Your comments and tips

31 Mar 10, Joel (Australia - temperate climate)

For years my father has used string instead of stakes to support his tomato plants which seems to work extremely well. If there is anything to tie on to above the plants (such as framing for shade cloth) run a string from near the base of the plant (secured with something like a tent peg) to the overhead tie off point and then as your plant grows simply twist it around the string and this will support the weight of the main stalk

Reply or Post a new comment

29 Mar 10, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)

Aster read my posts of March 14th and 27th. I did the same thing as you - cut a dying plant off at the ground and now have had the best crop of large tomatoes ever. Difference is I also transplanted the cutoff plant into a garden bed rather than leave it in a pot. Barb and Pete have suggested the problem was tomato russet mite and I think they are probably correct. Good luck with your new cutoff plants.

Reply or Post a new comment

27 Mar 10, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)

A tip regarding staking. Lots of people seem to use strips of material for tieing to stakes or use commercial ties of various types. I find that Chux kitchen wipes (or equivalent). The material that they are made from has a 'grain' in one direction so it is easy to tear off narrow strips by hand. These are very soft but strong so they don't damage the plant at all. The strength is obviously a function of the strip width you tear off but I find strips about 1cm wide are strong enough for standard ties and will last a full season.

Reply or Post a new comment

27 Mar 10, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)

An update on my post of 14th May regarding the 'Lazarus' plant. I have now harvested about 14 beautiful tomatoes ranging from 250 to 320 gm and have at least another 12 or so to go. The plant just keeps growing and setting fruit. I think the comments from Barb and Pete regarding my problem being tomato russet mite fit the evidence. Presumably if this was the problem, by cutting the plant to the ground in mid December and replanting I removed the infestation.

Reply or Post a new comment

26 Mar 10, aster (Australia - temperate climate)

I bought 2 young tomato plants; a cherry tomato and berry tomato. I repotted them into a bigger pot and added in Herb and Vegetable pot mix. Berry grew up very healthy and well and even started to flower. However, on the first sight of flower, the leaves started to curled downwards and later the leaves turns dry ( felt like crepe paper to the touch) and finally drying /dying from bottom branches. I spotted a young shoot growing from the lower branch and I trimmed off the the plant just above the shoot. Now the young shoot grew up well, at least for now... The same problem now happen to my cherry tomato plant, the first sight of flower, the leaves curled from the top of the plant while from the bottom up, the leaves just dry up slowly and surely. Please advise what happenned to my tomato plants as I've done all I know, watering them regularly and putting them in a sunny spot. Watching them grow and in anticipation of the fruit is a joy turned to disappointment.

Reply or Post a new comment

25 Mar 10, Sola Ogunlola (Australia - tropical climate)

Hi all, I'm not in Australia, just that the option box does not make provision for my great country Nigeria. I want to grow tomatoes and pepper in this tropical African most populous nation. Does any one has interest in partnering with me technologically. We have the manpower and the land. kindly revert as soon as possible. thank you

Reply or Post a new comment

22 Mar 10, Keny (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Are there any tomatoes that I can grow from March? Redland Bay QLD.

Reply or Post a new comment

18 Mar 10, pete (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

hi ian, i tend to agree with barb - i took a whole plant of mine out to the nursery - roots were fine so not nematodes she cut through the stem with secatuers and that was fine too. she told me to spray with wettable sulphur and as barb said use seaweed/fish fertiliser - have done and it seems to have arrested the yellowing. also told me to feed weekly. so planted some new plants (grosse lisse) and am trying those. i have had this problem ever since moving to this house (10 years) only variety i had limited success with was black russian - cheers

Reply or Post a new comment

15 Mar 10, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Ian, Sounds like it could have been tomato russet mite, exacerbated by hot dry weather. Spraying the leaves lightly with a foliar feed of a very weak seaweed mixture every week or two should also help. Feeding the plant with decent (home made) compost, worm wee or seaweed/fish emulsion, etc should also strengthen the plants against attack. Glad you ended up with a good harvest!

Reply or Post a new comment

14 Mar 10, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)

I have been growing tomatoes in pots at North Sydney for the last 10 years. Each year is more problematic and depressing than the previous even though I sterilise pots and use new potting mix each year. Plants start off very healthy then about the time that fruit set, the plants start yellowing from the bottom and within a few weeks they are history. This year was interesting in that I placed the pots on a second story balcony well away from previous plantings on the assumption that whatever was killing the plants near the ground may not exist on the balcony. I planted in September, great plants until mid November when they did the same thing - started yellowing from the bottom up and ended up basically dead after a few weeks. I took one of the plants (Mighty Red) which was dead except for one small leaf about 10mm above ground level. I cut the plant off completely immediately above this leaf and planted it in a new garden bed we have recently created in the area where we had previously used pots. For a couple of weeks nothing happened then the plant started growing and now in mid March we have just picked 3 large tomatoes off a very healthy (large) plant with another 15 or so tomatoes still on the plant. I still don't know what causes the problem but the experiment with this 'Lazarus' plant is nothing if not interesting.

Reply or Post a new comment