Transplants Much Taller Than Planned - What To Do?

[anthocyanic]

Hello tomatovillians. I have a question about transplanting and the height of my tomatoes.

I have ~270 plants, 13 different varieties, all indeterminates. I help to operate a small market garden run by my family in upstate NY, zone 5a. This year we applied for a grant from NRCS to build a new high tunnel. Last year we were denied. This year they approved us for a 96'x30' tunnel! We were just about to face the reality that we wouldn't get it a couple months back and had already begun to plan accordingly when suddenly we got a call from their office letting us know we were approved. We were elated, but that also meant it was back to the drawing board. We calculated the space we would have and decided we would house all of our tomatoes in this new tunnel, much bigger than our previous one we built ourselves.

As the weeks marched on we waited for more news from NRCS, which trickled in gradually, some paperwork to be done here and there, meanwhile our tomatoes started taking off like rockets. Finally, about a month ago, we were able to sign our contract and order the kit. A week later it arrived, and then within a few days we had a crew of folks we hired help us to put it up. We only had 2 days with the crew, and got about 90% completed. The remainder of the work has taken me and my father a couple weeks to complete. But now we are just about ready to plant.

The only problem is that our plants have become extremely vegetative and have not been very patient to get into their new home! The tallest are around 2' but not nearly as stout as we would like to see at that height.

So my question for you folks is, what would be your preferred method of transplanting? They are going to be trellised to a braided galvanized line above them. Should we bury them deep? or lay them on their side and bend them upward? Also, some of them have flowers beginning to open. Should we pinch them off or just leave them since they are going into the ground very soon?

Thanks!

Photos:


This is when they were first potted on, some time mid-April.


Here they are April 26.


May 2.


May 12.


Last night. Note that those are 4" pots. They're so leggy! HALP!

[anthocyanic]

Sorry the images are so large. I'll resize next time. First thread here on tomatoville.

[Ricky Shaw]

You can edit, it's to your advantage. The thread is nearly unreadable in this form, people will give up on it.

Nice plants! I'd angle them in the ground most likely. In a container, I wouldn't bother.

[b54red]

First I would check to see if they are root bound. If they are I would loosen the root ball some and then take off some of the lower foliage so you don't have to do it later and then just plant them. I wouldn't plant them but maybe and inch or two deeper than the soil line in the cups. Secure them to the trellis to prevent them falling over or breaking and just let them go. It will only take them a week or so in the ground to become much thicker and take off.

I used to trench plant tall seedlings but didn't really see any difference in the performance of the plants over the season so I just started planting them without going to all the trouble. Whatever you do don't plant them really deep because it will only delay the plant starting to grow as it takes time to put on new roots and the really deep root ball doesn't grow roots nearly as well as when it is planted shallow.

Now I am planting grafted plants so planting deep or trench planting are not even a choice for me anymore; but I had stopped both practices years before because neither helped with the performance of my plants. I'm sure you will get other advice so you might want to try different methods as I did and see if there is any noticeable difference in the results from those different methods.

Bill

[Ricky Shaw]

Now you got a detailed answer from a real grower, I just pretty much comment on things.

[anthocyanic]

Thanks, Bill! We were hoping to hear that advice. We have our work cut out for us as it is, and trenching deep would have been a major impediment to getting them in the ground as soon as possible.

Ricky - Thanks for the advice. I may edit. I have to get to work momentarily. Big day of tomato planting with mom for mother's day

[decherdt]

I planted fifty 20" to 30" tall plants double tied to 36" bamboo skewer/ marshmallow roasting stick this year

[carolyn137]

Many times mys eedlings got too tall to plant out b/c the weather was lousy.

My farmer friend Charlie told me to take all the foliage off leaving just a tuft of foliage at the top and then plant them horizontally, not vertically,and that worked very well for me.

At the time I was growing many hundreds of plants at a time, and it sure made much more work to be done,crawling along the rows, taking a hoe and making a trench about 2-3 inches deep,laying down the plant and covering all and watering in well.

But leaving that tuft of foliage out of the trench. At first it would lay down but with time it stood up straight as can be.Another plus is that tomato stems form roots all along the stems when buried like that,so for me, the more roots the better as to rain, any fertilizers,amendments,etc.

What worked for me in those years when the plants got too tall may not work for others but I think it's something to consider,so there you go.

Carolyn

[oakley]

I would consider your soil temp and quality. New prepared plot or what was there in the
past, how loose it is, what depth it is cold hard clay, if so.
We are similar climate and soil maybe. My soil is warm now and covered having tended
to that chore last Fall.
My early starts are tall and i'll start some next weekend using a modified trenching.
A foot or so at an angle towards the center of my beds. Too deep and my soil is cold and
wet. I started trenching years ago for the same reasons Carolyn did. I'm guessing i
learned this from her as i was reading articles from publications that she was writing
for. It immediately made sense for my soil and climate. And having to wait for good
weather to plant out.
I would take the time, and not that much really, to take some, maybe 10% and trench.
It is worth the trial side-by-side.

Congrats on the tunnel! Many here doing the same. You should get some immediate
results once in the ground with the extra heat. Those growers will have good advice.

[KarenO]

I think they look great, just get them in as soon as possible.
KarenO

[jtjmartin]

If you do trench any, lay them over on their sides for a few hours. The tips will bend up to the sun and are a lot less likely to break. (Credit to whoever posted this tip earlier in the year. It works!)

[Worth1]

What you did is a common mistake made by many and myself included.
That is letting them grow too close together in the trays.
They needed distance apart from each other.
Those same plants would not look like that if they were grown a foot apart from each other even in the same containers.
It is the same as a dog hair thicket in a forest that isn't managed properly.
Everything is stretching for sunlight and not spreading out.

Worth

[Jimbotomateo]

So wonderful to have the best growersin the world for advice! Your projects are exciting to see Antho. I'm following.

[Cole_Robbie]

The ones I am planting look even more over-grown. Part of my greenhouse looks like a melon patch right now. I used Osmocote Plus instead of Osmocote flower and vegetable, which was a mistake. The plus has minors and higher nitrogen. My stuff grew too fast and a lot of it fell over. All I am doing differently is carefully tying up each plant as I put it in the ground so the wind doesn't break it off.

[anthocyanic]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Many times mys eedlings got too tall to plant out b/c the weather was lousy.

My farmer friend Charlie told me to take all the foliage off leaving just a tuft of foliage at the top and then plant them horizontally, not vertically,and that worked very well for me.

At the time I was growing many hundreds of plants at a time, and it sure made much more work to be done,crawling along the rows, taking a hoe and making a trench about 2-3 inches deep,laying down the plant and covering all and watering in well.

But leaving that tuft of foliage out of the trench. At first it would lay down but with time it stood up straight as can be.Another plus is that tomato stems form roots all along the stems when buried like that,so for me, the more roots the better as to rain, any fertilizers,amendments,etc.

What worked for me in those years when the plants got too tall may not work for others but I think it's something to consider,so there you go.

Carolyn

I had considered going that route and trying for some adventitious roots but I got some advice here and also our local cooperative extension greenhouse expert that what I should go for is to make sure that the roots forming quickly are those forming from the root ball. Now, laying them down could be an option. The root ball would still be near enough to the surface to get some water, and the stem could form adventitious roots. We are just finishing the beds. We'll discuss and we might possibly go with this method. Thanks, Carolyn