'rescued' tomatoes

I bought some very sad looking tomato plants from B&Q 2 weeks ago, they had been reduced to 20p each and looked half dead.
Anyway, two weeks of tender loving care in my greenhouse and they are growing like mad and look incredibly healthy....except, the end of the first 2 or so leaves have gone brown and crispy. The rest of the plant and growing tips look really healthy. Could this be a result of their near death experience or are they diseased?
Any help received with thanks

 

I don't think it's anything to worry about. It sounds like the leaves have got wet and then burnt around the edges due to the heat in the greenhouse. The heat created by the sun on the glass is quite intense on a warm day.

GF.

 

thanks

 

thanks Marley , if all goes well it'll be the cheapest toms crop i've ever had

 

Try this for cheap tomato plants. For each eight plants required, buy (or grow) one plant. Take off the side shoots and plant in pots as "cuttings", dipping in Hormone Rooting Powder. You can take seven or eight side shoots off each plant (this is a good way to get expensive varieties cheaply).

I wonder if this could be done for following seasons by keeping the plant alive over Winter, like you would for Geraniums.

 

I didn't know you could propagate toms in that way! do they then fruit that year too?

 

As cuttings are the same age as the parent, they will catch up with the parent by mid season. First fruiting will be slightly later than the parent but they soon catch up. The delay can be explained by the cuttings having to make a root structure.

 

I agree with Larkshall, great way for extra plants, the real bonus though is if you got your toms going earlier, it means you''ll extend the cropping season with the second lot. Rooting side shoots last year had about a 50% success rate for me.

Also last year, I was given some Alicante toms by a member here at GC, they got blight as I grew them outdoors...but I had rooted some of the sideshoots from those plants (in the greenhouse) before bllight struck. Two weeks after destroying the blight stricken parent plants..I put the rooted sideshoots out in the garden and get a modest crop from them. So its worthwhile rooting the sideshoots even if you'll never use them, you just might.

Steve...

 

I didnt know you could do that either, and although I hopefully should have enough 'Tommy - Tartoes' in the greenhouse, Im going to try it just for the experience ( and insurance :hehe: )

 

Brilliant thanks, Larkshall and Steve.
I'm definately going to give it a go, even if, as Blueroses says, its just for the experiment!
As for my original post, my 20p toms hare doing brilliantly and have grown up enough to be spending the days out and nights still in the greenhouse, I'll plant them out permanently in a couple of weeks