Too much fertilizer or heat that has stunted growth
 

Hello,

Just about all of my toms this year have stunted growth. Most varieties are ripening and the sizes 1/4 of what it should be. All are in pots and all have had applications of TomatoTone weekly. As many of you are aware the heat in the Northeast has been above average this season.

Any thoughts on the cause of stunted growth?

Thanks

Tim

[quote=TimTom;179521]Hello,

Just about all of my toms this year have stunted growth. Most varieties are ripening and the sizes 1/4 of what it should be. All are in pots and all have had applications of TomatoTone weekly. As many of you are aware the heat in the Northeast has been above average this season.

Any thoughts on the cause of stunted growth?

Thanks

Tim[/quote]

I am no expert here.......but weekly doses of Tomato Tone is overkill and maters do not need that much to eat. Cut back to once a month and water correctly :D
You will correct your issues. Without a picture or two keeps everyone guessing here:dizzy: >>>>>>>>>>Talon

Maybe not enuff water.

Tim, you said they are in pots. What size pots?

If you are using tomato tone weekly, that may be too much or not too much. Depends on your container size, where your plants are in the growth cycle, and how much you put on.

5 Gal pots........I believe they were in a growth phase

Thank you

What varieties of tomatoes are you growing in those 5 gallon pots?

As the post above yours asked, how much fertilizer are you applying weekly; that's a key question.

You probably have a combination of things going on here. Some might consider it a bit amazing that the plants have done as well as they have.

In my view a five gallon container is an absolute minimum for tomatoes. My personal preference is 20 gallon and above. I'm guessing that with the heat of this summer the soil temps in those containers are much higher than in the natural ground and are having a big effect on production and overall health of the plant.

Fertilizing every week would be another potential source of trouble. Don't love em and feed em to death.

So...You've got small containers, a very hot summer, and an over dose of fertilizer all working together at the same time. Try this. Build an Earth-Tainer per Raybo's instructions and transplant the tomato and all five gallons of soil into that. Add new soil mix and water it all very well to dilute all of this fertilizer you've been using. Keep the soil moist, and if you have hot direct sun on the container try putting burlap or even a light colored towel around it to help insulate and deflect some of that direct heat from the soil and root zone. Give this a chance for 30 days and see how it works. I'm guessing you will see a huge improvement.

Thank you for the reply....I will transplant into larger pots (i.e earthtainer)....

I have been adding 2 tsp of TomatoTone a week. I thought I had read to dose more frequently in a container due to the fact that there is not alot of soil to keep the fertilizer at a constant level.


Thank you

Tim

In regards to fertilizer (TomotoTone)......what is a good rule of thumb in regards to application frequency for toms that re potted???

TimTom:

The package has directions. I cant remember them, since I havent used Tomato Tone in several years-its hard to get for me out in the desert Southwest. You should follow the directions for containers. But 2 tsp a week is not excessive at all, in my opinion. I dont think the TT is your problem.

As long as your pots are white you should not have a problem with the aggregate heating up. What type of growing medium are you using. If your plants were not getting enough water they would be wilting in the heat.
If you are using the new Tomato Tone 4-7-10 I would say the plants are not getting enough nitrogen which is needed for the growth phase. Once you start getting blossoms is the time to use a formula like Tomato tone. After fruit set you can again increase the nitrogen.
Primary problem I had with heat this year was fruit set which there was none. After the temperatures returned to the 80's my plants began setting fruit again. And this was the same for my containers as well as my raised bed at work where I have 6 tomato plants in the ground. Ami

[quote=amideutch;179635]As long as your pots are white you should not have a problem with the aggregate heating up. What type of growing medium are you using. If your plants were not getting enough water they would be wilting in the heat.
If you are using the new Tomato Tone 4-7-10 I would say the plants are not getting enough nitrogen which is needed for the growth phase. Once you start getting blossoms is the time to use a formula like Tomato tone. After fruit set you can again increase the nitrogen.
Primary problem I had with heat this year was fruit set which there was none. After the temperatures returned to the 80's my plants began setting fruit again. And this was the same for my containers as well as my raised bed at work where I have 6 tomato plants in the ground. Ami[/quote]

That makes sense.....The toms in greens pots are the ones that have stopped growing...while the 2 that are in white pots have done better but still smaller than in past years for the variety ....I will have to look at what TomTone I have....If it is the new formula then not enough nitogen may be a factor as well.

Just to clarify....the varieties that are very small compared to previous years and that are also in 5gal green pots are as follows:

BLACK PRINCE
MORTGAGE LIFTER
HAW. PINEAPPLE
GREEN ZEBRA

All have produced ripe fruit at 1/4 of the size in the past.

In regards to H20 I have been trusting a meter.....which is the first year I am doing..

Thanks

Tim

I didn't know how much fertilizer you were using, but 2 tsp a week shouldn't be enough to cause much trouble, as mdvpc said.

You may now be narrowing the focus down to heat. The green pots vs lighter colored ones seem to be showing a difference. Five gallons of "soil" is probably enough for roots and nutrients, but the one factor people usually neglect is the insulating value of larger containers.

I hope your plants make a nice recovery, and I believe they will once you "pot up" to a bigger size container.

DS