Small tomatoes - need a little guidance please

[imthedude]

Hi all.

I've had a problem with my tomatoes the past couple of years that has me perplexed. It seems like every tomato that's set up from the first or second trellis is abnormally small, like golf-ball small. None of my varieties this year are cherry types, so that's not the issue in case you're wondering.

I've not experienced this in years past, so that's why I'm a little perplexed. Last year and this year have been very dry, so my garden has been relying solely on potable water for irrigation via drip tape. Could the alkalinity of the potable water (pH of probably 8) be causing excessive salt buildup in the soil that would somehow prohibit uptake of certain nutrients?

Is there something else I'm missing? Low trace mineral of some kind? Too much N? I trim the plants back to two main stems to allow them to grow and ripen as much fruit as possible.

Anyone have any suggestions of what to look for to solve this mystery?

[ksfarmer]

I have much the same problem. I plan on soil testing but I suspicion my drip hoses may not be getting adequate water to the plants. We were very dry here and maybe my plants weren't getting enough to produce larger maters. It has rained more this month and they seem to be doing better. I too would like to hear anybody elses ideas on this.

[Paquebot]

Check the soil pH. If it's over 7.5, there could be a problem with inability to take up nutrients. Since you already know that the pH of the water is 8.0, you're not doing the plants any favors by using it.

Martin

[ChristieAcres]

You can check the depth of the water penetration with your finger or stick. Tomatoes like to be deep watered, then allowed to dry a bit between watering.

Otherwise, Ph is important for tomatoes, as Paquobot already pointed out.

I am using Comfrey Fertilizer and my tomato plants are very happily producing prolifically and large contingent upon variety. I prune up the first foot of the plant. They are an average of 4.5 feet tall right now, some closing in on 5 feet. I have just over 70 plants, all Heirloom varieties (34 varieties).

[margene]

Did you do any pruning. A friend told me it was because I did not prune mine. I think it is a combination of dry hot weather and no pruning. I will try next year to prune my indeterminates and give more consistent water.

[Paquebot]

Since you already are butchering the plants down to 2 stems, that's not the issue. (That's especially true since there is no tomato variety which is genetically programmed to produce differently if pruned or not.) Problem is in whatever they are growing in. Since the water is known to be highly alkaline, soil probably also isn't much better. It means more work but there's a way to beat that. Start by making a lot of compost with a tree-leaf base. (Oak is best but any others will also do.) When time to plant, dig a hole the size of a 5-gallon pail for each plant. Retain 2½ gallons of the soil and mix it with 2½ gallons of the compost. Put that back into the hole and plant the seedling in it. The near-neutral compost will be a buffer against the soil alkalinity. Following year, shift everything a foot and repeat annually. Eventually you'll end up with an entire garden with lovely soil about 15" deep.

Martin