toms falling

[stanhol]

In one of my GH`s some of my toms have fallen off unripe. Not that many i suppose considering how many are in there, maybe one a day for the last week. All varieties. None have in my small GH.
Now, is it normal a few will? OR, is it that i have removed leaves and this has weakened the plant? I havent removed all. BUT, after last years disater with blight, yes even in my GH, not this one though! I thought that allowing more air flow was a wise move. I didnt however read the bit about not removing the eaves dirrectly above a truss and i suspect some of the fallen have come from plants that i have done just that to. They are in the ground, and i water carefully so the air isnt damp, paranoid about blight!

Many thanks,

Sandra

[malcolmx]

plants shed fruit after a shock drought colds pells chill nights
this may be the cause i have 15 plants in my gh but so far no drop check for other sighns on the fruit such as blossom end rot
this is not blight though and if it is just the odd one i would step up feed ans water watch out for drafts etc

i use a constant drip feed system and it seems to work

[stanhol]

Hi Malcolm, a big thankyou for the reply.

Yes i did notice on a couple still on the vine that they had fluffy bottoms! Mainly on my tiger ones, again not all. How did i manage that? OH agrees that this year i have gone far too much the other way and been too cautious with the watering! I was a complete novice last year and hardly vented the GH and any sign of warm weather, which there was not a lot, I damped down! What an idiot!
Anyway GH`s in different positions this year so new soil etc. Maybe next year i will get it right!
Any tips gratefully recieved.
Thanks again!
Sandra

[Lesley Jay]

Sandra blossom end rot begins with brown spots on the bottom of the tomato which then develope into a large sunken black hole. If some of your tomatoes are 'fluffy' it sounds like grey mould (Botrytis). I don't think there is a cure available to home gardeners so throw the affected tomatoes away.

[stanhol]

Hi Lesley, many thanks for the reply.

My toms dont have brown bottoms, so i think you are right i have managed to contract botyritis! Am i ever going to get this right! Have had a quick look on line and yes there is no cure apart from cleaning and removing affected material.

The small greenhouse is fine, very odd. The weather here today is pretty dreadful, torrential rain. Have been in the big GH and there are plenty of leaks, but i guess that isnt unusual for a domestic GH.Its still raining, so am reluctant to open up, even though it feels quite humid in there, is that right? The small one also has a few leaks but obviously its not affecting things in there. I am at a bit of a loss to know how to control all these diseases! We will of course bung holes and clean this winter. I have vented on non rainy days, not sure what else to do?

Any suggestions??????

Thanks again, Sandra

[Lesley Jay]

Sandra humidity is a factor in the spread of the spores - the higher the humidity and the faster they spread. I grow tomatoes outdoors but my greenhouse door is always open and both windows are always open. They are closed during the winter when the heater is on but the rest of the time they are open. I have read that greenhouse grown tomatoes are much more prone to problems, pests and diseases. If you have the room try growing Ferline tomatoes, which are blight resistant, outdoors next year. I can recommend them. We had a bumper crop when I grew them.