Heirloom Alternative Grow Method to Dwarf Tomatoes?

[rnewste]

In exploring how to grow Heirloom tomatoes indoors this Winter and keep the height manageable, I came across a product used in another Industry that claims to shift plants from the Vegetative state, quickly into the Flowering / Production state upon treatment with this product. In essence, "dwarfing" plants into earlier production. I am wondering if this treatment would also apply to traditional Heirlooms forcing them into tomato production and keeping the foliage at half or three-quarters of the normal grow-out height.

The product is called Bush Master:



Bush Master

"""Customers have been raving about the results and effectiveness of this product. BushMaster slows down and halts the vertical growth, creating more compact plants. At the same time the vertical growth ceases, the plant starts to become very bushy, producing lateral branching and eventually producing much more surface area for flowers to form, thus greatly increasing the yield.

The first point that needs to be emphasized when using BushMaster is that the plants should not be under stress at the time of application.
The use of kelp extract is strongly recommended. It contains a plant hormone called Kinetin as well as other compounds which complement the action of Bush Master. The best time to apply the kelp extract is about 3 days before the BushMaster. The kelp should also be used when watering with Bush Master. The best way by to apply kelp extract is by misting the tops and bottoms of the leaves rather than by watering it into the soil or growing medium. The effects are noted much faster with the use of kelp.

Soil
Fine tuning the dosage for your particular application can make a big difference in your results. For soil start with 10 ml per gallon and adjust accordingly. Some aggressively growing or lanky plants or cultivars which are slow to flower after changing the light may require up to 2 waterings with 10 ml per gallon, but it's highly unlikely."""



Raybo

[sprtsguy76]

JMO, but I think this sort of product is really intended for the 'cash crop bushes'. The more lateral branches you have the better because each of those branches turns into a 'cash branch' if you will, thus being ideal for cash crops. It sounds kind of sketchy for tomatoes plants. But what the heck why not try it on a couple plants, right? Its an experimental year for the InnTainers! Good Luck!

Damon

[rnewste]

Damon,

I am trying to find a way for the indoor tomato grow to "nuggetize" the plants while getting a reasonable amount of tomato production. The Bush Master additive (if it works on tomatoes) should be a promising way to "dwarf-down" Heirloom varieties to a manageable size over the Winter. All theory at the moment, but it could be an interesting trial.

Raybo

[Wi-sunflower]

Does it say what is in the Bushmaster ??

if it's anything Soy, be careful. There are Soy fertilizers on the market that use some of the leftover stuff like soy meal. There are also some soy extract products that are actually mild herbicides.

Before I found out about soy fertilizers, one year we planted 5 acres of hot chiles in a field that had been soybeans the year before. There was HEAVY plant residue left from a good crop. We both had thought that would be good for the peppers as soybeans are a nitrogen fixer.

We couldn't have been more wrong. We had lush growth, but wierdly stunted growth. All varieties seemed dwarfed but very bushy. The bad part tho was that while lush, nothing set much fruit at all. We had a whole lot of nothing that year.

So just be careful with your experiment.

Carol

[travis]

The same effect experienced by Carol on peppers is true regarding soy residue and tomatoes.

[rnewste]

Thanks for the heads-up on the Soy issue. To my understanding, the only active ingredient in Bush Master is derived from Kelp.

"""
Humboldt County's Own Bush Master stops vertical plant growth in it's tracks. Our customers have seen immediate results!
This amazing additive keeps your plants compact in height by encouraging lateral branching which gives a fuller, bushier result to your garden. In turn you'll notice more surface area for flowers to form, giving you increased blooms, fruits and vegetables.
When used as directed Bush Master is a valuable ingredient for height-restricted gardens, or plants that just naturally like to stretch.
Works well with hydroponic gardens or potted plants, and can be use as a foliar spray. Bear in mind Bush Master is pretty potent and should only be used on healthy gardens.
Contains 1.5% sea kelp (Ascophyllum Nodosum) and active amino acids."""



Raybo

[Linda10]

Raybo: here is the Material Safety Data to show ingredients, mainly propylene glycol.

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/docs/E...ter%20MSDS.pdf

[rnewste]

Hi Linda,

Thanks for the Material Safety Datasheet. I could not find it on Goggle.

Raybo

[travis]

Exactly same as what Worth says!
When I read what Linda posted, I asked myself "do I want to spray antifreeze on my tomato plants?"

Originally Posted by Linda10

Raybo: here is the Material Safety Data to show ingredients, mainly propylene glycol.

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/docs/E...ter%20MSDS.pdf

It would seem to me a better option to go with nature and grow already known dwarf plants if that's what you want.

[amideutch]

Evidently Emerald Triangle (Humboldt County) makes another product called "Gravity" that also affects the flowering/growing phase of the plant. Note I said "Flowering Phase". This is a product discription of "Gravity" from the Hydro Farm site. Check out the last sentence.

Gravity, 8 oz SKU: ETG8OZ
Weight: 1.0 lbs.
Package Dimensions: 2.2L x 2.2W x 6.0H
Suggested Retail: $26.95

Works well with any nutrient line. Just apply it once about three weeks before finish for results than can't be duplicated by any other product. Watch as flowers become denser and tighter than ever before. Gravity is unlike any other flower-finishing product on the market. Gravity fills out flower clusters and increases total flower mass without interfering with flower scent and color. Based on natural ingredients, Gravity is the brother of Bushmaster, the popular plant height controller used at the beginning of flowering. Like Bushmaster, Gravity is recommended for flowering plants and not fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers due to fruit drop.

You might want to give the folks at Emerald Triangle a call before using it. Ami

[les matzek]

bushmaster and gravity should not be used on flowering plants like tomatoes and peppers
because of fruit drop the maker say to use it
on flowering plants.

les

[Worth1]

Ok I really don’t mean to sound like a crack pot here but would you pay $496 for a gallon of antifreeze?
I know it is $247 a gallon but if you bought 16 8 ounce bottles to make a gallon at $31 a bottle it would cost $496.
Propylene Glycol is Pet friendly antifreeze.
Glycine is an amino acid that can be purchased as a cheap food supplement.
Phosphoric acid can be purchased cheap enough too I have a bunch of it here at the house.
Kelp extract is a no brainer.
As a matter of fact I have everything I need to make Bush Master right here at home.

For years now I have broken down the chemical compounds of certain products and made them myself for micro pennies on the dollar.
For example one 1 pound bag of organic cotton seed meal $10 one 50 pound bag of cotton seed meal for cow feed $10. The same thing sold for a different application.
I won’t even tell you all what I do with ammonia and Kerosene.
This is one that would certainly fit that category for me.
Just a thought, for these hard times we all need to save as much as we can when we can.
I might start a thread on the subject.
Worth

[les matzek]

sounds interesting worth, would like to see them,regards.

les

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by les matzek

sounds interesting worth, would like to see them,regards.

les

Will do. Let me pick my pea brain and see what I have come up with.
It is a life time deal so it will take a while.

New thread coming soon.
Back to subject at hand I by no means wish to express my feelings on the subject of using chemicals on plants.
I only wanted to show that many things such as said product can be safely made at home.
With the MSDS sheet breaking down the ingredients and a little math it would seem to be no problem.

For me it is sort of like sticking it to the man with MY money.
Just for the record though I would not put antifreeze on my plants.

They didn't really say so (Claim organic) but everything in the make up is listed as an organic compound, crude oil is an organic compound so is gasoline.

What they did say was, "earth friendly" has anybody worked where they make propylene Glycol? I have, it is called a chemical plant.

Colchicine Is used as a way to mess with the chromosomes of certain plants to make tryploids and such, this is the way to make seedless watermelons.
This is also one of the ingredients that plant breeders and seed companies use to make all sorts of plants people buy at the store.

But I digress as usual.

Good luck with the tomato plants what ever you do.

Worth

[rnewste]

Thanks all for your inputs. I too am cautious about applying Chemicals to my food sources - whatever they be. That said, my son pointed out that synthetic chemical pesticides, and fungicides like Mancozeb or Daconil are potentially far more toxic than the recommended 1 ml of Bush Master per one gallon of water for a one-time soil drench. He claims the Propylene Glycol dissipates rapidly in the soil, and with application at just the flowering stage, this is far in advance of actual fruit development / production.

In any event, I will do more research on the Product before I make a decision on trialing it.

Raybo