Well, I've been growing Tomatoes for five years now and I've always fed them once a week once the first flowers start to appear (even before any fruits), and once they're outside I've never had any real issue with sun scorch (despite often watering using the hose and so getting a lot of the Plant wet) or had any hint from them that they're deficient in any way : /
And I'm afraid I do have to disagree about your comment on the 'fake toms from the supermarket'. Personally I taste a world of difference and actually no longer buy them from the shops 'cause they're always a disappointment now.
Maybe different cultivars react differently to different care regimes?
I know what you mean, BD, tomatos from the supermarket taste of pretty much nothing, and the home grown produce is bound to always have more flavour, but personally I just like to grow vegetables that not only taste good, but also have a better nutritional value than the commercial product.
NPK fed veggies (not just tomatoes) are significantly poorer compared to vegetables grown in a less "chemical" way, often being very low in minerals such as magnesium for example.
Which is why unless a seedling has to stay in the pot longer than ideal on account of cold weather, I don't ever use any chemical fertilizers on my food crops.
It's just a matter of personal choice, of course, but since growing food at home is so much work, I like to get the very best out of it.
My tomatoes always get fed once a week, alternating between tomoripe and chicken poo tea. Not done them any harm yet.
I have toms in the greenhouse and get the same problem. I try not to water the leaves, the greenhouse has shading put up, the door and all openable windows are open and I wet the floor to create humidity. Seems to work for m.
In the evening when the sun has gone down, if the leaves are particularly droopy, I'll gently spray the leaves with rainwater and by the morning they're happy as Larry. it's important to do that bit when the temperature has cooled off and the sun isn't evaporating the mist on the leaves
I know what you mean Green Magpie - the advice for lawns is not to water them after midday so the grass is dry before it gets cool to avoid conditions that grass diseases thrive in, but mother nature is happy to water mine all night long
Do people have trouble with sun scorch outdoors or only underglass/polythene? I can't help wondering if water evaporates more slowly in the relatively still conditions in a greenhouse compared to outside with any amount of breeze? I can't say I've noticed such an effect though.
As far as I've seen the problems with sun scorch only seem to happen in the greenhouse, and like I said, once outside they're fine. Well, as long as you don't water them in blazing sunshine anyway. I've assumed it's the magnifying effect at work, the glass/polythene magnifying the suns rays and causing scorched leaves when naturally (outside) there would rarely be an issue.
I can also imagine that the humidity in a greenhouse has something to do with it as well. The water, however thin a coating, acting as the magnifier.
Posts
Well, I've been growing Tomatoes for five years now and I've always fed them once a week once the first flowers start to appear (even before any fruits), and once they're outside I've never had any real issue with sun scorch (despite often watering using the hose and so getting a lot of the Plant wet) or had any hint from them that they're deficient in any way : /
And I'm afraid I do have to disagree about your comment on the 'fake toms from the supermarket'. Personally I taste a world of difference and actually no longer buy them from the shops 'cause they're always a disappointment now.
Maybe different cultivars react differently to different care regimes?
I know what you mean, BD, tomatos from the supermarket taste of pretty much nothing, and the home grown produce is bound to always have more flavour, but personally I just like to grow vegetables that not only taste good, but also have a better nutritional value than the commercial product.
NPK fed veggies (not just tomatoes) are significantly poorer compared to vegetables grown in a less "chemical" way, often being very low in minerals such as magnesium for example.
Which is why unless a seedling has to stay in the pot longer than ideal on account of cold weather, I don't ever use any chemical fertilizers on my food crops.
It's just a matter of personal choice, of course, but since growing food at home is so much work, I like to get the very best out of it.
My tomatoes always get fed once a week, alternating between tomoripe and chicken poo tea. Not done them any harm yet.
I have toms in the greenhouse and get the same problem. I try not to water the leaves, the greenhouse has shading put up, the door and all openable windows are open and I wet the floor to create humidity. Seems to work for m.
In the evening when the sun has gone down, if the leaves are particularly droopy, I'll gently spray the leaves with rainwater and by the morning they're happy as Larry. it's important to do that bit when the temperature has cooled off and the sun isn't evaporating the mist on the leaves
It's funny how the best thing seems to be to avoid watering the leaves, while nature has arranged things otherwise and insists on watering from above!
I know what you mean Green Magpie - the advice for lawns is not to water them after midday so the grass is dry before it gets cool to avoid conditions that grass diseases thrive in, but mother nature is happy to water mine all night long
Do people have trouble with sun scorch outdoors or only underglass/polythene? I can't help wondering if water evaporates more slowly in the relatively still conditions in a greenhouse compared to outside with any amount of breeze? I can't say I've noticed such an effect though.
As far as I've seen the problems with sun scorch only seem to happen in the greenhouse, and like I said, once outside they're fine. Well, as long as you don't water them in blazing sunshine anyway. I've assumed it's the magnifying effect at work, the glass/polythene magnifying the suns rays and causing scorched leaves when naturally (outside) there would rarely be an issue.
I can also imagine that the humidity in a greenhouse has something to do with it as well. The water, however thin a coating, acting as the magnifier.
Double whammy : /