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Different colour tomato leaves
Stephanie newish gardener
Posts: 516
in Fruit & veg
Hi, I think this will be a nutrient issue but I could donwith thoughts on why some of my tomatoes have lighter coloured leaves. They are all San Marzano nano and all have been grown in identical conditions. Four went out to the greenhouse the other day and I have just put the other four out there now. In each batch there are a couple of plants with lighter leaves.
The plant at the front in the middle looks relatively sad after being potted on at the weekend but you can see the yellowy ones against the more green ones.
Any thoughts please?
Last edited: 16 May 2017 12:14:03
No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish. 
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It does look like they're hungry. If they were in small pots before, it looks like they've used all the nutrients. The interveinal chlorosis (yellowing of the leaf between the leaf veins) is often a lack of magnesium which can be corrected with epsom salts, but if you've recently re-potted, they should be fine in a few days once they've settled
If you have any seaweed extract that'll give a good boost used every week - 10 days. But as you may well know, no fertilizers until first fruits begin to form
Last edited: 16 May 2017 12:51:13
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
They were in 3" pots and looked quite like my next lot of toms that I think I will pot on this weekend - see below.
Last year I think I potted on too soon as I recently read that you should wait till you can see roots from the base of the pot or until the seedlings are three times as tall as the pot. I also sowed seeds in a mix of homemade and commercial compost on the basis that seeds don't need lots of nutrients.
The plants have been moved on once from the original seed tray - and again following Alan titchmarsh's advice, am potting on in more but smaller stages this year.
I guess that a lot of gardening is trial and error based on experience, both mine and that of others. But then that's what makes it so enjoyable, frustrating and, hopefully, ultimately satisfying!
These toms are cherry btw, where the first lot are plum, in fact these are the super sweet 100 that were free with GW last year and which mostly failed to germinate and certainly failed to produce fruit! Fingers crossed this year...
Last edited: 16 May 2017 16:51:40
And these are the next lot, red cherry. I may have to get a bigger greenhouse!
They look good Stephanie
I don't bother with seed trays for toms - I sow direct into small pots, and usually mid March. They germinate, grow on quickly and are ready for the next size before you know it. Saves a lot of faffing too - (pricking out from a tray ) which is fine if you're growing loads of them, although then you have the issue of space - as you're discovering!
It's like any plant - some will grow more quickly than others, some will use up nutrients more quickly etc etc. I think you're doing fine. Seed compost is fine for autumn sown seeds, as you don't want them getting big, and then leggy over winter. Tomatoes are best in a decent compost as you're usually sowing in late winter/early spring.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks fairygirl. I am a bit late sowing a few things this year but again, back to various pieces of advice and learning from experience, up here in Aberdeenshire there's little gained from sowing in march as it's too flippin dark!
I actually started them off about 4 or 5 seeds to a 3" pot so less faff than a tray but still needed pricking out. I just wasn't sure how many would germinate. We're doing a car boot sale in a couple of weeks so any excess toms may appear on the table, especially if my husband notices how many I've got on the go! It was ok until I had to get him to help set up the micro watering system last year, I'm not sure he wants to repeat the experience. But then neither do I really!
Ah - yes, your location makes a difference! No point sowing anything much up here early on!
I usually sow no more than two in a small pot. If they both germinate, it's not too difficult to separate them.Unless you have a heated greenhouse, mid to end of March is plenty early enough anyway
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...