By Jodie Perry
One of the most satisfying feelings of home gardening is to reap a bumper craw of beautiful tomatoes at the remainder of the time of year . tomato are one of the most popular plants grown by home gardeners because they are comparatively light to acquire and they bring on a yield that has many delicious uses !
To get tomatoes that look like those above at the goal of the season , you have to avoid some rough-cut problems with growing tomato . We ’re name these the 7 deadly sins because they are what are known as “ cultural ” problems with tomato plant . That means you , the nurseryman , are permit them happen .
Sin #1 – Blossom-end Rot
flower - ending rotting is a dark spell on the peak - closing of the yield that turns pitch-black and leathery over prison term . The causa is a calcium deficiency in the tomato . Tomatoes become calcium deficient when the weather is too insensate or too blistering and the water system supply is inconsistent . Heavy diligence of nitrogen plant food can also encounter a persona .
How to Avoid It
To avoid blossom - death guff , plant your Lycopersicon esculentum at the appropriate time , not too ahead of time in the season . urine and fertilise them evenly and consider using mulch , which will control water system and even out the piss supplying to the plant . Also , do n’t cultivate within one foot of the plant stem to forfend radical injury .
Sin #2 – Phosphorous Deficiency
There is plenteousness of phosphorous in the soil , but it is n’t uncommitted to the tomato plant at coolheaded temperatures , and the lack of phosphorous can kill the plant .
Do n’t imbed your tomatoes too early . What that means exactly will count on your climate , but the soil need to be warm when you embed your tomatoes . you may also utilise mulch to warm the ground around your plants .
Sin #3 – Catfacing
Catfacing refers to holes and scars in the blossom close of the fruit that fundamentally make for an wretched tomato that is often unusable . Larger tomato plant varieties are more susceptible than smaller ones . The causa is n’t alone make out , but it is thought to be some disruption of the flowers or flower buds during their development . moth-eaten conditions during blossoming , high atomic number 7 levels and contact with sure herbicide might be to charge .
Do n’t implant your tomatoes too early in the season and break them to cold weather . ( Are you noticing a theme here ? ) Also , certain varieties of tomato plant are more prostrate to catfacing than others and if you have this trouble you should take another variety that is less susceptible .
Sin #4 – Growth Cracks
This is just what it sounds like , offer that lead from the base final stage and can encircle the whole fruit . The cracks are often overrun by bacterium and fungus kingdom once they seem , which ruins the fruit . Growth crack are the result of very speedy maturation of the yield bring in on by environmental conditions like when water becomes abundant after a drouth .
Again , even and consistent watering practices will facilitate with increase cracks . Mulch will also keep wet more consistent . Some varieties of tomato plant are more prone to growth cracking so choosing the right variety also helps .
Sin #5 – Sunscald
As the name implies , sunscald is a discolouration of the fruit that appears when it is reveal to too much sun . It is a whitened or pale yellow spot on the fruit where the sun arrive at it most at once . Heavy pruning can make a plant susceptible to sunscald .
specter the plant , reducing photo to the sun . The same way you ’d treat a human with the same condition .
Sin #6 – Herbicide Injury
Tomato industrial plant are well offend by hormone - character weed controller herbicides . These are the eccentric of herbicides that you might spray on your yard for controlling dandelions and trefoil in your lawn . It ’s light to expose tomatoes if these herbicides are used , it could be through drift from spray , using a sprayer that had the weedkiller in it previously or even by using pot clippings as mulch for the tomatoes .
look on the severeness of exposure , there can be a cooking stove of symptom on the leaves and the fruit may become catfaced or otherwise irregularly shape . plant with minimal exposure might recuperate or harvest home might be delayed , but severely exposed plants do not recover at all .
Keep herbicides aside from your Lycopersicon esculentum plant life . I ’m a big worshipper in organic method and would never use chemic herbicide on anything , even the lawn , so this would never be an issue for my garden . However , if you ’re using them be meticulously heedful not to get them on your tomato .
Sin #7 – Soil Rot
There are a few different types of fungus that can spring in your soil and can taint your tomatoes when they amount in striking with the grime . You ’ll usually find territory waste in conditions that are favorable for the growth of fungus generally , mean warm , damp environments .
If your soil is poorly drain and to a fault moist , then your tomatoes are at endangerment . Soil rot typically touch on ripe fruit but it can sometimes smite your green tomato as well .
In short , do n’t allow your love apple touch the soil . Make certain the tomatoes are n’t over - watered and that the soil is right drained . An soft fix is to hazard your love apple to minimise impinging with the territory .
However , that is n’t a complete fix because soil can splash up onto your tomatoes . mulch with a plastic film or ( preferably ) organic matter will also serve to keep the dirt out of contact with your love apple . You should also rotate where you plant your love apple , planting in the same topographic point only once every three year .
Bonus – Stink Bugs
This one is not your fault , stink bugs are just really high-risk in certain long time . They are big , shield - form bugs that release a foul-smelling odor if you handle them . They will drop the winter in tall grass so keep the weeds down near your garden . They will damage the fruit when it ’s gullible and as the fruit develops there will be cavity or spongy country of the flesh , bankrupt the fruit .
Organic Pro Tip :
In gain to controlling weed around the garden , you could also use an organic spray to repel or pop the stink bugs . Cedar crude oil is an effective repellent and it also kill stink bugswithoutcausing them to release their loathsome odour .
prefer Disease - Resistant Tomatoes
Another common root of good tomato plant - growing practice session is to opt the ripe love apple to grow in the first place . If you ’d like a chart that details the most disease resistant tomato miscellany to help you make the right option , get across here and we ’ll netmail it to you .
Hopefully this listing will help you avoid these problem in the coming season and you ’ll glean bushels of beautiful tomatoes as a consequence !
Sources :
Damicone , J.P. & Brandenberger , L. , Common Diseases of Tomatoes , Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service – http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1323/EPP-7625web.pdf
Grabowski , M. , Disorders of Tomato , University of Minnesota Extension – http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/disorders-of-tomato/
Kluepfel , M. , Blake , J.H. & Keinath , A.P. , Tomato Diseases and Disorders , Clemson Cooperative Extension – http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/hgic2217.html
Flickr Creative Commons picture credits ( photos link to source)Liz West , Scot Nelson , Prizmatic , Gary Stevens , Scot Nelson , born1945
Jodie Perry is a natural wellness enthusiast and Colorado - founder of the Organic Daily Post .
