing to help promote fruit growth.

I prefer Espoma Garden-Tone. It seems to have the right balance for promoting plant and fruit growth. Since I can't get any of mine into the ground for the next couple weeks due to an impending move, I have been making a Garden-Tone 'tea' and feeding them 1x per week with it. It's really helped to keep them going until they can get into the ground.

[Handsomeryan]

As others have said- new plantings need more water than fertilizer.

On a related note though- When you do get around to fertilizing you'll kill yourself trying to miracle gro a large garden. Go to your local co-op or farm store and get a 40lb bag of 10-10-10 (preferably with micronutrients too) and use that around your plantings. Much cheaper and easier than trying to mix powder and water every time you need to feed.

[rainbowgardener]

Or just use compost and mulch.... I use Miracle Grow potting soil for starting seeds for a lot of practicality reasons. After that, my garden never sees a synthetic fertilizer and does great without it. If you use the Search the Forum, there's lots of discussions around here about synthetic vs organic fertilizers. Or read Teaming with Microbes which we had a book club discussion of...

[newtogarden]

UPDATE


Thank you all for your advice!!! I planted a month ago and I'm thrilled with the progress!!! Wel allexcept my carrots, but that's another story!

[gixxerific]

Or just use compost and mulch.... I use Miracle Grow potting soil for starting seeds for a lot of practicality reasons. After that, my garden never sees a synthetic fertilizer and does great without it. If you use the Search the Forum, there's lots of discussions around here about synthetic vs organic fertilizers. Or read Teaming with Microbes which we had a book club discussion of...

Yeah that!

Dono

[gardenbean]

@CynthiaK-I have a question about when you said to check when plants are dry and when to water them.
When you are discussing tomato plants, is it ok to water them if they are dry in the evening or is it better to water in the am?

I was always under the impression that watering in the morning was the best because it gave the soil a chance to dry out before fungus etc. would have a chance to settle in. Thank you.

[cynthia_h]

When to water plants depends on your conditions; in dry climates, it's probably OK to water in the evening, but gardeners in humid climates report that they get better results (fewer cases of powdery mildew and other nasties) when they water in the morning.

During a heat wave here a couple of years ago, it was so hot (over 100 deg F) that I had to water twice a day, based on the "finger test." You know: stick your finger into the soil at least an inch deep and, if the soil is dry an inch down, water the plants. My in-ground plants were going dry from the morning (it was very difficult, but they got that extra water) to the late afternoon.

But usually, I water in the late afternoon due to my own schedule. My plants would no doubt be better off if I could get to them in the morning; the afternoons usually bring in the famous San Francisco Bay fog/marine layer, which is damp and cool and no good for plants that need warmth to grow.

Cynthia

[gixxerific]

I am one of those high humidity climates. I water in the morning but when it's hot I will water in the evening as well and more than often I water at the base of the plant by hand to reduce the chance of disease. Sometimes you have to do what you gotta do and hope for the best.