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Growing Tomatoes

What Can I do to Fix this Container plant mistake?

14 years ago

I planted a tomatillo in a container (at least 5 gallons, probably bigger). I basically yanked out a teeny tree that I planted 3+ years ago (that never grew, probably for the same reason). Put a little MG extended release pellets and that was it.

I know there is something wrong with the stuff it's planted in, because even the little cilantro I planted with is pale green starting to yellow, bolting to seed. My tomatillo is also not really more than 2 feet tall and hasn't grown much in a few weeks and is starting to have some yellow leaves. I am thinking maybe it's hungry? I am not watering more than once or twice a week.

Can I transplant this somewhere? Or do something to fix the soil (I really don't remember what it was..might have been potting mix 3-4 years old.)

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Comments (8)

richchicago
14 years ago
I am by no means an expert here, but Nitrogen deficiency will definitely cause yellowing of the foliage in many plants.
missingtheobvious
14 years ago
Are you sure it's getting enough water? If you stick your finger into the soil 2-3", is it dampish?
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tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
I agree with rich. Some fertilizer & a good watering plan, keeping in mind that container plants need more water than in-ground ones.
jmwolff
Original Author
14 years ago
it's definitely good on water...between the downpours and my watering...if anything it's too much water. So just start hitting it with MG once a week?
korney19
14 years ago
If the mix is 3-4 years old, there probably are no nutrients left in it. If all you did was yank the tree, and didn't empty the container & refill, there probably is a soil compaction problem too, and perhaps the roots aren't getting any oxygen. This can be quite possible, especially since you think you get enough water.

A container plant can almost never be overwatered if the soilmix is good. You should be able to see the water coming out the bottom.

I grow more than half my tomatoes & peppers in 4 & 5 gallon buckets, and the years I don't remove/ammend/refill my containers, plant growth and production SUFFER GREATLY. Ands I water 2x a day if it didn't rain, more than 2L each time.

You need to ammend the soilmix yearly, at least with compost or aged manure. I remix my containers with 30-50% compost.

Also, because of frequent waterings, you need to fertilize regularly.

Hope this helps.
jmwolff
Original Author
14 years ago
I think you ar right...I gave it a little MG yesterday or the day before and it seemed to perk up a bit today. Do you think I could just dump some compost on top and try to pix it in a little? I know that we had gravel on the bottom to help with drainage, and I did stir it up a little and add some more of the MG extended release pellet things
korney19
14 years ago
How long has the tomatillo been in? Maybe you can stick a garden fork into the media in a few places, at least you may get some paths, then try more fertilizer. You may damage some roots temporarily but what have you got to lose?

By the way, are you growing 1 or 2 tomatillos? It's been reported that you need more than 1 for pollination... I have 2 in a rope-handle 20 gallon bucket.
missingtheobvious
14 years ago
What's the worms' favorite part of your yard? After the next rain, gather up some worm casts. Crumble them and add them to your container. Or dissolve them in water and add that. [You can also find worm casts for sale with the organic stuff.]

If you don't have room to add a lot of compost, you can make compost tea and water with that.
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/nph-ind.cgi?scrug=16677&k=compost+tea&b=and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost_tea

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