[upert]

I've had a look through the articles and a brief search of the forums yet I haven't found why some of my tomato plants are wilting. I suspect it's water or heat. Yet I water once each day or two and the compost is still moist when I investigated today. Could it be fusarium or verticillium wilt?

I use 30 and 10 litre pots and have used my own compost topped up with multipurpose. It's some of the plants in the smaller containers that have wilted.

One tomato plant in a large container has leaf curl so it has got very hot in there at some point. I have left the door open during the day at times and the window is open day and night.

I remove a lot of the lower leaves to encourage air flow. Also, I started with canes yet when the plants outgrew them I strung them to the top frame of the greenhouse. Now here I know I've done wrong as I simply connected the string to the tops of the plants, and not at the base and twisted around the plant as John suggests. The string isn't actually dragging the plants out of the pots though.

It's an 8 foot by 6 foot greenhouse and there's 9 thirty litre pots and about  15 10 litre pots. Too crowded but I don't like to give up on a nicely growing plant if I can help it.

[dayxday]

Vine weevil at the roots?      Could you tip one of the small pots out to check?

[snowdrops]

I think if you’re having the heatwave we are it’s just uptake of water, a 10 litre pot doesn’t sound very big, I grow mine in supermarket flower buckets with the bottom cut out,it then stands in compost in a reusable grow bag that I put 3 or 4 inches of the same compost in, I’ve got 3 pots to a bag, which is then on a growbags drip tray. I’m watering 2 & 3 Times a day in this heat, if that’s any help to you. As for your strings, I’d redo them tying them to the canes you put in first & then w8nding the tomatoes around them.

[upert]

This year I have tried to prevent too much watering by using the 30 litre pots with my own water retaining compost at the bottom AND then sit them in trays I could water. I'm not sure the trays are working as there's water in them that isn't being taken up. Maybe there's gaps preventing capillary action. I don't know. Oh well, I thought, at least it will keep off the slugs and aid the humidity.

 No trays for the smaller pots. Maybe should've done it the other way around.

I put grit on the top of the compost to retain moisture too. We aren't allowed to hose our plots but can fill water butts. I've placed one next to the greenhouse to aid watering. Really thought I'd got it all figured out this year.

I've watered today with a touch of fairy liquid as a wetting agent and the plants have picked up a lot

I'll certainly re-do the strings and water more frequently. I'll check for vine weevil too. Cheers.

[Plot 1 Problems]

I have two 100's & 1000's toms in hanging baskets in the polytunnel which are wilting, despite plenty of water and feed. I've had to take them outside today to try and give them some respite from the 45c+ temps in the PT.

[AnneB]

The tomatoes in my 8 x 10 greenhouse in the garden are doing a lot better than my much bigger polytunnel at the allotment.  I put it down to ventilation and shading.  The greenhouse has vents and automatic roof vents plus some roof blinds.  The polytunnel's ventilation is two small windows at one end and the lack of door at the other.  I water the same in both and all are grown in pots. 

[upert]

My greenhouse would probably benefit from some shade netting. It does  get shaded by nearby tall trees in the morning and late afternoon.

One winter I threw some scaffold netting over the greenhouse in the hope of offering some protection from strong winds. It backfired as the wind caught it and broke a pane. Still, as no hurricanes are forecast I might risk it as shading.

[JayG]

Worth remembering that tomato plants start to suffer at above 27C (81F), with the increasing likelihood that they will fail to set fruit the higher the temperature is above around 30C (86F)

With outdoor temperatures commonly reaching around 27C or more at the moment it's quite a challenge to keep GH and PT temperatures down - some form of additional shading is almost a necessity, especially if yours gets no natural shading at all.

[Goosegirl]

Shade will certainly help. plus maybe misting the leaves with some dilute foliar feed.

[upert]

... but not when it's sunny or could even a mist scorch the leaves?

I have shaded and watered. No time to look for vine weevil or re-string yet.

I do enjoy foliar feeding though. I use SB Plant Invigorator

[sunshineband]

... but not when it's sunny or could even a mist scorch the leaves?

I have shaded and watered. No time to look for vine weevil or re-string yet.

I do enjoy foliar feeding though. I use SB Plant Invigorator

Do the leaves pick up overnight after you have watered them? In this intense heat roots cannot keep up with leaf transpiration rates, damping down the floor regularly will help, as well standing a bucket of water in the greenhouse.

[lettice]

Not really seeing any problems here, but then never do with tomatoes.
My greenhouse toms have reached their normal six foot height, looking healthy and now all setting toms.
The hanging basket ones are all setting lots of flowers.
Outside ones in 8, 10 and 12 inch pots all around the plot. All doing well and also setting flowers.
I water my toms around 6pm, just giving them a good soaking at soil level.
I then use homemade tomato feed once a week, when flowering starts.

I'm growing;
Hanging baskets: Garden Pearl, 100 and 1000s, Red Cherry and Tumbling Toms.
Greenhouse: Tigrella, Amateur, Nectar Rose
Outside: San Marzano, Marmande, Nectar Rose, Tigrella, Golden Sunrise and Gardeners's Delight.
Outsides: (courtesy of Pass The Parcel here) Jen's Tangerine, Chocolate Cherokee, Tres Cantas and Rio Grande

[lettice]

Do the leaves pick up overnight after you have watered them? In this intense heat roots cannot keep up with leaf transpiration rates, damping down the floor regularly will help, as well standing a bucket of water in the greenhouse.

I always water the floor of the greenhouse.
In this heat I've made sure during the day the door is open with a 3/4 cover of debris netting over the door, lets the air and bees in
Would advise to to get a thermometer in there, so you can check the temp during the day.

[upert]

They have picked up. I've been visiting later in the day so they still looked wilted when I got there to water them.

I have the trays with water in and several full watering cans in there waiting to be used. I did water the floor until I started putting slug pellets in there to combat the slugs. Now I've seen a frog in there I'm stopping the (organic) pellets anyway.

[Anton]

Is it Ok to spray the leaves with water. I spray mist beans,  leafbeat,... but I have always been a bit wary of tomatoes catching the blight as a result of water on their leaves?

Anton