Author Topic: Tomato Ring Culture  (Read 3988 times)

Fork

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,446
  • Amber valley,Derbyshire
Tomato Ring Culture
« on: May 08, 2015, 14:02:29 »
I plan to give this a try in the greenhouse this year....I have my tomatoes and my ring culture pots along with some deep rectangular washing up bowls.

I intend 3/4 filling the bowls some sort of gravel but unsure what to use....any ideas anyone?.....plus,do I need draining holes in the bowls or not. I would have thought holes would defeat the object but Im not sure?
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends nose

Bonsai Si

  • Not So New ...
  • *
  • Posts: 39
  • Life should be more like Bonsai...
Re: Tomato Ring Culture
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2015, 14:40:54 »
This may sound daft, but maybe Cat Litter may be of use.

Not any Cat Litter, it has to be the non clumping type.

& it honestly isn't as daft as it sounds, it's used in Bonsai quite a lot and is really good.

Tesco do a type that is pretty cheap (http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=265235247) as do Pets at home (http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/cat-litter-21103--1/lightweight-non-clumping-pink-cat-litter).

I used some of the Cat Litter over the last 2 years mixed with other substrates with my Tomatoes and got good results.

Just to show I'm not barking mad or Meowing at the moon.

http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm

The massive bags at Pets at home come up on special offer once in a while and it is worth grabbing a few bags when they do.

laurieuk

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,039
  • now retired
    • laurie mansers  garden hints
Re: Tomato Ring Culture
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2015, 16:02:28 »
Ring culture was all the thing some time ago , we used to use rings with no bottom at all and stood them on a bed of just peat, which we bought in very large bales. Once the  plants got going and flowering we fed the rings but watered the peat. This saved changing the soil in the greenhouses and so saved a lot of work.

Tee Gee

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 6,926
  • Huddersfield - Light humus rich soil
    • The Gardener's Almanac
Re: Tomato Ring Culture
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2015, 17:13:34 »
I still use ring culture and this is how I do it.

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Ring%20Culture/Ring%20Culture.htm

...and like Laurie I used to grow on straw bales too, but straw become quite expensive after the boffins  designed the grain crops to produce shorter stems, plus you were not always aware of what the farmers sprayed their crops with.

Hoever this is how I did it:

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Growing%20on%20straw/Growing%20on%20Straw.htm

I hope this helps!

Why are you contemplating using bowls?


Do you have a paved floor?

I use a bed of manure because I can reuse that on the plots at the end of the season.

I found I could not always keep gravel clean so it meant buying new most years.

 

anything
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal