three tomato tips

[tim]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/hdratoms.jpg

[tim]

[ina]

Great Tim, thank you. Short, clear and to the point.

The soil temp in a cold geenhouse is often a stumbling block, especially when seedling are grown in the house, they often end up quit tall. Planting them straight down requires a deep hole into the colder soil.
This is why I use the horizontal planting method I learned from an American book by D. Raymond.

I have posted this here before but with the newbies in mind, here it goes again.

I start off with replanting the seedlings deeper each time, removing the leaves except the top few and planting them up to those top leaves.
When they go into the greenhouse, I again remove the leaves up to the top few and lay the plant in a ditch about 10 cm deep, slightly angled down, with only the top sticking out at the shallower end.
The top of the plant I bend slightly upwards and support it with some soil. In no time the plant will be growing straight up an you should see the extent of the rootsystem at the end of the season. This way the warmth of the sun reaches the stem of the plant and it grows roots along the whole burried stem.

[northener]

Ina can you explain a bit more about planting in the greenhouse i'm a bit fick. What sort of angle are we talking 45 degrees?I'm interested because the plants are going straight into the ground in the greenhouse with it been our first year.

[ina]

Not 45 degrees, much less. Just a shallow ditch, the side where the top of the plant goes a little shallower so the stem doesn't have to make such a sharp angle to grow up, that's all.
Here is another old posting on this subject: (sorry, the illustration mentioned is gone)

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A few posts back Moggle mentioned that you can plant tomato seedlings deep, almost up to the seed leaves. I go much further than that and remove all leaves except the top few. After the normal pot I plant them deep in a tall 1 liter yoghurt container. You'll be amazed at the root system you get this way.

Months ago we were discussing this here and I posted a page out of an old gardening book. I have used this method with success ever since I started growing tomatoes. For those interested, I'll show it here again.



Part of the following is text from the book.

Let me tell you about my own method for planting tomatoes. because our northeren growing season is so short, and because this particular crop takes such a long time to mature. I have to start my tomatoes indoors about six to eight weeks before the last killing frost. The seeds are planted in shallow pans called flats.

...........I always transplant them deeper than they were growing ..................I leave only the top leaves showing above the soil. All but these uppermost leaves are picked off before transplanting. The buried section of stem begins to grow tiny root hairs. Before long, the stem will have become a tangle of healthy roots capable of supporting a rugged plant. ............again, I take off all exept the very top leaves and set the plant in a two-queart milk carton, putting the ends of the roots right at the very bottom of the carton. By the time these plants are ready to be set out in the garden, they have a stem the size of my little finger and a root structure as deep as the milk carton is tall...........

He goes on explaining that after planting in the garden the roots are only two and a half inches below the soil surface, the heat-loving tomato plant gets extra warmth early in the season. It will grow faster than having it's roots deep in the cold earth. Don't mulch until they have been in the ground for about four or five weeks because mulch insulates the soil so it stays cold longer and hinders the growth of the plant.

[undercarriage plan]

Wow, excellent advice, had to read it about 3 times to understand, but that's just me! My tomato seedlings are just producing first true leaves, so will it be right to let them get a bit bigger and then plant them as deep as seed leaves? What stops the stem from rotting or am I being thick?

[northener]

If the root system is as deep has a 1 litre milk carton i can't see how you can plant only 3"' deep.

[Svea]

i think i understand. you dont plant them deep, but you spread the roots sideways, in a shallow trench

do i get a star, miss?

;)

[ina]

Two stars for you Svea!
Why don't the stems rot? Do you see the little hairs or the stem? Those can become roots. Tomatoes have the ability to grow roots along the intire length of their stem. Lucky for us.

[ina]

Well, I dug up the old book again for you guys, this picture may make it clear.


Only draw back is, I think, more chance of them drying out in summer, so mulching may guard agains that. As Mr. Raymond says, first give the sun a chance to warm the soil before mulching.

[Roy Bham UK]

 ;D Excellent, very useful,  ;) copy pasted ;D in the bag 8) Thanks Ina ;)

[ina]

You're welcome.
Nice to know that the searching and scanning, moving etc. was not for nothing.

It was Tim who started this thread with the excellent tips and I seem to have taken it over. It's not what I planned, just the way it went, forgive me Tim.

[northener]

Thanks for being patient Ina with us at the back of the class.

[BAGGY]

Should my toms ever germinate I will def go for this method.

[ina]

I know how hard it is to visualize something your read, that's why I put the picture on again. No problem Northern, I learned so much on these boards, glad to give something back.

Baggy, you sound so doubtful, why?

[philcooper]

Meanwhile in the How deep to plant spuds thread http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,8059.0.html - there is lots of advice to "just bung em in"

Seriously, I agree that if tomato plants become leggy ie here is long piece of stem below the first leaves then it may be necessary to "lay them in the ground" to avoid the need to dig into the subsoil, otherwise just dig the hole a bit deeper or plant them in the bottom of the pot as opposed to near the top

Phil

[ina]

I think you missed the point here Phil. It's about creating a large root system by removing leaves and using the stem to grow extra roots to take up more nutrition. By laying them in the ground, you allow more warmth early in the season to get to the roots and stimulate growth as opposed to digging them deep in cold soil.

There is nothing wrong with the conventional way you described. I was explaining an alternative method that I like to use and the reasons why.

[Jesse]

Thanks Ina, I'm going to try this method, I am growing on clay soil which is colder the deeper you get, makes sense to keep the roots in the warmer layer of soil.

[philcooper]

Ina,

Thanks for your point (and the advice)

I'm not saying there are not potential benefits from your system - I'll try one to see the difference.

My toms in a good year (roughly every other - and depends on temp and rainfall) generate a good crop.

I beleive that the plants should be raised so that they are not too long at planting out time. This is because of limited greenhouse space, to grow toms long enough to merit your treatment they would need to be in 5"+ pots, I only have room for 3". Lettting them grow tall in 3" pots means they do not have enough goodness.

Phil

[undercarriage plan]

Let me see if I've got this right, it doesn't matter whether you lay the tom down or plant it deeper, as long as the stem is under the compost? I'm about to prick mine out and pot them on, and intend to plant them about 1" deeper to start. Fingers crossed! The anticipation is excruciating :o

[TULIP-23]

Ina :)

Read....Printed Out....In the Map for future Reference :D