What are these THINGS growing on my tomatoes?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I’m growing grape tomatoes for the first time ever. I’ve grown tomatoes before, but it’s been, quite frankly, YEARS. Yesterday I noticed these THINGS growing out of the stems. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’m in Alabama, where it’s supposed to be bright and sunshiney and in the low 90s this time of year. Instead it’s rainy and cloudy and in the 70s and has been for over a month. I’m loving the cool temps but wondering if they’re affecting my little tomato plant. The “things” are growing out where there were just bumps in the stems before. Could this be roots trying to grow? I touched one (yeah, ewwwwww) and it was hard like a root, not soft like a worm. Could it be worms? Could it be aliens? I dunno. Can you help? Here is a photo (hopefully I did the linky thing correctly.) Notice where the stems join together. Warning, it looks really gross!

Clothilde

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Disclaimer: I don’t have all that much experience with tomato gardening. This is merely WAGing. (WAGging?)

I noticed that you’ve got one of those upside-down planters. Perhaps since the stem is below the roots, the plant is trying to grow roots in the stem?

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http://en.allexperts.com/q/Growing-Vegetables-740/2008/7/White-growth-tomato-plants.htm

Well, I found this guy talking about powdery mildew as a possible answer, and they do bring up the rain thing. No pictures on their end though, so I’m not sure it’s a match.

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Roots

Tomatoes will root almost anywhere along the stem. Within days of those roots being in moist soil they will have grown longer and be in use.

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Roots. Tomatoes will root from the stem. When you buy a tomato plant, you should plant up to 80% of it or up to the first branch. I doubt you have anything to worry about. I still haven’t figured out how those upside-down thingies work since plants don’t grow that way. Roots grow down and stems grow up.

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I’m relieved to see that the majority vote is for roots. I have to say when I saw all those things growing out as a group like that, my first thought was to throw up because it looked so gross, and my second thought was that it’s some kind of infestation.

The variety is called “Bonnie Grape” Tami G Hybrid, an indeterminate variety (which is what I prefer…I hate having 1000 tomatoes ripening at once and trying to figure out what to DO with all of them!)

Hockey Monkey, in the past, I have planted very deeply, all the way up to the top most stem. In fact, I would pull off all the lower leaves and plant the thing sideways with just the top leaves above the ground. Seemed to work well in the past. But with this upside-down thingy, you had to thread the plant into a foam plate…that’s what holds the plant inside the bottom hole of the planter, and I wasn’t sure what to do by doing it upside down. If I do another plant this way next year, I’ll definitely plant it deep. Live and learn, eh?

Harmonious Discord, there’s no soil close by for the roots to grow into, since this plant is growing in one of those up-side down thingies. It’s hanging about 6 feet off the ground. There doesn’t seem to be a way for me to push the plant further up into the planter to take advantage of extra roots.

Rin Twisted, thanks for the link. With all the rain we’ve had recently, I’m concerned about powdery mildew and other little nasties.

Bacon Salt, LOVE your user name! And I think you’re right. Roots it is.

You know, when I planted this thing a month ago, I figured I’d end up with a nice, petite plant with pretty little tomatoes growing on it. But this thing is quickly growing into a monster. I’ve already had to tie off one section to the trellis just to keep it in place. I’ve got nearly 80 buds and blooms and teeny tiny little tomatoes already growing. The plant is growing down and out to the sides, if that makes sense. I’ll take some more pics over the weekend so y’all can see what I mean. I don’t know HOW it works, but it does seem to be working!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

Clothilde

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I was just commenting on how aggressive tomatoes root. You can take cuttings if you want to start fresh later.

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Tomato plants appear to be the turkeys of the herb world - they’re so stupid, they don’t know which way is up.

Clothilde, time to snap your suckers. At least, that’s what Mom always called those skinny little branches that start at the forks of bigger branches. The plant will waste energy and get all spindly on those small branches which are too weak to support the fruit you want. Pinch 'em off and you’ll actually increase your yield of good stuff.

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Glad you worked out what it is.

FWIW, powdery mildew has a very descriptive name. It looks like white or gray powder on the leaves. If you see it, remove affected leaves at once.

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Your tomato plant is upside down. Plants are affected by gravity too. The plant is trying to put roots down to where soil should be, i.e DOWN. Your leaves and stems will also begin to reverse direction and grow UP. The plant is trying to adapt to it’s situation by growing the way it should, roots down, plant up.

I’m sorry that you got suckered into the upside down hanging tomato fad. But it is complete bull. All the plants you see growing upside down in the ads were actually grown right side up for most of there lives and hung upside down to make people think they will grow that way.

The plant is now having to work extra hard to reverse itself.

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No, it’s not. That’s a picture of the base of the plant, on the top in that system. It’s putting out root buds exactly where any tomato plant puts out root buds, regardless of orientation.

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I came in a little late to add, quite unnecessary, that the thingies are indeed the plant making rootlets.

And another vote for removing the “suckers” as WhyNot said. Yours are pretty big already, judging from the picture, but nothing good comes of letting those grow. They often look more healthy then the original plant, and seem to have more growing power, but they bear less fruit and steal the power away from the rest of the actual plant.

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The plant is hanging upside down in one of those ‘upside down thingies’ as the OP says. Either that or the lawn is on the ceiling. The root buds forming on the stems are going the wrong way seeking soil. The plant thinks the soil should be down.

In a normal tomato plant you will see the same root buds, growing down whenever the plant is not rooted well enough. And they should be given soil and covered.

Roots can tell up from down and the main roots in her soil are also curving down rather than growing up into the hanging pot. So the plant compensates by putting out root buds seeking soil.

The plant will produce, but if you plant a tomato right side up next year under the same conditions it will do better.