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General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.

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Old October 13, 2009   #16
eddie46
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You guys are so great and I apologize for my confusion for the container experts.

Ed
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Old October 13, 2009   #17
Salty_Dog
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And while i'm at it.....

Little Home Made Bottle SWC for propagating


Gold Nugget - 5 days since planting
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Old November 1, 2009   #18
Salty_Dog
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Just wanted to ask another question regarding SWC and Blossom Drop.

My SWC have been working ok i guess, not a great deal of plant growth and the other thing i have noticed is, no much water is being used from the reservoir, when i go to top it up, it is pouring out the overflow holes seconds after i start filling.

I figured this was just because the plants were young and didn't require much water at this stage.

While just fitting a cage around the SWC, i notice one blossom dropped and more alarming, other blossoms on the same plant were brown and dried up... not all of them, but some.

It is a Black Russian Heirloom... my first thoughts are the wicking system might not be working and the mix is dry?
There has been wild bees around my plants solidly for the past 2 weeks, so i would suspect they are getting pollinated ok.

Lifted plastic and checked with finger down and inch or 2, seemed a bit dry for my liking, but i am no expert.
Also there has just been a couple of warm days with strong sunlight, yet none of my other plants have shown this condition.

Just wondering if this something to worry about? Any help muchly appreciated.

Thanks

Last edited by Salty_Dog; November 1, 2009 at 05:58 AM.
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Old November 1, 2009   #19
ContainerTed
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Hopefully, Raybo will talk to this. One of the major problems he was trying to solve in his design was the moisture level of the Mix (the efficiency of the "wicking").

If the top portion of the mix is too dry, I'd cover the mix with something plastic that will slow the evaporation rate. If too wet, you might try a small fan to keep a breeze across it. My SWC's don't use much water here in the high humidity of North Central Georgia. But I believe your humidity tends to be on the VERY LOW side. Covering or even partially covering the top of the mix might keep the top layers from drying out so quickly.

And, I like your use of the soda bottle. I did one not too long ago and posted it here on T'ville. I cut off just the top portion and after drilling holes, used an old "ladies stocking" to act as a mix catcher and shoved all that back down inside the leftover bottom. A soda straw and a small funnel allowed more water to be added. It did grow a lot of algae (the clear plastic) and there were not many tomatoes that could tolerate the small pot.

In one model, the straw went down inside the main container. In the other, the straw went down the outside and thru a hole in the side that was near the overflow hole.

Pinnochio, Red Robin, and Micro Tom were the only ones I tried that actually were not too large for the little SWC,

Ted
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Old November 1, 2009   #20
rnewste
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Salty,

What did you use for potting mix? If you scrape back an inch deep, is the potting mix moist?

Are you using the black plastic moisture barrier on top of the mix?

My suggestion is for very young plants, give them a bit of top watering frequently until they establish a root system, and can bottom feed on their own.

Ray
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Old November 1, 2009   #21
Salty_Dog
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Thank you Ray and Ted,

Sorry, i did mean the plants in my larger SWC (not that little thing pictured above, it works amazingly by the way)
Plants would be almost 2 foot tall.

Yes i did scrap back the top inch of mix then pressed my finger in about another inch.
Seemed on the dry side to me

Yes i am using a black plastic moisture barrier

And last night a did top water all of them out of fear they were drying out.
Watered them very slowly at the base of the stem so as not to flood the top of the container leach out the fertilizer strip (but some of this may of happened)
Also moved them to an area that gets afternoon shade.

Being in Australia, it is hard to tell what Potty Mix i am using, as it will not be available in America for you to compare.
It also didn't have its "make up" printed on the bag, but i can show you.



It is a very light a fine Mix, but it has no Perlite in it.
The whole bag is very light, and now i think about it, it's probably just bark fines.

Last edited by Salty_Dog; November 1, 2009 at 02:49 PM.
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Old November 1, 2009   #22
rnewste
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Salty,

Can you read us off a list of the ingredients in your potting mix?

Also, can you snap a photo of the surface of the EarthTainer mix at the base of the plant?

If the potting mix feels dry, then perhaps the upward wicking capillary action did not start properly. When you originally put in the potting mix, did you throughly wet it layer-by-layer? If the layers of the potting mix are dry, it will actually act as a barrier to moisture wicking up from the basket.

Ray
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Old November 1, 2009   #23
Salty_Dog
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Firstly, thank you for being so prompt and helpful.

(Salty runs to the Trash can on the street to remove a empty Potting Mix bag)

Ok, the bag is very limited for info (i did just buy it because it was cheaper and i needed lots of them, it was from a budget supermarket chain as a loss leader)

The only detailed info i can gain is from the "Hazadous" warning, as follows;
This product is made from organic materials, including composted pinebark, and contains living micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and protenzoa. May also contain mineral and fertilliser additives.

Sorry, i know you are looking for a proper Mix make up, but its not printed on the package.

Yes when building up the mix during installation i had pre-wet it all in a wheel barrow, but perhaps it could of been wetter.

I can snap you a photo of the mix, although after surface watering last night (11 hours ago) it will still be damp.
BTW, plants are looking better this morning after the surface water.

Another point that might be worth mentioning, before i installed the cages last night, all the lower leaves were lieing on the surface of the black plastic, sometimes in a little pool of water, but looked in poor condition because of the contact.
I have now lifted them and hung them out of the cage so nothing is in contact with the plastic.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to look at my problem and offer help
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Old November 1, 2009   #24
rnewste
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Salty,

I think you may have purchased a potting mix that will not wick very well. Most of the potting mixes here in the States contain primarily Sphagnum peat moss, with some perlite or vermiculite added. What you've read off from the bag does not sound like a good match-up.

I would try top watering for a week or so, to see if you can get the capillary wicking in motion.

Ray
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Old November 1, 2009   #25
Salty_Dog
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Thanks Ray, will do.

I also have 3 more SWC made up and ready for some 2 foot seedlings.
I will take the time and the money to buy what you have now recommended in your PDF.

The 2 different types of Mix i bought, one was almost like dirt/soil (was dark, almost black, heavy and very much got under your nails like garden soil does, i was very worried about using this in the SWC) and the other which i used for the SWC was light and very sterile by comparison.

I used the dark soil like mix in my ordinary open containers. And its doing great.
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Old November 20, 2009   #26
Salty_Dog
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rnewste View Post
Salty,
I would try top watering for a week or so, to see if you can get the capillary wicking in motion.

Ray
Thank you Ray,

Your advise has seen my SWC plants excel even beyond my own belief.
The top watering sure got them moving, and now they are huge with big thick water sucking trunks that can now drink from the reservoir by themselves.

I am a firm believer in your system! It works so well, they have already almost out grown the first cage....
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Old November 20, 2009   #27
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Salty,

Glad to hear that the initial top watering gave them the "motivation" to get going.

What varieties are you growing in the 'Tainers?

You will need to take the same size cage, cut off the 4 legs at the first hoop, then invert it on top of the base cage. Fasten with 2 zip-ties.

For next season, do you have access to Perlite and small size pine bark fines? My mix of 3 parts Potting Mix, 2 parts Bark Fines, and 1 part Perlite is doing quite well for my Fall plantings.

Raybo
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Old November 20, 2009   #28
Salty_Dog
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The varities in the SWC i am mentioning above are Black Russian and Green Zebra.
(Both of which are 1/3 to twice as big as their normal container cousins)

I also made another SWC and planted a Mellow Yellow in it 2 weeks ago, its only 1 foot tall at present.

Yes, i have been having trouble finding perlite in my local nursery's etc.... shame, but i will get some when i find it.

The last SWC i did (for the Mellow Yellow), i also added some Seaweed in a ring half way up the Potting Mix layer.

I am just about to plant out 2 more SWC with a Sweet Bite and perhaps a Gold Nugget.... Then i'll have to make some more SWC's as i also want to plant some current seedlings i have in them.

Basically this year i am trying every Variety in both a SWC and normal container to compare....

I am now so happy with the SWC i am considering planting some of my Peppers in one.
Or even planting 2 Cherry Style Tomatoes (Yellow and a Red) in the one SWC for a bit of fun and colour.

Last edited by Salty_Dog; November 20, 2009 at 06:02 PM.
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Old November 21, 2009   #29
JohnMich
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Hi Salty!

Found your pics on my own. I too bought some Aldi mix but when I opened the bag was very disappointed - most of their stuff is top-of-line - but this was very much a case of pay sh*t, get sh*t, so I mixed it with compost x Bunnings (about 50% Aldi, 50% compost) and used it for ferns in baskets with no problems.

(We are a bit lucky up here on Gold Coast because we have a local supplier, Green Fingers at Nerang and we can buy top stuff for $6.95 a 30 litre bag. No connection, yaddah, yaddah, all the usual disclaimers - this mentioned for fellow Gold Coasters who might not know)

I also noticed your seedlings in terracoota pots. I notice that they are standing in a large saucer. Do you leave a lot of water in saucer and could this account for the thriving condition you mentioned.

Plus, you say the SWCs don't like conditions in the hot house. Could that be explained by extra humidity or lack of air movement? What about toms in ground in h/house, how are they going? Or are your aunty's panty hose having a palliative effect?

Regards, John
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Old November 22, 2009   #30
Salty_Dog
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Thank you for the heads up on the Aldi mix John, i ended up buying another 10 bags (once again, only because it was cheap) and i have amended it with Blood and Bone and some Kelp chopped into small bits.
I have tried 2 other expensive Potty Mixes, but from what i can see, it is more like a black soil than potty mix.... anyway, i do realise there will be better mix than the Aldis mix, its just cheap, thats all.

10 Bags at $29 is better than 10 Bags at $70... but sure its not apples with apples.

The seedlings in the Terrecotta Pots have since been changed twice now, the ones you see in those pics are now 4 feet tall.
They were not doing that well in the Hot House. They dried out too much.

As for the SWC in the Hot House, the more i think about it, it was more an issue of probably not getting water to the roots.
Ray was kind enough to suggest some top watering until they kicked off... If i had to pick a problem, i'd say that would be it.

But since that time (5 weeks ago) pretty much all plants in pots in the Hot House haven't done well....

The ones planted in the ground just went crazy, they all reached the roof and started bending over, they all just got cut back to after the last fruit.
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