Topic: getting compact tomato plants

[moonbells]

I keep seeing all these lovely pics of  compact 6" high tomatoes with bushy leaves...
I wish I knew how to get nice compact plants - I suspect the answer is in my case, don't grow them in a north-facing conservatory! The far end isn't too bad (gets direct sunlight at this time of year but not all day) but I reckon it could be better.  Tomatoes already stretched despite being in the lightest part, and on the top tier of the rack.

Has anyone any hints ? I've potted one lot up, planting deeper so they're effectively shorter now, and I'm doing the stroking thing :) Foil? (Trouble there is that it will block light from the lower levels and make their seedlings longer).

Can one risk putting them into an unheated frame yet?

moonbells.

[tim]

Show me these lovely bushy plants - mine certainly arent! And they are in a south facing lean-to. (Oh - just  remembered Jerry's)

Much is to do, I feel, with the quality of light at present. Things will improve? Try a daylight tube?

I would say that it would be risky to put them out.

[supernan]

 ??? Moonbells you will get compact plants if you put them out unheated now, compacted on the compost heap. Don't do it.

Its the light level, all plants go leggy if there is not enough light. Plus too much heat, mine are in a greenhouse, heated at night but not during most days. Had to leave heat on one day last week cos it was b****y freezing.

[sandersj89]

Where I am in Sussex mine go out in the day to a cold frame on a day like today, sunny and warm. This means they maximum light and a breeze running over them.

The cold frames are located on a patio and in full sun for about 8 hours so it stays very warm in there and they seem to like it.

On cooler days they stay in the greenhouse which is heated day and night.



Jerry

[westsussexlottie]

I'm in Sussex too - but don't have a heated greenhouse. The poor plants stay in the kitchen overnight if it is forecast to be cold.
They are way behind the pictures Jerry posted. I just have to hope for some warmer weather.

[philcooper]

Jerry,

As the question was, how to produce compact (not compacted  :)) tomatoes your method seems to be the answer given the photographic proof of the method

Phil

[tim]

Anyone who is blessed with 8 hrs sun a day ought to come & live in the Cotswolds. That's another chapter!!

[kitty]

.....and lincolnshire! ;D
by the end of this month we shall have our conservatory up.and it will be facing nor'nor' east......leggy seedlings or not(and mine are due to them being on windowsills at the moment-they all produce toms.....
sanders -your plants DO look lovely!
*kitty a bit green,envywise now!* ;D

[supernan]

 :) Philcooper was that a dig at me then, t'was a silly pun LOL

[tim]

I thought it was highly appropriate!

[moonbells]

Thanks all - shall try and remember to frame them at some point (though only if it's significantly warmer at 7am than it has been of late!)

moonbells

[Mrs Ava]

The masses are in my now unheated greenhouse and are beefy fellas!  However, south facing garden, lots of foil down one side to help the light, lots of talking to them and moving them around to keep the butch.  The phew left in my heated conservatory are reaching for the ceiling and are going to have to be planted soooooooooooooo deep!

[Aussie Chick]

Hi,
My Toms are in the conservatory, this is South facing and as I work all day it gets pretty warm in there ( no doors open etc). My Toms must be 30 cms tall already, and skinny. What can I do to help this? I have put up a greenhouse on my Lottie but there's no heating in there. (It too is South facing).
Hoping you can help, please.  :-\
AC

[JohnnyLarge]

Brush your plants lightly with your hand twice a day to promote short, stocky plants. The back-and-forth movements helps promote a hormone called cytokinin, which creates plants with thicker, stronger stems. Outdoors, gentle breezes make this happen naturally.
John :)

[philcooper]

My Toms are in the conservatory, this is South facing and as I work all day it gets pretty warm in there ( no doors open etc).

This is a common problem with conservatories (which are not the same as greenhouses as someone claimed elsewhere)

They become too hot in sunlight and have a much lower level of humidity.

Your allotment house should be ok now as it shouldn't get below freezing inside but it requires ventilation during the sunny times - does it have (enough) automatic vents? If a heavy frost is threatened you could move them back "home" overnight

Phil

[Aussie Chick]

I have one auto vent and the other on a latch. I will get another auto one today, then that will be two auto vents. Would this be enough if I don't get down there in the mornings to open the door?
AC

[philcooper]

AC,

The advice given at our Horticultuarl College is that you should have ventilation equal to one sixth of the floor space.

So if yours is a 6' x 8' GH it requires 8 sq ft = 2 panes of 2x2 so a second auto vent should do the trick. They do advise that the ventilation is at the bottom (sides) as well as the top to allow a through flow

Phil

[Aussie Chick]

Thanks Phil. I might have to look into getting Louvers for the sides. I have the second auto vent ( in the fridge). Is that normal? On the box it said put it in the fridge for half an hour then run to the lottie to get it up before it warms up again! ( I added the run to the lottie bit!)
AC

[tim]

That's a useful one, Phil. So why don't the makers read the rules then??

We should be OK with 93sqft of vents, but it can still get very hot.

[philcooper]

Tim,

'cos vents cost money!!!

AC,

I believe that what a chap (or chappess) keeps in his (or her) fridge is a purely personal matter - having been subjected over many years to security investigations into my private life because of my job, I have never been asked about the contents of my fridge  ;)

Phil

PS The security people never caught me out!