18-05-2004, 04:06 PM
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need to prune tomato plant?
writes:
My
plant may only get 4 hours afternoon sun. It is the best I can do with
my location. How bad will this affect the flowering and production?
Having grown up in sun country, I was very concerned about my garden
location as there is no place in it that gets more than half a day of sun
because of surrounding trees (though this year the top third of my 30-foot
plus magnolia tree is gone, thanks to winter storms).
What I have learned in my own garden is that sun does not seem to be as
much a factor as proper watering. Proper watering means soaking once a
week or so so that *all* the soil is wet, not just around the plant.
Water placed directly around the plant dissipates into the surrounding
soil pulling it away from the intended plants which is why soaking is
important. I can assure you that in eastern Washington, the plants needed
that thorough soaking with that terrific drainage.
Something I see often with folks is that they will water half an hour or
maybe an hour if they are feeling generous. I use surface watering
(soaker hoses or drip) and water for a minimum of four hours. The
generous watering not only wets all the surrounding soil, but it provides
a good atmosphere for all the critters working underground to keep the
soil in premium condition for optimum growing. After watering, you should
be able to dig down and not find dry soil.
Tomato plants are among those that need good drainage which means ample
moisture but not wet feet. Sunshine matters, but daylight matters more
than direct sunlight. With four hours of direct sunlight per day, that
should be enough as long as the rest of the day they have daylight;
filtered light through trees is okay for the rest of the daylight.
Always remember that what the roots take up matters more than any other
single thing, that means fertile soil and water. The sunlight is the
stimulant, so to speak, that utilizes everything else. Tomatoes are
amazingly hardy, perhaps one of the hardiest of the edibles. Give them
good soil, water and sunlight and they will thrive. :-)
Glenna
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