Topic: advice pls tomato plants which are turning yellow

[tas]

hi
i have tomato plants which are turning yellow?
the leaves toward the bottom are turning yellow is this natural and the plant does not seem to be getting taller why is this natural.
my hobby says i am over watering them?
 i don't think i am could it be the weather?

pls advice on what it could be... ???

[picman]

What are the tom growing in ?  very easy to overwater a growbag, also they do not like to sit in water or wet gravel , could be a Magnesium deficiency . Epsom salts should help....     

[ipt8]

 Maybe overwatering.

I have some looking sickly in some compost that has peat and other stuff that looks like ground up wood. I believe a lot of people are having problems with the new non peat composts. I will be looking closely at the compost I buy in the future.

[Gordonmull]

We've always had the bottom leaves yellow and eventually fall off. Probably nothing to worry about but a wee spray with epsom salts won't do any harm.

[davyw1]

You can remove the bottom leave up to the first truss but not all at once just a one or two a week so not to stress the plant.you do this to help with ventalation arround the plants.
Once you have the compost that the tomato plant is in you should not give it more than two pints of water a day and that is on the hotest day.
To much water clogs the roots and does not allow them to breath if they dont breath they wont grow.
They should be given a drink evey day on a regular basis iregular watering may cause Blossem End Rot.
Nothing wrong in giving them a spray with Epsom Salts as people have said it will do more good than harm, But not a drink of it because if your problem is overwatering then you are defeating the object.

[tas]

hi every one i  will try and get hold of the epsom salt i think that wilko will sell it?

[Gordonmull]

If not try a pharmacy.

[tas]

hi
i went to wilko today in hope of finding epsom salt no luck
any one know where i can get hold of some?

[Duke Ellington]

I had a lot of trouble finding Epsom salts last year I went to pharmacies garden centers etc...no luck!
I eventually  bought some on EBay.

Duke

[Lilyholland]

Sounds like a combination of cold and too much water. Tomatoes also need quite a lot of feeding while they are growing.

[Alex133]

In gardening terms you need to look for magnesium sulfate - it is epsom salts - and you'll be able to buy it easily in any garden shop.

[Hector]

Thanks for this thread. I'd added Epsom Salts but now think I'm overwatering.

[antipodes]

tas you don't say where the toms are? Are they outdoors or in a greenhouse?  It is quite usual for a tomatoes first leaves to drop off once they start getting bigger. I have had my toms outdoors for 6 weeks now, and they are between 50 cm and 1 metre tall, if that helps. They need a rich soil, like to be mulched and I usually scratch a bit of granulated fertiliser into the ground around them about now, as they are flowering. As mine are mulched, they only really get watered about twice a week, I find that helps them get strong roots. I work so couldn't go water them every day anyway.

[manicscousers]

Just dug out the epsom salts but for the raspberries 

[GREGME]

if its only the lower leaves i would remove them as long as its not about to rain

[Tee Gee]

My tuppence worth;

Like some of the others I think it is over-watering and not necessarily a magnesium deficiency ( which can be cured with Epsom salts!)

I get the feeling your plants are in commercial compost rather than natural soil.

If this is the case I have noticed that since compost makers have gone peat free/reduced, the stuff they are using in its place seems to get saturated and isn't as 'free draining' as peat based composts were. So if I am right.....your plants have got cold wet feet, and I no how I feel when I get cold wet feet! 

So ease of with the watering!

I have had lots of problems this year with saturated plants whilst they are still in plant pots but once they are out of their pots and in the soil they soon pick up.

Next year I am going to add some grit to my compost to hopefully improve the drainage and subsequently reduce or cure this problem!

This link on tomato leaf problems may help ( it includes a bit on Epsom salts)

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Tomato-Leaf%20problems/Tomato%20-%20Leaf%20Problems.htm

[Digeroo]

I would say feed them.  I bought some very yellow specimens from B&Q for 50p and within a few days they have greened up nicely with a few doses of nettle tea.

[galina]

I would say feed them.  I bought some very yellow specimens from B&Q for 50p and within a few days they have greened up nicely with a few doses of nettle tea.

I agree, yellowing could be lack of nitrogen.

Epsom Salts should be a standard item at Boots:
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Epsom-Salts-B.P.----200g_1209183/?cm_mmc=pla-_-google-_-PLAs-_-PLAs+-+All+Products

It is worth asking the shop manager about it if it isn't on the shelves.

Hope by now your tomatoes are looking better.

[Jayb]

All good advice and helpful tips  . Hopefully Tas's tomatoes went on to produce a great crop, (thread was first posted in 2012)

I just noticed a couple of my tomatoes looking a little yellowy, sprayed them this morning with Epsom Salts.

[galina]

All good advice and helpful tips  . Hopefully Tas's tomatoes went on to produce a great crop, (thread was first posted in 2012)

I just noticed a couple of my tomatoes looking a little yellowy, sprayed them this morning with Epsom Salts.

oops     should always read the date of the original question. LOL   Its just so topical right at the moment.