Alan Titchmarsh offers tips on watering tomato plants
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Temperatures are set to soar around the UK in the coming days, with the Met Office even issuing an extreme heat warning. As the heatwave continues over the next few days, it’s more important than ever to protect plants during the hot weather. Tomato plants in particular can suffer from extreme heat so gardeners need to be on hand to prevent them dying off one the next few days.
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Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Chris Bonnett from GardeningExpress.co.uk explained that it is vital for gardeners to de-leaf the bottom of their tomato plants to help them survive extreme heat.
He said: “Don’t forget to de-leaf the lower branches of your tomato plant.
“This will reduce the amount of water it needs and improve air circulation – both really important during hot weather”.
Removing leaf branches or de-leafing tomato plants usually begins when the lowest leaves begin to turn yellow.
However this garden task can also be carried out when the weather is set to reach high temperatures to limit the amout of water needed to survive and thrive.
As well as water, this job also helps direct nutrients to the growing tip and fruit.
De-leafing also removes the opportunity for aphids and other critters to breed on your tomato plants, which can end up destroying them.
Plus, when the plant is heat-stressed, it loses this ability and becomes far more vulnerable to damage from outside invaders.
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During heat waves, gardeners need to keep a closer eye on their plants for any signs of pests or diseases.
If left untreated, these problems can wreak havoc on your tomato garden.
It will also take the plants far longer to recover from a pest or disease problem under conditions of heat stress.
In hot weather, the soil dries out faster, leaving less water available to your tomato plants.
If your plants are already heat-stressed, their survival instincts will also cause them to take up more water to stay healthy, depleting the supply faster.
In other words, frequent watering is vital always, but especially during a heatwave.
Chris explained the importance of watering to not only help tomato plants survive, but to avoid their fruit cracking.
He said: “The soil around your tomatoes needs to stay well hydrated.
“Poor watering can lead to cracked fruit.
“If you’re growing in a pot, make sure the pot is on a saucer with plenty of water but only do this short term in extreme heat.
“This acts like a reservoir for the plant.”
For gardeners who are growing tomato plants in the ground they can use the bottle trick to keep them hydrated.
The gardening pro instructed: “If your tomatoes are in the ground, dig a hole beside the plant and plant an upside down bottle as deep as you can.
“Cut off the base and use this as a funnel to deliver water straight to the roots, rather than it sitting on the surface of the soil.”
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