Here's another attempt at sending my full message, for those of you who
received the truncated version:
Richard Menn wrote:
In my part of Pennsylvania (USDA Zone 6b, well on its way to becoming Zone 7),
tomato plants don't seem to wither from old age alone; but then again, I don't
set them out until late May/early June. Here's a suggestion: since you have
some wonderful resources to call on in Southern California, certainly including
your local Cooperative Extension office, try describing the wilting to someone
in your area who is very familiar with local conditions and diseases. Among
other things, they'll want to know whether all of the tomato plants, and all
parts of each plant, are affected; where they're planted in relation to one
another; whether tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or potatoes were grown in the same
spot in the past few years (and whether any of those crops also show similar
signs of wilting this year); whether the leaves show blotches or have changed
color; whether the stems show any dark patches or streaks; and whether any of
the plants seem to recover and then wilt again (and if so, when).
To tell whether an unfamiliar tomato variety is "determinate" or "indeterminate" (and
some of us even use the term "semi-determinate" for a few varieties in between), take a look at the
spacing of the fruit: determinate tomato plants are quite compact, commonly producing fruiting clusters at
intervals of no more than every two leaves along the stem--instead of the tree-, four-, or five-leaf spacing
between clusters on indeterminate vines. As K. Rashid Nuri points out, most of a determinate plant's fruit
ripens within a short period of time, over the course of just a few weeks (making them ideal for canning in
big batches).
Good luck--and please let us know what you learn!
K. Rashid Nuri wrote:
there are two different types of tomatoes...determinate and indeterminate. you
likely had a determinate variety that makes fruit and then dies, as compared
with indeterminate varieties that make fruit for much of the season.
peace
K. Rashid Nuri
moises plascencia wrote:
Hello,
I had a question on growing heirloom tomatoes, I wanted to know the average
life of the plant. Our community planted some in april and the plants now
are looking withered. Do the plants have a set life cycle...????
Help
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