Yellow Tomato Leaves - Under or over watering?

I know tomato leaves turn yellow for many reasons. How do I know which reason relates to me?
I am removing the bottom leaves, but I am worried about the upper portion of my plants. No bugs, no mites, and planted in a different area than last year. Should I test for nitrogen deficiency? I fertilized with Osmocote 10-10-10 when first planting. Do I need to fertilize again? With compost this time? If it doesn't rain, I water my garden. I live in Zone 8, specifically Greenville, NC.

Check this link. I would also consider adding some phosphorus and potassium.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/Garden/02949.html#top

See if your leaves look like any of these.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/leaf/

It's not just the leaves. The stems look pale.

I would consider the soil.

Did you dig down into North Carolina clay and add amendments?
Did you build a raised bed?
What did you add to that bed?
How 'loose' is the soil?
How often are you watering, with what type of watering wand/soaker hose, and for how long?

You can get a good estimate if you dig down a couple of inches with your finger or a trowel and the soil is wet. It should be moist but not sopping.

In my raised beds which are 10 inches high and contain a mixture of primarily peat-based potting mix, shredded pine bark, with lesser quantities of composted cow manure, sheep manure, leaf mold compost, cotton burr compost, etc. I water 15 minutes every 4-5 days. I do have a layer of shredded leaves as a mulch which are breaking down and provide great compost to the soil.

I have the same problem, and went to the web site listed above and did not see any that looked like mine. My maters are in containers and I am thinking I over watered? or somehow the drain holes got covered up? (I did not know you needed to put rock in the bottom before the soil, I will do that next year)
Could it be because of poor dranage? and what can I do for that?

MissJestr - just an FYI... What I do with all my pots is put a coffee filter (or piece of it) over the drainage holes in the pots before I add the soil. Rocks and such can get stuck and block the holes from draining. The filter keeps the dirt in and lets excess water drain out ;^)

Kelly

I don't think there is any reason to panic here. Some varieties will naturally yellow out a few bottom leaves, it just happens. Trim them off with scissors and hope it doesn't get worse. If the problem gets severe, then pull the plant and dispose of it away from other plants.

Al

It could be that your container is too small. How big is your container?

My container is a big bucket type container that I bought at Wal mart. I am thinking about digging up the plant very carefully and taking the soil out, putting in rocks and putting it back in.

Here is a pix of it before it turned yellow.

MissJ them blue bucket don't come with drain holes in them. Drill some holes in them if you have not all ready. What goes in needs to flush out, it's nature!

Putting rocks in the bottom of containers is actually pretty much a myth. Just drill some holes about 1 inch up the side of the pot.

Also hoping that soulshine will get back to us...

Hello, I'm new here and this thread pertains to my problem. I planted 3 tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets filled 3/4 with potting soil, and 2 3/4 inch holed drilled in the bottom of the pails. I have been treating the plants every 14 days with miracle grow tomato food (water soluble). The plants were flourishing with tomatos growing everywhere. Roughly 3 weeks ago it started raining (NYC) it has rained almost every day it seems. Yesterday I noticed my plants starting to turn yellow and looked a little droopy. Is there anything I can do to help them. I drilled 2 more holes on each side of the pails this morning, because I am guessing that they are getting too much water. I will take a picture later if it stops rainng for 5 minutes to show what they look like. I am a beginner at planting so any helpfl tips or advice will be greatly apreciated!

I did drill some holes in the bottem, about 10 of them the size of my finger.. I am thinking since it sits on the ground, they cant drain right. Should I drill some on the sides as well??

I put the holes on the side. Just because I didn't think to do it until my plants were already in them. I have also used a hammer and nail to make the hole if nothing else was avaliable. Have you considered an Iron deficiency? I use Hasta Grow plant food 6-12-6 it has other stuff in it too. I wish you could share some of the rain with us.
Lisa

I am wondering since the buckets sit on the ground, if the holes are plugged and not draining out.. Maybe I should put them up on blocks or something?

You might give it a try it couldn't hurt.
Lisa

You can always raise the container up on rocks or bricks or something like that to aid in drainage (and to keep the ants out).

Right ON it's an elavation problem, elavate the pot or the holes. Drainage is a big deal and fertilize has salts in it. NO drainage you get a salty wet plant , not good. A lot of porus clay pots have a white crust on them, it's salt build up. No worry just soak them in water and hose off. Elavate the plant or the holes, for you never see a tomattoe grow in a mud puddle. :)

Seems like a salt problem is right. I looked at a graphic on this website and the one that matched mine was the yellowing of the leaves, so I also propped the buckets up on cinder blocks. I'm wondering if I should put a radio put there with soft music to sooth them ;)

I'd add some good compost and stop using MG. Also, keep your eyes peeled for fungus diseases and spider mites.

Here is a picture of one of the hurting plants, I have others it finally stopped raining for 5 minutes so I snapped a picture.What do you think, can I save it?

Here is another. Whats wierd is I planted a "BigBoy", "Beefmaster", and an "Early Girl", the early girl has no discoleration on the leaves, only the the bigboy and beefmaster.

I’m in agreement with feldon30 … Sounds like your plants are drowning.

Potting soil is designed for use indoors by houseplants where you control the water, more or less, not Mother Nature. It’s like a sponge. If you can get them dried out before root rot sets in they might live.

Try a 1 to 1 ratio of finely shredded pine bark mulch, sharp builders sand, and potting soil. The potting soil will soak up and retain some water for the plant and shunt the excess out the bottom keeping it from becoming a soggy mess. You might have to water a little more often but putting water in is much easier than taking water out.

I’m sure everyone has there own secret recipes but this one works very well for us.
LK

When I lifted up the containers, there were ants and roly bugs under the hard packed ground. All my containers have been lifted up on blocks so they can drain, and I will be putting holes on the sides this weekend... Decieded not to disturb the roots at this time, since there are alot of flowers on each plant and I dont want to loose my first crop. Have filed this little bit of info for next year.

We don't use pots for veggies but wife has about 100 pot plants. Some I have to move with a dolly. We have started putting soda pop cans in the bottom when we repot. Lightens up the containers and the crumpled up containers in the bottom keep the drain holes from stopping up. We also drill drain holes around the outside edge like someone else suggested.

MissJestr - Amused to see that you and I have the same
containers, except mine are Kermit the Frog green!

I had good success with them last year but have always
had the containers up on cinder blocks. We also drilled
5 good size holes in the bottom of each. One in center
and 4 in a circle. Coffee filters or even a sheet of newspaper
at the bottom helps keep soil from washing out.

Yep good old walmart 5 bucks.
I think next year I am going to try the cans in the bottom, I know I have enough holes in the bottom, maybe some on the side would work, have not tried that. First year so I am bound to make mistakes to learn from. I have placed them up on cinder blocks before I left on vacation, so I am not sure how they are doing. Will find out when I get home.

Jim41- surely you don't have a 100 'pot' plants lol

To allow drainage, use a landscape fabric doily (my favorite), nylon screen netting, used coffee filters, old pantyhose, even newspaper. Use anything but stones. Once you put stones in your soil, it is all but impossible to get them all out again. Trust me on this. I know. I made that mistake 5 years ago and I am still finding them.

In my tomato pots I use organic fertilizers, mainly Tomato Tone and Garden Tone. This year, it rained here in NJ all but 4 days of June, after an exceptionally wet May. To make matters worse, I was in hospital and could not intervene. Despite the Niagara like daily drenchings, the tomatoes had to rely on solely on the 6 teaspoons per pot of tomato tone and the pelletized dolomitic limestone that I mixed into their planting soil. I finally got out there today. Sure enough, they grew like the weeds they are. Most of them are a good bit stronger than I am right now. Try that with MG. :))

Ed

HEY JIM I READ THAT 3 TIMES MYSELF. To each his own , but you sure told on the wife. LOL, HAPPY 4TH.

7 asperagus ferns in pots 18" in dia.; 1 asperagus fern in hanging basket; 1 kalatchie (18"x24" oblong container); 7 kalatchies is normal size pots; 3 achafarea (plants are about 31/2 feet tall and wide); 1 split leaf philadendrum about 8ft. tall (got tired of moving it and set it out in the yard); 3 wandering jews (pots a 68 yr. old man can pick up); 1 w. jew hanging basket; 2 hanging petunias; 3 some kind of ivy in pots; 3 Boston ferns and 2 Willow looking fern in pots that are 3ft wide and that tall (dollar store plastic); I something that blooms all year with a million thorns on it; 1 something that sets on top of the dirt that looks like a basket ball on the bottom and grass on the top; 1 some type of philidendrium that is about 4 ft. tall and weighs weigh more than I can pick up; 4 hanging baskets that trail all the way to the ground and bloom beautifully; 1 shrimp plant; 4 pots of aloe vera; 2 plants I have no idea what they are; 6 little pots of something; 2 pots of House Leaf (no idea what the real name is), 3 hens and biddies; 6 assorted types of daisys; 1 some kind of tree; and last but not least 1 humongust mandevilla. There are several pots of ground cover I don't count. She has probably given away 10 or 15 since this spring. Now for the count -- 67 -- if I counted right. Oh yeah there are 2 or 3 pots of something dark purple and runs everywhere. Please discount any spelling mistakes. E-Mail me at jimgoodman1@hotmail.com and I will invite you to look at the greenhouse photos on Kodak Share. Now you know why I dread November and March so much. Just joking. Any woman that could put up with me for 48 years is worth any trouble.

Jim41- I feel your pain. I have almost a hundred houseplants that I move inside/outside every fall and spring and have no help moving them.

This message was edited Jul 5, 2009 11:59 PM

Hello all, I am home... Jim glad you cleared that up, I was wondering... LOL

I have red tomato's on the vine and some bug all but chewed my jalapeno but the person watching my garden and critters, dusted it, and the rabbits demolished all my bell pepper plants, so I guess no bell peppers this year.... That looks to be all the damage I can see... I got tomatoes I am doing the happy dance.

OOPS! Forgot, 3 mother in law tongues, 4 geraniums, 1 prayer plant, 1 airplane plant, 1 drunkard's delight, 3 jade plants and another of those I have no idea what, 1 spike fern and I think finally 1 rabbit's foot fern. Final count: 83. Not quite a hundred but pretty close.

It probably seems like a couple hundred after moving all of them

Don't forget Jo's given away 10 or 15 since spring. My wife's sister runs a flower shop and every time they a have a pot plant that starts looking bad, she gives it to Jo. Just what we need another pot plant.

I love the pot plant lol. My OH get tired of all the potted plants and sometimes throws one over the fence behind my house hoping I won't notice because I have so many. I always notice though. He says he thought it was "dead", usually it's one of my rescues. He doesn't understand why I just can't say goodbye to them.

Inveribablly (sorry about the spelling) when we are putting plants up for winter or taking them out for spring, a limb will get broken off. Jo will take it to the compost pile and make two or three attempts to throw it away and finally go get a pot and plant it. Never fails to root. She has found out she can stick them in the ground on the south side of the house behind the flower bed and they will root and grow all winter. I guess the sun reflecting off of the brick keeps them from freezing. Got kalatchies all back there. She is something, that woman of mine. Think I'll keep her. Had her a lot more years than I haven't had her. Don't know where this thread will end up but I sure have enjoyed it.