A lot of leaves have dried up and withered, especially the older ones. The new leaves are much smaller than their old buddies. Flowers are tiny and they drop prematurely too. I have been thinking for more than two weeks: Why is this happening?
I don't have the answer. Is the difference in daytime/nighttime temperature too big? Is the soil too try? Is the soil not fertile enough? Is the soil deficient of a particular nutrient? Are the plants contracted with a virus? Not enough sunlight? Or, it's because it's fall already? There are a lot of possibilities.
The possibilities can be classified into two categories: External vs. Controllable.
For the external factors like season, day/night temperature difference, etc. - I just can't do anything about them. So, let me rule them out and wait for the good time to come.
For the controllable factors, I have already been watering the cherry tomato plants daily since day one. So, water shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I have started to water them at night as well as in the morning.
"The potting soil is fertile enough for the first 100 days" - there was such a statement written on the soil bags when I bought them. Although only two months have passed, some nutrients might have been leached as I watered the plants quite generously. I think - and I hope - this is the cause. It's because I can do something about this one.
Tomorrow, I am going to give the plants a nutrient boost. I will mix the organic fertilizer (chicken poo) with water, shake the bottle well, let the solution stay overnight. This bottle of solution should feed the plants well and improve their health - I hope.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
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