Tomato Stem Primordia, and Storm Damage

There used to be a large, lovely tree, where that bare, sawdust spot on the ground is...




Empty, empty...





My clothesline used to span the distance between trees in my back yard.





...and now it sits on the rail of the deck, as I contemplate a new home for it.




This pile of tree branches is larger than it looks in this picture.





This one is the size of a car...and we aren't done. My man spent all day yesterday, from early in the morning until dinner time, helping neighbors clear their fallen trees, as well as cutting down the tree in our back yard. Thank heaven for sons-in-love (and daughters) who helped.


Then, almost overnight, this gross looking growth came up on one of my tomato plants. It is stem primordia - a result of storm damage. The plant was blown around so much that a main stem was damaged. This, coupled with the over-watering from the storms and the high humidity, all those little growths you see are the plant trying to re-root, through the stem.






It looks daunting, but it is harmless. I will have to keep an eye on this plant, but with a little care (and some drying out, after the series of storms and heavy rains) it should be okay.






Stem primordia is a common problem, but when people first encounter it, they tend to freak out a little bit, thinking some awful pest has descended on their garden. I posted a picture of it as a public service...believe it or not, there aren't very many clear pictures of this on the World Wide Web. If this looks like your tomato plant, put your mind at ease, and give it a little less water.







After all the pictures of ugly-in-my-yard, I have to end with a few pictures of pretty-in-my-yard:




Front porch...




A sign points your way to The Cottage (its given name is Ceilidh Cottage), where you are welcome anytime...




Today's flowers...






bird house near the butterfly bush, in the butterfly garden...



Broken chimnea, turned into a planter...






flowers, flowers, and more flowers....





A crepe myrtle that managed to not be damaged...




robin's egg blue birdhouse, made by my oldest son when he was a boy...





The pond, and its waterfall...

3 comments:

Summer said...

Hello Sheila, It's a bit disheartening to see the rubble from the storm.... It must have been a pretty damaging and to see your tomatoe plants :( .... I will pray for GOD to give you and yours the strength and enthusiasm to clean it all up and get it back to where it was .... I did finally open my little brick and morter shoppe in our town ....Yesterday was the GRAND OPENING DAY !! ....If you would like I have photos on the facebook page for CLOE & COMPANY however the page on facebook is named CLOE N COMPNY .....The day was a success and all the artists made $$$ ....Check my shoppe out and if you would become a friend I would appreciate it .....Once again sorry for your storm damage however I know you are thankful that noone in your family was hurt .

Javamom said...

We lost a tree by the house this spring. It just broke our heart, not to mention the hearts of our red-bellied woodpeckers, who loved it very much. They kept coming back to feed a little here and there, but I haven't seen or heard them in weeks, now. :-(.

Change...it's all in how we handle it, isn't it? Time to plant a new tree. When the funds are more readily available, of course.

Sending love your way!

Sheila Atchley said...

Hey Summer! I am on my way to Facebook as soon as I finish here! I am SO excited about your store!

Kim...oh, I love red bellied woodpeckers. How sad.

And who knows WHEN funds will be more readily available...gooooood grief, oy! this economy. ;-)

Hey...are you still coming through Knoxville this summer? :-) I need my Texas-friend fix.