Year after year, countless gardeners rely on this versatile fruit to mark the arrival of spring and then infuse summer with a flavor that is not only memorable but irreplaceable. But tomatoes are considered one of the most difficult plants to grow. While tomatoes perform differently than other vegetable crops, being aware of the following common misconceptions will help set gardeners on the right track to achieving a good harvest.
Gardening enthusiast Tanya Klion from Anta Plumbing shares her top six myths circulating on social media that should be ignored when growing tomatoes.
1. Making an aspirin spray makes plants pest resistant
Gardeners may have noticed on social media, a hack asking them to break up some aspirin tablets and mix them with water to make this wonderful cure—all for their tomatoes. However, this is a lie.
Tanya claimed that this “myth” is rooted in statements made due to aspirin containing salicylic acid. Martha McBurney, a master gardener at the University of Rhode Island, tried using salicylic acid spray (not aspirin spray) on tomatoes and claimed to have great results.
However, Gardening Enthusiast highlights: “Aspirin contains this chemical, but it also contains other chemicals that make it toxic to tomatoes.”
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2. Prevent blossom end rot by putting eggshells in the holes when planting tomatoes
It is easy to see why this myth is constantly shared as blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium and eggshells contain calcium.
However, Tanya claimed: “The calcium needed by tomatoes is already in the soil, so eggshells do nothing for the plant.”
What’s more, the calcium tomatoes need to grow healthy fruit is almost always naturally present in the soil and it is unusual for soil to be deficient in calcium.
3. Tomato plants require a lot of water to produce juicy fruits.
Gardening Supporters claimed that this myth is “incredibly wrong” because too much water can “cause diseases and lead to root rot”.
She urges: “You must water constantly, but every four to five days, and less so during spring rains.
“You must water deeply, or soak the roots every time you water. You will need to water for longer periods as the roots grow throughout the growing season and the longer the weather is dry.
4. Tomato plants must be pruned to get good fruits
Despite many arguing that pruning is necessary for tomato growing, Tanya claimed that it “isn’t necessary to get good fruit”.
He added: “In fact, cutting the ‘sucker’ (a 45-degree angle between the plant’s stem and leaf petiole) of a tomato plant will result in fewer fruits.
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“You should then pick them and let them ripen in an indoor window to avoid insects killing you while they ripen.”
6. Epsom Salt Makes a Good Fertilizer
Epsom salts are essentially magnesium sulfate. So while plant growth requires magnesium for healthy growth, it also requires several other important nutrients that Epsom salts do not provide.
Gardening Enthusiast said: “This myth stems from the fact that tomato plants need magnesium to grow well and Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate.
“However, salts do not provide other nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus needed to grow good tomato plants and can harm the plants.”