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How much water for tomatoes

Hi.  Can anyone tell me what is the recommended amount of water per day for each tomato plant.  Last year was a bit of a disaster for me.  I started by giving each plant a good drink each morning,  and starting to get a lot of blossom end rot. So I increased the water to twice a day. Then my tomatoes started splitting!  At this stage I just tried to keep them moist throughout the day, which appeared to help, but this year I am hoping to do the correct thing.  I would be grateful for any suggestions.

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    You're giving them Way Too Much water!  My tomatoes are in large pots with a 6" gap between the top of the compost and the rim.  I do not water the tomatoes until the foliage begins to flag, then I fill the pots to the brim.  Sometimes they only get watered once a week, hardly ever more than twice a week.  I stuck firmly to that regime last year, as advised by Italophile who is a regular on here and is a fount of knowledge re tomatoes, and had absolutely no Blossom End Rot and no blight.  

    Italophile can explain the reasons why this works - if I recall correctly it's to do with the plant's ability to move calcium through the tissues to the fruit being impeded by too much or erratic watering - but he'll explain better than I.

    Good luck image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Watering at night or late evening is better. If you water in the morning the water evaporates and creates too much humidity, especially in last years heat.

    Dove is right, as usual, only water when the plants look a bit flagged.

    A spray of water in the morning is fine on the floor, and good air circulation using the vents and open door.

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