question

encore · July 9, 2015

what a difference 2 weeks make! my question is :is it ok to keep those bottom plastic trays full of water all the time? or should I keep water from the plants a day or so? I only water from the top sparingly when the soil gets dry, otherwise I just keep filling the bottom trays. thanks tom

Worth1 · July 9, 2015

I think they will be fine with water in the treys soon the plants will be sucking it up as fast as you can put it in.
Worth

Ed of Somis · July 10, 2015

As a side-note...try to keep the soil moisture consistent. Fluctuating moisture levels leads to problems like BER. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and drinkers...especially in the middle of summer.

luigiwu · July 10, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

I think they will be fine with water in the treys soon the plants will be sucking it up as fast as you can put it in.
Worth

Exactly what Worth said. My buckets sit over a continuous rain gutter through which is always filled with water thanks to a float and a rain barrel.
BTW, where are those bottom pans from? Are they for planters?

ricman · July 11, 2015

Yes they will be fine IMO.

Rick

Cole_Robbie · July 11, 2015

Would the fruit taste better without constant moisture? I don't know the answer for sure, but I wonder.

encore · July 11, 2015

last year there were a lot of roots in the trays, the weather was all screwed up too, and the fruit turned red but were as hard as rocks, seems like everyone around here pretty much had the same problem. the first 2 years the fruit tasted fine, didn't think of maybe putting landscape cloth in buckets to keep roots from coming out. maybe hold off on the water a day or two before picking if the fruit doesn't taste as good. what ya think?

zipcode · July 17, 2015

Well, if you water from the top, I wouldn't let the trays fill with water. But it depends a lot on how water retentive the medium is. I have peat with some perlite in mine and I only water this much if a really hot day is forcasted (like 92 or so).
But I see the plants are quite big compared to the pots, so you have to see if they can get through the day this way (definitely try not to have them wilt, or this will lead to BER).
Fruits that are hard (and kind of seedless) I had when I put one plant in a really too small container. Too rootbound plants can sometimes do this. I personally would limit the number of trusses for smaller containers, or the plants will get stuck mid-season (I use one truss but have a good system for staking them without topping over when they get rather tall).

July 9, 2015	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I think they will be fine with water in the treys soon the plants will be sucking it up as fast as you can put it in. Worth

July 10, 2015	#3
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	As a side-note...try to keep the soil moisture consistent. Fluctuating moisture levels leads to problems like BER. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and drinkers...especially in the middle of summer.

July 11, 2015	#5
ricman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ardmore,Oklahoma Posts: 172	Yes they will be fine IMO. Rick

July 11, 2015	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Would the fruit taste better without constant moisture? I don't know the answer for sure, but I wonder.

July 11, 2015	#7
encore Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: wisconsin Posts: 536	last year there were a lot of roots in the trays, the weather was all screwed up too, and the fruit turned red but were as hard as rocks, seems like everyone around here pretty much had the same problem. the first 2 years the fruit tasted fine, didn't think of maybe putting landscape cloth in buckets to keep roots from coming out. maybe hold off on the water a day or two before picking if the fruit doesn't taste as good. what ya think?

July 17, 2015	#8
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	Well, if you water from the top, I wouldn't let the trays fill with water. But it depends a lot on how water retentive the medium is. I have peat with some perlite in mine and I only water this much if a really hot day is forcasted (like 92 or so). But I see the plants are quite big compared to the pots, so you have to see if they can get through the day this way (definitely try not to have them wilt, or this will lead to BER). Fruits that are hard (and kind of seedless) I had when I put one plant in a really too small container. Too rootbound plants can sometimes do this. I personally would limit the number of trusses for smaller containers, or the plants will get stuck mid-season (I use one truss but have a good system for staking them without topping over when they get rather tall).