Fun Tomato Facts

[barkeater]

1. "After more than 60 years of transplant age research, it appears that transplants of 2 to 13 weeks can produce comparable yields"

2. " At harvest, frost-damaged plants yielded almost 4 times less marketable fruit compared to healthy plants, had more than twice as many immature fruit, and resulted in 5 times more fruit with blossom end rot ...Frost damage brings no good news or upside"

3. "The consequence of a luxuriant supply of N has not resulted in a yield reduction, delayed harvest or out-of-control vine growth"

http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/newsletter...etters8804.doc

[michael johnson]

Personaly- I have always found that the best age to transplant tomatoes out of their normaly five inch-final pots, is to tip out the plants from the pot now and again and have a look at the root growth, if the roots are starting to fill the pot sides and curling round the bottom, then the plants are just about ready to plant into their final growing area- garden or large pots or grow bags,-they usualy shoot away fairly quickly after that.

If the roots in the pots are only half full-leave them a bit longer.

[barkeater]

Michael, those must be very big transplants to fill 5 inch pots. How old are yours when they are set out?


I'd be afraid to pull them out of the pots to check them, as if they are not ready I might damage the roots. I usually look at the drainage holes. As soon as I see a root popping out I assume the root ball will stay intact, and that's worked well for me.

What surprised me the most in the article was the study showing excess nitrogen does not delay ripening, or sacrifice yield or cause too luxurient growth.