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Post by paulf on Jul 12, 2020 22:07:34 GMT -5
For the past three weeks we have had temperatures in the 90s daytime and nighttime temps in the upper 70s. This is unusual for my area but not for our southern friends. It seems like my tomato plants are not growing very well. They are all looking healthy and almost all have small tomatoes. As always the fruit is at a standstill but it worrying that the plants themselves are not growing like other years.
Do the plants not grow during higher heat than normal or do I need to give them a boost in nutrients? I soil tested and the ground itself is full of proper nutrients. I really don't want to add nitrogen unless absolutely necessary, but I am worried the green is not growing enough to shade the tomatoes or provide for photosynthesis and energy necessary to continue fruit growth.
What do you think?
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Post by paquebot on Jul 12, 2020 23:08:27 GMT -5
You might have some problem unrelated to the weather. We've had unusually warm here, too. However, I have foliage like I haven't seen in years. Fruit set has been slow and I'm still looking for my first ripe one. Each plant does have more than normal amount of nitrogen so that may be one reason here. That might be what you need in the form of a fast-acting liquid fertilizer.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 12, 2020 23:53:42 GMT -5
I don't have them not growing, but if it gets in the mid to high 90s for several days in a row, the blossoms on many varieties will drop from the plants (as well as many eggplants), and they won't recover until it gets much cooler. This usually happens in later July to early August here. We have had a lot of days in a row in the 90s - only one up to 97° was the highest - but not hot enough for any length of time to be dropping or stopping the blossoms.
This is the reason I grow so many cherry tomatoes. Almost every year I get a blossom drop, and the tomatoes keep growing, and ripening during that time, but there will later be a space during which the tomatoes from the flowers that would have been there during that time are missing. Cherries are much faster to recover, and there is much less of a delay, with those.
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 13, 2020 8:37:18 GMT -5
paulf , my soil tests high in nutrients also but they do not test for Nitrogen as it is too volatile to get a proper reading. I spoke with the director of the lab at Penn State a couple of years ago and he told me that all gardens where lots of compost is used are high in nutrients. He suggested adding a fertilizer that was nitrogen only so I bought some feather meal on Amazon and I use it at planting time. Blood meal is also good for adding nitrogen but I had a problem with that when I used it at planting time a few years ago. Skunks dug up my seedlings to get the blood meal. It must smell yummy to them but they don't seem to care about feather meal.
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Post by octave1 on Jul 13, 2020 9:06:00 GMT -5
In 2012 we experienced a record heat weave in June and July, and my tomato plants grew to heights never seen before. It was also the driest summer on record. I am pretty sure tomatoes can and will grow nicely in really hot weather (except maybe dropping some blossoms here and there), so I think your problem--if you do have one-- is not caused by daytime temperatures.
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Post by paquebot on Jul 13, 2020 9:22:24 GMT -5
I assumed that the problem was just plant growth. They love heat and humidity for that. Fruit set is affected as few will pollinate above 80ºF. The pollen liquefies. That was the situation here for awhile and now seeing lots of small fruit the past few days. Southern gardeners may use shade cloths to cool their plants during hot weather or grow varieties suited for the heat. Son went to Colombia and I told him to bring back some tomato seeds. He could only find Creole and the packets from USA!
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by paulf on Jul 13, 2020 10:08:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the comments. Right now I think a little shot of N is in the program. I definitely need some foliage growth. I don't see blossom drop but the green tomatoes are in stasis and the plants are looking pretty skinny. We shall see.
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Post by paquebot on Jul 13, 2020 11:03:18 GMT -5
I almost wish that I had that problem. Almost every tomato plant of mine is sitting on 2½ gallons of brown horse manure. (Brown is not yet aged.) Exception are 4 Prairie Star. They are only sharing 5 gallons and their growth is much less than last year. But they are showing good fruit set. If I'm gardening yet next year, I'll cut the manure in half. Especially since I plant in the same place every year and there is always some carryover.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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