Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.


--
Alan

Reply to alan (dot) holmes27 (at) virgin (dot) net

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.

If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Andy.

"Andy" wrote in message
...

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.

If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Talking of tomato plants not having long to go,
A while ago in a small north facing bed next to the house, we had a tomato
plant appear.
Now since it was north facing, we didn't deliberately plant it, but it
really went for it, and has flowered,
and fruited (only very small atm.) but unlikely to get close to ripe before
frosts.
However, just wondering if someone could suggest how it appeared out of no
where?

--
J.P. in London.

In article , JP in Lon
writes
"Andy" wrote in message
...

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.

If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Talking of tomato plants not having long to go,
A while ago in a small north facing bed next to the house, we had a tomato
plant appear.
Now since it was north facing, we didn't deliberately plant it, but it
really went for it, and has flowered,
and fruited (only very small atm.) but unlikely to get close to ripe before
frosts.
However, just wondering if someone could suggest how it appeared out of no
where?

Tomato seeds are capable of passing through the guts of birds (1) and
still being viable, so I would guess one hitched a lift into your
garden.

(1) And humans! When I were a lad I bird-watched on an old fashioned
sewage farm, the kind where the sludge, after spending a year in large
pits, was spread on fields on which crops were then grown. Tomato plants
flourished all over the place. I used to take tomatos home but for some
reason my mother wouldn't serve them in a salad but only ever made
chutney with them :-)

--
Malcolm

Andy wrote:
"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.


If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Andy.



Are the unripe tomatoes going brown and hard ? If the powdery dust is
blight spore then you'll only be spreading the disease by making it
airborne.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0803/tomato_blight.asp
http://www.khlga.freeserve.co.uk/potato%20Blight.html

Richard.

Malcolm wrote:
In article , JP in Lon
writes
[...]
Talking of tomato plants not having long to go,
A while ago in a small north facing bed next to the house, we had
a
tomato plant appear.
[...]
However, just wondering if someone could suggest how it appeared
out
of no where?

Tomato seeds are capable of passing through the guts of birds (1)
and
still being viable, so I would guess one hitched a lift into your
garden.

(1) And humans! [...]

So much so that the Collins Field Guide to Wild Flowers lists, and
even illustrates, it as "a widespread escape from cultivation". This
kind of thing happens quite often, though the escapes don't tend to
establish viable populations. I got my first peony that way, though I
had to move house before it flowered.

A propos, how long have those Michaelmas daisies been growing beside
the M1?

--
Mike.

"Malcolm" wrote in message
...

Tomato seeds are capable of passing through the guts of birds (1) and
still being viable, so I would guess one hitched a lift into your
garden.

(1) And humans! When I were a lad I bird-watched on an old fashioned
sewage farm, the kind where the sludge, after spending a year in large
pits, was spread on fields on which crops were then grown. Tomato plants
flourished all over the place. I used to take tomatos home but for some
reason my mother wouldn't serve them in a salad but only ever made
chutney with them :-)

Well, I sincerely hope that it came from a bird... :@)

What kind of protective gear would you have to wear in one of those places?

And surely some olfactory protection?, no?

--
J.P. in London.

On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 08:35:52 +0100, Malcolm
wrote:


In article , JP in Lon
writes
"Andy" wrote in message
...

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.

If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Talking of tomato plants not having long to go,
A while ago in a small north facing bed next to the house, we had a tomato
plant appear.
Now since it was north facing, we didn't deliberately plant it, but it
really went for it, and has flowered,
and fruited (only very small atm.) but unlikely to get close to ripe before
frosts.
However, just wondering if someone could suggest how it appeared out of no
where?

Tomato seeds are capable of passing through the guts of birds (1) and
still being viable, so I would guess one hitched a lift into your
garden.

(1) And humans! When I were a lad I bird-watched on an old fashioned
sewage farm, the kind where the sludge, after spending a year in large
pits, was spread on fields on which crops were then grown. Tomato plants
flourished all over the place. I used to take tomatos home but for some
reason my mother wouldn't serve them in a salad but only ever made
chutney with them :-)

They grew in the filter beds themselves at our local sewage works when
I was young, constantly being gently sprayed by the liquid effluent
(i.e. fertiliser).. Excellent crops and some of the staff used to sell
the tomatoes!

Jupiter wrote:
On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 08:35:52 +0100, Malcolm
wrote:


In article , JP in Lon
writes

"Andy" wrote in message
...

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.


If you mean individual side-stems are going off randomly
and getting covered with a dusty mould, then I think it's
normal. I just pick the mouldy stems off. They've only got
a few weeks to go anyway.

Talking of tomato plants not having long to go,
A while ago in a small north facing bed next to the house, we had a tomato
plant appear.
Now since it was north facing, we didn't deliberately plant it, but it
really went for it, and has flowered,
and fruited (only very small atm.) but unlikely to get close to ripe before
frosts.
However, just wondering if someone could suggest how it appeared out of no
where?


Tomato seeds are capable of passing through the guts of birds (1) and
still being viable, so I would guess one hitched a lift into your
garden.

(1) And humans! When I were a lad I bird-watched on an old fashioned
sewage farm, the kind where the sludge, after spending a year in large
pits, was spread on fields on which crops were then grown. Tomato plants
flourished all over the place. I used to take tomatos home but for some
reason my mother wouldn't serve them in a salad but only ever made
chutney with them :-)


They grew in the filter beds themselves at our local sewage works when
I was young, constantly being gently sprayed by the liquid effluent
(i.e. fertiliser).. Excellent crops and some of the staff used to sell
the tomatoes!

Maybe some of the pips went out with the washing up water.

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Is this normal?

I've never noticed it happen in the past.

The tomatoes have now completely died off, I've tried to saave some of the
fruit, but I'm worried that it may not be good enough to eat.

And, the second problem is, will the virus, or whatever it was, stay in the
soil and affect next years plants?

I'm going to take the plants down to the tip rather than put them on the
compost heap.

Alan

Hi Alan,

I asked a similar question a few months ago, i.e. How do you sterilize the soil in a greenhouse?

I know that it should be replaced every three years, but is there a foolproof method of sterilizing it??

Regards

Drew

"Drew" wrote in message
news
Alan Holmes Wrote:
"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

And, the second problem is, will the virus, or whatever it was, stay
in the
soil and affect next years plants?

I'm going to take the plants down to the tip rather than put them on
the
compost heap.

Alan

Hi Alan,

I asked a similar question a few months ago, i.e. How do you sterilize
the soil in a greenhouse?

I know that it should be replaced every three years, but is there a
foolproof method of sterilizing it??

I believe it can be sterilised in a microwave, but it could take a long time
if you have a lot of it.

Alan


Regards

Drew


--
Drew

Alan Holmes wrote:
"Drew" wrote in message
[...]
I asked a similar question a few months ago, i.e. How do you
sterilize the soil in a greenhouse?

I know that it should be replaced every three years, but is there
a
foolproof method of sterilizing it??

I believe it can be sterilised in a microwave, but it could take a
long time if you have a lot of it.

Didn't they use to recommend dilute Jeyes Fluid? It always puzzled
me, as I couldn't see how it could avoid killing off the beneficial
organisms along with the harmful ones.

I did a brief Ggl on "sterilising soil", which should give you some
ideas. One site was about using a steam wallpaper stripper (bewa
it's a bloody pdf):
www.earlex.co.uk/pdfs/ss76.pdf

--
Mike.

In article , Mike Lyle mike_lyle_uk@REMO
VETHISyahoo.co.uk writes

Didn't they use to recommend dilute Jeyes Fluid? It always puzzled
me, as I couldn't see how it could avoid killing off the beneficial
organisms along with the harmful ones.

That would apply to any form of sterilisation, wouldn't it?

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay wrote:
In article , Mike Lyle
mike_lyle_uk@REMO VETHISyahoo.co.uk writes

Didn't they use to recommend dilute Jeyes Fluid? It always puzzled
me, as I couldn't see how it could avoid killing off the
beneficial
organisms along with the harmful ones.

That would apply to any form of sterilisation, wouldn't it?

I've always thought it must, yes; which is why I'd tend to say
replace the soil if possible. But I've never run a greenhouse, so I'm
being theoretical.

--
Mike.