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Tomato growers?
- Thread starter outsidegrower
- Start date
BIRDS
BIRDS
Plastic Bird netting/bb gun. I paid ten bucks for a pretty decent sized sheet of bird netting.
BIRDS
Plastic Bird netting/bb gun. I paid ten bucks for a pretty decent sized sheet of bird netting.
G
greenmatter
netting works the best but it gets in your way too
hanging strips of mylar so they move in the wind can help a lot, but some birds seem to get use to it
hanging strips of mylar so they move in the wind can help a lot, but some birds seem to get use to it
I will try the mylar trick. Great tip, didnt come to mind. Guess I can put up the gun FOR NOW.
T
trichster
Im trying a Brandywine in a 23 gallon pot and a Mr. Stripey in a 18 gallon. I got 6ft cages around them and Im hoping to stand under them by end of season. Personally i dont even really like to eat tomato's but I want to see what I can do with them compared to "other" stuff I grow.
Tomatoes come in two types:determinate and indeterminate. Determinates are like autoflowers. They have an internal clock that starts at germination. They grow, set a crop, and decline. They should not be pruned other than keeping leaves off the ground as much as possible, although I always take all vegetation below the first successful fruiting node on all tomatoes. Indeterminates are different. They are like regular photo period plants that grow and fruit over a long season, and only decline when the strength of the sun fades late in the season. Indeterminates should be heavily pruned to one or two grow tips and supported vertically where they will easily grow 7 or 8 or more feet off the ground. Every other node, sometimes every third node will sport fruit as it grows. By growing vertically with support your plants will get air circulation and have a fighting chance to avoid blight and do well for the whole season. You can space plants as close as 2 foot centers on individual 8 foot sticks tied gently with torn bedsheet strips. This method yields like crazy and lets you grow a lot of plants in a small space. Spray a mix of liquid copper and neem every week to control blight. Spray the underside of the leaves real good.
Great info. Did you get that folks,.................Indeterminate varieties if you want to grow them impressively large.
well impressively tall and productively anyway..
45th
Member
Big Cheef
Spudatula
Spudakee
Spudakrim
Amazon Chocolate
Arbuznyi
Chocolate Cherry
Vorlon
and many more are better than Tula and Cherokee Purple but start with CP as it is great and will give you a comparison.
I grow @150-200 varieties out each season of my 2000 varieties in my collection (all open pollinated).
Happy gardening!
Spudatula
Spudakee
Spudakrim
Amazon Chocolate
Arbuznyi
Chocolate Cherry
Vorlon
and many more are better than Tula and Cherokee Purple but start with CP as it is great and will give you a comparison.
I grow @150-200 varieties out each season of my 2000 varieties in my collection (all open pollinated).
Happy gardening!
Heirloom Question
Heirloom Question
I wasn’t sure whether to start a new thread but I found this one so I decided to post this here.
I recently picked up some heirloom tomatoes at a market and I found one that I really enjoyed. I saved some of the seeds to plant and see what happens next season. It was a black variety and looks like it might be a Black Krim.
Here’s the question. Will these come up as the same as in breed true?
They had all the heirlooms in an assorted bin so I don’t know how they were grown. How easily do heirlooms hybridize if grown in proximity of other varieties? Hybridizing tomatoes takes some work, just curious how easily it might happen in the wild.
Any thoughts appreciated, I don’t want to waste space as I’m limited to begin with.
Heirloom Question
I wasn’t sure whether to start a new thread but I found this one so I decided to post this here.
I recently picked up some heirloom tomatoes at a market and I found one that I really enjoyed. I saved some of the seeds to plant and see what happens next season. It was a black variety and looks like it might be a Black Krim.
Here’s the question. Will these come up as the same as in breed true?
They had all the heirlooms in an assorted bin so I don’t know how they were grown. How easily do heirlooms hybridize if grown in proximity of other varieties? Hybridizing tomatoes takes some work, just curious how easily it might happen in the wild.
Any thoughts appreciated, I don’t want to waste space as I’m limited to begin with.
Mostly it will depend on the varieties being grown. The flower types support either cross pollination or self pollination, and even with the plants that do like to cross its not very easy to make it happen without hand pollinating the separate varieties or plants. You can't be sure what will happen when you sow your seeds but you will have to try.
Thanks Mate, I guess I’ll have to just give them a shot. I don’t really know what I have in the first place. Grafting sounds like an interesting experiment, what’s the best type of graft…cleft?
Thanks Mikell, I’ve got them stewing as we speak. A friend grows an heirloom cherry type year after year that was handed down in the family and that’s the tek he was taught.
Thanks Mikell, I’ve got them stewing as we speak. A friend grows an heirloom cherry type year after year that was handed down in the family and that’s the tek he was taught.
To be honest there are many ways to graft, it's best to experiment and not put all your trust in 1 method and vary the outcome for the better, some work better than others. Professional grafters will have the technique down and will use what gives the best returns. Always use plants at a pencil thickness and avoid unnecessary stress they require 100% humidity and 3 days darkness can be beneficial.
Cleft grafts are suited to the union of a rootstock limb that is much larger in size than the scion piece.
If you prefer the taste of heirloom tomatoes, you know there's no going back to most of the disease-resistant hybrids. But those hybrids grow so nicely. So take advantage of that! Use them as the rootstock.
List of Materials
• Heirloom tomato plant
• Disease-resistant tomato plant
• Gallon pot
• Potting soil
• 4 stakes
• Stakes will protect the tomato from the plastic bag, so they should be about 6" taller than the grafted plant
• Clear plastic bag will cover the grafted plant and part of the gallon pot. It should be at least 6" taller than the plant, and wide enough to surround the plant without bending the leaves, as well as to go over the pot.
• Razor blade or grafting knife.
•
• Rubber band large enough to go around gallon pot without effort 2 rubber bands or equivalent, very soft, 6" long
•
• These will be used to tie the graft union together, so they must be so soft that they can hold the pieces together without bruising the stems. Cut the rubber bands once to unloop them.
• 4 wire plant ties at least 6" long. Choosing Which Plants To Use
•
• Select a healthy heirloom at least 6" tall. You will cut it so you have about 4" of stem on the cutting.
• Choose a disease-resistant variety that grows really well in your site.
•
• Select a tall, robust plant. At a height of at least 6", preferably more, the rootstock plant's stem should be the same diameter as that of your heirloom's join point. Note: I grow only indeterminate tomatoes, and I've always used indeterminate plants for rootstocks. I have not tried using cherry tomatoes. I'd like to hear about results using other kinds. Key Ideas You want to put an heirloom cutting with about 4" of stem onto a disease-resistant rootstock, and you want the graft union to be high enough so that there's rootstock stem to bury afterward. You want the diameters of the two stems to be the same at the graft union. (This is where the two pieces are joined.) The two grafted pieces must be gently but firmly touching at all times. The two pieces must not move, dry out, or get cold. The pieces must start off in optimal condition. When you plant the grafted tomato, no part of the heirloom should touch the soil or mulch. How To Go About It Soak both plants for an hour. Repot the rootstock in the gallon pot. Do not bury any of the stem. Note the diameter of your heirloom at its join point, where you'll cut it. Find the matching diameter on your rootstock. At the leaf node just above the rootstock's join point, chop off the top of the plant. With the razor blade or knife, cut the top of the rootstock's stem into a V shape. Begin the downward cut from the side of the stem. Make the cuts meet cleanly in the middle of the stem. The angle of the two cuts should be around 20 degrees. With the razor blade or knife, cut the heirloom's stem so that it exactly fills the space in the rootstock's stem. Position a stake so that the two pieces are perfectly aligned. Fit the two pieces together, and tie them to the stake. Wrap a soft rubber band very gently around the join and tie it. Use two if necessary. Poke three stakes into the outer edge of the gallon pot so that they prevent the plastic bag from bending the plant's leaves. Water the plant. Put the plastic bag over the stakes and plant. Fasten it onto the gallon pot with the big rubber band, by moving the rubber band up from the bottom of the pot. Put the plant in indirect light, where it's at least 65 degrees, and there is no wind. Keep it there until you see new growth from the top. Do not let the soil dry out. Do not allow any growth from below the graft union. When the grafted plant is growing, gradually remove the plastic bag over several days. Begin by unfastening the bottom of the bag and leaving a space between it and the pot. If the top shows signs of wilting, put the bag back. Remove the rubber band when the graft is established. The tops of the rootstock will tend to splay apart if given the chance, so be sure there's new tissue in the gap. Gradually acclimate the grafted plant to full sun, over a few days. When the graft is strong and acclimated, plant it out. Do not allow any part of the heirloom to touch soil or mulch.
Cleft grafts are suited to the union of a rootstock limb that is much larger in size than the scion piece.
If you prefer the taste of heirloom tomatoes, you know there's no going back to most of the disease-resistant hybrids. But those hybrids grow so nicely. So take advantage of that! Use them as the rootstock.
List of Materials
• Heirloom tomato plant
• Disease-resistant tomato plant
• Gallon pot
• Potting soil
• 4 stakes
• Stakes will protect the tomato from the plastic bag, so they should be about 6" taller than the grafted plant
• Clear plastic bag will cover the grafted plant and part of the gallon pot. It should be at least 6" taller than the plant, and wide enough to surround the plant without bending the leaves, as well as to go over the pot.
• Razor blade or grafting knife.
•
• Rubber band large enough to go around gallon pot without effort 2 rubber bands or equivalent, very soft, 6" long
•
• These will be used to tie the graft union together, so they must be so soft that they can hold the pieces together without bruising the stems. Cut the rubber bands once to unloop them.
• 4 wire plant ties at least 6" long. Choosing Which Plants To Use
•
• Select a healthy heirloom at least 6" tall. You will cut it so you have about 4" of stem on the cutting.
• Choose a disease-resistant variety that grows really well in your site.
•
• Select a tall, robust plant. At a height of at least 6", preferably more, the rootstock plant's stem should be the same diameter as that of your heirloom's join point. Note: I grow only indeterminate tomatoes, and I've always used indeterminate plants for rootstocks. I have not tried using cherry tomatoes. I'd like to hear about results using other kinds. Key Ideas You want to put an heirloom cutting with about 4" of stem onto a disease-resistant rootstock, and you want the graft union to be high enough so that there's rootstock stem to bury afterward. You want the diameters of the two stems to be the same at the graft union. (This is where the two pieces are joined.) The two grafted pieces must be gently but firmly touching at all times. The two pieces must not move, dry out, or get cold. The pieces must start off in optimal condition. When you plant the grafted tomato, no part of the heirloom should touch the soil or mulch. How To Go About It Soak both plants for an hour. Repot the rootstock in the gallon pot. Do not bury any of the stem. Note the diameter of your heirloom at its join point, where you'll cut it. Find the matching diameter on your rootstock. At the leaf node just above the rootstock's join point, chop off the top of the plant. With the razor blade or knife, cut the top of the rootstock's stem into a V shape. Begin the downward cut from the side of the stem. Make the cuts meet cleanly in the middle of the stem. The angle of the two cuts should be around 20 degrees. With the razor blade or knife, cut the heirloom's stem so that it exactly fills the space in the rootstock's stem. Position a stake so that the two pieces are perfectly aligned. Fit the two pieces together, and tie them to the stake. Wrap a soft rubber band very gently around the join and tie it. Use two if necessary. Poke three stakes into the outer edge of the gallon pot so that they prevent the plastic bag from bending the plant's leaves. Water the plant. Put the plastic bag over the stakes and plant. Fasten it onto the gallon pot with the big rubber band, by moving the rubber band up from the bottom of the pot. Put the plant in indirect light, where it's at least 65 degrees, and there is no wind. Keep it there until you see new growth from the top. Do not let the soil dry out. Do not allow any growth from below the graft union. When the grafted plant is growing, gradually remove the plastic bag over several days. Begin by unfastening the bottom of the bag and leaving a space between it and the pot. If the top shows signs of wilting, put the bag back. Remove the rubber band when the graft is established. The tops of the rootstock will tend to splay apart if given the chance, so be sure there's new tissue in the gap. Gradually acclimate the grafted plant to full sun, over a few days. When the graft is strong and acclimated, plant it out. Do not allow any part of the heirloom to touch soil or mulch.
