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It's been cloudy here this whole week with little to no sunlight at all. I water my plants, but looks like they are suffering because of no sunlight. Esp. tomato plants have started drying out.
How would you guys provide sunlight to the plants during such days or during winter (snow)? I have my plants in containers and have kept it inside the house as there was tornado and thunderstorm warning here.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Tomatoes are slowed but do not show ill effects from prolonged cloudy skies. With the exception of this unusually sunny and hot year, we normally have clouds and rain through June, and my tomatoes have always done fine. They don't like to be indoors, however, so I'd get them back out as soon as your storm has passed. I have tropical plants such as Hibiscus, bougenvilia and even a lemon that I bring in every winter. I keep them in south facing windows and they do fine there until about May when they go back out. If I had to guess without seeing a picture, your pots may be too small, so the tomatoes are root bound and the water goes around the roots without getting to them.
Tomatoes are slowed but do not show ill effects from prolonged cloudy skies. With the exception of this unusually sunny and hot year, we normally have clouds and rain through June, and my tomatoes have always done fine. They don't like to be indoors, however, so I'd get them back out as soon as your storm has passed. I have tropical plants such as Hibiscus, bougenvilia and even a lemon that I bring in every winter. I keep them in south facing windows and they do fine there until about May when they go back out. If I had to guess without seeing a picture, your pots may be too small, so the tomatoes are root bound and the water goes around the roots without getting to them.
Am using Home Depot's 5 gallon buckets for every tomato plant. Will try to take a picture and post once I go back home after work.
What kind of drainage? Did you put a couple holes in the buckets? The plants may be waterlogged.
Yeah I did make 4 holes at bottom and 2 holes on sides i.e. 2 inches above from the base of the bucket. I used to leave the buckets out when I leave home in morning to get some sun and then take them back in at sunset. I am in midwest where it goes to around 100F degrees too. It's just for past 3 days I haven't kept them out due to storm and tornadoes.
Lack of sunlight doesn't make the plants dry out -- lack of water plus (often) too much sunlight does.
Not sure... I give them about a litre of water every morning. Hope that's not too much for them. I had read that tomato plants need more water and sunlight.
Yeah I did make 4 holes at bottom and 2 holes on sides i.e. 2 inches above from the base of the bucket. I used to leave the buckets out when I leave home in morning to get some sun and then take them back in at sunset. I am in midwest where it goes to around 100F degrees too. It's just for past 3 days I haven't kept them out due to storm and tornadoes.
Tomatoes like hot weather, I'd leave them out (where they get a bit of shade in the afternoon to curtail sunscald) all the time and keep an eye on soil moisture. They especially like warm nights.
Also, many varieties won't germinate much above 90 degrees. If your season is long enough you can almost see when your heat waves were from where on the plant you have tomatoes forming.
Not sure... I give them about a litre of water every morning. Hope that's not too much for them. I had read that tomato plants need more water and sunlight.
I don't know how established your plants are but watering them daily when establish is a good way to choke out the oxygen and create root rot. Your drain holes should be on the bottom of the pot not the sides.
Go to a garden center and get yourself a 'moisture meter', about $8.00, use that to indicate when to water. You may be dry on top of the soil but exceedingly wet at the bottom.
Our temps run 100-110 degrees for a long period of time and in my 7 gal pottery pots I water every three-5 days according to my moisture meter. The plants are 3 years old.
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