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Old October 6, 2015   #1
Schepman
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Default Leaves turning down... Growing point turning down?

I need help diagnosing a problem with a tomato I started indoors. The leaves and stems have turned down, and the growing point has pointed down far enough it is turning back up. The plant looks otherwise healthy and is growing. The problem may have started around the time I potted up to a 3 gal smart pot. Plant is under t5s, soilless mix, encapsulated miracle grow mixed in (12-4-8 w/ some micros), recently started adding something from hydroponic store when I water (3-1-2 w micros) because I thought it was deficient in something. Now I wonder if it's toxicity. I water when the mix gets a little dry. I don't see any bugs. I think I posted some mediocre pictures. Thanks in advance for any help. Didn't get many tomatos this summer due to 30" of rain in June (not an exaggeration).
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Old October 6, 2015   #2
Salsacharley
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Perhaps it is getting too much nitrogen. Your fert ratios look pretty high in N to me.
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Old October 7, 2015   #3
RayR
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I'm thinking the same thing, nitrogen toxicity. You can't flush it because you have time release MG in the mix. Repot it in fresh soil without the MG, use only the 3-1-2 (what is it?) lightly and see if it recovers OK. What soil-less mix are you using?
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Old October 7, 2015   #4
Barb_FL
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I've had that happen to a lot of my plants this fall season. One day they are beautiful; and the next day the branches are turning down but definitely not wilt. I've had it happen before transplanting and the following day after transplanting.

Plant otherwise looks healthy; fat stem; color is good. I had it happen on 2 Sun Gold Plants that I grew for a friend and they are flowering now.

Here is the first one it happened to (the one on the right). I would LOVE to know what is causing it. I never had this happen before.
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Old October 7, 2015   #5
greyghost
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I've had the same thing happen a couple of times to my plants, too. It has happened both while still potted and a good while after transplanting. I've
noticed it after I've water heavily with a soluble fertilizer. It's been difficult
for me to control myself sometimes! They've recovered in a day or so but I'll admit it's very worrisome until they do. (The first thing that comes to mind
is herbicide exposure!)
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Old October 7, 2015   #6
Gerardo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salsacharley View Post
Perhaps it is getting too much nitrogen. Your fert ratios look pretty high in N to me.
+1 Mine don't react well to the MG, or rather, it's easy to overdo it with the MG. As stated, time release nitrogen granules means you may have to repot. MG works great on ornamentals.
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Old October 7, 2015   #7
Schepman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RayR View Post
I'm thinking the same thing, nitrogen toxicity. You can't flush it because you have time release MG in the mix. Repot it in fresh soil without the MG, use only the 3-1-2 (what is it?) lightly and see if it recovers OK. What soil-less mix are you using?
Using Pro-Mix mycorrhizal. Liquid nutrients are called CNS17. I will repot as soon as it rains (I'm busy harvesting my "real crops"). Is there a more properly balance liquid nutrient you would suggest? I'm looking for something simple, no mixing, I don't care if it's organic, and I don't want to overpay.
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Old October 7, 2015   #8
Schepman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barb_FL View Post
I've had that happen to a lot of my plants this fall season. One day they are beautiful; and the next day the branches are turning down but definitely not wilt. I've had it happen before transplanting and the following day after transplanting.

Plant otherwise looks healthy; fat stem; color is good. I had it happen on 2 Sun Gold Plants that I grew for a friend and they are flowering now.

Here is the first one it happened to (the one on the right). I would LOVE to know what is causing it. I never had this happen before.
My plant looks just like the one on the right.
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Old October 7, 2015   #9
Gerardo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Schepman View Post
Using Pro-Mix mycorrhizal. Liquid nutrients are called CNS17. I will repot as soon as it rains (I'm busy harvesting my "real crops"). Is there a more properly balance liquid nutrient you would suggest? I'm looking for something simple, no mixing, I don't care if it's organic, and I don't want to overpay.
That particular Botanicare product is solid. I'm using it, as well as karma, tea, and seaplex, purchased the sample sizes to try 'em out and so far so good.

From their website for CNS17
  • Total Nitrogen (N): 1.0%, 1.0% Nitrate Nitrogen
  • Available Phosphate (P2O5): 5.0%
  • Soluble Potash (K2O): 4.0%
  • Calcium (Ca): 1.25%
  • Magnesium (Mg): 0.5%, 0.5% Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg)
  • Sulfur (S) 0.5%, 0.5% Combined Sulfur (S)
  • Manganese (Mn): 0.01%, 0.01% Water Soluble Manganese (Mn)
  • Molybdenum (Mo): 0.0005%
  • Derived from: Calcium Nitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Nitrate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Manganese Sulfate, Ammonium Molybdate.

Does liquid tomato tone exist?
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Old October 7, 2015   #10
Barb_FL
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Mine were sown, 1st transplant, and if final transplant has all been with HP Pro-Mix Biofungicide and Mycorrhizae; only difference that I know of between that verson of HP
and the BX is vermiculite.

As seedlings, they had very small amount of Espoma Bio-Tone.

Always watered from the bottom (except on final transplant) and used Fox Farm BushDoctor Kangaroots Root Drench. This was the first season using it. The amount used is very small; but upon reading the NPK, it is: .8, .1,.03 (pretty strange # for a root drench).

On Amazon it also says it is not sold in FL....but I have it.http://www.amazon.com/FoxFarm-FX1407...rm+root+drench

In prior seasons, I used Earth Juice Hi-Brix Molasses for the first watering on the final transplant and never had problems.
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Old October 7, 2015   #11
Barb_FL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Schepman View Post
My plant looks just like the one on the right.
Well, it wasn't improving on its own, so I ended up transplanting it. and the top part looks fine now. The bottom branches never perked up; but they will get cut off in time anyway. It doesn't look like it is dying.
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Old October 7, 2015   #12
KarenO
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too much love

If using a soilless mix with added balanced fertilizer, no need to supplement non fruiting seedlings in a pot for at least a month. Choosing a different fertilizer is up to you but the problem wasn't the product(s) used but that too much was used. always follow directions of commercial products. Too much of a good thing like nitrogen for example causes problems. My advice is to water properly and leave it alone. It should be alright.
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Old October 7, 2015   #13
Schepman
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Did you transplant into the ground, or another container with the same mix?
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Old October 16, 2015   #14
Barb_FL
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Thought I'd give an update:

Besides the picture of Large Barred Boar that I posted earlier, I had it happen on quite a few plants. These (George and NAR) were perfect when I transplanted them. The following morning (9/25) they looked like the first picture.

The 2nd picture, (10/16) is what they look like today.

Finally, the last picture is what LBB looks like today.

I'm glad I didn't give up on them.

Also, after this thread, I went back to watering them with the EarthJuice Molasses on transplanting, not using the Fox Farm product at all.
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Old October 16, 2015   #15
greyghost
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They look great now, Barb. I think mine recovered faster because they were in
either small cups or garden soil and dried faster. It's easy to overdo some of these fertilizers-some of them are extremely concentrated for young plants.
I've always had a tenancy to think if a teaspoon is great, a tablespoon will
be so much better!
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