WrightwoodCalif.com Forum
Public Forums => Home - Garden - Auto - Carpooling => Topic started by: Nolena on Mar 21, 09, 09:39:48 PM
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(http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4DMG/images/walls.jpg)
By Carl Wilson, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Horticulture
Walls of Water are useful devices to extend the growing season for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other warm-season vegetables.
The channels of water in the sides of the plastic cone absorb heat from the sun during the day and radiate it back to the plant growing in the cone at night.
This provides an even greater benefit than simple frost-protection covers that do not store heat. While considered most useful during the cold weather of April and early May, this year they have been beneficial well into June. June night temperatures have been in the 50s and even dropped to 40 degrees along the Front Range. Chilling, not freezing, is the concern with warm-season vegetables at these night temperatures.
Tomatoes are subtropical plants that prosper in a uniformly moderate temperature range of 65 to 85 degrees. With chilly nights, plants often turn pale green or yellow, and leaves show purple veins. Growth is slow to nonexistent.
The pale color is a symptom of plants that are struggling physiologically and not taking up or using nitrogen well. The purple leaf veins reflect the plants' inability to take up phosphorous from the soil under cool temperatures, even though the quantity of phosphorous present is adequate or even high.
While a light application of fully soluble fertilizer may be somewhat useful, the real problem is cool temperatures, particularly night temperatures.
Plants grown without the benefit of a night heat source will remain set back for weeks, even after the weather finally turns warm.
Until night temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees, the Walls of Water are providing an appreciable benefit to your tomatoes, and you should consider letting them remain around your plants. Also be careful not to overwater plants, as cold and wet conditions are worse than cold and moist. Carefully dig down around plants to check soil moisture before watering.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=walls+of+water&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1099052621&ref=pd_sl_20qqniohwy_e
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My tomatoes are not looking so hot this year. I have two plants in huge above ground containers. I water once a day in the early morning. I am afraid they are getting too much water, Veronica thinks not enough. The soil feels moist all of the time. I am wondering if it needs to dry out a bit.....
I found this guy on youtube. Anybody use their vacuum bag fluff like he does?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wge_1U9NfX8&feature=related
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My guess is that you are drowning your roots as they are sitting in too much water. I don't think you need to water more than every two or three days depending on what type of soil you have. It is okay to let your tomato plants look a little wilted before you water them and I actually heard that this produces more fruit because the plant thinks it might not make it. Over watering also make you tomatoes not taste as good.
That is a pretty darn interesting theory about a different source for adding trace minerals to your tomatoes. I had never heard of that before, but it seems plausible.
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I like the idea of planting them in the bag of soil - how easy is that?
I'm not sure if I'm ready to try the vacuum bag stuff.
My tomatoes are looking very good in my greenhouse. I hope I'm not watering them too much, as I water them every day, plus there is a mister in the morning and in the evening. It gets very warm in there. How do I know if I'm watering them too much? On these hot days, I've even watered them in mornng and in the evenings.
I have one tomato plant that is in a pot, but it has reached the top of the greenhouse (well over my head) and must have 50-100 (or more) Roma tomatoes on it. They are pretty small, but I counted 50 without even moving any of the vines. Some are starting to turn red.
Other tomato plants are also looking strong and healthy with lots of tomatoes (not as many as the tomatostalk).
So -- how much is too much watering?
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CC>I have one tomato plant that is in a pot, but it has reached the top of the greenhouse (well over my head) and must have 50-100 (or more) Roma tomatoes on it. They are pretty small, but I counted 50 without even moving any of the vines. Some are starting to turn red.
Other tomato plants are also looking strong and healthy with lots of tomatoes (not as many as the tomatostalk).
LM>Roma's are typically very robust and 'determinant'. That means they produce all of their fruit in a short period of time. This is great for farmers who grow them for tomato paste, etc. 'Indeterminant' varieties produce a steady amount throughout the season.
CC>So -- how much is too much watering?
Check the soil! Dig in a little bit to see if it's damp or soaky wet. Pick up the pot and see how heavy it is before and after you water. Tomatoes do like to dry out a bit between watering, as they don't appreciate wet feet all the time. Otoh, that doesn't mean bone dry either.
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Thanks, LM. I'll check it out in the morning!
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BB> I am with you on the watering. My father in law grows outrageous tomatoes and he also told me water every two to three days. I set mine up on a daily drip a few weeks ago when we went on vacation. I am going to back off. I think you're right about the plant wanting to produce more fruit if it is not getting so much water. My two plants only have a few each. I am hoping more will come in after I cut back on the watering.
CC> I am not sure about trying the vacuum bag stuff either. Maybe next year I'll try it on one plant, and compare the results against the others.
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"How much is too much watering?"
Dig a large hole next to the plant. Bend over and stick your whole head into the hole. If your hair is dripping wet when you stand back up, you are watering too much.
(Let me know when you are planning on doing this so that I can bring my camera.)
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Nolena - I'd be glad to allow you to test for excess water!
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Sorry.
Already washed my hair.
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I am trying out all different kinds of growing methods this summer since I have yet to hit on the sytems that really work.
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/ncrkbau/pic-tomatoautomator.jpg)
I have been using the tomato automator from Burpee. I planted all plants the same size, three in the automator and one not. The three in the automator are at least double the size of the one that is not, and the three are setting fruit like crazy. The one plant in the ground is struggling, even with the same food and water. You put time release fertilizer in the depressions in the tray, and I fill it twice a day and it seeps in slowly. So far I am really happy with them.
Also trying a raised bed of compost (homemade) vs in the ground in Miracle Grow planter mix with fertilizer for zucchini plants. I water them each daily, and even with extra dose of time release fertilizer on the in ground plants, my raised bed of natural compost has doubled the size of the zucchini. The other plants are doing OK, but don't look as strong and dark green.
Also tried growing beans and snap peas in the large black tubs like a large tree would come in. Have three sticks tied for them to grow up, and they are doing terrific. Have NEVER been able to grow beans from seed directly in the ground here, never could keep enough water on them no matter how much compost I mixed in. They are starting to blossom and set beans, and I just planted them from seed the last week of June.
I have noticed those plants growing in buckets or tubs need water only every other or every third day. The stuff in the ground really suffers if they do not get daily water.
Every year I dump more and more homemade compost in my garden and every year it gets a little better, but with the success of the zucchini I think I will be looking for a dumptruck full of the stuff next spring!!!
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My Gardening aid is a Makita Jack hammer :2thumbsup:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v304/MikeWorshum/Makitajackhammer.jpg)
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My Gardening aid is a Makita Jack hammer :2thumbsup:
Sounds like some good soil :P I know it well.
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Where we used to live, we wound up "digging" holes by using the pressure washer aimed at one little spot....
has anyone tried the upside-down tomato growers? I was thinking they might help keep a lot of pests from easy access to a tomato-plant dinner....
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SoCalGal: follow this link to Wrightwood's "topsy turvy" tomato plant
http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/forum/index.php?topic=13667.0
BTW John, we need an update on your plants...or did Nolena clean you out?
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Thank you makgirl!
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SoCalGal: follow this link to Wrightwood's "topsy turvy" tomato plant
http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/forum/index.php?topic=13667.0
BTW John, we need an update on your plants...or did Nolena clean you out?
Urp!!
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I pretty much suck at real gardening. My herb gardens have always done well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0cGHZrE7Yw&feature=channel_page
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http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/CULTURAL/tomwatering.html
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Tomato Problem Solver
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/
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I started watering less and about killed my plants. In fact one zucchinni plant dried up the day after I didn't water it. (I forgot about it not being a tomato plant).
So I'm back to keeping my tomatoes alive and sticking with my original watering plan.
And my huge Roma tomato plant is actually a Yellow Pear tomato. By the shape, I thought they were Roma, but when they never turned red, I asked my daughter, who purchased them at the hardware store, if she bought yellow tomatoes - and she apparently did and forgot. They are sure yummy!
This is our first time gardening, so we'll learn to label plants in the future. We've been enjoying green leaf, red leaf, and romaine lettuce - and now I can add yellow tomatoes to my salad!
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CC I know the traditional tomato watering wisdom says to let "their feet get dry" (my grandma's phrase) between waterings, but honestly if you do that here they would be dead, especially if they are planted directly in the ground. I have had GREAT luck with the Burpee tomato automator(see red contraptions above). I fill them twice in the morning, and that is it for watering. While my plants don't sound as big as some of the rest of yours, they are thriving and setting actual tomatoes this year (last year they set zip - think it was a bee thing at my house).
I water everything once a day in the morning, and it seems to be working out.
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You know, I think those red water pans wind up giving a similar result to drip watering. Fwiw, I've switched our drip to late afternoon as Nolena suggested and agree the results are much better. I sure wouldn't do it down the hill because of fear of fungus, but up here where it's dry, I agree it's superior.
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Re red watering pans: I don't know how usefull the drip factor is, but the red color makes a difference. Persuing a new career, I took a bunch of horticulture classes at Mt Sac in Walnut before my son was born, (6 or so yrs ago), and there was a university research project testing the effects of various tarp colors used under plants. Red was a winner. I went to Burpee's site to see if they mentioned it, they didn't (at a quick glance), but they do sell red tarp "mulch film" for larger plantings in-ground. It benefits more than tomatoes, as I recall. Its reflecting particular rays from the sun that increase growth--don't remember the specifics.
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Here's part of an explanation from:
M. D. Orzolek and L. Otjen
Department of Horticulture
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
"Different colors will absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light and plants are very sensitive to the color of light their leaves intercept from the sun and reflected surfaces. Red and far- red light (between 600 and 800 nanometers) produce the largest growth responses in plants. Light that has a lower far-red to red OT,/R) ratio will cause a plant to develop shorter stems and larger roots (Table 1). A higher FR/R ratio will cause a plant to direct more new growth into shoots, resulting in a taller plant with more leaves. Different mulch colors reflect different wavelengths and thus different FR/R ratios."
http://plasticulture.cas.psu.edu/RedMulch.htm
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Well there you go! :laugh:
O.K.--one thing to miss about Ontario--my yard is a near perfect sandy clay loam (little on the sandy side) and has a neutral PH. All I have to do is stick in the ground and sometimes water it, and it grows. Maybe I'll have to get some red plastic for WW. . . ;)
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Maybe just bring a dump truck load of that perfect sandy clay loam soil for your new garden...and some red plastic ;D
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It would be a fair trade--I'm taking a bunch of rocks out of my yard to decorate the old yard (not sold yet. . .) ;D