When the weather brings an overabundance of rain, your tomato plants can become too wet, and it may seem like a struggle to keep them healthy. Heavy and consistent rain can cause a range of problems, including root damage, fungal diseases, blossom end rot, and nutrient loss.
Not only can it stunt the growth of your tomato plants, it can actually destroy the plants if you aren’t careful and give them what they need. Knowing how to keep your plants healthy is key to saving your crop during a rainy growing season.
When you provide adequate drainage, soil protection, and disease prevention, you can fix the issues before they ruin your plants. Because we all know that we can’t control the rain itself.
What Too Much Rain Does to Tomato Plants
Excessive rain causes soil to stay waterlogged, which limits oxygen and prevents roots from working properly. Without oxygen, roots can rot, which weakens the entire plant.
Wet tomato plants also struggle to take in nutrients like calcium and nitrogen. This leads to problems such as blossom end rot, pale leaves, and slow growth.
Not to mention that rain often splashes soil onto the lower leaves of the plants. This can spread fungal spores and bacteria that can cause disease. Learning how to keep wet tomato plants healthy means stopping these problems before they spread.
Fungal Disease and Blight
Fungal disease is one of the most common issues affecting wet tomato plants. When leaves stay damp and soil is saturated, fungi can grow quickly. Common diseases include Septoria leaf spot, early blight, and late blight.
Early blight causes brown spots with rings, starting on older leaves. Late blight causes dark, soft spots that spread quickly and can kill plants.
Septoria leaf spot creates small gray-centered spots with dark edges. All three diseases thrive on wet tomato plants and spread easily when it rains often.
To keep wet tomato plants healthy, it’s important to remove any infected leaves, avoid watering from overhead, and make sure plants have good airflow.
Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot is another problem that appears when tomatoes go through repeated wet and dry cycles. The roots can’t take up enough calcium when the soil is too wet. The result is a soft, dark spot at the bottom of the fruit.
Keeping wet tomato plants healthy includes making sure the soil has good drainage and that the plant is able to absorb calcium. Raised beds, proper soil texture, and careful controlled watering all help reduce blossom end rot.
How to Help Keep Wet Tomato Plants Healthy
1. Use Mulch the Right Way
Mulching is a good way to protect wet tomato plants, especially before a heavy rain. Mulch helps stop rain from splashing soil onto leaves, which lowers the risk of spreading disease. It also keeps soil moisture more stable.
A layer of straw, chopped leaves, or grass clippings can work well as mulch. Just make sure to keep the mulch a few inches away from the main stem so the base of the plant doesn’t stay too wet.
If mulch becomes soggy and packed down, it may need to be loosened or replaced to keep wet tomato plants healthy.
2. Prune To Improve Airflow
Pruning helps air move through the plant, which dries off the leaves faster and reduces disease risk. Start by removing the lower leaves that are closest to the ground. This keeps water and soil off the foliage.
Wet tomato plants benefit from good airflow, and pruning is one of the easiest ways to get it. Use clean tools, and avoid pruning when the plants are still saturated. Wet leaves are more likely to spread disease if touched.
See Related Article: How To Prune Tomato Plants
3. Grow in Raised Beds for Better Drainage
One of the best ways to keep wet tomato plants healthy is by planting them in raised beds instead of in the ground. Raised beds help water drain away faster and prevent roots from sitting in soggy soil. If your area is prone to lots of rain in the spring, this might be a good option if you want to grow great tomato plants.
Tomatoes do best in raised beds that are at least 12 inches deep. Add compost and organic matter to help with drainage and hold nutrients. This keeps the plants strong even during wet weather.
4. Healthy Soil Makes a Big Difference
Wet tomato plants need soil that drains well but also holds onto nutrients. Heavy clay soil stays too wet, while sandy soil dries too fast and may lose nutrients.
A balanced mix with compost helps keep wet tomato plants healthy by allowing water to drain and roots to breathe and expand.
Adding compost, aged manure, or leaf mold to the soil improves its structure. This makes it easier for tomato roots to grow and take in nutrients even after it rains. A soil pH between 6.2 and 6.8 helps the plant absorb calcium and other key minerals.
5. Space Plants Far Enough Apart
If tomato plants are too close together, air can’t move between them. Wet tomato plants that stay crowded are more likely to stay damp and develop diseases. Space tomato plants at least 24 to 36 inches apart, depending on the variety.
This space lets sunlight and air reach the entire plant, which helps wet tomato plants dry faster after a storm. It also makes it easier to prune, check for disease, and harvest fruit.
6. Replenish Nutrients After Heavy Rain
Rain not only adds water – it also washes precious nutrients out of the soil. Nitrogen is especially easy to lose.
Wet tomato plants often look pale in color or slow down in growth after several rainy days. Adding a balanced fertilizer can help restore nutrients.
If the plants already have blooms, choose a fertilizer that supports fruit development, such as one with more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. (Product Affiliate Link: Farmer’s Secret Tomato Booster)
Wet tomato plants also need calcium, especially if blossom end rot has started. A tomato-specific fertilizer or calcium spray may help during recovery. (Product Affiliate Link: Calcium Nitrate)
7. Use Containers to Protect Some Plants
One way to keep wet tomato plants healthy during a rainy season is to grow a few plants in large containers. Containers drain faster than garden beds and can be moved to shelter during heavy thunderstorms or long periods of rain.
Choose containers with good drainage holes and fill them with high-quality potting mix. Keep an eye on feeding and watering, especially after heavy rain. Tomatoes in containers may still get wet, but they won’t sit in soggy soil as long as those in the ground.
8. Clean Up After Rainy Weather
Once the rain has passed, clean up any damaged or diseased leaves. This keeps wet tomato plants healthy by removing places where disease can grow. Don’t compost infected leaves or fruit. Throw them away to stop the spread of fungus or bacteria in your garden.
Be sure to let the soil dry out before watering again. Make sure that the mulch isn’t too compacted, especially near the base of the plant, and make sure drainage is still working in raised beds or containers.
These simple steps can make a big difference in keeping wet tomato plants healthy through the rest of the season.
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