Got-a problem with (Stick )-how to deal with it???.

michael johnson · May 12, 2006

I have one or two (Stick ) tomato plants, and quite frankly - I just dont quite know what to do with them now they have reached about two foot high.

They dont seem to be making any branches or side shoots- just straight up sticks/stems, with rosettes of leaves round the stem at about six inch intervals, but that is all !!, this one has realy got me foxed, is it a indeterminate or determinate, and will I end up with a stick like stem six foot tall with no branches or side shoots- its an interesting little begger- and I realy have to sit down and put my thinking cap on.

Does anyone have any info they could help me with-regarding the adult mature form of stick.

travis · May 12, 2006

Michael,

Consider yourself lucky. You apparently have Stick.

A kind Garden Webber sent me a scant few seeds labeled Stick last fall. I started them this spring. Two seedlings resulted. Neither is Stick.

They both look identical ... erect central stalks, sparce foliage, no side shoots, leaves are willowy and serrated and spaced on the leaf stem evenly and juxaposed very much like Amish Paste.

I guess I'll keep one in a pot long enough to see if "Stuck" has any redeemable qualities. But it ain't Stick.

PV

**carolyn137** · May 12, 2006

Michael,

Are you telling me that you grow varieties without knowing what they are supposed to be and whether they are det or indet?

That's a big no no.

Always know what you should be expecting so that if you don't see what's expected you know you have a problem.

But getting back to Stick, all most folks do is to give it support as with a tall pole and tie it up to the pole. That's what I did and it worked just fine.

And it will draw comments from those who see it, especially those who might own Poodle dogs.

To be grown for pure novelty and not for the greatest tasting pleasure. :wink:

**Lee** · May 12, 2006

That's pretty much correct Michael.
And my experience with it is different from Carolyn's.
I find it to be a rather nice variety with a decent yield of good tasting tomatoes. I am also interested in it for its apparent high fruit to foliage surface area ratio. Could
be a good "trait" to have around.

Lee

michael johnson · May 13, 2006

I only tried them because I got them in amongst others in a seed exchange- I decided to try it for its novelty value-not realy knowing anything about it, but I though i would learn as I go along.

If I am lucky enough to get it to the flowering and fruiting stage this season- (Papa Vic ) I will send you some real stick seeds to try- but its a real odd ball- not at all what I am used to, its hard to believe that its actualy a tomato plant.

I am also not sure if I actualy dare to eat any of the resulting tomatoes- its got me scared/this one.

ddsack · May 13, 2006

I was fortunate to get some Stick seeds from Bruce B. and seven of eight seeds sprouted. Six are Sticks, and one came as a regular leaf.

I will grow out the non-Stick just to see what comes of it. I would have expected the leaves to look more rugose, since the real Stick in so curly-twirly in leaf. Anyone know what the parentage of Stick might have been and what I can expect from this RL? Or is it more likely the RL is an inadvertent cross from last year's flower?

I am very fond of my little Sticklets and they are among the healthiest and trouble free of my current crop of seedlings. Can't wait to see what the tomatoes look and taste like!

Catntree · May 13, 2006

Lee,
How tall did your stick get? I am planning on 4 feet, or so. Will I need taller stakes? Anyone?

**carolyn137** · May 13, 2006

Tree, mine was partially shaded since it was on the deck, but it got to about 3 ft. With more sun no doubt it would have gotten taller.

As for parentage, I had all the links for that and gave all that info at GW before. All I can tell you now is that there is no one parentage for Stick, b'c there's another one called Curl as well.

And my leaky mind remembers that they are both mutants that were discovered quite a few years ago by some tomato geneticists.

**Lee** · May 13, 2006

Here's a picture of stick from last season.
I would say it got 4+' total. It might have gotten bigger in the ground.

Lee

BTW I also got a RL plant from my saved seed. Sent it out to a foster farm, so we'll see what comes of it.

michael johnson · May 14, 2006

Thats all very helpfull info folks- thanks.

At least I shall have a working knowledge now on how to deal with the monster at later stages- its weird !!.

ddsack · May 14, 2006

Thanks for the picture, Lee. I did not realize that Stick does develop long side branches later on. A surprising amount of fruit production too given the sparse leaves. And it will be quite ornamental grown with the right background. I'm thinking of a whiskey barrel with Stick, Silvery Fir Tree and some trailing Lobelia tucked in.

**coronabarb** · May 14, 2006

Someone brought Stick tomatoes to the NORCATT last summer. I wasn't expecting to like it but I did.

Maybe my tastebuds are not as discriminating as some of yours.

Organic_Nut · May 14, 2006

I like it.

It looks cool

I hope I can find some seeds for next year.
.

Catntree · May 14, 2006

Thank you for the info, everyone!

George, I'll probably have seeds this fall. Trade you for your heirloom.

**nctomatoman** · May 14, 2006

Stick, grown in a 5 gallon pot, got easily to 6 feet for me last year. From saved seed, I got 19 Stick like seedlings and 4 regular leaf seedlings.

Stick was a mutation selected from a medium sized red (Stokesdale) - it was actually sold by Gleckler seed company in the late 1950's. When I first got it out of the USDA, I got only regular type seedlings, which gave me nice tasting, 6-10 ounce, oblate red fruit. Stick itself gives very different fruit - golf ball sized, red, and of very average flavor to me.

May 12, 2006	#1
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Got-a problem with (Stick )-how to deal with it???. I have one or two (Stick ) tomato plants, and quite frankly - I just dont quite know what to do with them now they have reached about two foot high. They dont seem to be making any branches or side shoots- just straight up sticks/stems, with rosettes of leaves round the stem at about six inch intervals, but that is all !!, this one has realy got me foxed, is it a indeterminate or determinate, and will I end up with a stick like stem six foot tall with no branches or side shoots- its an interesting little begger- and I realy have to sit down and put my thinking cap on. Does anyone have any info they could help me with-regarding the adult mature form of stick.

May 12, 2006	#2
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Stuck Michael, Consider yourself lucky. You apparently have Stick. A kind Garden Webber sent me a scant few seeds labeled Stick last fall. I started them this spring. Two seedlings resulted. Neither is Stick. They both look identical ... erect central stalks, sparce foliage, no side shoots, leaves are willowy and serrated and spaced on the leaf stem evenly and juxaposed very much like Amish Paste. I guess I'll keep one in a pot long enough to see if "Stuck" has any redeemable qualities. But it ain't Stick. PV

May 12, 2006	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Michael, Are you telling me that you grow varieties without knowing what they are supposed to be and whether they are det or indet? That's a big no no. Always know what you should be expecting so that if you don't see what's expected you know you have a problem. But getting back to Stick, all most folks do is to give it support as with a tall pole and tie it up to the pole. That's what I did and it worked just fine. And it will draw comments from those who see it, especially those who might own Poodle dogs. To be grown for pure novelty and not for the greatest tasting pleasure. :wink: __________________ Carolyn

May 13, 2006	#7
Catntree Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 177	Lee, How tall did your stick get? I am planning on 4 feet, or so. Will I need taller stakes? Anyone? __________________ Zone 4/5

May 13, 2006	#8
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Tree, mine was partially shaded since it was on the deck, but it got to about 3 ft. With more sun no doubt it would have gotten taller. As for parentage, I had all the links for that and gave all that info at GW before. All I can tell you now is that there is no one parentage for Stick, b'c there's another one called Curl as well. And my leaky mind remembers that they are both mutants that were discovered quite a few years ago by some tomato geneticists. __________________ Carolyn

May 12, 2006	#4
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,186	That's pretty much correct Michael. And my experience with it is different from Carolyn's. I find it to be a rather nice variety with a decent yield of good tasting tomatoes. I am also interested in it for its apparent high fruit to foliage surface area ratio. Could be a good "trait" to have around. Lee

May 13, 2006	#6
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,220	I was fortunate to get some Stick seeds from Bruce B. and seven of eight seeds sprouted. Six are Sticks, and one came as a regular leaf. I will grow out the non-Stick just to see what comes of it. I would have expected the leaves to look more rugose, since the real Stick in so curly-twirly in leaf. Anyone know what the parentage of Stick might have been and what I can expect from this RL? Or is it more likely the RL is an inadvertent cross from last year's flower? I am very fond of my little Sticklets and they are among the healthiest and trouble free of my current crop of seedlings. Can't wait to see what the tomatoes look and taste like!

May 14, 2006	#10
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Thats all very helpfull info folks- thanks. At least I shall have a working knowledge now on how to deal with the monster at later stages- its weird !!.

May 14, 2006	#12
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Someone brought Stick tomatoes to the NORCATT last summer. I wasn't expecting to like it but I did. Maybe my tastebuds are not as discriminating as some of yours. __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

May 14, 2006	#13
Organic_Nut Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mass Zone 5 495 @ Rt 2 Posts: 60	I like it. It looks cool I hope I can find some seeds for next year. .

May 14, 2006	#15
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Stick, grown in a 5 gallon pot, got easily to 6 feet for me last year. From saved seed, I got 19 Stick like seedlings and 4 regular leaf seedlings. Stick was a mutation selected from a medium sized red (Stokesdale) - it was actually sold by Gleckler seed company in the late 1950's. When I first got it out of the USDA, I got only regular type seedlings, which gave me nice tasting, 6-10 ounce, oblate red fruit. Stick itself gives very different fruit - golf ball sized, red, and of very average flavor to me. __________________ Craig