DIY Network

Can anyone tell my why my tomato plants are skinny at the bottom? They are producing some tomatoes but all my plants have real skinny stems and have trouble holding themselves up even with cages. Don't know if the soil is too rich or...

Hi, You should read the message on Soil PH and click on the links that Newt had found for me. It will tell you the PH for tomato. That way you can check yours.

Hi Dajj,

Tomatos will grow in compost so I don't think it's because the soil might be too 'rich'. With no disprespect to Woodlore, I don't think the pH of the soil would effect the stems in that way.

You don't mention any other symptoms such as yellowing leaves (maybe just at the bottom of the plant) or any kind of streaks on the stems near the base. I'm thinking that Southern Blight could be a possibility as that occurs at the base of the plants. Yours may be in the early stages.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tomatoproblemsolver/stems/23.html

Timber rot is another possibility as that can also start at the base of the plant. This first site shows an advanced stage.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdiseasefs/450-712/450-712.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tomatoproblemsolver/stems/24a.html

Newt

nematodes are another possible problem, especially if you live in a southern state. I just discovered that I had that problem. Neither my tomatos nor eggplant bore any but the most inferior vegies, when I pulled them up, I found that the roots had small nodules on them which is the symptom of root knot nematodes. Unfortunatly the only cure is solarizing the soil, or, you can plant the vegs in a potting mix without removing it from the plastic bag. just cut away a portion of the bags largest side and plant the veg., water regularly and do anything you would normally do as if it were planted in the ground. By planting the vegs in the bag, the nematodes cannot get into the soil and affect the plant. If you can, use sterilized soil