Q.
Hi, the leaves on my tomatoes are going yellow. Could this be because I am watering them too much? Thanks, John.
A.
Are you regularly feeding your tomatoes? As they are gross feeders they need feeding every 2-4 weeks in the growing season. Liquid feeding with Tui Performance Naturals Tomato & Vegetable Liquid Fertiliser or a blended fertiliser such as Tui Tomato Food is ideal.
Remove the bottom leaves from the plant up to the first truss of tomatoes to help increase air circulation.
Reduce your watering if you have had significant rain, if only a little rain then you will still need to water. If you push your index finger into the soil and it feels damp then you don’t need to water, if it feels dry, water.
Yellowing can also be due to a change in temperature, depending where you are in NZ. Tomatoes enjoy more even temperatures. Apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic at least every four weeks, it will help your tomatoes tolerate temperature fluctuations.
Read our Tomato Growing Guide >
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Why are the leaves on my tomatoes going yellow? Comments
My tomatoe's have a black sandfly-like insect on them. Do you know what this is & how can I treat it?
KAREN DONALDSON
Why are the trusses on my tomato plants so far apart? Some plants have only one truss of fruit on them ?
Chris Allan
The liquid food fortnightly then weekly, has done my tomatoes PROUD. I have cut off any marked leaves all through the growing time. No spray used and plants ar thriving. Apart from the rain touching the upper plant I have only watered the roots. To-days picking was 2 kilos.
Adrienne
For the 2nd year running my tomatoes and capsicums have been attacked by scale. I've tried everything get rid of them with no results. Any suggestions?
Alysha
Hi Alysha, use Tui Insect Control for Fruit & Veges (www.tuigarden.co.nz/product/tui-insect-control-fruit-veges-shot) to control scale on your tomatoes and capsicums. It has no withholding period, so fruit and veges are safe to eat the same day you spray them. Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team
jenna
Hi Karen, these insects are fruit fly and will be attracted to rotten or split fruit. Keep the fruit clean and pick up any rotten or split fruit from around your plant or on your plant to stop these insects. Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team
jenna
Hi Chris, if tomatoes do not get enough light the plant stretches quickly to be nearer the sun. Too much water can also cause them to stretch as can soils with too much nitrogen. Suggest for next season you plant into a specific tomato mix like Tui Tomato Mix or feed with tomato fertiliser, you can't remedy the problem for this year. Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team
jenna
Hi, I'm wondering what's gone wrong with my garlic. Great crop last year but this time they have all turned yellow and appear to be dying. I mulched with pine needles instead of pea straw (being out of stock when I needed it), otherwise it was the same routine of rotation, compost and liquid fert to get going. It has been very wet over the growing season to date.
Alan
Are there little yellow/orange dots on the leaves? This will be rust if so, my elephant garlic has it at the moment and I've been using a combination of a good watering with liquid tomato and veg fert with Tui seaweed tonic mixed in, and spraying the leaves with apple cider vinegar diluted in water 4:1. There is fresh new growth coming through on a few plants, but with the extremely wet spring and summer we have had its an uphill battle.
Kris
You mentioned fruit fly on a post about tomatoes. Isn't fruit fly a notifiable pest to MPI?
Deborah Larson
Hi Alan, as pine needles rot down they make the soil slightly acidic, this could be the reason your crop hasn?t thrived as garlic isn?t an acid loving crop. However long wet periods could also be the reason, numerous gardeners are reporting poor garlic crops this season unfortunately! Kind regards, Tui Team
jenna