Overview
The video provides guidance on harvesting tomatoes from stressed, disease-affected plants and outlines steps for reviving them to ensure continued production through late summer.
Tomato Harvest and Plant Conditions
- Harvest all tomatoes from plants showing significant disease or heat stress to encourage further growth.
- Varieties like Tiny Tim produce all fruit at once and then die back; avoid overplanting such varieties.
- Some self-seeded plants may perform better than intentionally planted ones.
- Despite regular fungicidal spraying, high heat and humidity can overwhelm plant defenses.
- Varieties differ in susceptibility to disease and cracking, especially under heavy rain.
Common Tomato Issues Noted
- Heavy rainfall leads to cracked fruit, particularly in prone varieties.
- Fungal diseases persist despite treatments due to frequent rain washing off sprays.
- Removing too many leaves can cause sunscald, damaging fruit exposed to direct sun.
- Suncald causes skin discoloration and browning; affected areas can be trimmed and fruit used for sauce.
Recovery Strategies for Stressed Tomato Plants
- Remove all fruit from affected plants, including damaged or overripe tomatoes.
- Leave most leaves intact unless severely diseased; leaf removal has minimal impact on spread.
- Notes on best-performing varieties help guide future planting decisions.
- Apply shade cloth to lower plant and soil temperatures during extreme heat.
- Water plants regularly (three times a week) and mulch to retain moisture.
Spraying and Fertilization Routine
- Clean leaves with a hydrogen peroxide spray (8 oz per gallon/3.7L water) for disease control; test first if new to the method.
- Apply baking soda (1-2 tbsp per gallon/3.7L) as an antifungal once rain subsides.
- Use a high-nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizer (e.g., 24-8-16) to encourage new leaf growth; apply at half-strength if mixing products.
- Fertilizer should be watered in at the base of the plant, about half a gallon per plant.
Tomato Use and Ongoing Production
- Imperfect, blemished, or partially spoiled tomatoes can still be used for sauces and stews after trimming.
- Even with significant plant loss, a substantial harvest is possible.
- By following recovery steps, plants can be productive again by mid-August for several additional weeks, especially in zones with late frost.
Recommendations / Advice
- Regularly document which tomato varieties perform best under local conditions for future planting.
- Promptly harvest fruit during periods of stress to signal plants to resume setting new fruit.
- Maintain consistent disease management and fertilization routines, adjusting for weather conditions.