Allotments 4 All
Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: tim on June 10, 2007, 07:53:38
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Excepting the really hot spells, how much do you give them & how often?
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TIM, I was always taught to never give your tomato,s more than 2 pints of water on the hottest days and water every day. I prefer to water in the evening so the sun takes nothing away from them and to keep buckets of water in the greenhouse to create humidity.
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I have been watering mine about an inch of water every 3rd day and feeding once a week.
Unless the compost looks and feels particularly dry.
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An inch = ? litres??
And is that each plant?
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Sorry, by an Inch i meant
(http://www.sigsy2.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/inch.jpg)
No idea how much in volume that is, but by doing this every three days it tends to keep the compost nice and evenly moist, not soaked.
And yes that's for each plant. ;D
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I grow ring culture style so the soil around the plant is built up around the stem like a pyramid. When i water i do it around the outside of the pot but when i feed i do it around the inside of the pot. I also remove all the foliage up to the first truss.
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture031.jpg)
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Why do you remove the foliage?
Is this something you would reccomend?
I might start watering the bag instead of the pot, as I have read that it helps train secondary roots.
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Thanks, Sigsy. Would still like to know what that quantity is.
And since that's 'ring culture' style, should the water not go in the bottom & the feed in the top - as Davy says?
They look mighty healthy done your way!
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Snap! We crossed in mid-air!
Removing foliage which has done its job aids ventilation & gives access for watering.
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Just before I go ahead and decimate my entire crop :o ;),
I thought I'd best check
It's just a simple process of starting at the bottom and snipping off every branch of leaves until I get to a truss?
How close to the stem should I be a'snippin?
Do I snip only yellowed leaves or full healthy looking green ones also?
What do you mean by "Foliage which has done it's job"?
Sorry to go off topic and barrage with questions,
but for a first timer its a horrifying thought :-\ :)
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Just before I go ahead and decimate my entire crop :o ;),
I thought I'd best check
It's just a simple process of starting at the bottom and snipping off every branch of leaves until I get to a truss?
How close to the stem should I be a'snippin?
For a first timer its a horrifying thought :-\ :)
I would be interested in hearing more about this, can anyone else add to this topic?
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Once again, I am NOT the expert in this, & there is NO NEED to disrobe, but I do believe that taking off the leaves when they start looking grotty can do what I said - & help keep things clean & divert energy upwards?
I remove by bending upwards at the stem junction where they should break clean.
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[I[/quote]
I would be interested in hearing more about this, can anyone else add to this topic?
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Made me laugh Chris. ;D
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SIGSY. There is nothing horrifying really, its just that its possibly the first time you have heard of it so one thinks is that right or is it wrong.
I will get a photo or two tomorrow and show you trusses with as many as 24 flowers on that have the foliage removed bellow.
What you do is take of two every couple of days by snapping the leaf stem upwards where it is growing out of the plant and removing it ( remember snap UPWARDS not down).
The removal of the lower leaves allows ventilation between plants and they are not taking feed away from the tomato as Tim says.
Remember only two at a time every couple of days. You can snip them of i just put the method i use above
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Great thanks for that :)
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[I
I would be interested in hearing more about this, can anyone else add to this topic?
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Made me laugh Chris. ;D
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? :)
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Chris please please post your naked tom pics again, they did make me giggle last year. :D
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Sigsy - didn't answer your question.
I meant those that have contributed to the growth of the plant but are now looking 'beyond it' - limp, yellowing or otherwise sickly. Usually the bottom 2 leaves.
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Thanks Tim,
Back to your original question, I measured it out yesterday when I watered,
It's about 1/2 litre each plant, with 3 plants in growbag so 1 1/2 litres per growbag overall - give or take ;)
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oh hehehehe, yeh yeh i know slight newbi activity went on last year, but i now know what I'm doing.
Ok ok here is the pic again! ;)
I'll never let this one down will i ;)
(http://backyard.8m.net/garden%20veg/02.08.06/veg_0007.JPG)
(http://backyard.8m.net/garden%20veg/22.08.06/greenhouse%20tomatoes1.jpg)
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Saying nothing
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Thanks, Sigsy.
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Chris, I'd forgotten how funny that was! You just made me choke on a crisp..
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:-[ oh er....
...mine look a tad like that now, not as tall though
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A few baby trusses
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture037.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture036-1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture035-1.jpg
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We'll get there?
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;D ;D ;D
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DavyW1, let me say what a pleasure it was to see once again a bed of tomatoes growing under ring culture. I used the same method for nearly 20 years in the `60s and `70s. However, when I mentioned this method on this site a year or two ago it met with such blank incomprehension that I thought the method had died out.
However, I`m a little puzzled as to the reasons given for removing the lower leaves at so early a stage. There are basically only two reasons for removal of leaves:
(a) If the leaves themselves are unhealthy, either through age or through infirmity
(b) If the foliage becomes so dense that removal is necessary for added ventilation.
The lower leaves are the most mature on the plant, and once matured they are do not take up food or any appreciable quantity of moisture - it is the growing tip and leaves which require these - and any loss of moisture through transpiration is far less with the old leaves than with the younger, softer foliage higher up the plant - their purpose, once matured, is simply to aid photosynthesis and removing them unnecessarily just reduces this to the detriment of the plant.
I remember, when I first started growing tomatoes over 60 years ago, being advised that the reason for removing the lower leaves was to to allow sunlight to ripen the fruit, but, of course, sunlight plays no part whatever in the ripening process and the advice was yet another old wives tale.
Until I gave up tomato growing (for the sake of my digestion) I used to ripen my first tomatoes before the end of May and run the plants up to 13 trusses, and apart from the two reasons I have mentioned the only times that I removed the lower foliage was to take the stems down from their original canes and train them along the bed to tie into the next cane along to allow an extra 3 feet or so of height to the plants.
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So do you think it might make any sense at all to leave side shoots on, but remove the trusses, so that the extra leaves could photosynthesise, giving the plant more energy?
Just a mad thought.....be gentle with me ::)
cj :)
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Digestion, Kepouros? Even orange ones?
I'm surprised that ring culture seemed outdated - I thought that it was weel established & even expanded to rings on growbags.
Sunlight? And these days we complain of sun scorch!
Caroline - not too sure where you're off to. Leave sideshoots - not on cordons surely? Or do you mean lower leaves?
And why would one remove flower trusses?
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Tim, what I mean is to treat the tom like a cordon with regards to the trusses.
When sideshoots appear, let the leaves stay, so there is more greenery, so more food production by the plant. But take the trusses off the sideshoots , so the ones on the main cordon get extra goodness from the extra leaves, but dont get drained by the trusses that would have been on the sideshoots.
I am useless at trying to explain things ???
cj :)
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Oh!!
Assuming that we're talking about cordons, it seems better to remove the 'sideshoots' - they sap energy & clutter the place up.
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I see where your coming from Caroline but i dont know the answer. I 've always removed the lower 4or 5 leaf stems for better watering and weeding[i grow direct in soil] and get decent Toms. Towards the backend of the year i remove the majority of leaves.
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Blimey - they're a bit naked ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
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Caroline, if you think it out carefully the exercise would be self defeating.
If you are thinking of it from the point of growing bush varieties to fruit as cordons any small increase in the quantity of fruit from the trusses on the main stem would be more than offset by the considerable loss of the fruit from the removed trusses.
If, on the other hand, you are thinking purely from the point of cordon varieties, you would have to use larger spacing between the plants than you otherwise would to allow for all the extra foliage, or risk serious problems over inadequate ventilation - less plants in the row = less fruit, but more watering and feeding per plant.
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OK Ok I conceed. It was just a mad passing thought ::)
Thanks ;D
cj :)
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Actually, dont know if conceed is the right word. Have just racked 10 demi johns of wine, taking a sip or more of each, so I could be talking gibberish. Sorry :-[
cj :)
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Succumb, you mean??
ALL ideas are worth posting.
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Tim, what I mean is to treat the tom like a cordon with regards to the trusses.
When sideshoots appear, let the leaves stay, so there is more greenery, so more food production by the plant. But take the trusses off the sideshoots , so the ones on the main cordon get extra goodness from the extra leaves, but don't get drained by the trusses that would have been on the sideshoots.
I am useless at trying to explain things ???
cj :)
It sounds good in theory Caroline but its not practical. As the suckers ( side chutes ) grow they take food away from the fruit thus you get less and smaller tomato,s. While the plant may take a small amount of feed in thro the leaves it is insignificant compared to what it takes up thro the roots.
I remove the lower leaf stems much the same as Northerner for a number of reasons the first being most of the bottom leave are turning yellow, dying or are going to die. To increase ventilation around the plants, as i believe this is one of the reasons which contributes to Blossom End Rot. Easier access for watering and weeding.