Tomato Plant
Care

Proper tomato plant care is the key to having success in raising home-grown tomatoes.

As for container tomato gardening , contamination from disease pathogens stored in ordinary garden soil are greatly reduced.

However, let's use these useful container gardening tips below to get the most out of our tomato growing experience.

Tip:

If you need information on watering tomatoes, click here to go to my page on Watering Tomatoes.

Tomato Fertilizer

The first thing we need to cover in tomato plant care is tomato fertilizer.

If you're like me, you want fruit quicker than what the plants usually produce. If you use , you can get fruit up to three weeks earlier than normal. That's what I'm talkin' about!!!

I too would use The Miracle Grow company knows how to grow tomatoes and any other vegetable or flower! Their products for potted plants and container growing are fabulous.

If you did use Miracle Grow Potting Mix for tomato planting as I recommended on the Container Gardening Soil page, this blend contains the Miracle Grow Shake'N Feed Slow Release Plant Food. Miracle Grow recommends not using any other fertilizer on the plant until after 3 months.

After the three month period, I use the Miracle Grow Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food about every 7 days. (Follow the directions on the label per the size of your watering container for the right mixture.)

Use this, and fresh tomatoes are just around the corner...."Um..I can taste them now!!"

Miracle Grow also makes the same type of water soluble product, but made specifically for tomatoes. Another awesome product to make tomato plant care easier!

On average, when applying any water soluble fertilizer, apply directly to the tomato soil around the base of the tomato plant every 7-10 days.

Make sure not to apply it over the tomato leaves. A tomato leaf doesn't react well to water sitting on its surface. This can lead to Tomato Blight.

I like however, the handiness of the All Purpose Plant Food. You can use it for vegetables and any other flowers you might be container gardening. In container gardening, you need all the tools a tool belt can hold....if you know what I mean.

If you used any other type of potting mix, refer to the companies website or labels for specific information on any fertilizer additives and the recommendations for later fertilizer use.

SMALL PROBLEM...

Okay.... no joke .....follow these steps, and you'll have tomato plants that are 6 feet high....EASY!! The problem I've ran into latley, is that they get SO tall (GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE), I have trouble keeping them from follwing over.

One great solution to that problem is this . Check it out . I think you'll like it!!

Tip:

Need help with the numerous Tomato Varieties? Check out this article: Choosing Tomato Plants
You have to utilize the proper soil. Read this information on: The Proper Soil

Tomato Problems

Next on the discussion of tomato plant care, is tomato problems such as tomato disease and tomato pests.

Tomato Hornworm Hornworm on tomato plant

Tomato Disease

Tomato diseases can range from fungal diseases to viral diseases and leaf spotting.

A great majority of tomato plants you'll find at your local nursery are extremely disease resistant. This makes tomato plant care a little easier than the older days.

Shopping for Tomato Plants

When shopping for plants, especially non-hybrids (known as heirlooms), pay close attention to the "look" of the tomato. Look for any yellowing on existing leaves or yellowing on new leaves. This most likely is a viral-disease contaminated plant.

Take note of any spotting. Spots can occur on the top or the under-side of the leaf.

Steer clear of any tomato plants that have rings or streaking on the leaf or stem. This too could be stemming from a viral disease.

The best tomato plant of the bunch will be one that is short and stocky. And a nice deep green in color.

Existing Tomato Plants

Now to discuss existing container tomato plants at your home. Planter gardening soil lends itself to be extremely sterile and excellent to grow tomatoes.

The sterile soil is great for preventing soil-borne fungal diseases. Of the which, tomato plants are susceptible.

On the other hand, a few things we have to watch for once our plants are growing in our containers, are tomato plant diseases such as tomato blight and tomato blossom-end rot.

Tomato Blight

Blight disease comes from too much moisture retained on the leaves. This can occur from too much rainfall and also water from sprinkler systems.

You usually don't worry about the method used in watering plants outside. But in the world of tomato plant care, don't water over the tomato leaves, rather directly to the soil. The less moisture on the leaves, the better.

Blossom-End Rot

A tomato plant disease worth mentioning is blossom-end rot. It occurs from improper watering. As we discussed on the Watering Tomatoes page, watering too little or too much can have terrible consequences on all tomato varieties.

When a plant doesn't receive enough water, the shallow watering forces the plants roots to grow upward in search of nutrients.

If your planter is drying out too quickly, a container gardening tip for watering tomato plants is to lightly mulch the plant. This will hold much needed water in the soil: more than what you might think!

When a plant receives too much water, the roots are deprived of oxygen. Thus the plant is starved of calcium.

If you suspect your tomato plant needs calcium, try this container garden idea. Apply crushed eggshells around the base of the plants' stem.

I've never tried this, however I do think it would work. Eggshells would return calcium back to the soil.

Tomato Pests

When doing any normal garden care, we always have to be ready to deal with gardening pests.

Since we're dealing with tomato plant care, we'll touch on a few tomato pests that can interrupt our good, gardening day.

Thrip

First, we'll discuss some tomato bugs known as thrips.

The thrip is a very small green to brown insect that can be responsible for carrying diseases from one plant to the next.

A good way to suspect you have a tomato thrip, is noticing signs of tomato spotted wilt disease.

Since you won't be able to see thrips, the symptoms you'll notice are blackened, dead looking spots on the tops of the plants. Streaks of black or a dark color can be noticed running down the stems.

Treatment

How to get rid of thrips?

Use a product called NATURAL RX. I highly recommend this spray for thrip control. It only lasts a couple of weeks, but will do the job in a very quick amount of time.

For tomato plant care, a dust application might suit your fancy. Shop for a product called Permethrin Dust.

A bit messier than a spray. But anyone using dusts before know the advantages of this choice. You'll always see where the application has taken place. And consistent and even coverage is key for good tomato plant care.

Last on my list would be an Insecticidal Soap. Works very effectively, but will need to be applied at least twice a week if you know you have a thrip problem.

Aphids

Now, on to tomato pests known as the aphid.

A common symptom of the aphids would be yellowing leaves and leaf curl. You may also notice stunted plant growth.

Noticing a shiny leaf could be a sign of "honeydew". A shiny and sticky excrement left behind by the aphid creates this effect.

Treatment

Not wanting to be a broken record, any of the above mentioned products will very easily work for aphid control.

Tomato Hornworm

An absolute foliage eating machine. This little tomato worm will eat everything from leaves to your precious growing fruit.

As you can see from the picture under Tomato Problems, Tomato Hornworms are hard to spot. Happy Hunting!!!

You might notice black droppings left behind by this terrible little creature.

If you do spot one, you'll notice a green, reddish horn on the " behind !"

Treatment

You need to pick them off by hand!!

EASY! EASY!

If you don't have the guts to do this, you can treat the plant with a common vegetable insecticide.

For existing and future tomato plant care, I would keep some brand names such as Biotrol or Dipel on hand.

Tip:

Make sure you have the proper size container. Big trouble if you don't!! Check out this article: Choosing Containers
There are lots of things to know when planting tomatoes. Read this information on: Planting Tomatoes

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