[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[fawziamai at aol.com]

   Actually, I think Sinbad did not mean that the tomatoes get brittle and fall apart, but the tomato plants altogether. Same thing happens to mine. It's simply the heat. The whole plant, starting from the leaves, just dries up eventually because it's just too hot. As there are less and less leaves, the fruits start to fare not so well, and eventually become rather yellowish and soft.
   Regular deep watering helps as long as your soil drains well and as long as it is still cool (March to May). But eventually by June, everything will dry up and become brown and brittle. 
Regards,
Fawzia
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Gross <rkgross3 at cox.net>
To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu; AZ-Sinbad at cox.net
Sent: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:37:34 -0700
Subject: Re: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page


Sinbad, I have grown a few tomatoes of multiple varieties in three states for about 65 years and I have never experienced nor read symptoms quite like those you describe. In your words, they may not match the experiences of master gardeners who volunteer their valuable free time to help others who usually spend their spare time watching TV.  I have been one of many volunteers for about ten years and I can assure you that none of my associates back away from a challenge. Indeed, they thrive on difficult questions and problems.
 
The bottom line here, this a volunteer organization whose members eagerly and unselfishly give up their own precious time to help people like you often while their own gardens go wanting. We are not the State and we are on no one's payroll.
 
You say, "My tomato plants get completely dry after May.  They get brittle and fall apart." I'm sorry, Sinbad, that statement does not make any sense to me. I have never seen tomatoes get brittle and fall apart. Never! When tomatoes get dry, you irrigate them, unless they have been allowed to wilt beyond the point-of-no-return when Jesus Christ and the holy ghost could not bring them back to life. The cells would have collapsed and imbibing water again virtually impossible.
 
If the plants were drastically over-fertilized, a condition like you describe might  result. A too-large dose of fertilizer becomes toxic to plant cells killing them. That might result in a condition that could be described as dry but it would, I think, be a stretch.
 
If the root system is kept too wet without any oxygen, the plant will promptly die as would almost any other member of the plant kingdom in a condition usually described as wet feet; soil without oxygen.
 
Arizona water and soil has a high salt content that, if allowed to concentrate in the root zone with frequent, shallow irrigation, will cause a condition in foliage called saltburn. Deep irrigation that flushes salt from the root zone will keep the salt to safe levels that tomatoes can tolerate quite well.
 
When the ambient temperature reaches 90 degrees F, tomato pollen is dead and can no longer function. Fruit already set will ripen and another one may fall through the crack but you ain't gonna get no fruit from dead pollen. The flower turns white, usually, or just falls off. The use of shade cover may help keep the temperature below 90 for a few days but, no matter if sun doesn't hit the bloom,  if pollen reaches about 90, no pollination is likely.
 
Further, if no answer is forthcoming within a few days after submittal to this list, you should consider it is out of the system forever.There may be a hundred reasons a question could go unanswered but the percentage opf failure infinitesmal. It is called human error and it is something we all accept in others without prejudice; especially when the service is free.
 
 
Respectfully,
 
Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
U of A MCCE
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <AZ-Sinbad at cox.net>
To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 2:42 PM
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page


> 
> 85029
> AZ-Sinbad at cox.net
> 
> I hope I get an answer this time.  I asked a similar question 3 years ago on this site and still no answer.
> My tomato plants get completely dry after May.  They get brittle and fall apart.  I had been told by your phone help that I should start over the next season and need fresh soil and a raised bed.  I did this but still same problem for last 3 years.  This year has been especially bad with more problems such as tomatoes not ripening but just getting soft when they get to the yellow or orange color; smaller than usual; about half of the tomato looking white and skin wrinkles.  I really need some answers.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Arid_gardener mailing list
> Arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
> http://CALS.arizona.edu/mailman2/listinfo/arid_gardener
> 
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