Help with Tomatoes!

Hello everyone,

I'm growing yellow brandywine tomatoes in containers and thought they were doing great (planted in early March). The plants are probably 4 feet tall now. But I recently noticed that my top leaves are slightly purple on the underside, and some have purple edges. Also my flowers have been dropping like crazy. I thought maybe it was just because the plant is an extremely late producer (the tag said it takes 85 days to mature) but now with with some flower stems turning yellow near the blossom and dying, I'm wondering if it's some kind of mineral deficiency.

I know purple leaves can be a sign of phosphorus deficiency, and this website I found (http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/tomatoes.htm) says dying flowers and purple leaves can be a sign of calcium deficiency. Do you think some Bone Meal would help? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Anyone? Anyone? Buller? Buller?

Kelp fish fert lacking that a good blast of Mirical Grow should help.

This message was edited May 14, 2009 10:15 PM

This message was edited May 14, 2009 10:16 PM

What size are the containers? Brandywines are indeterminate, and need a LOT of space and support, probably a 10 gallon container is bare minimum. One problem with containers is that the frequent watering they require can also wash out nutrients, so I'd agree deficiencies are a possibility.

I don't know if you have access to the Tomato or Container Forums, but they might help:)

catmad is right on the money.

If you have not fertilized since initial planting, it's time to.

Hello, thank you for the feedback! I should have been more descriptive in my first post but here's some additional info:

1) The tomatoes are growing in a 20 gallon container. I have a red brandywine tomato growing in a separate container, planted at the same time and getting the same fertilizers and this one is doing GREAT - has around 10-15 tomatoes forming right now.

2) Per Ed Smith and Laurel (http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/)'s advice, I've been fertilizing weekly. They get Liquid Kelp and EB Stone's Tomato Vegetable food on alternating weeks. Once a week I spray the leaves with Liquid Kelp, and once a month they get drenched with Great Big Plants (a compost tea). Once I week I spray with a fungicide ( that I think you recommended to me Feldon) called Serendade. I've also sprinkled broken eggshells around the plant several times now.

Whew. These might end up being the most expensive heirloom tomatoes ever!

So given ALL THAT.......... what is going on with these yellow brandywines? Why the dying flowers and purple-undersides on the top leaves?

Oh I also forgot to mention.... I don't have access to the tomato forum. So I am at your mercy :) And I'm growing all organic... so no Miracle grow for my veggies!

Sounds great :). I'll see what I can find out for you.

Have you ever read the $64 Tomato? M copy is sitting on a shelf above the 'puter. I think I'd be happy if it were only $64. Still, there's nothing like that wonderful taste, especially when you did it all by yourself. Sort of *G*

Catmad,

I've seen that book at the bookstore and laughed! I seriously think mine could be $100 tomatoes - but worth the effort and money right?

They surely are to me :)

I haven't got any planted out yet, but with the 40 degree nights, I'm glad I didn't. Of course, the front hall is a bit full at night....*G*

catmad - it was hovering around 40 degrees here in Charlotte NC last night, too. I brought in the toms, sweet peppers & basil that were in small enough pots, but the toms in 25 gal pots are on their own :( Mine are sitting on the kitchen counter - if they were on the floor, the dogs would be all over them!

Catmad, 40 degree nights in South Carolina in mid-may!? Wow! I thought it would be warmer in those parts by now.

Well, I think my yellow brandywine is a goner. It really pains me to start over as it was my very first tomato plant.... EVER! But I think it might have a disease, and so does the neighborhood garden guy. Sigh. Bought a cherokee purple to replace it today. Wish me better luck with this one!!

It actually only went to 42 according to the news, but my thermometer read 40 :(
I think this is unusual, but not unheard of. It won't last, we're on the way up already. The only thing I really worried about was my new peeps, but with an extra light, they seem to have come thru okay. They're inside, but I'm out of heating oil, and they couldn't deliver for over a week, so that didn't help.

I'm sorry about your Mater, I know how hard it is to watch them die. My YB doesn't seem to be very robust, so the variety may have something to do with it. I've got a CP too, and I'm hoping for better results than I've had before, they don't seem to like the heat much. The tomatoes I got were great, but not many.

Which is my excuse for planting so many, of so many varieties :))