Good answer fidgetbones! Fully agree. Tomsk you need to get the plants in 10 ltr pots ASAP And keep them moist. Have a look at my videos part 3 and 4 will probably give you a few tips for plants the same size as yours. Here are the links. http://youtu.be/fEhng2J6a-c and http://youtu.be/-FD77Eo9heM
If the pots are big enough you don't need to keep the mix moist. You can let it dry out within reason. As long as the pattern is consistent. Blossom End Rot is more the result of irregular watering patterns than too little water.
And to answer the question. No, you've done no long-term harm. If they bounced back, they're fine. Toms are tough critters.
Great to know they're OK and thanks for the video! I've been meaning to replant them in a bigger container for the last week or so, and really must get around to it soon. There's now at least 8" of hairy stem below the first leaves, so I'm losing time that they could be growing new roots from the stems.
I also see tiny buds (a millimetre or so across) forming at the top of a couple of them, so all the more reason to get them planted properly.
I also noticed the first buds forming on my dahlias too, so the first flowers should be appearing in a month or so. This year's been a good one in the garden for me. Lots of spring flowers and now the summer stuff seems to be going extremely well. In previous years, very little has grown.
As an aside, what do people who casually grow a tomato plant or two do when they go on holiday? Mine are still small and in small temporary plastic pots, and they're already drinking like fish. So when the vines are big and the tomatoes are forming, I doubt they'd survive for a couple of weeks without water, even in a big pot.
If you don't have a neighbour who can do it for you, what do people do?
Tomsk, glad that you liked my videos and sounds like this week will be your week of planting in big pots! Like you, my dahlias have got decent size buds now and should start flowering soon. My mum has one in full flower today - looks great.
my tomatoes have now got the first tomatoes set and I filmed my next video last night. Hope to issue it this week, so watch this space!
I try and get a friend to do some watering but, if I'm going for a week, I give them a good soaking when I go, ask someone to come mid-week, and then water them on my return. If they're in big pots and the mix is all wet, it takes a while for them to dry out completely.
My brother went away for a few weeks last summer and didn't have anyone to water his plants but he put them somewhere they wouldn't get full sun all day, made sure they had a good soaking before going, and they were fine.
It does have to be a BIG pot though to do that. 10l, well watered, is prob a minimum for a whole week; even then they will wilt if it's sunny and/or warm. Capillary matting? Never tried it but people do recommend it.
I use 2 watering methods for when I go away. 1. is I use a water computer set to come on for a couple of minutes 3 times a day to a micro-bore drip feed system set up in the GH and 2. is last year I invested in a Hozelock watering tray that holds 15 litres of water in the base and is said to last for 14 days (but if the plants have a lot of foliage the transpiration rate will be higher and the Water will last fewer days). Has worked well for me as we only ever go away for a max. of 1 week.
Irregular watering can cause tomato skins to split as well as the blossom end rot problem.
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Good answer fidgetbones! Fully agree. Tomsk you need to get the plants in 10 ltr pots ASAP And keep them moist. Have a look at my videos part 3 and 4 will probably give you a few tips for plants the same size as yours. Here are the links. http://youtu.be/fEhng2J6a-c and http://youtu.be/-FD77Eo9heM
If the pots are big enough you don't need to keep the mix moist. You can let it dry out within reason. As long as the pattern is consistent. Blossom End Rot is more the result of irregular watering patterns than too little water.
And to answer the question. No, you've done no long-term harm. If they bounced back, they're fine. Toms are tough critters.
Great to know they're OK and thanks for the video! I've been meaning to replant them in a bigger container for the last week or so, and really must get around to it soon. There's now at least 8" of hairy stem below the first leaves, so I'm losing time that they could be growing new roots from the stems.
I also see tiny buds (a millimetre or so across) forming at the top of a couple of them, so all the more reason to get them planted properly.
I also noticed the first buds forming on my dahlias too, so the first flowers should be appearing in a month or so. This year's been a good one in the garden for me. Lots of spring flowers and now the summer stuff seems to be going extremely well. In previous years, very little has grown.
As an aside, what do people who casually grow a tomato plant or two do when they go on holiday? Mine are still small and in small temporary plastic pots, and they're already drinking like fish. So when the vines are big and the tomatoes are forming, I doubt they'd survive for a couple of weeks without water, even in a big pot.
If you don't have a neighbour who can do it for you, what do people do?
Tomsk, glad that you liked my videos and sounds like this week will be your week of planting in big pots! Like you, my dahlias have got decent size buds now and should start flowering soon. My mum has one in full flower today - looks great.
my tomatoes have now got the first tomatoes set and I filmed my next video last night. Hope to issue it this week, so watch this space!
My brother went away for a few weeks last summer and didn't have anyone to water his plants but he put them somewhere they wouldn't get full sun all day, made sure they had a good soaking before going, and they were fine.
Putting them in the shade is a good idea. If the pot is big enough they will cope without water for a week.
It does have to be a BIG pot though to do that. 10l, well watered, is prob a minimum for a whole week; even then they will wilt if it's sunny and/or warm. Capillary matting? Never tried it but people do recommend it.
I use 2 watering methods for when I go away. 1. is I use a water computer set to come on for a couple of minutes 3 times a day to a micro-bore drip feed system set up in the GH and 2. is last year I invested in a Hozelock watering tray that holds 15 litres of water in the base and is said to last for 14 days (but if the plants have a lot of foliage the transpiration rate will be higher and the Water will last fewer days). Has worked well for me as we only ever go away for a max. of 1 week.
Irregular watering can cause tomato skins to split as well as the blossom end rot problem.
As promised, my latest video (Growing Tomatoes Part 5) is now ready. The video shows feeding the tomatoes and general tomato plant care. Enjoy!
Here is the link: http://youtu.be/8FOCUEb2wJ4