Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old February 15, 2013   #121
efisakov
Tomatovillian™
 
efisakov's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
Default

Hey,
it is all learning process,
keep experimenting, remember, tomatoes are survivors, keep on...
and do not forger enjoying at the same time.
Is't it all about it?
My grandma is probably looking from above and saying "that is OK you will get it soon, go on".
Go on...
__________________
Ella

God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!”
efisakov is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #122
dice
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
Default

Quote:
Dice, I don't have experience with nematodes but many of the available rootstock seed have resistance to nematodes. Would that cover the root-knot nematode you have mentioned above?
I had not studied commercial rootstock seeds in detail, so I did not
know if any of them had nematode resistance. I do not have
root-knot nematode in the soil here, but the question comes up
here at T'ville a lot, from growers with sandy soil in California,
Texas, and Florida, and probably other places. So it seems like
grafting to rkn-resistant rootstock would be an alternative to
growing in containers for people who would rather grow in
the ground in areas where nematodes are a problem in local
soils.
__________________
--
alias
dice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #123
livinonfaith
Tomatovillian™
 
livinonfaith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Posts: 1,332
Default

Hey, 54red, when you did the graft, did you keep it in the DE? Or did you put it in potting soil?

If damping off seems to be a problem with the potting soil, I might keep mine in DE until after they heal. Has anyone tried that?

It's just about time for me to try my first grafts, so all of this information is helpful. Unfortunately, it is also starting to make me question why I thought it was a good idea in the first place!

I'll go ahead and cut off the excess leaves, probably Sunday, and do the grafting early next week. Wish me luck!
livinonfaith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #124
z_willus_d
Tomatovillian™
 
z_willus_d's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Eastern Suburb of Sacramento, CA
Posts: 1,313
Default

Wishing you luck Mr. or Miss Faith. I think you've got the right idea.

B54, I've been spraying with diluted hydrogen peroxide, and more recently with neem oil (don't know if this is a good idea for young seedlings) due to a problem with gnats. There's also chamomile that's worked for me in the past. It seems like adding one or another of these things sparingly to your spray bottle might help with the damping off.

I agree though, when you leave the plants all soaked down in that chamber for days on end (especially in the dark), it can get fetid inside; doesn't always smell so great either.

--naysen
z_willus_d is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #125
Stvrob
Tomatovillian™
 
Stvrob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 1,413
Default

I've been moving plants out of the humidity bubble even if they are somewhat wilted. At least for a few hours in dappled sunlight. I'm of the opinion that they need to get out of there as much as possible, I can't imagine them being alive after 7 or more days in there. Nothing quite like sunshine to stop damping off from ruining everything.
Stvrob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #126
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

I pot mine up from the egg cartons with DE into coffee cups with potting soil. I have never had much of a problem with damping off once they are large enough to pot up; but then I've never stuck them in a damp healing chamber for days either.

So far I have noticed the ones that wilt as soon as you give them a little air tend to be the ones that fail by the end of the process. Some of the grafted plants never show any sign of wilting. I think those are the ones that start healing really quickly with the best chance for success. I believe some of these probably would do fine without going into a healing chamber. Just wish I could tell which ones.

As for stopping the damping off I just put some dry Captan in a spice bottle with a shaker top and sprinkled a little on the surface of the potting soil around the base of each plant. It only takes a little bit to be effective. I did this with the 2nd and 3rd batch of transplants even though none have wilted in the third batch. I would like to prevent damping off instead of trying to stop it once it gets going.
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #127
jamserg
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 105
Default

Not sure what "DE" is. Help, please?
jamserg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 15, 2013   #128
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamserg View Post
Not sure what "DE" is. Help, please?
Diotomaceous earth and the brand I have been using comes from Auto Zone with the name UltraSorb. There is a really good thread under the "Starting from Seed" forum in which it is discussed. It's got some very useful information on using DE for starting various seeds with some very helpful tips.
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 16, 2013   #129
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

Finished healing the second set of grafts and in an attempt to raise the survivability I kept them in the closed healing chamber longer. Big Mistake! Lost at least a dozen out of 27 and possibly more. The culprit seems to be damping off in many of them. They just wilted over at the soil level. I checked some of them and the stem was shriveled up and soft just above the soil. I hope I got the Captan sprinkled on the third batch in time.

When I try again on Monday or Tuesday I am going to sprinkle a good layer of DE on the top of the potting soil after I get the graft completed. Hopefully the dry DE will help with the damping off when they are in the chamber. None of my plants have shown any sign of damping off until they go into the healing chamber so it has got to be the high humidity which is causing it. I know the grafts need the high humidity to heal so I guess it is kind of a catch-22 situation. Maybe when it warms up next week it will help. Still even at around a 50% success rate I'm pretty happy with the results so far. When I get the knack of doing this and figure out what little tricks help I think I'll be able to get my success rate a bit higher.
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 16, 2013   #130
z_willus_d
Tomatovillian™
 
z_willus_d's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Eastern Suburb of Sacramento, CA
Posts: 1,313
Default

Hi B54,

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with damping off. I've lost around a quarter of mine to what I believe to be similar -- the main trunk gets soggy, almost translucent and even if the scion is happy it's game over. That said, the vast majority of my losses were due to leaving the grafts exposed for too long in dry-ish conditions that seemed to fry the scions.

I've got the 3rd wave of graft attempts (see pics below) residing in a larger healing chamber, and I've pulled it from my temperature controlled closet. It's cooler in the room, but I feel like I run less of a risk of the chamber evaporating out it's moisture and the ensuing, certain disaster.

Today, I sprayed and wiped down both of my healing chambers with a bleach solution. The smell in one was becoming overwhelming. I hope it takes a while before things go south again in that department. I think opening up the chamber more often and for lengthier time periods might help. I need to pay a little helper to watch over the patients while I work.
-naysen
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMAG0176.jpg (332.0 KB, 37 views)
File Type: jpg IMAG0175.jpg (260.1 KB, 32 views)
File Type: jpg IMAG0172.jpg (329.5 KB, 36 views)
z_willus_d is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 17, 2013   #131
Mischka
Tomatoville® Administrator
 
Mischka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: The Bay State
Posts: 3,206
Default

Check out this grafting machine video - sure makes the job easier.

Mischka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 17, 2013   #132
efisakov
Tomatovillian™
 
efisakov's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
Default

Thanks, Mischka,
it was something.
__________________
Ella

God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!”
efisakov is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 17, 2013   #133
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

Naysen, you might want to try what I'm going to try with the dry DE on the surface of the potting soil. The reason I will be putting the DE on after the graft is so I won't spill it out when doing the grafting. I used UltraSorb from Auto Zone to start all of my seed this year and had zero damping off for the first time since I put up the little greenhouse I use for starting seed over 25 years ago.

The grafts always look so good that first day or two don't they?
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 18, 2013   #134
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

I'm worried about my third attempt at grafting. They looked really good for the first 4 days but then the nights turned really cold. It got into the 20s the last couple of nights and the porch only keeps the temps a bit warmer because it is closed in but unheated. The Captan seems to have worked with the damping off but I fear the healing process at the graft point has been retarded too much by the very cold nights and the tops are all wilted over.

I was going to make my fourth attempt today but we are in for several more nights near freezing so I am going to wait for warmer weather even if it delays having the grafted plants ready when I want.
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 18, 2013   #135
z_willus_d
Tomatovillian™
 
z_willus_d's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Eastern Suburb of Sacramento, CA
Posts: 1,313
Default

Sorry to hear about the damper on your latest results B. I'm amazed you can connect union at such low temps, but in general your results have exceeded mine with their indoor, dedicated room, temp controlled environment. I've lost a couple of my 3rd wave to damping off. Around half of the remaining survivors look sad (wilted and misty). If I can get the other half to pull through, I'll be a very happy grafter. I've been trying to pull the tote lid more regularly, as well as leave a crack opening for the long hour durations. We'll see if that helps.

Good luck!
-naysen
z_willus_d is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:40 AM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★