Is something wrong with my Purple Cherokee plant?

Question

I'm a little worried about my Purple Cherokee plant. It is growing on my roof in a pot. Also on the roof is a cherry tomato plant. They both get plenty of sunlight and I also water them twice daily and they both have the same soil and fertilizer (used once monthly). I am also diligent about removing suckers. But...my cherry tomatoes have already produced fruit, which has ripened and I'm seeing nothing from the Purple Cherokee plant. In fact it looks really bad, some parts of the part are browning while the other parts are green and growing. I will see flowering blossoms, but then they just fall off and no fruit are in their place. I'm thinking I should see at least something by now, since I can only assume that it will take a least a couple of weeks before any fruit I see will ripen. Is there anything I can do now or is it a lost cause? And if so, what can I do next time?

Answer 1

High nitrogen fertiliser is never good for tomatoes. Nitrogen creates lush greenery but you will get few flowers/fruit. tomatoes are potassium lovers and a great way to get them the potassium they need is Epsom salts. Drench the plant with a gallon of water with a tablespoon of EP dissolved in that water every 2 weeks or so.

I grow at least 20 different heirlooms and have grown probably 100 different heirloom varieties and I have found Cherokee Purple is one of the hardest to grow. Part of the problem is it is in a container. These are huge plants that need a lot of root space so I am thinking you have a terribly root bound plant. These things need 20+ gallon pots to be at all happy.

Answer 2

try high nitrogen fertilizerhttp://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu8GeiXlI8O...