My Tomato Jungle - Page 2

RomanX · June 3, 2015

Much thanks to Miller and his (her?) site link!!

noticable "nobbly" are all symptoms of. . . (drum roll, please) magnesium deficiency!!
I looked at pictures and VOILA!!

Time to go mix up some Epsom Salt solution - after I go get a sprayer (me poor little trigger finger will get ALL tuckered out trying to hand spray 11 plants!)

ginger2778 · June 3, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by RomanX

Much thanks to Miller and his (her?) site link!!

noticable "nobbly" are all symptoms of. . . (drum roll, please) magnesium deficiency!!
I looked at pictures and VOILA!!

Time to go mix up some Epsom Salt solution - after I go get a sprayer (me poor little trigger finger will get ALL tuckered out trying to hand spray 11 plants!)

The rate for the epsom salt is usually 1Tablespoon per gallon, but you can just pour the liquid on the potting mix, it will be utilized by the roots uptaking it very quickly. Also you can just put a tablespoon down the Earthbox tube. Some feel that foliar sprays dont really have any special effect, that what makes them seem effective is most people spray to the point of runoff, so lots drips into the soil.

Lorri D · June 3, 2015

I think you are right! Reading from one of my crop production books, it states that iron deficiencies show up as interveinal chlorosis of 'young' leaves. In late stages, the leaf blade may lose nearly all pigment appearing white.

Mobile nutrient deficiencies typically show up on lower 'older' foliage and non-mobile nutrient deficiencies typically show up on new 'young' foliage.

Mobile: N, P, K, Mg
Non-mobile: Ca, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Boron

Miller734 · June 4, 2015

Its him. Glad you found what you needed. That page has helped me several times.

RomanX · June 4, 2015

I just finished spraying EVERY plant (visibly affected or not) until it was dripping, with a solution of 1 tbs Epsom Salts in 1 gallon of water. Finished @ 4:30 pm. . . so how long
will it tqake before the 'mater leaves are smooth and uniforml;y dark green again??

In 3 hours, for their evening watering??

Just read that post about putting it on the soil. . . should I go back out and pour some onto the soil of containeras?? in the water of the EBs?

Should I pour Epsom Salts solution tomorrow morning?? again in a week??

ginger2778 · June 4, 2015

Roman, just see how they do for about 3 days, you should see improvement if it is going to by then. If you aren't improved by 3 days, mix more and apply directly to the mix. Yes, I would just put some actual unmixed Epsom Salts down the earthbox tube, if you didn't put any today. Since the reservoir holds 3 gallons but the wicking changes things, just put 1Tbsp right down the tube. Maybe you can add more later..

zipcode · June 22, 2015

You are not going to see much improvement. From my experience magnesium deficiency is rather irreversible, maybe just a bit on very lightly affected leaves.
But you are preventing it from getting worse. Spraying is the better choice, just don't overdo it. Other minerals will compete in the soil, especially K, so adding it there will not help as much.

RomanX · June 22, 2015

Thanks to the Ag Extension agent for looking at SCADS of photos and representative leaves from my ailing Tomato Jungle and giving me a diagnosis / good news!!

The diagnosis? Iron clorosis from watering too much and leaching out nutrients AND fertilizing too often (excess nitrogen) causing abnormal leaf size, pebbling, curling etc.

The cure: water ONCE a day and fertilize only every 2 weeks.

It's been a week since their advice started being followed. The second and third dfay of changing from watering twice to once a day, I discovered about 1/3 pf the fruit from one EB had BER (nothing since), the leaves are a lush dark green. The agent told me that the clorotic leaves didn't need to be picked off, but I wonder when (if) they will ever recover.

Yesterday (6-21), I did NOT do my (old) reguolar weekly fertilizing: next weekend, I will start the every 2 week fertiliozing. It might just be myu imagination, but the leaves already look smaller, smoother and less distorted.

AND also yesterday, I harvested my first tomato (from the Fourth of July plant)!!! I sense a pic in the near future, BEFORE I slice the little beauty for a 'mater sandwich tonight!!!

SharonRossy · June 22, 2015

RomanX that was very informative. I mostly grow tomatoes in containers, grow bags, and its a fine balance with the watering and fertilizing. This year I'm watering less, mind you we've had a rainy June, and I'm not going to go crazy with fertilizing. I had similar issues like yours last year and I think some of my plants suffered from too much of both. So lesson learned. Thanks! Good luck with your maters,
Sharon

zipcode · June 23, 2015

I don't know what that agent is smoking but the pictures you show are without any sort of any kind of doubt magnesium deficiency.
That being said, you may also have Iron deficiency on top of that. It looks very different. New growth tips (and only them) are sort of bright light green with the veins darker. It is easily reversed with some Iron EDTA, spray a bit and in a few days it's like new.

RomanX · June 23, 2015

*I* thought magnesium deficiency 'cause it didn't look like Iron deficiency. Before getting that diagnosis from the ag extension agent (basically leave the poor plants alone!), I spent a weerk trying first one thing then another. Epsom salt foliar spray, pouring Epsom Salt down EB watering tube, testing and altering soil pH, adding potash (0-0-60 as a phosphorous deficiency mimics a magnesium one, or so I read). . . so I was QUITE ready to NOT do anything more!!!

SaturdAy (6-21) I picked my first ripe tomato and last night, I had a scrumptious 'mater sandwich. This morning, I picked two more from the same plant (very early season Fourth of July plant.

Here's some more pics. . .

SharonRossy · June 23, 2015

I have to laugh because that's what I did last year, over treated them to death literally in a few cases. Some of my plants looked like a necrosis hit it and stems were hollow so I had to take down a few plants and tried to save the rest. Your plants look pretty great and well on their way to recovery. Enjoy! If you added a fert strip to the earth boxes or mixed it in, then the additional weekly or biweekly fertilizing should be a weak solution with a low N ratio. As for magnesium I prefer to add it to the soil as a drench but find a water soluble fertilizer that contains the micronutrients.

June 3, 2015	#16
RomanX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 119	Deficiency diagnosed!!! Much thanks to Miller and his (her?) site link!! noticable "nobbly" are all symptoms of. . . (drum roll, please) magnesium deficiency!! I looked at pictures and VOILA!! Time to go mix up some Epsom Salt solution - after I go get a sprayer (me poor little trigger finger will get ALL tuckered out trying to hand spray 11 plants!)

June 4, 2015	#20
RomanX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 119	Timing??? I just finished spraying EVERY plant (visibly affected or not) until it was dripping, with a solution of 1 tbs Epsom Salts in 1 gallon of water. Finished @ 4:30 pm. . . so how long will it tqake before the 'mater leaves are smooth and uniforml;y dark green again?? In 3 hours, for their evening watering?? Just read that post about putting it on the soil. . . should I go back out and pour some onto the soil of containeras?? in the water of the EBs? Should I pour Epsom Salts solution tomorrow morning?? again in a week??

June 22, 2015	#23
RomanX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 119	DIAGNOSIS!!! Thanks to the Ag Extension agent for looking at SCADS of photos and representative leaves from my ailing Tomato Jungle and giving me a diagnosis / good news!! The diagnosis? Iron clorosis from watering too much and leaching out nutrients AND fertilizing too often (excess nitrogen) causing abnormal leaf size, pebbling, curling etc. The cure: water ONCE a day and fertilize only every 2 weeks. It's been a week since their advice started being followed. The second and third dfay of changing from watering twice to once a day, I discovered about 1/3 pf the fruit from one EB had BER (nothing since), the leaves are a lush dark green. The agent told me that the clorotic leaves didn't need to be picked off, but I wonder when (if) they will ever recover. Yesterday (6-21), I did NOT do my (old) reguolar weekly fertilizing: next weekend, I will start the every 2 week fertiliozing. It might just be myu imagination, but the leaves already look smaller, smoother and less distorted. AND also yesterday, I harvested my first tomato (from the Fourth of July plant)!!! I sense a pic in the near future, BEFORE I slice the little beauty for a 'mater sandwich tonight!!!

June 3, 2015	#18
Lorri D Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NorthWest Posts: 267	I think you are right! Reading from one of my crop production books, it states that iron deficiencies show up as interveinal chlorosis of 'young' leaves. In late stages, the leaf blade may lose nearly all pigment appearing white. Mobile nutrient deficiencies typically show up on lower 'older' foliage and non-mobile nutrient deficiencies typically show up on new 'young' foliage. Mobile: N, P, K, Mg Non-mobile: Ca, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Boron

June 4, 2015	#19
Miller734 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Bethlehem GA Posts: 5	Its him. Glad you found what you needed. That page has helped me several times.

June 4, 2015	#21
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Roman, just see how they do for about 3 days, you should see improvement if it is going to by then. If you aren't improved by 3 days, mix more and apply directly to the mix. Yes, I would just put some actual unmixed Epsom Salts down the earthbox tube, if you didn't put any today. Since the reservoir holds 3 gallons but the wicking changes things, just put 1Tbsp right down the tube. Maybe you can add more later..

June 22, 2015	#22
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	You are not going to see much improvement. From my experience magnesium deficiency is rather irreversible, maybe just a bit on very lightly affected leaves. But you are preventing it from getting worse. Spraying is the better choice, just don't overdo it. Other minerals will compete in the soil, especially K, so adding it there will not help as much.

June 22, 2015	#24
SharonRossy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,140	RomanX that was very informative. I mostly grow tomatoes in containers, grow bags, and its a fine balance with the watering and fertilizing. This year I'm watering less, mind you we've had a rainy June, and I'm not going to go crazy with fertilizing. I had similar issues like yours last year and I think some of my plants suffered from too much of both. So lesson learned. Thanks! Good luck with your maters, Sharon

June 23, 2015	#25
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I don't know what that agent is smoking but the pictures you show are without any sort of any kind of doubt magnesium deficiency. That being said, you may also have Iron deficiency on top of that. It looks very different. New growth tips (and only them) are sort of bright light green with the veins darker. It is easily reversed with some Iron EDTA, spray a bit and in a few days it's like new.