A friend has complained that her tomatoes never ripen until Sept.and are woolly. I grow tomatoes every year and have never had any problems. Can someone help her? She grows them in pots on the patio. I suspect she lets them dry out. greenfingers.
Dear greenfingers, I've never heard of "woolly" tomatoes... is it the fruit themselves, or the stock/leaf undersides?. If the fruit is "woolly" she either has a truly unique variety or a terrible disease on them :o)... Most tomatoes are covered in a fine hairy coating, but if your friend is having troubles, tell her she needs to pick a variety that has a "condensed root system" that is bred for pots. "Patio' is one of those specifically engineered to grow in containers. Still in your area with the heat, it's important to give the plant as much growing medium as possible. The water and fertilizing is important to keep constant for a good crop. Otherwise the plants stress and the fruit will crack and the yield and flavour will be poor. Oh and by the way as much as it sounds like a solution, the polymer "moisture" particles in some container soil mixes should NOT be used for food production..... Good luck Anne
Hi greenfingers... Woolly must refer to the stocks and leaf underside (as opposed to the fruit themselves).... right? I'm familiar with the light 'downy' covering on stems.... I love the smell...... and I would suggest that there may be some varieties that have more than others.... However your friend should try the following Choose a variety that is specifically bred for containers,,,like "Patio", "Tumbler" etc. Use the biggest container possible in order to keep consistant soil temp, moisture and nutrient levels..... Avoid using "polymer" moisture particles or moisture mixes.... they are not designed for food crops. Too much-too little water sequences stress the plants and cause loss of production and cracking in the fruit. Good luck Anne
Sorry, Ann, thanks for your help but she did mean the fruit. Perhaps the word 'dry' should have been used rather than 'woolly.' In instances like this, I think 'woolly' is used meaning 'cotton wool(y)' - soft and fluffy but dry, which sometimes happens to the inside of fruit, like appples and plums (and tomatoes!) Once again, thanks for trying to help. greenfingers.
