[Lardman]

Things like this are why Im questioning the compost rather than the just the tomato plant.

About 2 weeks ago I potted on the stronger of these 2 peppers, the compost has had a small amount of growmore added  but that's all, both have otherwise been kept and treated the same. There's no new growth for me to check for deformities but Im petty sure it's done for.

[mumofstig]

Does look like bad compost, don't it 

[Lardman]

Or the growmore? but I've been using that for about 5 seasons. It doesn't seem consistent even all the peppers and melons suffered the same fate but the herbs, physalis and courgettes are fine - Im baffled.

[Snoop]

Maybe it's the pots and not the compost. I must admit I never wash my pots out - empty pots get baking hot in summer and freezing cold here, so anything that survived would probably be the subject of an extreme environment nature programme on telly - but maybe a pest or fungal problem of some sort in the pots might account for why some plants have suffered and not others if the compost used is the same for all of them.

[Headgardener22]

Who's compost is it? I've been using B&Q Verve this year and whilst the quality of the compost seems fine, I've had poor germination for ordinary things (french beans, peas) and when I've pricked some things out into it, they just sulk.

I also use Clover and everything in that is fine.

[JayG]

All my GH toms are planted out in Verve compost, and at the moment the results are varying greatly (different varieties, Sungold romping away, Inca distinctly struggling.)

All from the same 125L bag of compost, so it can't be a variation from batch to batch.

I've had my suspicions about the nutrient content of various brands in the past, and add some Growmore as a matter of course now, although there is something suspicious about the latest tub of that too - it smells like chicken poo, which is very odd for an inorganic product, although it still seems to do the job (including attracting the attention of foxes when they're around!  )

[Lardman]

All of the compost has been verve 125L and whilst I've not been impressed by it in general, only this last bag has caused me concern. It was bought at the same time and from the same pallet as 2 others which have been fine.

The pots things had me wondering but there's a good mix of new pots, cleaned and old recycled ones and also new cell trays in there and wouldn't explain the sudden problem with just 1 tomato plant - I suppose that could be coincidence?   

[JayG]

This is my 4th year of growing Inca, and I've never had any problems with them, but it's also the 4th year of using the same packet of seed - I've usually worked on the assumption that if they germinate, the plants will be OK, but that might not actually be true in all cases... 

[azubah]

Have you checked for vine weevils?

[Lardman]

Have you checked for vine weevils?

No sign of any visible crawlies in the pots I've emptied.

[Anton]

Hullo, I have had the same problem. I had about 10 plants. 6 cherry tomatoes and 4 steak tomatoes (is that the right name?). They seemed to be doing well, except for one plant now they have all caught the lurgy. They all had flowers but now a lot of the flowers have dried  up. (see picture) Do you think I should  scrap them and start them again?

Anton

By the way how do you start a new topic here. I can reply to message but there is nothing to tell me to start a new topic and yet I did so a couple of weeks ago!

[JayG]

Not sure about your toms Anton - could be a virus but could just be too much variation in temperatures recently - flowers drying up without setting is not a good sign though.

Are you sure you are looking for the 'new topic' button from the right page (a board index page rather than when viewing an individual post in a thread?)

[Growster...]

We started the year using Murphy's compost, and most of the seeds just didn't germinate, although some did, including tomatoes...

Having gone onto Levingtons, then Miraclegro, we have noticed the difference!

[Headgardener22]

Anton: It looks to me as though you have splashed the leaves with fertiliser when watering them, could that be the case?

As regards the flowers falling off, it could be that your plants have got too hot.

Here gives suggestions http://www.pelicanplants.co.uk/tomato-pests-diseases-identify-solve-them/tomato-plant-diseases/aborted-flowers