Problems with tomatoes: what to do and how to treat
The second half of July and August is a difficult time for tomatoes. Heat, drought, disease… Poor plants are sometimes not up to the harvest – to survive. Therefore, our task is to track their problems and help them in time.

Tomatoes don’t set fruit

It happens that a tomato bush is outwardly good, blooms profusely, but no tomatoes form on it.

What is the reason. As a rule, in too high air temperature. Especially this often happens in a greenhouse – the sun fries mercilessly at this time. And if the temperature rises above 32 ° C, the pollen in the flowers becomes sterile and pollination does not occur. The optimum temperature for tomato growth is 18-25°C (1).

How to help. First of all, if tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, you need to open all the windows and doors every morning – let there be a draft. In the evening they must be closed.

The second is shading. This is if ventilation does not help. The simplest thing is to throw a white non-woven fabric over the greenhouse. Light passes through it well, but the sun does not fry as much as through glass or polycarbonate.

In open ground, watering will be a salvation: once a week, 5 liters of water should be poured under each bush. And you also need to cover the soil, preferably with straw or hay (you can pick ordinary grass and spread it fresh on the beds, it will dry out in a couple of days). Light mulch will reflect the sun’s rays, the ground will not heat up, and the air temperature around the tomatoes will decrease.

Tomato fruits do not grow

Another typical problem is that the tomatoes set up, reached the size of a cherry or walnut and stopped growing.

What is the reason. In the lack of moisture, which also happens in the heat.

How to help. Water well. Not every day for a little bit, as some summer residents do, namely once a week for 5 liters! And again, mulch the beds so that the moisture does not evaporate.

Large-fruited varieties produce small fruits

In some varieties of tomatoes, the fruits reach 200 – 300 g, and some are 500 g and even 1 kg each! The manufacturer usually indicates this on a bag of seeds, gardeners willingly buy such varieties, but in the end they get 100 g of tomato, no more. They think they were deceived. Not really.

What is the reason. She is always alone – the wrong care. Large-fruited varieties require increased attention and special knowledge.

What to do. First, feed well: fertilizer doses should be 1,5 to 2 times more than conventional tomato varieties.

Secondly, to form correctly. In such plants, you need to leave only one stem, removing all stepchildren. The first inflorescence also needs to be cut off: it draws nutrients to itself to the detriment of other fruits. After 3 – 4 fruit brushes are formed, it is necessary to pinch the top (keeping 2 – 3 leaves above the last brush) so that the bush does not waste energy on growth, but directs them to ripen the crop. 3-4 ovaries are left in each inflorescence, the rest of the tomatoes still will not gain the desired mass. Stepchild shoots of large-fruited tomatoes should be at least 1 time per week.

Thirdly, water large-fruited varieties more abundantly, 1 bucket per bush. Oh, and don’t forget to tie each plant to a peg or trellis, because their stems are unable to support the weight of their own fruit. When the fruits begin to pour, each brush also needs to be tied up so that it does not break.

Tomatoes don’t ripen

It happens that the fruits have reached the desired size, hang on the bushes in clusters, and do not blush.

What is the reason. Usually this is a lack of heat.

How to help. We cannot influence the weather, but there are tricks that will speed up the ripening.

  • Root tear. In nature, it is so arranged that if a plant receives some kind of damage, it seeks to give offspring as soon as possible so as not to disappear without a trace. With torn roots, tomatoes direct all their nutrients to the fruits, thereby accelerating their ripening.

    They do it this way: the plants are slightly pulled up with their hands by the lower part of the stem. The operation is carried out at the end of summer, when green tomatoes are still hanging on the bushes, but it is already clear that they will not have time to ripen naturally.

  • Stem section. The principle is the same as when tearing the roots. The fruits in this case ripen much faster. With this method, at the very base of the stem, a through cut 7–10 cm long is made with a sharp knife along the shoot and wooden sticks are inserted into it.
  • Vodka injections. More than 100 years ago, scientists discovered that ethyl alcohol accelerates the ripening of fruits – after its use, tomatoes ripen 8 to 16 days faster. So feel free to take the method into service. The bottom line is simple: with an ordinary disposable syringe, 0,25 ml of alcohol (96%) or 0,5 ml of vodka (the norm for 1 fruit) is injected into green tomatoes. Several injections are made into each tomato from different sides so that they ripen evenly.

Tomatoes got sick with late blight

In general, there are a lot of diseases in tomatoes, but this is the most dangerous. It is capable of nullifying the entire crop in a couple of weeks.

The first signs of the disease – brown spots appear on the leaves, which grow rapidly (2), the leaves are twisted into a tube. Then brown dents appear on the fruit, and the tomatoes begin to rot.

What is the reason. She alone is high humidity. Air or soil, it doesn’t matter. Phytophthora outbreaks often occur in the second half of summer, in rainy weather, but they also occur with improper watering.

How to help. The first step is to increase the immunity of plants. To do this, feed the tomatoes with superphosphate and potassium sulfate: 2 tbsp. spoons for 10 liters of water. Consumption rate – 1 – 1,5 liters per bush.

A good effect is given by foliar (by leaves) top dressing with a solution of boric acid: 1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water. Norm – 1 liter per 1 sq. m.

And now the most important thing is proper watering. Tomatoes need to be watered in the morning, so that by the evening the surface of the soil has dried up. Water should be poured strictly under the root, avoiding moisture on the leaves. And the water must be warm.

But what if the tomatoes are already sick? The classic option: treat the plants with copper chloride (HOM) – 40 g per 10 liters of water.

Fungicides help well: Kuproksat, Ordan, Kurzat, Thanos.

It is even more reliable to use a new generation of systemic contact fungicides – they have a protective and therapeutic effect, and at the same time prevent the formation of fungal spores, that is, reduce the risk of infection for the next year. These miracle drugs include Acrobat MC, Previkur, Profit Gold, Ridomil Gold MC, Skor (3).

But remember: the last treatment with all these preparations must be carried out no later than 20 days before harvesting.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the problems that arise when growing tomatoes with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Why do the tops of the fruits rot in tomatoes?

This is a physiological disease called blossom end rot. The reason is the lack of calcium and sudden changes in soil moisture. To avoid this problem, tomatoes in the heat should be watered 2 to 3 times a week. And it is better to feed tomatoes with complex fertilizers – all nutrients are balanced in them.

Why do tomatoes have a white core?

There can be several reasons: heat, sudden changes in temperature during the ripening of fruits, lack of potassium or calcium. This problem can be solved by providing timely watering, especially in hot weather. Potassium and calcium, by the way, are poorly absorbed in the heat.

Why do white streaks form in tomato fruits?

Causes may be fever, lack of potassium or calcium. But often this problem is caused by a viral disease – stolbur. In this case, in addition to the veins in the fruits, the stems become thicker and the leaves become smaller. The disease has no cure. Plants need to be destroyed as soon as possible.

Sources of

  1. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
  2. Stancheva Y. Atlas of diseases of agricultural crops. Volume 1. Diseases of vegetable crops // Sofia, 2005 – 181 p.
  3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals permitted for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation

    https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii-i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/

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