Some leaves merely curled slightly at the edges, while others completely rolled over. Heirloom tomatoes are commonly known for suffering from some leaf curl, so with the intense heat the chances were increased to nearly 100%. The Lemon Boy also showed some leaf curling, but not nearly as bad as the Black Krim. I'm not sure if the plant will totally recover with the onset of cooler weather, but I've heard that it has little effect on overall plant health as long as the cause isn't due to a virus or pests.
The Black Krim has surpassed 4' tall and yet there are only two visible tomatoes with a bunch of flowers that appeared to have fertilized but ceased progress with the heat wave onset. Those flowers have rather thick stems and seem to be well attached to the trusses... but with little sign of fruit growth I have no idea if they are done for or if the plant can resume growth. In about another week it'll become evident.
In just a couple of days the seedling has shot up a few inches, and has produced a truss of flower buds. Once it grows tall enough, I'll take off the two lowest branches that are resting on the mulch. Perhaps in another week, the roots will reach into the reservoir and start drawing upon it (at the present, the level isn't changing much) and cause more aggressive growth.
The Lemon Boy is going gangbusters. One fruit has turned mostly yellow and should be ripe in another day or two, while an even larger one adjacent looks like it's about to start turning color. And then there are several clusters of smaller tomatoes rapidly growing, while a few more flowers have just set. It's still quite striking to see this level of production when compared to the much larger anemic producing Black Krim.
No wonder why it's called "Lemon Boy". With that small raised tip on the bottom accompanied by bright yellow skin, it really does look like a lemon (well maybe a Meyer lemon, with the smooth skin).
Given all of the heat endured, it's amazing how well the Lemon Boy is doing. While the taste isn't as alluring as an heirloom tomato, the robustness and productivity make it very attractive to grow.
Looks great - the Lemon Boy is very attractive and healthy. I'm eagerly awaiting Black Krim to change color.. mine are all green, and I am curious to see the ripening process.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The plant has done rather well considering the potting medium mistake I made in the beginning. The sign of tomato production is also making itself known in the reservoir, which earlier would go down by a half gallon every two days but now goes down about 3/4 of a gallon in a day.
DeleteThe trick with the ripening stage is to keep the plant watered consistently. If you let the plant go dry and then water heavily to compensate, you can end up with cracking. This happened to me just recently (you can see it in one of my recent posts).
Hmm. That goes against everything I have read about the harvesting - water should be cut to bare minimum..?! This sure is complicated ;-)
DeleteIf you're talking about determinate tomatoes then yes, the frequency and amount of watering should be curtailed as fruits near the end of their growing phase.
DeleteFor indeterminate varieties, you'll have several groups of tomatoes at different growth stages across the season, so you don't want to disrupt your watering practices because of ripening fruit. On very hot days you'll water more frequently and towards the end of the growing season, you'd start cutting back a bit on watering frequency.
Incidentally, fruit can be picked right after blushing (color change) is noticed. Leaving it on the vine until fully ripe makes no appreciable difference and the earlier the fruit is picked the less risk of loss is faced.
It was Tania of Tomatodatabase who said she'll stop watering completely after the first week of August. That could not be applied to container growing - it is still very hot in here and the plants would just wither after a few days sans water..
ReplyDeleteI'll wait and see for a proper color change, as there is no need to worry about squirrels or birds on my balcony. In a month it may be different and I'll end up filling a few boxes with green beauties..
Yeah, sounds like it may also be applicable more toward determinate tomatoes. Lack of water will kick in ripening of fruits nearing end of production.
DeleteWhat varieties are you growing this season?