[katonca]

Hi folks

I need a little advice. I have a number of Roma tomato plants in containers. I have them on my back "patio". The patio area doesn't get a whole lot of air movement due to being small. Here's the problem. The plants get mainly afternoon sun (12pm to about 6pm). Everyday w/o missing a beat the leaves wilt. I have peat moss on top of the soil. We received a heavy rain yesterday - really soaked them. Right now they are still damp (stuck my finger in as far as I could and came out moist).

Why do they wilt so bad - not liking the sun? I really can't put them anywhere else. I went out earlier and checked them out and took pics. I told them "TOUGH IT OUT!!"

Any ideas would be appreciated. Oh and when they are wilted like this I usually will soak them till the water comes out the bottom.

[eggplant43]

Are you using a "good" grow nix, one designed for the purpose? Wilting is usually the result of not enough root area for the size of the plant (too small a pot), or being root bound. If you transplant, you need to "open" the roots so they will grow out into the new, larger area. An easy way to look to see if the plant is root bound is to release it from the pot by holding the plant upside down, and sliding the pot up. If there is a root mass that is all you see, virtually no soil, it is root bound.

The reason for the grow mix question is that grow mix is designed to hold a lot of water, as opposed to cheap mix, or soil, which just allows the water to run through the pot. One immediate solution I can think of, if you do not have a base under the pot that holds water is to get something under the pot that will act as a reservoir, such as a bowl, or pan, or baking sheet with side. This will allow the pot to take up water as the plant needs it between watering.

Hope this helps Dave.

OP, sorry for my absence, it definitely caused a problem with my understanding of the problem.

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by katonca

Hi folks

I need a little advice. I have a number of Roma tomato plants in containers. I have them on my back "patio". The patio area doesn't get a whole lot of air movement due to being small. Here's the problem. The plants get mainly afternoon sun (12pm to about 6pm). Everyday w/o missing a beat the leaves wilt. I have peat moss on top of the soil. We received a heavy rain yesterday - really soaked them. Right now they are still damp (stuck my finger in as far as I could and came out moist).

Why do they wilt so bad - not liking the sun? I really can't put them anywhere else. I went out earlier and checked them out and took pics. I told them "TOUGH IT OUT!!"

Any ideas would be appreciated. Oh and when they are wilted like this I usually will soak them till the water comes out the bottom.

You should move them to a shadier location I think. My strawberries looked like that last night, but were back to normal this morning after I put them under a shade tree. If it's as hot there as it is here (100+) that will be hard on them being in full sun. I'd try moving them first, as that doesn't require any extra money or supplies.

Good luck!

***Edited to add: You'll definitely want to move them off of the concrete--that will bake them for sure!

[oil painter]

Hi katonca:

Peat moss-- Remove it if you can or remove as much as you can without hurting the plant and mix the rest with the soil, if you can. Replace it with spagnum moss to keep the water from evaporating or just put some more good soil or compost on top and water when it feels dry.

Peat moss is hard to wet after it gets dry and it cakes in a solid lump and water runs off of it and doesn't soak in. the water probably runs down the sides of the pot and out the bottom. Your plants are not getting enough moisture because the water can't get past the peat, and that's why they are wilting. You're containers aren't very big so you will have to water often

They don't have to be moved Tomatoes love the heat, just get rid of the peat and they'll be fine,

Hmmm. I just reread your post and you said they were wet. The only thing I can think of that might be wrong is the size of the pot--if it's terra cotta they are porous and dry out fast-- and maybe the heat. You could try shading the plants by placing something on the south side that would give them a little shade in the heat of the day. like setting up some lawn chairs. It could be that they are drying out completely and wilting and then when they are watered they come back to life. You could make drip irrigation bottles with water or pop bottles. With a safety pin or needle poke a small hole in the lid. Fill the bottle with water, put the lid back on and check to see if water drips out. Then invert and push into the soil. you may have to put a small stake behind to keep it upright The water will drip into the soil.

I hope this helps--However I would remove the peat--I'm not a great fan of peat and when I use it I use it sparingly to add some organic matter to soil and never in pots

[oil painter]

Becca has a point about the concrete and Eggy one about the soil. I use hanging basket pro mix for my pots, but it is too late to do much about that. Can you move them or perhaps put an old carpet or cloth under them-- or just do the shade thing while it's so hot. When you water wet the concrete too. Or you could try just putting pails of water in front of the pots, so it just shades the pot, and let the evaporation cool the plants.

Now you have lots of ideas Try one and if that doesn't work try another until you find something that works. All gardening is trial and error and a little knowledge. You just have to try things and see what works for you. Use bigger--2 or 3 times as big as yours-- plastic pots the next time you plant tomatoes

[telecom69]

Hi everyone,exactly as forecast the heavy rain came at 3pm yesterday afternoon and it didn't stop,so everything has had a good soaking and saved me a lot of watering,before that happened I got some photos,mainly of the Surfinias in the baskets ...


Shot with DSC-W35 at 2009-06-26



Shot with DSC-W35 at 2009-06-26



Shot with DSC-W35 at 2009-06-26

And the gorgeous Floribunda Rose Nicole, well I think so anyway, two days after opening ...



Shot with DSC-W35 at 2009-06-26

Orange Pelargonium, a change from the usual red .....



Shot with DSC-W35 at 2009-06-26

[katonca]

Wow, you've given me a lot of options. The soil is a mix of Miracle Grow for gardens (not sure of the exact composition) and regular store bought soil (rather fine). I used the peat to contain moisture but guess that's not the answer. I really can't move them off the concrete, it's the only place I can grow them. As far as root bound, I'm not sure. They're pretty good size plastic containers.

I drilled holes in the bottom of the plastic containers (), guess that was a bad move. I figured drainage was a good thing. Should I place the containers on, say, five gallon bucket tops? That'd hold the water. But what about a downpour, wouldn't that drown them?

Thanks Eggy, Becca, and Oil painter so much for the ideas. Going to give them a shot.




Nice flowers Bob

[oil painter]

Hi Bob:

Lovely pics as usual. Your Suffrinas look lush. How do you fertilize your baskets and pots? I use a time release 4 month fertilizer and wondered if you did too.

My Stella D'oro lilies are coming into bloom. They all seem to have lots of buds this year but one that I divided last year is just covered in them. My coral bells are in bloom and the marigolds around them are starting to flower. In fact a lot of things are starting to flower here. I'll have to try my hand at photography the next sunny day.

It was quite pleasant here today even if it was a bit windy. Thank heaven the suffocating heat is gone. They are calling for rain tomorrow so we can only hope.

I started to clean out my greenhouse today and got things straightened around and things put away. I still have some pots to wash but it was too windy to do that today. I'll do it tomorrow if it doesn't rain. If it does I't will just have to wait.

[telecom69]

Hi Dave, my opinion about your Tomatos for what its worth, is that the pots are just not big enough,difficult to tell from the photos,they make a lot of roots because they need a lot of water,my Toms are watered twice a day without fail,(they are in growbags by the way) sometimes if its really hot 3 times,morning,noon and night ...not sure whats the best procedure for you now because every time this happens its a check to the plants growth ...I think if it were me I would bury them in the ground,they should come out of the pots easily enough,it will just be a mass of roots ...this as I say is just my opinion ....

[katonca]

Originally Posted by telecom69

Hi Dave, my opinion about your Tomatos for what its worth, is that the pots are just not big enough,difficult to tell from the photos,they make a lot of roots because they need a lot of water,my Toms are watered twice a day without fail,(they are in growbags by the way) sometimes if its really hot 3 times,morning,noon and night ...not sure whats the best procedure for you now because every time this happens its a check to the plants growth ...I think if it were me I would bury them in the ground,they should come out of the pots easily enough,it will just be a mass of roots ...this as I say is just my opinion ....

Thanks for your opinion Bob

I guess I'll try a variation of everyone's advice.

This little "gardening" trial has become personal. I planted the seeds in April (into little soil "disks" inside the house). I nurtured them, fretted, and nearly prayed over them. Can you tell I'm a new gardener (who has become obsessed )?

Thanks folks.

[telecom69]

Hi Myrna,I just use a water soluable fertiliser,about every 7/10 days over here its called Phostrogen or Miraclegro,they both do the same thing, they are watered twice a day without fail though,morning and night,they soon start to wilt if this is not done...

Glad everything is starting to bloom for you,and yes you should start posting some photos,its nice to be able to see what people are talking about,and what better subject can you have than flowers,they cant move can they,I usually take 3 or 4 of the same flower,slightly altering the angle each time, and post the best one,and find its best when the sun is not too bright .... or better still no sun at all,then no shadows to worry about ....

Forecast here is for a cloudy weekend,but the temperatures are going to shoot up on Monday,over here that means up into the 80's and thats plenty high enough for me have a good weekend

[telecom69]

Originally Posted by katonca

Thanks for your opinion Bob

I guess I'll try a variation of everyone's advice.

This little "gardening" trial has become personal. I planted the seeds in April (into little soil "disks" inside the house). I nurtured them, fretted, and nearly prayed over them. Can you tell I'm a new gardener (who has become obsessed )?

Thanks folks.

I know well what you mean about praying about plants,I do it all the time, most times it works but sometimes it doesn't but thats gardening the trouble about Tomatos in pots is that they need really big ones,because they produce lots of roots,something like 12/15 inches across the top Im talking about,anything less and the pot becomes full of roots and any water will run straight through and its not long before they start wilting ...they depend on water because thats what they are 98% water .....

[katonca]

Originally Posted by telecom69

I know well what you mean about praying about plants,I do it all the time, most times it works but sometimes it doesn't but thats gardening the trouble about Tomatos in pots is that they need really big ones,because they produce lots of roots,something like 12/15 inches across the top Im talking about,anything less and the pot becomes full of roots and any water will run straight through and its not long before they start wilting ...they depend on water because thats what they are 98% water .....

I didn't know that, makes sense.

[ymfoster]

Hi Everyone,

Dave I hope your tomatoes pick up ok, with all that good advice they should improve.

Bob your Surfinias look lovely & colourful & the Geranium is a great shade, of course Nicole is beautiful too,

My roses are due for pruning about now, so that's my next job.

[oil painter]

Katonca:

Please don't put anything under the pots. I remove all saucers from my outside containers. Standing water in saucers can cause root rot. Much better to go with the water bottle inserted in the soil.

I agree with Bob that the containers are just too small. That was my first thought when I saw the pictures. I have 2 tomatoes in a container that is 17 inches across by 12 inches deep and they are doing very well. Tomatoes do make lots of roots and need constant watering to produce good fruit.

As for holes in the containers that was a good move. Root rot again. Plants like to be wet but standing in water is a no no