It was said "you still need to fertilize them, but with the beans there, "normal" fertilization (similar to what you would do for tomatoes, squash or peppers) will do." Unfortunately, even though it's widely believed that beans provide nitrogen for nearby plants, that's not so. The facts are these: The bean plants use the nitrogen captured in the root nodules to produce their beans. In other words, the nitrogen doesn't leak out of the nodules during the growing season. But it will "leak " into the soil if the plants are either cut to the ground prior to flowering, or turned into the soil prior to flowering.

Thanks everyone! Linda - thanks so much for your suggestions! As for Peaches and Green - when the "suckers" in the center get bigger, do I divide them without roots? It seems that they wouldn't have roots like a regular sucker or baby plant. I definitely think that the PH is an issue. After a conversation with a friend who is a grower (not AV's) he suggested that the chloramine might be affecting the Ph, and that could be the underlining problem of a lot of things. After searching this forum, a lot of people suggest the same - that many problems clear up when the Ph is consistent and the plants get flushed semi-regularly. I flushed my plants with warm water, and they seem to be perkier now. Good start. I'm going to go get some sulfur for the mildew/blight (it could be either or both), and some bottled water and testing strips. For now, I'll water with Poland Springs, and with testing, some vinegar and baking soda, etc..., I'll start using my water again when I figure it out. Or perhaps I'll just stick to bottled water, since I don't have a huge collection. IDK - it's tough to say which one is more expensive or more of a pain. I don't think I should treat the plants. Not inside in the winter. Not with chemicals. I'm disbudding and waiting. I'll keep them disbudded for a while, and in the spring I'll treat them when I can take them outside. I threw out the 3 plants (Noid's) that had more than the others, took cuttings of some of the more "important" plants, and I have to continue and finish up this weekend. Obviously, I am learning the all important lesson about ISOLATION!!! lol It just sucks not having any flowers. That's kind of the point of these plants! Ruffles and Lace is totally stunted. I think I may have to take it totally down to the crown and try to re-root it. Perhaps the leaf to root ratio is way off now. That would make sense. I believe my Tommi Lou is perking up, could do well still. I'd like to take cuttings of LE Adagio and Sagitarius Elite, but the leaves are so unhealthy, I'd be taking down the plant, and I have no idea if the leaves will take. The plants are small, so there's not a lot of selection of leaves. These are starters that haven't done well, so I don't think the yellowing is "natural". Any suggestions? Should I take a couple of leaves and toss the plants? Probably.... I'm posting some pictures of the problems I'm having. I'm think overfertilizing with bad fertilizer (MG), but I'll be switching to the Optimara packets I have. they should last me a while. I think I have 4 or 5 packets. I have some fish emulsion, so thank you for the advice about the variegateds! I think the ph or chloramine (or both) is really an issue. I saw someone (Korina I think ) sign off as an "expert plant murderer". I am totally comforted. In 6 months, I've killed so many, and now I watch them suffer. But, there's nothing like a good hobby! I am hooked. I would order a hundred more if I could! I'm sure I will when I manage to kill these ones.... lol! My new batch from Rob's look so lovely! It was sad to trim the new buds forming. Vanilla Trail, Gundaroo, and Warm Sunshine all had several buds forming. But, alas, I want no more thrips!!! Thanks again, everyone!!! So good to get to know people! Jessica

You are welcome Shar, and yes too many sweets this season. One of my favorites was a macadamia brittle that a nice gardener made and sent me. Delicious! I think Tom can agree with that. And for anybody that is a beginner to growing tomatoes in Florida: Sandy soil has no nutrients and maybe nematodes. Soils have to be heavily amended with organic materials. The easy way is to have a fast draining potting soil and grow them in pots. You can grow anything like this, heirlooms or hybrids. Some will produce more than others. Have a mix and try new varieties all the time, to see which ones do you prefer. Julia, you are in zone 9b like me, time to start seedlings, send me an email if you like to try some seeds that I had saved from previous seasons. Silvia

Hello there, minneapolismike: It's nice of you to be looking out for your friend. It certainly couldn't hurt to root some suckers for your friend, but you know how we cold zoners always run out of summer all too quickly. Rooting plants will still be putting your friend behind a couple of weeks, but it may be all he has. Still, if you root some plants and he plants them in the same place, he may very well encounter the same problem where they just sit there and do nothing. It sounds like he is getting enough sun, assuming 8 hours is correct, although you can never have too much sun for tomato plants. More would be better, but we can only use what we have to work with. Generally, there are a few things that would keep tomato plants from growing. Assuming there is no disease (doesn't sound like it) and no pests (like deer chomping off the plants or hornworms scarfing down the leaves), the things I can think of off the top of my head: * Temps too cold or too hot. Generally speaking folks in our zones have issues with chilly temps in spring, but it rarely gets too hot. If we had sustained temps in the high 90s+ for weeks on end, that would be a different thing. But, we don't. If we did, everyone would be having issues, not just one person. *Insufficient sunlight. Eight hours should be enough, but let's hope that Rod is not overestimating the length of time that his plants are getting photons. :-) * Unsuitable soil. Meaning: soil that is very compacted so that roots can't grow and expand and/or soil that is devoid of important nutrients. If the roots can't grow. such as with compacted soil, it's best to add amendments to improve the soil before planting. Unfortunately it's too late for that for your friend, but if he plants new plants, I would make sure that he digs good-sized, fairly deep holes, loosens the dirt as much as possible, and fills it in with rich, loose soil so that the roots can grow and breathe. One thing that minneapolisrod could try at this point is a water soluble fertilizer, dissolved in a bucket of water according to package directions, and poured on the soil around the plants. Every 7 to 10 days. There are a number of such fertilizers on the market, and it certainly can't hurt at this juncture. It also couldn't hurt if he applied some of it as a foliar feed in addition to feeding the roots, as the leaves will take in some nutrients too. Which leads to the observation that perhaps his plants are not getting enough nitrogen, although I'd expect to see other symptoms eventually, such as some yellowing of the plants. Some mulches can tie up nitrogen so the plants don't get enough, and that could stifle their growth. Cool temperatures can also cause a temporary lack of nitrogen. Anyhow, too little nitrogen can keep the plants puny. The fertilizer, used as above, should rectify that issue. Good luck, and thanks for being such a good friend. Best wishes to...