Happy Spring! Well as promised (threatened), here’s my first garden tip of the season. It’s a pretty good one too if you want your tomatoes to get off to a g…
Question by CweetP: What can I do to help revive my tomato plants after a bad transfer?
I have a few small tomato plants I got from the farmers market. I tried to transplant them into large pots. Now they are very week & wilted & one broke off near the base of the stem. I planted it but, can I do anything to help the roots grow on the broken stem so I can replant it? What do I do for the others? I know very little about growing tomatos. Any Info or tips you can give me would be great.
Best answer:
Answer by pdman1974
try adding vitamin b and miracle grow
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Started tomato seeds & giant sunflowers today! Can’t wait until they sprout. What are you planting in your Spring garden? – by SeriousFlags (SeriousFlags)
Cherry Tomato Plant with Lettuces. May 23, 2009.
Image by canarsiebk
An overhead shot of my cherry tomato plant that’s surrounded by some lettuces. This was taken right after I planted them.
It’s planted in a self watering container build out of recycled materials and planted on my fire escape in Manhattan.
Related Tomato Planting Articles
A little amount of natural manure would do wonders to your tomatoes.
It’s best to plant tomatoes in the ground unless your soil is just too poor to support them. I have had a lot of luck using plenty of potting soil when I put them in the ground and using Miracle Grow on them down by the roots once a month. I’d water them daily after dark but don’t drown them. Just keep the soil loose so the roots can grow. Planting tomatoes in pots may cause them to be root bound. Good luck.
When you plant a tomato into a large pot. You have to remember that the ground inside a pot will dry a lot quicker than the ground in a garden will, especially if they are planted in a clay pot. So they will need watered more often. It is also eay to overwater plants in pots too. If the ground feels moist to the touch, your plant probably doesn’t need water. If it’s wilting then it probably needs water. When potting a plant, don’t use soil from the ground to pot it, use potting soil. The potting soil works much better. Adding a little manure does help. Add the manure to the bottom of the hole just before you put in the plant. I prefer rabbit manure for tomato plants. It gives them the nitrogen and minerals they need and it isn’t acidic, so it doesn’t burn the plants either. Chicken manure is highly acidic. One other good point about rabbit manure is it doesn’t contain the weed seeds that other manures like cow or horse manure do. It’s best to use Miracle Grow on your tomato plants about once a week and keep them watered regularly. They like lots of sun and lots of water.
If you notice them stop wilting and their leaves turn a dark green. Then you know you are doing a good job. I would probably leave the plants where they are. Moving them will just make things worse. Don’t worry too much about the one that broke off near the base. A lot of times, ones that break off near the base will regrow. I’ve had birds clip them off near the base before and they will come back. The most important thing is make sure you are watering them properly.
Do NOT use Miracle Grow. Use either fish emulsions or earthworm castings. You can get either from a nursury; I use Mr. Wiggleworms earthworm castings from Windowbox.com (link below). I make this “worm tea” with it that is great for tomato plants. This is the recipe:
Prep Time: 2-3 days
Ingredients:
– Earthworm castings. Windowbox’s brand of earthworm castings is called Mr. Wiggleworm’s Fertilizer, but you can also find earthworm castings at any good greenhouse.
– An old sock or legging
– String or a rubber band
– 5-gallon bucket of water
Worm Tea Recipe:
(1) Take one cup of worm castings and place them in an old sock or nylon legging.
(2) Tie the top closed.
(3) Place in a five-gallon bucket of water.
(4) Leave in a cool shady location for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally each day.
(5) Remove the “sock” and wring it out into the bucket.
(6) Put the contents of the sock in one or more of your potted planters.
(7) Feed your plants with the tea. You can use teacups if you want, but the 5 gallon bucket would probably do just fine. If you have too much tea, pour it into a jug and save it for the next time you water.
As far as other growing tips are concerned:
– Don’t smoke near tomato plants; there is a disease carried by tobacco leaves that tomato plants are very sensitive to.
– Don’t overwater. About an inch every week is good.
– Tomato plants do best with 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.
– If your tomatoes look wilted durring the day, don’t fret. Wait until the sun goes down – 9 times out of 10 they perk right up.
– When planting, you should prune all save the top 2 or 3 branches. This helps give the plant a better root system.
– While your plants are young, prune any flowers off. This helps your plants focus on creating their root system, and having strong roots will really pay off later in the season.