sick tomato plants??

dawny · July 8, 2006

Newbie tomato grower here. This is my second year attempting to grow tomatoes.

Just like last year, my tomato plants are not doing very well. In fact they are pretty sick. I have 5 surviving plants left this year.

They have been eaten by deer, rabbits and probably squirrels. I have been putting out wolf urine and letting my 4yo pee near them

. This has helped some and 4 of them have started to rebound a little.

One in particular is having a really hard time. It is a Cherokee Green. I transplanted it today into a container with Miracle Grow soil. I put it near the house so the wildlife would not be so interested in snacking on it.

When I was transplanting it, I noticed some really weird stuff. The leaf veins are very dark, almost purple.

Two photos of back:

One photo of front:

At first I thought it might have TSWV, but the leaves don’t have black spots on them (what you see if just dirt).

I did a little more searching on the web and found some info on Mag and Potassium deficiencies. The leaves look a little like that, but I just don't know.

Any suggestions?

feldon30 · July 9, 2006

My first impression is they are a bit low on nutrients and that it should sort itself out. You might fertilize by watering the entire plant (including leaves -- normally a NO-NO!) with diluted fish/seaweed/kelp emulsion. That will directly foliar feed the leaves. Otherwise, you can just wait for the plant to start taking up nutrients from the soil.

Miracle Gro potting soil is pretty good for growing tomatoes in a container. It contains a fair amount of slow-release fertilizer and it's easy to overfertilize tomato plants with too much nitrogen. 5-10 gallon containers are best for each tomato plant (Yes they grow huge root systems).

I am no expert and there might be something I'm seeing but not interpreting correctly.

dawny · July 12, 2006

Thanks for the input (and welcome)!

The tomato plant was originally in the ground. I think I planted the seedling in late May.

I have been checking it daily since I transplanted it and it is starting to get new growth. The new growth looks good (smooth, nice shade of green), but it has dark purple veins also.

I also have a Cherokee Chocolate plant and I noticed that it also has very purple veins. My Mexico and Arkansas Traveler don't. So, I wonder if all Cherokees have purple veining or if they just require more minerals than my Mexico and AT. Any thoughts?

I did test my soil before I planted my plants. My results were very strange. My pH was fine. But for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium tests, the water solution was almost clear which indicated "completely depleted"; however, the water had a lot of clots that were very dark in color (which indicated sufficient minerals).

dawny · July 16, 2006

Wow, what a difference a week can make in the life of a tomato plant! The Miracle Grow potting soil is doing the trick.

My Green Cherokee is looking really good. None of the new foliage has the purple veining, although the old stuff still does.

It even has what looks like the start of a few blossoms.

I finally got out to the store and bought some blossom food (by Schlutz). It is 10-54-10. I am going to try that on the ones I still have in the ground.

Thanks for all the help!

July 8, 2006	#1
dawny Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Barrington, IL Posts: 3	sick tomato plants?? Newbie tomato grower here. This is my second year attempting to grow tomatoes. Just like last year, my tomato plants are not doing very well. In fact they are pretty sick. I have 5 surviving plants left this year. They have been eaten by deer, rabbits and probably squirrels. I have been putting out wolf urine and letting my 4yo pee near them . This has helped some and 4 of them have started to rebound a little. One in particular is having a really hard time. It is a Cherokee Green. I transplanted it today into a container with Miracle Grow soil. I put it near the house so the wildlife would not be so interested in snacking on it. When I was transplanting it, I noticed some really weird stuff. The leaf veins are very dark, almost purple. Two photos of back: One photo of front: At first I thought it might have TSWV, but the leaves don’t have black spots on them (what you see if just dirt). I did a little more searching on the web and found some info on Mag and Potassium deficiencies. The leaves look a little like that, but I just don't know. Any suggestions?

July 9, 2006	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	My first impression is they are a bit low on nutrients and that it should sort itself out. You might fertilize by watering the entire plant (including leaves -- normally a NO-NO!) with diluted fish/seaweed/kelp emulsion. That will directly foliar feed the leaves. Otherwise, you can just wait for the plant to start taking up nutrients from the soil. Miracle Gro potting soil is pretty good for growing tomatoes in a container. It contains a fair amount of slow-release fertilizer and it's easy to overfertilize tomato plants with too much nitrogen. 5-10 gallon containers are best for each tomato plant (Yes they grow huge root systems). I am no expert and there might be something I'm seeing but not interpreting correctly. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

July 12, 2006	#3
dawny Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Barrington, IL Posts: 3	Thanks for the input (and welcome)! The tomato plant was originally in the ground. I think I planted the seedling in late May. I have been checking it daily since I transplanted it and it is starting to get new growth. The new growth looks good (smooth, nice shade of green), but it has dark purple veins also. I also have a Cherokee Chocolate plant and I noticed that it also has very purple veins. My Mexico and Arkansas Traveler don't. So, I wonder if all Cherokees have purple veining or if they just require more minerals than my Mexico and AT. Any thoughts? I did test my soil before I planted my plants. My results were very strange. My pH was fine. But for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium tests, the water solution was almost clear which indicated "completely depleted"; however, the water had a lot of clots that were very dark in color (which indicated sufficient minerals).

July 16, 2006	#4
dawny Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Barrington, IL Posts: 3	Wow, what a difference a week can make in the life of a tomato plant! The Miracle Grow potting soil is doing the trick. My Green Cherokee is looking really good. None of the new foliage has the purple veining, although the old stuff still does. It even has what looks like the start of a few blossoms. I finally got out to the store and bought some blossom food (by Schlutz). It is 10-54-10. I am going to try that on the ones I still have in the ground. Thanks for all the help!