Growing Laterals... - Page 13

murihikukid · June 10, 2016

Patti...I wonder how much banana powder to use for the drum soil....?.

Yes the cables have to get wet to conduct the heat through the soil But they have to be completely sealed and this is important...But I have read not to put them in soil...Thats why in raised bed videos they put a layer of sand down then the warming cable then another layer of sand over the cable then the soil ... In practice the gardeners material I am to use will create a smaller container in the drum but moisture can travel through it from the sand to the soil and the warming cable would sit in the space with sand round it and the soil would be in the middle...BUT unfortunately so far I have been unable to get the warming cable from China ...Yes lights and doors so far I have been lucky ...I still need the steel for the roof but I just have to wait as it will appear in the "reuse" shop....

I have decided to put a panel heater in the first freezer ...Once I have it done I will post a photo ..in a new thread... Regards Ron

murihikukid · June 11, 2016

Patti..The Lisa King has a tomato ....and flowers are rapidly appearing on my other cuttings .and they are really not that high..I have to really work to get these moved ....I am still wondering about bark fines and peat moss and the purpose both have ....with no warming cable ....I do not see any need for sand around the soil but what about Bark fines or Peat moss ......I think maybe I should put some coarse sand in the drum bottoms ??

I am hoping I do not make any mistakes as these plants are the best looking I have grown so I am hoping they really produce...

Although I have only propagated Seeds for two seasons they never looked as strong in their containers as ones I saw at the same age for sale in Garden Centres..I often wondered about this ..They are supplied by companies that specialise and I have heard they grow from cuttings...and I think my plants are proof of this?

I wish I was younger cause I struggle with the energy levels required to do all the work and it being winter does not help...I have to get some seeds for some of your favourites and get them propagated..........maybe I am not too late to get them to the stage I can get laterals from them for our season in 3-4 months..Time goes so quickly..

Regards Ron

MissS · June 11, 2016

Questions, questions and now for a few answers.

I add 4-5 banana peels to each plant when I plant them in my beds. I will also give them a few more during the season as I eat them. In addition I will use a high potassium fertiliser after fruit set. So to answer your question, just give them as many peels as you like...

Rather than using sand in the bottom of your pots I would use just your potting mix or just bark fines. Sand will just pour out of the bottom too easily and it also stays wet. If your pots are on the racks that you built then there really is not a need for sand or gravel in the bottom of your pots. I am thinking that the reason that you would like sand at the bottom is for drainage. Bark fines will drain far better than the sand and will not pour out of your holes in the bottoms.

Do you need bark fines or peat moss? No not really. I imagine that your potting mix is a peat moss based product already. Adding bark fines is great for aeration and drainage. It seems that you have learned to keep your watering to a minimum and if that is the case then you will not need the bark fines. If you still enjoy watering a lot, then you will need them. I would suggest that you do add the bark fines to your greenhouse pots just due to the fact that your plants will be in them for a longer length of time.

Most garden center plants are not grown from cuttings or at least they are not here in the States. What they do to get their seedlings so short and stocky is to cold treat the young seedlings for the first few weeks by growing them at about 50-60 degrees and also using growth inhibitors which keep them stocky. You kept your cuttings quite cool and your growth was slow which is the reason that your plants are so stocky.

I would suggest that you not start any more plants from seed right now. It seems that you have your hands and house quite full. When you do start some new seedlings, I see no need to start any from laterals unless it has become new addiction for you... Those on the list that I gave you are open pollinated so you can just save some seeds for your future use. If you keep your seedlings cool for a bit as you did your laterals, your plants will be nice and stocky.

Regards ~ Patti

murihikukid · June 11, 2016

Hi Patti...I was getting miserly and thinking of the soil required to fill a drum....I could use some of my bagged leaf soil that has not broken down as much as the beautiful fine soil I have ....I am still working on the freezer and hope to have it finished today but it only takes 4 plants and I will photograph these and send on a new thread as I presume they should be pruned as they are transplanted.....Yes over here everybody is "mad" about water ...If ones tomatoes are not doing well its always lack of water but it seems to me that most have it round the wrong way...

I have had positive comment from an electrician re warming cable and my idea....but seeing I cannot get the cable it may be a blessing cause I will see how my first freezer goes with a panel heater in it...
Regards Ron

MissS · June 11, 2016

Yes Ron using your leaf soil is a wonderful option just remember to add more perlite.

murihikukid · June 14, 2016

Patti..I finally gave up on #1 .......But good news re the other two....one that had a root is now happily growing in soil and the other one which I had forgotten about in water has at least one healthy root and the top is looking good so later I will replant it in soil so I actually saved them?? (took a long time and I really do not think they would have lived if I had not removed them from the soil I had them in..)...Meantime I am flat out trying to get 3 new freezers "online" and find enough drums for them ....by rearranging my front room I can get three new freezers in the room and will be able to get access to all the plants plus there is still room for my trusty "planter Freezer" that I am using now and in the future will use for seeds/cuttings etc...I will surround all freezers in blankets but I will have to be very careful with the soil warming ... ..I had a health worker in to see me and she thought it was great what I was doing..She never thought I was strange and I thought that was great because the house is a mess but I think she saw the bigger picture and realised the enjoyment ,challenge etc I was getting from my tomatoes....Later this week I should be able to start a new thread and I want it to coincide with my new freezers and the pruning and transplanting that will take place...

I have to be honest..I hope I can get advice via photographs of each individual plant on pruning cause I have only done limited pruning on them ....and I need to know exactly how to get my 3 main stems and I can sit back and admire them...as they grow...
Regards Ron

MissS · June 15, 2016

I am surprised that you were still keeping these laterals. I give you an "A" for your effort and determination. Do you really have room for all of them? This might work well for you to have a delayed harvest after your first bunch has set it's main crop of fruit. I am glad that you have had such good success with your laterals. Congratulations!

If your healthcare worker says a peep about your tomato addiction just tell her that you are a member of Tomatoville where everyone else there is as phobic as you.........

bigpinks · June 15, 2016

I have grown suckers in containers the past 5 yrs for a late crop. But because of a bad blight prob here I started some from seed this yr. They just germinated and are under the shop lights with seed leaves and about 3 in tall. Should have them outside in 20 gal totes by mid July. Big pinks, yellow/red, orange slice, I Stripe and choc cherry.

murihikukid · June 15, 2016

Patti..Its better than a summer day so I have my Perlite and Bark Fines and Plantmate...So I am nearly set to go...Got to buy Blankets for my new Freezers??Regards Ron

MissS · June 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigpinks

I have grown suckers in containers the past 5 yrs for a late crop. But because of a bad blight prob here I started some from seed this yr. They just germinated and are under the shop lights with seed leaves and about 3 in tall. Should have them outside in 20 gal totes by mid July. Big pinks, yellow/red, orange slice, I Stripe and choc cherry.

Wow, you can have a second crop there. You are really lucky!

MissS · June 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by murihikukid

Patti..Its better than a summer day so I have my Perlite and Bark Fines and Plantmate...So I am nearly set to go...Got to buy Blankets for my new Freezers??Regards Ron

Well you certainly are set for the perlite for the next few years. You weren't kidding when you said that you could get a big bag. You are lucky that it is so light and easy for your to pull.

Another one of your wonderful inventions! A cart made out of a bed frame. You remind me of the man in the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with all of your creations! Now you just need a bicycle built for two for your date to go with you!

Regards ~ Patti

murihikukid · June 15, 2016

Patti..I have started a new thread titled "Growing Tomatoes Down Under in Winter." ...I have taken advantage of the nice day and taken 2 photos each of the first 4 Tasty Toms that will be put in my new freezer but I want to do some heat tests first for a few days on drums with the soil in them (no Tomatoes) just to make sure ....Will Split my photos up into two .... TTA1 and TTA2 are the same tomato different angle..Likewise TTB1 and TTB2 etc etc..

They have really grown....Regards Ron

murihikukid · June 15, 2016

TTC1and 2 and TTD1 and 2.... Regards Ron

bigpinks · June 16, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissS

Wow, you can have a second crop there. You are really lucky!

Last yr the July suckers produced 16 oz fruit until late Oct. A few yrs back I gave one of these to my Dad and he took 2 huge Mr Stripey with him deer hunting which comes in Thanksgiving week in West Virginia. Prob had to cover them up a few times.

MissS · June 16, 2016

Your plants are looking great. You have done a very good job with them so far. I love your dedication to these plants.

Now let's get to some pruning....

TTA Needs to have the bottom leaf removed because it is touching the rim of the pot. If there is a lateral developing let it grow. There is a sucker growing at the next node which you can allow to grow.

TTB Remove the two lowest leaves that are touching the pot and allow that nice lateral to grow. There may be another lateral down low there but it is hard for me to see. If there is leave it on for now. After you are done pruning, I would like to see another picture. This is a very nice plant that you have there.

TTC This plant is growing nicely. You have a sucker just at the end of your green thread that you can let grow. Another is forming just where your thread is tied and another one at the node above it. Pick either one of those to allow to grow and remove the other. Remove all suckers that are growing above these nodes.

TTD Must be the one that you were trying to pull to a more upward growth habit. You have done well with that. From your photos, I see nothing that needs to be pruned on this one. This one is going to be blooming very nicely.

Keep vibrating those blossoms to get some pollination. Hopefully the next time that you post you will have some green tomatoes on these plants!

Cheers ~ Patti

June 10, 2016	#181
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Patti...I wonder how much banana powder to use for the drum soil....?. Yes the cables have to get wet to conduct the heat through the soil But they have to be completely sealed and this is important...But I have read not to put them in soil...Thats why in raised bed videos they put a layer of sand down then the warming cable then another layer of sand over the cable then the soil ... In practice the gardeners material I am to use will create a smaller container in the drum but moisture can travel through it from the sand to the soil and the warming cable would sit in the space with sand round it and the soil would be in the middle...BUT unfortunately so far I have been unable to get the warming cable from China ...Yes lights and doors so far I have been lucky ...I still need the steel for the roof but I just have to wait as it will appear in the "reuse" shop.... I have decided to put a panel heater in the first freezer ...Once I have it done I will post a photo ..in a new thread... Regards Ron Last edited by murihikukid; June 10, 2016 at 11:06 PM.

June 11, 2016	#183
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,146	Questions, questions and now for a few answers. I add 4-5 banana peels to each plant when I plant them in my beds. I will also give them a few more during the season as I eat them. In addition I will use a high potassium fertiliser after fruit set. So to answer your question, just give them as many peels as you like... Rather than using sand in the bottom of your pots I would use just your potting mix or just bark fines. Sand will just pour out of the bottom too easily and it also stays wet. If your pots are on the racks that you built then there really is not a need for sand or gravel in the bottom of your pots. I am thinking that the reason that you would like sand at the bottom is for drainage. Bark fines will drain far better than the sand and will not pour out of your holes in the bottoms. Do you need bark fines or peat moss? No not really. I imagine that your potting mix is a peat moss based product already. Adding bark fines is great for aeration and drainage. It seems that you have learned to keep your watering to a minimum and if that is the case then you will not need the bark fines. If you still enjoy watering a lot, then you will need them. I would suggest that you do add the bark fines to your greenhouse pots just due to the fact that your plants will be in them for a longer length of time. Most garden center plants are not grown from cuttings or at least they are not here in the States. What they do to get their seedlings so short and stocky is to cold treat the young seedlings for the first few weeks by growing them at about 50-60 degrees and also using growth inhibitors which keep them stocky. You kept your cuttings quite cool and your growth was slow which is the reason that your plants are so stocky. I would suggest that you not start any more plants from seed right now. It seems that you have your hands and house quite full. When you do start some new seedlings, I see no need to start any from laterals unless it has become new addiction for you... Those on the list that I gave you are open pollinated so you can just save some seeds for your future use. If you keep your seedlings cool for a bit as you did your laterals, your plants will be nice and stocky. Regards ~ Patti __________________ ~ Patti ~

June 11, 2016	#185
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,146	Yes Ron using your leaf soil is a wonderful option just remember to add more perlite. __________________ ~ Patti ~

June 15, 2016	#187
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,146	I am surprised that you were still keeping these laterals. I give you an "A" for your effort and determination. Do you really have room for all of them? This might work well for you to have a delayed harvest after your first bunch has set it's main crop of fruit. I am glad that you have had such good success with your laterals. Congratulations! If your healthcare worker says a peep about your tomato addiction just tell her that you are a member of Tomatoville where everyone else there is as phobic as you......... __________________ ~ Patti ~

June 16, 2016	#195
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,146	Your plants are looking great. You have done a very good job with them so far. I love your dedication to these plants. Now let's get to some pruning.... TTA Needs to have the bottom leaf removed because it is touching the rim of the pot. If there is a lateral developing let it grow. There is a sucker growing at the next node which you can allow to grow. TTB Remove the two lowest leaves that are touching the pot and allow that nice lateral to grow. There may be another lateral down low there but it is hard for me to see. If there is leave it on for now. After you are done pruning, I would like to see another picture. This is a very nice plant that you have there. TTC This plant is growing nicely. You have a sucker just at the end of your green thread that you can let grow. Another is forming just where your thread is tied and another one at the node above it. Pick either one of those to allow to grow and remove the other. Remove all suckers that are growing above these nodes. TTD Must be the one that you were trying to pull to a more upward growth habit. You have done well with that. From your photos, I see nothing that needs to be pruned on this one. This one is going to be blooming very nicely. Keep vibrating those blossoms to get some pollination. Hopefully the next time that you post you will have some green tomatoes on these plants! Cheers ~ Patti __________________ ~ Patti ~

June 11, 2016	#182
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Patti..The Lisa King has a tomato ....and flowers are rapidly appearing on my other cuttings .and they are really not that high..I have to really work to get these moved ....I am still wondering about bark fines and peat moss and the purpose both have ....with no warming cable ....I do not see any need for sand around the soil but what about Bark fines or Peat moss ......I think maybe I should put some coarse sand in the drum bottoms ?? I am hoping I do not make any mistakes as these plants are the best looking I have grown so I am hoping they really produce... Although I have only propagated Seeds for two seasons they never looked as strong in their containers as ones I saw at the same age for sale in Garden Centres..I often wondered about this ..They are supplied by companies that specialise and I have heard they grow from cuttings...and I think my plants are proof of this? I wish I was younger cause I struggle with the energy levels required to do all the work and it being winter does not help...I have to get some seeds for some of your favourites and get them propagated..........maybe I am not too late to get them to the stage I can get laterals from them for our season in 3-4 months..Time goes so quickly.. Regards Ron

June 11, 2016	#184
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Hi Patti...I was getting miserly and thinking of the soil required to fill a drum....I could use some of my bagged leaf soil that has not broken down as much as the beautiful fine soil I have ....I am still working on the freezer and hope to have it finished today but it only takes 4 plants and I will photograph these and send on a new thread as I presume they should be pruned as they are transplanted.....Yes over here everybody is "mad" about water ...If ones tomatoes are not doing well its always lack of water but it seems to me that most have it round the wrong way... I have had positive comment from an electrician re warming cable and my idea....but seeing I cannot get the cable it may be a blessing cause I will see how my first freezer goes with a panel heater in it... Regards Ron

June 14, 2016	#186
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Patti..I finally gave up on #1 .......But good news re the other two....one that had a root is now happily growing in soil and the other one which I had forgotten about in water has at least one healthy root and the top is looking good so later I will replant it in soil so I actually saved them?? (took a long time and I really do not think they would have lived if I had not removed them from the soil I had them in..)...Meantime I am flat out trying to get 3 new freezers "online" and find enough drums for them ....by rearranging my front room I can get three new freezers in the room and will be able to get access to all the plants plus there is still room for my trusty "planter Freezer" that I am using now and in the future will use for seeds/cuttings etc...I will surround all freezers in blankets but I will have to be very careful with the soil warming ... ..I had a health worker in to see me and she thought it was great what I was doing..She never thought I was strange and I thought that was great because the house is a mess but I think she saw the bigger picture and realised the enjoyment ,challenge etc I was getting from my tomatoes....Later this week I should be able to start a new thread and I want it to coincide with my new freezers and the pruning and transplanting that will take place... I have to be honest..I hope I can get advice via photographs of each individual plant on pruning cause I have only done limited pruning on them ....and I need to know exactly how to get my 3 main stems and I can sit back and admire them...as they grow... Regards Ron

June 15, 2016	#188
bigpinks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: SC Ohio(proctorville) Posts: 192	I have grown suckers in containers the past 5 yrs for a late crop. But because of a bad blight prob here I started some from seed this yr. They just germinated and are under the shop lights with seed leaves and about 3 in tall. Should have them outside in 20 gal totes by mid July. Big pinks, yellow/red, orange slice, I Stripe and choc cherry.