two plants in the greenhouse

[Chris7]

Hello not sure if this is the right section but can be moved if it's not

Anyways i have had 2 plants (1 chilli plant, 1 cherry tomato) growing in the window and they have reached about 12inch high. They were growing very well and looking healthy. We bought a mini plastic green house and i thought it would help if i moved them into the greenhouse. I did this and they have been there for 4 days and some of the leaves have gone dis coloured and brown, also one or two have drooped and look like there dying. I have no idea as im new to all this but could it be possible that its too hot in there and the sun is burning them ??

Any help would be very appreciated. I will take some pics tomorrow and post them up so you can see what the problem might be.

Thanks

[hiyatim]

hey chris, u will no doubt get a more helpful answer than this but i think u will be asked the following questions so ill give u head start...

what variety are both plants..some cherry tomato dont need to be in greenhouses, what size pots are they in? also do you water them from the base rather than over the leaves??

cheers

[Chris7]

hello hiyatim, thanks for the reply.

not sure what variety they are i got them given from a friend and im new to all this so i dont know. The pots there in are roughly 5inch wide and about 6inch deep. I water them from the base and not on the leaves as a friend told me it can burn the leaves.

[Chris7]

Here are some pics ive just taken to help you to be able to help me more maybe







Hope this helps more.

Thanks again

[hiyatim]

they do look a bit worse fo wear dont they and i can see why your asking if they are too hot as they look all wilty but i really wouldnt think it could be that, as far as i know chillis like heat and although some cherrys are outdoor varieties (mine included) i was trialing an outdoor variety in the greenhouse and it didnt suffer really (it is outside as of a few days ago).

how often are you watering them? are you keeping the soil moist but not overly wet?
sometimes they can suffer when moving them from in the house to outside without hardening them for a week or so (where u put them out for a time then bring them in getting them used to it) i know it seems silly as they are in a greenhouse but i think the plastic ones could lose temp at night (i use them too)

dont be disheartened tho, one of the experts will get on this thread soon and hopefully tell you if and what we can do for the best, i wouldnt do anything rash like bring them back in unless they say so (it could shock them further)

sorry im not being at all conclusive but the more i reply the longer your post will be top of the pile and get answered

[Chris7]

aww thanks. Your help is more than appreciated.

I do keep them watered well, one is in a plastic container to stop the water running out and i water it untill it fills so there is plenty in there. Maybe i am watering them too much ?

I will give them a look over tomorrow see how they are and if the soil is moist and not too wet.

Thanks hiyatim for your questions

[hiyatim]

I would defo say u can over water them and should be careful of that. If they are standing in water for too long it can cause root rot. From the photos it looks to me like the pots could do with being bigger too but i don't think that's causing it. I can't wait for an answer, it's all
part of the fun, it's a steep learning curve but it's easy to get hooked :-)

Tim

[stupo74]

Hi Chris,
Not an expert here, but i think Tim has given a fair diagnosis, a number of factors can cause the conditions of your plants.
He is right about the "Hardening Off", plants "Scorch" when there is a sudden change in conditions.
I think it possible that the roots of your plants are a little too wet,starving them of the air they need.
The pots look a little small as well, so maybe a "Transplant" into bigger 1's would benefit them.
With chilli plants, i only water them when they really need it, "Never" everyday, like i would with toms, better a little dry than waterlogged.

As stated i am no expert, but a change of pots, and a little less watering till they have picked up a bit, should help, also keeping them away from "Draughts"
The "Boss Lady" and the rest of the experts, are always late on a sunday Its the Beer they drink
Good luck with your "Patients" and keep us posted, cheers stupo

[Chris7]

thanks Stupo, I will change the pots today and check the soil to see just how wet it is/was

Will do as you said and let you know what happens in a few days.

Thanks very much !!

[stupo74]

Hi Chris,
I hope all goes well with the change of pots, just remember, try not to disturb the roots too much and if they are wet through, leave them for a day or two to settle in to their new pots.

I have taken a couple of pics of some chillies i have growing at the moment. They were started early, as they require a long time to set fruit, (about 120 days for the "Nagas" & "Bhut Jolokia") these are some of the "Super Hots".

The little plant in the black pot, is a "Thai variety" (little yellow) which has a couple of flowers setting already







I also grow "Prairie Fire" which can stay on a windowsill indoors,throughout the season, as they dont grow too big.

Good luck with your plants, hope they make it through, cheers stupo

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by stupo74

The "Boss Lady" is always late on a sunday Its the Beer she drinks

Cheek!! We had a house viewing this morning so I was out of the pit early and busy cleaning!


Hi Chris, well Tim and Paul have covered all aspects of your problem. It definitely looks like scorch, the drooping leaves are caused by overwatering and as Paul said too much water starves the roots of oxygen, plus the pot is far too small for a tomato plant. You need to let the compost dry out a bit so that it is not soaking wet but damp and don't let the pots stand in water aswell. I water my tomato plants every other day unless the weather is really hot - stick your finger in the pot to see just how damp the compost is around the roots. Tomatoes need regular watering. You need to maintain damp compost as letting the compost dry out completely then watering can cause the fruits to split. If you do give tomato plants too much water it can dilute the flavour of the fruits. Good luck!

[Chris7]

ahh cool pics, they look healthier than mine

There looking good.

I changed the pots of mine so there slightly bigger now, the compost around the roots was pretty wet, i think i might have over watered them. I also clipped a few droopy leaves off as they looked like they were just about dead.

I haven't watered them today will check them tomorrow. Hopefully they will stay strong.

Will keep you posted. Thanks for the help guys !!

[Chris7]

Originally Posted by Lesley Jay

Cheek!! We had a house viewing this morning so I was out of the pit early and busy cleaning!


Hi Chris, well Tim and Paul have covered all aspects of your problem. It definitely looks like scorch, the drooping leaves are caused by overwatering and as Paul said too much water starves the roots of oxygen, plus the pot is far too small for a tomato plant. You need to let the compost dry out a bit so that it is not soaking wet but damp and don't let the pots stand in water aswell. I water my tomato plants every other day unless the weather is really hot - stick your finger in the pot to see just how damp the compost is around the roots. Tomatoes need regular watering. You need to maintain damp compost as letting the compost dry out completely then watering can cause the fruits to split. If you do give tomato plants too much water it can dilute the flavour of the fruits. Good luck!

Thanks Lesley, Have taken what they said on board and tried the things suggested. So fingers crossed. Will let you know if they make it

[Chris7]

Just a little update.I stopped watering the chilli and tom plants every day, just as and when i think or the soil is to dry. I also moved the tomato plant out of the pot and planted it in my main bed. There looking slightly better i think. There is still a little loss of colour on some leaves but there not as droopy as they were. I will take pics at the weekend and post them up.

[stupo74]

Hi Chris,
Glad the repotting etc went ok
You could try a "Foliar Feed" to improve the general Appearance of the plant, which will also benefit any setting "Fruit Trusses" (On the Toms)

With the chilli plant, keep to a minimum the water, just damp, and increase the strength of your feed as your fruits sett & develop.

Good luck, and when your chilli fruits, keep 1 ripe pod for "Next" seasons seeds, providing the variety you have is not F1.
cheers stupo.

[Chris7]

thanks for the tips mate. will do.

[stupo74]

Hi again Chris,
If for any reason, you are not able to save seed for "next" season, then shout up a little nearer the time, and i will be happy to send you a few seeds to sort you on your way.
cheers stupo

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by Chris7

Just a little update.I stopped watering the chilli and tom plants every day, just as and when i think or the soil is to dry.

Hi Chris, sorry for the late reply. It's really important to water tomato plants on a regular basis as letting the compost dry out before watering can cause problems including split fruits. I water my tomato plants every other day unless the weather is really hot and the plants need watering. Keep the compost moist but not soaking wet.