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What’s wrong with my tomato plants?

jennydieseljennydiesel Posts: 12
in Fruit & veg
Can anyone suggest what might be wrong with my tomatoes? They have all gone into flower very quickly even though they’ve hardly grown and leaves have now turned a dull yellow/brown. I added fertiliser a week ago but no change yet. 
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I'd say they're cold
    Devon.
  • jennydieseljennydiesel Posts: 12
    They are in a greenhouse?
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    it's still V cold at night in many parts of the country. 
    That slightly purply colour is a classic sign of low temperatures
    Devon.
  • jennydieseljennydiesel Posts: 12
    Ok thank you. If that is the case it’s just a matter of waiting for things to warm up. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2021
    Hi @jennydiesel 😊 

    Are they outside?! 😲They’re too cold and they look as if they’ve had too much fertiliser. 

    Mine are still indoors ... I don’t put them outside until June in a normal year, let alone in the chilly weather we’ve had of late.
     
    Tomatoes don’t need feeding until the first fruits are forming .., and in any case, don’t feed a sick  plant ... it’s like giving an ill person a huge rich meal ... it’ll just add to the stress they’re under. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • SimianSimian Posts: 1
    Would leaving tomatoes out in the cold be detrimental or just an inconvenience to them? Will they spring into life when the weather warms up or should they be taken inside until then?
  • jennydieseljennydiesel Posts: 12
    My tomatoes are in a greenhouse. Good point by Simian - should I repot them and put them somewhere warmer with no fertiliser or leave them and hope they pick up?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Looking at the forecast for the next 10 days it seems there are no more chilly spells forecast at night - where I live.
    On that basis I planted my tomatoes out in the greenhouse yesterday
    No feed needed until the first tiny tomatoes start to form

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They need decent night time temps - at least 10 degrees. Anything lower will tend to stop them thriving, and that will depend on how healthy, and how big,  they are to start with. I can't grow them outside at all here - it wouldn't be worth it. Too much inconsistent weather in summer, and nights can be single figures. Mine are still indoors, and I'm only now considering putting them in the greenhouse. 

    I'd also agree that the ones in the pic have been over fertilised. They need nothing until the fruits start setting, as said. Each time they're moved on, the compost they're put in has sufficient nutrients to keep them growing. 
    I think you'll have to make your own judgement call @jennydiesel, but they don't look very happy at all. Depending on how many plants you have, it may well be worth lifting some anyway, and bringing  indoors, unless you can heat the greenhouse. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • jennydieseljennydiesel Posts: 12
    thank you. I have 10 plants so could lift half and bring them inside. 
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