Topic: Tomatoes in toilet roll cores didn't work for me.

[ina]

All these seedlings were sown and transplanted at the same time. As an experiment I planted some in toilet roll cores. Below you can see what happened compared to the ones planted in pots, they are doing very poorly. Why would that be? Today, I carefully removed the cardboard (the soil was not dried out) and planted the seedlings in normal pots, seeing the roots I'm confident they'll make it but lagging way behind the others.
 

[tim]

Oh, dear! = Tim

[ina]

Is that all you can say Tim?  :o

[Mrs Ava]

Wow, Ina, well, 2 wows infact!  First wow for, what a difference.  Is there perhaps a chemical in the loo roll middles that the toms don't like, or is it a matter of them drying out quicker, and second wow because I am impressed at how large your tom plants are!  Mine are on their first true leaves and the next pair are only just emerging.  Bet they all catch up at the same rate.

[ina]

Hi E.J.
I'm sure you are right about yours catching up in time. I was very impatient and wanted an early start.
Maybe there is something in those rolls, I don't know but in the lottie I planted broad beans in them (in the poly tunnel) and they seem to be doing just fine.

[cleo]

wait for the first flush ;D

Stephan.

[john_miller]

  Broad beans have a root system that tends to go straight down, Ina, (they have an incredible response to double digging- in trials almost double the yield) while tomatoes have a more lateral root growth. I would suspect that, for that reason, EJ has hit the nail on the head with the soil surface drying out too quickly.

[Ceri]

he he stephan

[Les_Woof]

I have some toms in seed trays...no where near the size of the plants pictured above.

At the moment they are about 1" - 1.5" tall but seem quite fragile...is this the norm?

And any ideas on when I should transfer each plant to its own pot before going into the growbags?

Thanks in anticipation

Les

[aquilegia]

Les - I'm no expert, but I pricked mine out at about that size. Since they've gone into individual pots, they've shot up (may also be due to warmer weather!) You should pot them up before putting into growbags, otherwise they will start to run out of root room in the trays.

[Moggle]

Hiya Les, I'm no expert either, but I too potted my tomaties on when they were that big. Mine also have grown loads, from seedlings to about 4 or 5 inches in a couple of weeks.  ;D

Don't forget that if they are tall and leggy and weak looking, when you pot them on you can bury them almost up to the seed leaves, the stem will put out more roots. I'm sure that someone will give a better explanation than that though.

I intend to put mine in to growbags about mid-may I think. I am in the south.

[Les_Woof]

Thanks aqui and moggle.

Looks like I'm pricking tonight then, what size pots are they best in? I have loads of 3" pots(never used) that were left behind by the previous shed owner...would these be OK or should I get some bigger ones?

Les

[aquilegia]

Les - most of mine are in 3in pots now. I start them off in fairly small pots and then plant them on as necessary. That saves windowsill room and also means there isn't masses of compost needed.

[Moggle]

Mine are in 4 inch pots and they seem to be loving it.  :D
I love this growing business  ;D

[Les_Woof]

I can't wait to get home....this wrking for a living isn't much fun now spring is here........ 8) 8) 8) 8)

[cleo]

a three inch pot will be fine Les-happy potting up.

Stephan

[ina]

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.



I'm going to try cutting and pasting the text from that old posting here, part of it is the 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.

The author is an American gardener by the name of D. Raymond.

[tim]

How much compost do you allow each tom, Ina? In litres?? = Tim

[ina]

Do you mean the ones I grow in grow bags Tim? Normal 20 liter bags of potting soil, standing on end. I plant the roots straight up, deep in the bag. In the greenhouse I put them in the ground horizontally like it shows on the picture in my posting above because the ground is much colder than the soil in grow bags.

[Lady Cosmos]

Hai Ina, I use toilet rolls filled with potting compost to grow tomatoes in.

They work well and you can just plant the pots and all as they rot leaving the roots undisturbed.

I am rather not so early with sowing in the rolls. I am not an expert but this is my way of growing tomatoes for years: Water from underneath and keep the compost damp, not wet :o

A very strange thing: water the seedlings with very weak chamomile tea to prevent mould growing on the paper pots. ??? ???

Some of the plants I keep in the greenhouse and I use the same methode as you do. many, many more tomatoes you get that way ;D ;D
Some of the plants I put out of the greenhouse, in my very sandy soil ( I live just behind the dunes- Bollenstreek) but after he great start inside I get lots and lots every year. :P :P