skip to main content

Growing Tomatoes

Sudden wilting in cherry tomato and other tomato plant?

ilovetomatoes347

7 years ago

So I'm new to this, I wanted to try growing some tomatoes, and about 3 and a half weeks ago I bought three tomato plants. One was cherry, one was a Bonnie original, and I'm not sure what the third one is, but it looks like the cherry tomato plant. I got them with a friends dad, who loves gardening, and he helped me transplant them into a pot with a manure/humus mix and potting soil mixed together. I water them everyday and they've been growing, they've gotten up to twice their size, but my Bonnie tomato started drooping a bit like a day or two ago and looked like it needed more room to grow (which it probably did since the pots we put them were like 8 inch ones).

Anyways I got new pots for them yesterday, 14 inch ones, and replanted them all to the three new pots with the same potting soil and manure/humus mix. Today I woke up and my cherry tomato plant was suddenly all droopy, the other two look the same as they did before.

I don't know if it's because of replanting or something else, but is there a reason it's suddenly all droopy? And how can I fix that?

This is the cherry tomato plant

This is the healthy one (does anyone know what type of tomato this one is?)

And this is my third plant that became a little droopy as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Labradors
7 years ago
They look pretty healthy to me. A little bit of flagging is not unusual for a plant that has been newly transplanted.

I would give them all a good drink. Water until you see water coming out of the bottom of the pot then wait until the soil is dry before watering again.

Linda
ilovetomatoes347 thanked Labradors
digdirt2
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Look fine to me as well for now. Newly transplanted plants often droop normally for a couple of days, especially if in the bright sun. 14" pots are still awfully small for most varieties and using "potting soil and manure/humus mix" isn't recommended for use in containers because it drains poorly, can cause root rot, and provides little of the nutrients the plants need. So you may well have problems with them down the line. You'll want to do some extensive reading over in the Container Gardening forum. But for now there is no obvious problems.

Dave

PS: you still have time to delete your duplicate post of this question
ilovetomatoes347 thanked digdirt2
Related Discussions
HELP! Sudden and dramatic tomato wilting
Q
Comments (2)
I just started posting on GardenWeb and saw your note. Sounds like bacterial wilt. I just had it happen to one of my very promising Evergreen plants, which was sitting at the end of a row. We've had lots of rain and tropical type weather here in NYC recently, and reading about this syndrome indicates the weather is a factor, but that the bacteria do reside in the soil. As hard as it was to do, I took out the plant and also dug around to get as much root matter as possible out of the ground as it can linger for years. Hope you are doing OK with your garden.
...See More
cherry tomato plant wilt /droop
Q
Comments (6)
Relax, I think you may be just seeing the results of transplant stress, but here are some suggestions: Dig down with your finger about 4-6", is the growing medium wet, dry, or just right? If it is wet, don't water, if dry then water. If it is just right, check again the next day. Just remember that as the weather heats up, you may need to water multiple times a day in a container. You may want to go ahead and water it with a dilute solution of a balanced fertilizer (numbers equal or close to the same like, 7-7-7 or 5-6-6.) Containers need consistent feeding because when you water, the nutrients are washed out of the growing medium. Betsy
...See More
Tomato plant suddenly wilting....Help!
Q
Comments (25)
Visiting Germany I saw incredible tomatoes growing within thick high hedges. When I questioned lack of sun I was told Germans consider Tomatoes shade plants. This year I am doing an experiment on my west facing Lanai in Southwest Fl. I have 20 plants from seed in large pots - they get Sun only when the sun passes over our building (about 1:30 to 6:30 or 5 hrs). 10 get sun through a dark screen which is cuts down the sun quite a bit. The other 10 get it direct. Results so far: All are thriving even with the 4-5 hrs sun they get. Those that get their sun through the screen have blossoms (35 so fasr), those with direct sun have no blossoms but the plants look great. The ones that get direct sun wilt during the direct sun period, the others do not. Within 2 hrs past direct sun the wilted plants recover. All are watered the same and I use a soil moisture meter to follow that (ususally every 3 days). I will continue the expt a bit longer but will likely get my 10 Sunnies behind a screen.
...See More
Your Favorite Cherry Tomato: Cherry Tomato Maze
Q
Comments (16)
I ended up with a cherry fort - not a maze. The signif other decided to downsize the whole deal... so I ended up with a 10 X 10 area. We were starting with lawn... So I planted a tomato every 6-8 inches. I know inches... I put in: Gajo De Melon Suncherry red star sungold green doctors zebra cherry black cherry snow white Riesentraube OSU Blue Oh heavens, I'll have to go home and check again... there were others... I got a lot of people who wanted to donate seed, so I took them up on them and added them to the 'fort'. I have to take recent pictures, but this is what it looked like early on. I haven't been gung-ho on documenting this because I didn't want to document a complete failure if it happened... :) Then I went back to the original farm (without my camera) this weekend and they have extended their tomato maze - lots more varieties and much bigger this year... I will bring the camera next time I go. Again they told the kids "come back with your basket and belly full." SO cute and SO gets them excited about gardening. I want that!!! I'll take pictures tonight and post them tonight or tomorrow.
...See More
Jean
7 years ago
Was the new potting mix was moist or dry?

If it was dry, you may have a difficult time moistening it.

Try submerging the pot in a tub of water until bubbles stop rising. A max of 20 minutes . (If longer, roots drown.)
Mike
7 years ago
A familiar echo from Dave above.. Transplanted plants often "pout" a little until they settle in lol.. Be sure to water them well immediately after transplanting, and it doesn't hurt to give them a few days of shade to stretch their legs a bit. Container soil must drain readily.. You'd be better off purchasing something like Promix, Sunshine mix, or making a mixture of your own. A simple, cheap and effective mix would consist of something like compost, triple ground hardwood bark and pea gravel/silica at equal parts. You'd want to add a dry fertilizer (GardenTone for example) at the time of mixing if not using a soluble product throughout the season.
CorgiKarma
7 years ago
No one will be able to tell you what type of tomato you have. Did it not say on the tag when you bought it?

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

LIFE Kitchen Traditions: Tomato Season Meets a Family Legacy

By Tiffany Carboni

Somewhere a Sicilian great-great-grandmother is smiling at a bowl of American-made sauce

GARDENING GUIDES California Gardener's June Checklist

Update your hydrangeas, catch up on tomatoes and more ways to enjoy your California garden in June

FARM YOUR YARD Houzz Call: Home Farmers, Show Us Your Edible Gardens

By Stacy Briscoe

We want to see where your tomatoes, summer squashes and beautiful berries are growing this summer

EDIBLE GARDENS Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie

FALL GARDENING Why Fall Is the Best Time for Planting

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Spring is overrated for planting. Starting plants in autumn has advantages for both garden and gardener

GARDENING GUIDES Edible Plants That Double as Ornamentals

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Try growing these tasty plants with your ornamentals for an attractive garden and fresher meals

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

GARDENING GUIDES The Secret Formula for Grouping Plants in a Pot

By Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates

Designing a gorgeous container garden is easy once you know this simple rule of thumb for composition

EDIBLE GARDENS Keep Track of Your Vegetable Garden With Plant Markers

By Abundant City

Bring order to your edible beds with these labeling ideas

Sponsored

More Discussions

Has anyone heard of a storage tomato? Looking at Giallorosso di Crispi

4

"Purple" tomatoes?

4