Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingbrass
How are everyone's plants holding up? The weather has been hot lately. Forecast is 117 in Phoenix this Saturday.
I've been watering every other day since about the middle of June, though I'm thinking I'll go to daily or 36 hours at most with 115+ highs. How often have you been watering in this heat?
My plants have had some kind of issue for at least a month. I don't have enough experience to know what it is. A friend with similar issues was told powdery mildew by a local nursery, but I've had that on other plants in the past, and this doesn't match. Leaves pretty much dry out to a papery consistency. It's on the oldest growth. I've trimmed off the bottom 2' or so of foliage, but it is creeping upward.
A couple weeks ago I found a young hornworm on one plant. Later that day I saw another. I sprayed with BT. Two days later, when harvesting, some gunk dribbled on my arm. It was a rotting, dead hornworm clinging to a leaf. Found another in the same condition. I haven't had any catepillar issues since. BT is wonderful stuff.
I've been tracking my harvest by plant, weighing everything and keeping track using a spreadsheet. So far, 15 large variety plants and a couple potted Sophie's Choice plants have produced 138.75 pounds. More tomatoes are growing. I don't know if they will turn into good tasting maters this late in the season. Time will tell.
My biggest tomato so far is a KBX at 18.84 ounces. A few Ernestos and Cherokee Purples have been about a pound. So, large-fruited varieties can certainly work in these conditions. And taste good too.
|
First let me congratulate you on your success of being able to have plants produce fruit.
My plants are not doing well at all.
I have the same problem you are having but it is killing all of my plants.
I made earthtainers this year in hopes that I could get tomatoes from them, but whatever this is that is killing everything has just taken over.
I think I may take the fall season off from tomatoes. I am really discouraged. I have done all kinds of "stuff" to be able to grow tomatoes and just can't get them to grow. the first two years were great. The last two years have been horrible.
I just feel like giving up.
Almost all of my plants have just dried up to a crisp, I am watering two times a day and they are just all shriveled up and dry some green leaves and some brown.
Whatever it is it is spreading to everything else too.
My roses have it too.
I am going to pull almost everything this weekend.
I don't think I am going to plant anything but some cherries just one or two plants for the fall, just to have cherries for the salads.
I sold over 1000 plants this year, the people who bought plants are not having the same problems that I am having.
It is just so hard not knowing what is the problem.
I guess I just have to keep planting different stuff to see what works.
The really sad part is that I just spent 34 dollars on more seeds (not all tomatoes though, some melons, and squash).
I always have hope I will be able to grow something I guess.