| Bill
from the USA |
Some cause of blossom
end rot are low calcium in the soil and a erratic rate
of water application. Mark a calendar with the days of the week
that you water and try to water every 2,3,4 day intervals. Keep
the same number of days between the watering. Tomatoes must be watered
on a regulated basis and not sporadic. |
| Steph
from the USA |
If your tomatoes
are getting blossom-end rot, which is when the blossoms
or fruit begin to rot, you can use bone meal to give it a calcium
supplement. The rot is caused when there is a differential in the
water supply, such is a drought or periods of heavy rain. Make sure
you keep the plants watered and give the plants extra calcium to prevent
and restore them from blossom-end rot. |
| Bill
from the USA |
Tomato bloom
drop off is usually caused by several different things.
The most common is low night time temperatures compared to daytime
temperatures and a high humidity rate for a extended period. Tomatoes
really like full sun, low humidity rates for the blooms to set.
Another cause of bloom drop off is caused by the lack of calcium
in the soil. If you have experience this, mix some gypsum in the
soil when you till it the next time and add bone meal. Another fix
for this is mix 2 tablespoons of epson salt in a gallon of water
and water each plant. This will only work on plants that have developed
past the 7 week mark of life. |
| Sunny
from the USA |
For
the question of how to ripen tomatoes at the end
of the season, my mother would pull all the green tomatoes on the
vine just before the first frost, put them in a brown paper sack
with an apple. The gas from the apple riped them, she said. Same
principle as the banana but would not smell as loudly. |
| Greg
from the USA |
If
you are expecting a light frost then just cover
them up. Digging them up and replanting them can be just as traumatic
for the plant as a frost and should only be done as a "lesser
of two evils". |
| Sue
from the USA |
You
can remove the worst leaves but do not get rid
of them all. It is doubtful if new leaves will grow unless it is
the beginning of the season. If the tomatoes are present then these
should ripen ok but if there are only the tomatoe flowers then be
very carful not to remove them as these are the first stage of the
tomatoes. |
| Steph
from the USA |
If
your tomatoes are getting blossom-end rot, which
is when the blossoms or fruit begin to rot, you can use bone meal
to give it a calcium supplement. The rot is caused when there is
a differential in the water supply, such is a drought or periods
of heavy rain. Make sure you keep the plants watered and give the
plants extra calcium to prevent and restore them from blossom-end
rot. |
| Tom
from the USA |
Pinching
the top off will not harm the plant. You can also prune off some
branches to let the sunlight reach the tomatoe fruit better and
help ripen them. |
| Marshall
from the USA |
True
leaves have scalloped/indentations compared with the first leaves
which emerge through the soil. Transplant survival
increases with stem size.
Handle transplants by a leaf instead of the stem. An old ball point
pen makes a good dibble to open the planting hole. I transplant
up to individual pots (I use 1/2 pint milk cartons).
When setting into the garden, a fistfull of gypson will reduce blossom
end rot. Young plants have a high need for phosphate but go lightly.
|
| Derek
from the UK |
My
grandmother used to put the green tomatoes into a brown paper bag
along with a banana skin. Aparently the gas given of by the rotting
banana helps ripen the tomatoes! |
| Jeanne
from the USA |
I
start my tomatoe plants day the same way I start my day. Coffee,
milk and eggs. For the plants I throw my coffee grounds
and the egg shells and some left over milk or powder milk and a
few kind words and it works. |
| Janet
from Canada |
You
can prune back tomatoe plants that are growing
out of hand at anytime. By thining the leaves you will allow more
sunlight to reach the fruits which helps ripen
them. |
| Ersula
from the USA |
You
can ripen tomatoes indoors by putting them in a
brown paper bag on top of your fridge for a few days. |
| Jack
from the USA |
"What's the best way to tie up tomatoe
plants?"
I put large
stakes at intervals between the tomatoe plants and fix a strong
wire along the tops. From the wire I hang binding string down to
each plant so that I can tie the tomatoe shoots to it. It works
fine and can easily be adjusted during the growing season. |
| Mary
from the USA |
Growing
tomato's need miracle grow every 2 weeks. |
| Sherry
from the USA |
"I have a potted tomato plant, it has loads of blossoms,
but, no fruit. The blossoms fall off."
I don't know
that much about it, except that there is a product called, "tomato
set", I think. It's a spray that you are supposed to spray
on the flowers. This causes them to produce fruit. I think it's
some kind of germination. You can probably ask someone at a nursery
or hardware store about "tomato set"--this may not be
the acutal product name, but they should know what you want and
should be able to direct you to the right product. We've used it
and it works well. Good luck. |