tomatoe plant watering
 

Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it with
about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle Grow
Tomatoe Plant food. I am wondering if this is to much water or not enough. A
lot of the leaves are curling. It is not all that hot here yet in our area
of Southern Calif., getting into the mid 80's. I have it where it gets the
most sun. It is a Bonnie Tomatoe Patio. Thanks for any advice.

--
Paul O.

Paul O. wrote:
Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it with
about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle Grow
Tomatoe Plant food. I am wondering if this is to much water or not enough. A
lot of the leaves are curling. It is not all that hot here yet in our area
of Southern Calif., getting into the mid 80's. I have it where it gets the
most sun. It is a Bonnie Tomatoe Patio. Thanks for any advice.



Paul,

I think you are overfeeding it. No plant needs fertilizer
once a day (once every couple of weeks is what I use for my
container tomatoes). As for watering, you may be giving it
too much water also. I would cut back a little and see if
the problem clears up.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

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In article says...
I think you are overfeeding it. No plant needs fertilizer
once a day (once every couple of weeks is what I use for my
container tomatoes). As for watering, you may be giving it
too much water also. I would cut back a little and see if
the problem clears up.

Twice a week may actually be too little water. Tomatoes tend to really
eat water in pots and when it gets hot here in Chicago, like it is now, I
have to water them every day. Some people suggest twice a day but I'm
not that diligent. My tomatoes are rather small, about 1 1/2 feet high,
so they're not drying out the pot as fast but I still check the soil and
sprinkle them every day if needed. Mine certainly can't go more than
2 days without water even at their current size. When they get big and
the root ball grows, if I didn't water them every day the stupid plants
started to wilt. Growing them in the ground is far more forgiving wrt
watering.

"Paul O." wrote in message
m...
Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it
with about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle
Grow Tomatoe Plant food. I am wondering if this is to much water or not
enough. A lot of the leaves are curling. It is not all that hot here yet
in our area of Southern Calif., getting into the mid 80's. I have it where
it gets the most sun. It is a Bonnie Tomatoe Patio. Thanks for any
advice.

--
Paul O.



Your pot's about 50% too small. Bigger pots have more stable soil
environments. Tomato plants do best when their soil stays evenly moist, as
opposed to extremes of dryness and moisture.

The water requirements are related to the size of the plant, the ambient
temperature (and wind) and the amount of soil the plant is growing in.
The soil has to provide enough water storage to keep the plant hydrated.

As the plant grows, the water requirements increase (more leaves = more
transpiration). If you put your tomatoes in a larger container you may
be able to water them only twice a week. Adjust the size of the
container to the amount of time you have to spend on your plants. If you
have only once a week, plant them in the ground instead of a pot. In the
ground the watering requirements depend largely on the soil type, the
depth to groundwater, and the age of the plant (from transplanting:
newly transplanted tomatoes have shallow roots so they will need more
frequent watering until the roots get down to a more reliable water source).

When you water a pot, give it a bit of water to wet the soil, then wait
a minute and give it some more, then wait again and give it some more.
If you just dump it on all at once the water doesn't have time to
thoroughly wet the soil in the pot before it starts to run off. In
general, I leave a bit of space between the soil level and the top of
the pot (an inch or two depending on the size of the pot). I then fill
that space with water. When it soaks in, I fill it again. For large pots
or pots with a small width to depth ratio I do it a third time also.

Don't do this every day unless your plant really dries out quickly.
Roots need air as well as water. Unless you're growing wetland plants
you don't want to drown the root system.



Mark Anderson wrote:
...Twice a week may actually be too little water. Tomatoes tend to really
eat water in pots and when it gets hot here in Chicago, like it is now, I
have to water them every day. Some people suggest twice a day but I'm
not that diligent. My tomatoes are rather small, about 1 1/2 feet high,
so they're not drying out the pot as fast but I still check the soil and
sprinkle them every day if needed. Mine certainly can't go more than
2 days without water even at their current size. When they get big and
the root ball grows, if I didn't water them every day the stupid plants
started to wilt. Growing them in the ground is far more forgiving wrt
watering.

On Thu, 09 Jun 2005 01:40:51 GMT, Paul O. wrote:
Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it with
about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle Grow

You're setting your plants up for BER, blossom end rot, a calcium
mobilization problem, by the drought and drown watering. Try to keep
the soil evenly moist but not wet, and you'll get good yields and good
tomatoes. Drip watering and a mulch is probably best for potted
tomatoes, in my experience.

Kay

Thanks all of you for the replies. Guess for next year I'll have to get a
bigger pot. Just try to get along with this one for now. We have gophers bad
here so afraid to put it in the ground. Thanks again.


"Paul O." wrote in message
m...
Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it
with about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle
Grow Tomatoe Plant food. I am wondering if this is to much water or not
enough. A lot of the leaves are curling. It is not all that hot here yet
in our area of Southern Calif., getting into the mid 80's. I have it where
it gets the most sun. It is a Bonnie Tomatoe Patio. Thanks for any
advice.

--
Paul O.

On Thu, 09 Jun 2005 01:40:51 GMT, "Paul O."
wrote in rec.gardens:

Hi folks, I have a tomatoe plant in a 17" pot. I have been watering it with
about 1 gallon of water 2 times a week, one watering I add Miracle Grow
Tomatoe Plant food.

Seems like too much water to me, but if you are in this hot spell
around New England, perhaps not (sorry, I am weak on U.S.
geography). If they develop Blossom End Rot then cut back on the
water for sure.

I agree with the other poster and would cut back on the
fertiliser to no more than once a month.
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario