Topic: The benefits of ring culture

[greenstar]

Hello

I've been reading the threads about ring culture, but I can't work out what the benefits of it are.  Could somebody please explain, and maybe tell me the advantages/disadvantages of it compared to grow bags for my tomatoes.  I'm new to greenhouse growing, so the grow bags are looking temptingly easy at the moment...

[MikeB]

Tomatoes and cucumbers appear at first glance to have contradictory requirements. They like plenty of water around their roots at all times, but on the other hand they must have free and open drainage.  They are both greedy crops.  Ring culture was used to try and address these problems.  First off in the ring culture method two sets of roots are developed, the lower coarser set for taking up water and the upper finer set for feed.
 



Normally in ring culture a 9” opened bottom pot would be used placed on a bed of gravel, a variation as shown is the two pot method.
The feed is applied via the upper pot and the water via the lower one.
This has an immediate advantage in that the finer feed roots would normally rot if allowed to stand in water, secondly the feed would not be diluted by each subsequent watering.  A major problem with growbags especially if laid flat is over or under watering. Excess water in ring culture just drains off and due to the size of the lower pot under watering is rare and in a gravel bed extremely unlikely.

[greenstar]

Thanks for that Mike - I'd read you're thread earlier and seen your lovely pots.  So if I have two pots like that I won't need to fanny on with a gravel bed in the greenhouse, is that the idea?   What sized pots do I need?

[MikeB]

Top pot is an 8" pot and the bottom one is a waste paper basket.  I mainly use the 99p builders buckets for the bottom pot.

[greenstar]

Blimey, yours are doing well.  Mine are about a quarter of that size - shows you what a few degrees north does.  Thank you again Mike.

One more question - what do you put in the bottom pot - do you add anything for drainage?

Ta

Ali

[MikeB]

I drill holes for drainage and put the cheapest multi-purpose compost in the bottom pot, remember this pot is only to water the plant.  Top pot home made compost, the best I can make, this is the feeding region and needs the best.

[supersprout]

Here are some teeny weeny toms to cheer you up greenstar ;)
Bags are full of spent hops, rings have compost in.
First time trying this way in a cold greenhouse!

[MikeB]

Still no supports SS, shame on you.

[supersprout]

no pressure then mike :P ;)
do they look like they need supports? :o

[MikeB]

do they look like they need supports? :o

It could have been yesterdays photo!

On another thread Tim said in an unheated greenhouse he has often grown toms up to 10 trusses!!  I've got a heated greenhouse and once yes once only made 8 trusses.  I think I'll take up knitting. The soul destroying thing is I thought I was good at tomatoes. Maybe next year.......

[MikeB]

Sounds like square foot gardening would suit your circumstances Stuffed, take a look at this site for an idea.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/