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Why are my tomato plants pale?

CompostmaniaCompostmania Posts: 31
in Fruit & veg
Hi All

I am growing eight different tomato plants in Quadgrow planters in my polytunnel, but they are looking very pale with little foliage. I've used peat-free compost (Sylvagrow, so not the cheap stuff) I'm feeding them and they are obviously getting regular water. What have I done wrong? My chillies are also looking a little anaemic.  My daughter is growing tomato plants raised by me, but has hers in an outdoor grow bag and they're thriving...
I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong...
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Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
     Can we have a picture
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    I'm growing dark green vibrant plants in a greenhouse in Sylvagrow this year, so I'm wondering about light levels in your tunnel?
  • CompostmaniaCompostmania Posts: 31
    edited July 2021

    I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong...
  • CompostmaniaCompostmania Posts: 31
    edited July 2021

    Photo as requested - what do you think? We've had a lousy summer so far in Norfolk - very little sunshine and perpetual banks of cloud .
    I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They should be much bigger and healthier than that. They're undercover, so cool and cloudy makes little difference - that's a standard summer here and it doesn't stop plants thriving. I grow in a small growhouse and it doesn't make any difference what the sky is like, as long as temps are decent enough to plant them in there in May. 
    Feeding should only be needed once fruits are forming, so it suggests the compost is poor and has little nutrition. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    There’s something wrong … my tomatoes are planted outside in Norfolk and they’re dark green and health 🤞 with lots of leaves. 
    It’s not the light levels per se … how thick is that plastic … how much light gets through?

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





  • CompostmaniaCompostmania Posts: 31
    It’s diffused polythene (Visqueen Lumisol) - it was part of a kit from Northern Polytunnels
    I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    🤔 I’m no expert in popythene by any stretch of the imagination but I’ve done some googling and from what I’ve read it seems that some diffuse polythene use in horticulture has been developed to allow different parts of the light spectrum to penetrate so that plants with coloured leaves such as red oak leaf lettuce can be grown under cover. Whether this affects green growth I have no idea and don’t have that area of knowledge 🤯.  Hopefully someone here does  …

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





  • zehrsonthelake11zehrsonthelake11 Posts: 12
    Maybe it is because of the soil. The greenhouse soil is the most convenient and inexpensive to plant in, but you can't keep planting tomatoes (or any other crop) in the same soil year after year since pest, disease, and mineral problems will accumulate. Replace the soil with fresh soil from outside.
  • CompostmaniaCompostmania Posts: 31
    zehrsonthelake11 said:
    Maybe it is because of the soil. The greenhouse soil is the most convenient and inexpensive to plant in, but you can't keep planting tomatoes (or any other crop) in the same soil year after year since pest, disease, and mineral problems will accumulate. Replace the soil with fresh soil from outside.
    I’m using brand new peat free compost so the soil shouldn’t be a problem. 🤞
    I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong...
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