Why Tomatoes are Wilting
The reason why the tomatoes are wilting is that they were planted into a gro-bag when the compost inside was still solid.
It is vital to loosen the compost in the bag by shaking and kneading it like a pillow. Otherwise the water is not able to soak into the compost. Then there is not sufficient water for the tomato plants, so they wilt.
This is interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Sara from farmingfriends
Comment by farmingfriends - June 10, 2008 4:19 pm
Of the 15 tomato plants in my greenhouse two have wilted planted next to each other in a trough of local authority compost as are allmy other plants. Can I assume this may be caused by lack of sharp sand making the compost to dense and resricting root growth.the plants are Aviro(Orange Plum )
Comment by R McGahan - August 9, 2008 1:02 pm
Hi
There is not much data available about using local authority compost to grow vegetables. But we do know that there is great variablilty in its make-up due to the large number of different materials composted.
There can be an in-balance of nutrients in the compost because of the various materials composted. Also the structure of the compost may provide an environment which is unsuitable for roots to grow in.
There needs to be a greater understanding of the various materials composted so that we know how much loam or sand to add, to make it a suitable growing medium for tomatoes, or any other veg that you choose to grow.
Are the wilted tomatoes the only two Aviro plants, or are they all the same?
There is a Tomato spotted wilt virus, but this would spread to the pther plants.
Sorry not to be more helpful.
Comment by TopVeg - August 9, 2008 4:31 pm