Any suggestions for ongoing care for tomato plants to ensure a good
yield ?
- I put a bit of lime in the soil when they were planted. I'm worried
about blossom end rot - should I apply more lime?
- How 'bout Miracle Grow or other soluble fertilizers? Once a week ?
- Any preference for mulches - wheat straw vs shredded hardwood, etc?

wrote:
Any suggestions for ongoing care for tomato plants to ensure a good
yield ?
- I put a bit of lime in the soil when they were planted. I'm worried
about blossom end rot - should I apply more lime?
- How 'bout Miracle Grow or other soluble fertilizers? Once a week ?
- Any preference for mulches - wheat straw vs shredded hardwood, etc?

For blossom end rot:
I have had good results with Stop Rot, a concentrated calcium solution.
Dilute 1 tablespoon per quart of water.
Spray the entire plant: foliage, fruit, blossoms, everything.
Do this only two or three times through the whole growing season.
The same product is available with similar names, including Rot Stop.

For fertilizer:
I like Miracle Grow, but mix it at half strength and apply it twice
as often as the package instructions specify.

For mulch:
I've tried all sorts of mulches and had the best results with ordinary
tree leaves collected in the autumn. They do a good job of weed
control, and at the end of the growing season they have broken down
into little crumbly particles. Tilled under, they improve the soil.

Daniel B. Martin

We oyt about a half cup of powdered milk in, when we plant tomatos.
Did it a year ago and not a single plant got blossom end rot, so
trying it again this year.
Plus the powdered milk is a great cheap substitute for coffee creamer
in case anyone likes their coffee that way.



On May 24, 2:11 pm, "Daniel B. Martin"
wrote:
wrote:
Any suggestions for ongoing care for tomato plants to ensure a good
yield ?
- I put a bit of lime in the soil when they were planted. I'm worried
about blossom end rot - should I apply more lime?
- How 'bout Miracle Grow or other soluble fertilizers? Once a week ?
- Any preference for mulches - wheat straw vs shredded hardwood, etc?

For blossom end rot:
I have had good results with Stop Rot, a concentrated calcium solution.
Dilute 1 tablespoon per quart of water.
Spray the entire plant: foliage, fruit, blossoms, everything.
Do this only two or three times through the whole growing season.
The same product is available with similar names, including Rot Stop.

For fertilizer:
I like Miracle Grow, but mix it at half strength and apply it twice
as often as the package instructions specify.

For mulch:
I've tried all sorts of mulches and had the best results with ordinary
tree leaves collected in the autumn. They do a good job of weed
control, and at the end of the growing season they have broken down
into little crumbly particles. Tilled under, they improve the soil.

Daniel B. Martin

wrote:
Any suggestions for ongoing care for tomato plants to ensure a good
yield ?

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry. (I watered mine today.) The best time to water is early in
the morning or late in the evening, to minimize moisture loss due to
evaporation.

Daniel B. Martin

In article k.net, wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry.

I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

In article ,
(don) wrote:

In article k.net,
wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry.

I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not
soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

Tomato plants tend to be vulnerable to fungus and mildew attacking the
leaves, especially in this humid climate. I have always operated under
the assumption that getting the leaves wet would only encourage
problems. I also made a habit of mulching the soil around my plants so
that rainwater couldn't splash dirt onto the leaves, which I've heard
aids soil-borne diseases in attacking the plants.
--
Philip Semanchuk
email: first name @ last name.com

don wrote:
I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

http://www.humeseeds.com/sumtom.htm says ...


"WATERING: Run the hose at the base of the plants. Do not
water tomatoes with an over-head sprinkler. Water thoroughly
when you water, then hold off for several days, before
rewatering. At the same time don't let the plants lack for
water, as that is likely to stunt the plants, and the uneven
water supply can can result in blossom end-rot. (This
appears as a water soaked area on the blossom end of the
fruit.) I find the biggest mistake that home gardeners make
is to over water and over feed tomatoes, which results in
lush foliage growth, cool and moist soil, and just a few,
slow ripening tomatoes. Over-head watering can also be a
factor in creating blight on your tomatoes. If possible
avoid watering your tomato plants in late afternoon or early
evening. The best time to water is early morning, so the
soil has a chance to warm-up before the cooler evening hours
set-in."

Daniel B. Martin

On 2007-05-26, Philip Semanchuk wrote:
In article ,
(don) wrote:

In article k.net,
wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry.

I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not
soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

Tomato plants tend to be vulnerable to fungus and mildew attacking the
leaves, especially in this humid climate. I have always operated under
the assumption that getting the leaves wet would only encourage
problems. I also made a habit of mulching the soil around my plants so
that rainwater couldn't splash dirt onto the leaves, which I've heard
aids soil-borne diseases in attacking the plants.

I have not seen TomatoLord post, but he would disagree. He shreds
leaves and puts them out 6 inches deep. He then parts the leaves and
places the plants directly on the ground not in it.

From what I have read it seems tomatoes are contaminated by soil
splashing up on the leaves. So any mulch will prevent that from
happening. I am trying a modified version. I plant in the ground, but
I mulch with several sections of the N&O held down with some bark
mulch.It is far enough out from the plant that no splashing can happen
and I will increase the circle by putting leaves to cover all the ground
between tomatoes.

As for watering, I feel deep watering once per week is preferable once
per week to more frequent watering. Somewhere between 1 and 1.5 inches
per week. How much is that well a 4x4 foot area is 1.33 cubic feet and
there are 8 gal. per cuft. so that is about 11 gallons per plant
perweek for one inch of water. Now if you get a half inch of rain then
that should be counted and only water 5 gallons more that week.

How to measure how much water, time how long it takes you to fill a 5
gallon bucket with water. Everybody's water pressure differs so this is
one fairly accurate method. If someone else in the house is running
water, that will affect the flow, so try to water when no one is
showering or washing clothes or dishes.

I feel everyone should examine what the maximum flow rate is from an
outside faucet and say 50 feet of hose. And if you are really curious,
have someone run another faucet or flush a toilet while timing it so
you can get an idea of that rate for the max time to fill a 5 gallon
bucket. Using a watering wand on the hose will also reduce the rate
from just the hose it self.

Hope this helps.


--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

is a garbage address.

In article ,
wrote:

On 2007-05-26, Philip Semanchuk wrote:
In article ,
(don) wrote:

In article k.net,
wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry.

I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not
soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

Tomato plants tend to be vulnerable to fungus and mildew attacking the
leaves, especially in this humid climate. I have always operated under
the assumption that getting the leaves wet would only encourage
problems. I also made a habit of mulching the soil around my plants so
that rainwater couldn't splash dirt onto the leaves, which I've heard
aids soil-borne diseases in attacking the plants.

I have not seen TomatoLord post, but he would disagree. He shreds
leaves and puts them out 6 inches deep. He then parts the leaves and
places the plants directly on the ground not in it.

I would not dare to argue with someone named TomatoLord! But seriously,
with which part would he disagree? Reading what you wrote, I think we're
saying the same thing -- use mulch to keep soil from splashing onto your
plants.
--
Philip Semanchuk
email: first name @ last name.com

My wife found a great trick in a book that is perfect for not only
making sure the water goes right where it needs to, but also
regulating exactly how much water the plant gets. We take empty 2
liter bottles and cut the bottom 1 inch off of the bottom with a box
cutter. We then bury them 1/2 way underground right up against the
tomato plant. Voila. You water the tomato plant by filling the bottle
with a hose. Easy peasy. You dont have to worry about run-off or over-
watering. The water enters the ground right where the roots need it,
plus the bottle itself is a perfect water-volume measuring tool.

But it should be said, mulching is a must.

Peter F wrote:
You water the tomato plant by filling the bottle with a hose. Easy peasy.

Nice idea. Details, please.

How many buried bottles per tomato plant? One? More than
one?

How frequently do you fill those bottles with water? Daily?

Daniel B. Martin

On May 30, 3:29 pm, "Daniel B. Martin"
wrote:
Peter F wrote:
You water the tomato plant by filling the bottle with a hose. Easy peasy.

Nice idea. Details, please.

How many buried bottles per tomato plant? One? More than
one?

How frequently do you fill those bottles with water? Daily?

Daniel B. Martin

We are working our way towards one bottle for every plant, of which we
have 8 in the ground. 2 liter bottles are not easy to come by when you
aren't big soda drinkers, so its slow going. We've been filling them
about 1.5 to 2 times per watering session anywhere from 1 to 3 times a
week so far this year. Depends on how hot it is and rain. It is
seeming to us that if you let the soil dry out a little by waiting an
extra day to water, the plants really get some growth on them. Will
that translate into more fruit? No idea. We're also trying this out
with cucumber plants with overturned 1-gallon plastic milk jugs. I'll
let you know if that works.

On 2007-05-29, Philip Semanchuk wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

On 2007-05-26, Philip Semanchuk wrote:
In article ,
(don) wrote:

In article k.net,
wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, water your tomato plants if the soil
gets dry.

I've heard it's better to just water the ground around the plant, and not
soak
the leaves as well. Is that true?

Tomato plants tend to be vulnerable to fungus and mildew attacking the
leaves, especially in this humid climate. I have always operated under
the assumption that getting the leaves wet would only encourage
problems. I also made a habit of mulching the soil around my plants so
that rainwater couldn't splash dirt onto the leaves, which I've heard
aids soil-borne diseases in attacking the plants.

I have not seen TomatoLord post, but he would disagree. He shreds
leaves and puts them out 6 inches deep. He then parts the leaves and
places the plants directly on the ground not in it.

I would not dare to argue with someone named TomatoLord! But seriously,
with which part would he disagree? Reading what you wrote, I think we're
saying the same thing -- use mulch to keep soil from splashing onto your
plants.

i think I should have read you post again. I think my brain went on
vacation mid paragraph. I could not find anything to disagree with the
when I just read it.


--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

is a garbage address.

On 2007-05-31, Peter F wrote:
On May 30, 3:29 pm, "Daniel B. Martin"
wrote:
Peter F wrote:
You water the tomato plant by filling the bottle with a hose. Easy peasy.

Nice idea. Details, please.

How many buried bottles per tomato plant? One? More than
one?

How frequently do you fill those bottles with water? Daily?

Daniel B. Martin

We are working our way towards one bottle for every plant, of which we
have 8 in the ground. 2 liter bottles are not easy to come by when you
aren't big soda drinkers, so its slow going. We've been filling them
about 1.5 to 2 times per watering session anywhere from 1 to 3 times a
week so far this year. Depends on how hot it is and rain. It is
seeming to us that if you let the soil dry out a little by waiting an
extra day to water, the plants really get some growth on them. Will
that translate into more fruit? No idea. We're also trying this out
with cucumber plants with overturned 1-gallon plastic milk jugs. I'll
let you know if that works.


Plants take up water better as vapor and not as liquid from what I have
read. Which is why most plants will drown if left in standing water.
The argument for once per week watering is the water goes deeper because
you are putting more in the ground at one time,
encouraging deeper roots and therefore more drought resistant plants.
Perhaps the everyother day watering is cutting down on the growth? The
ground is getting saturated more often, but I don't know how long that
inhibits the roots from taking up water. Anyway once per week watering
gives less saturation time and more growth time perhaps?

IN the past I have used well washed 2.5 gallon herbicide jugs and small
tubing to get near the plant. The sun makes them brittle and I don't
have a ready supply since my brother gave up farming. I think I may
have to find some this year or opt for 5 gallon buckets and get two
plants with one. Debris can clog the tubing so the jugs were easier to
cover with the smaller caps. Or put in some movable drip irrigation as
I have done with landscape plants. Oh, you have to weight the jugs or
buckets with rocks or tie them down. The wind knocks them over when
empty.
--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

is a garbage address.

In article ,
wrote:

On 2007-05-29, Philip Semanchuk wrote:

I would not dare to argue with someone named TomatoLord! But seriously,
with which part would he disagree? Reading what you wrote, I think we're
saying the same thing -- use mulch to keep soil from splashing onto your
plants.

i think I should have read you post again. I think my brain went on
vacation mid paragraph. I could not find anything to disagree with the
when I just read it.

That's good to know, thanks! I'm always looking to learn something new
or confirm what I thought I knew.

Cheers
--
Philip Semanchuk
email: first name @ last name.com