A question for experienced sprawlers, that also have caged.

[Gimme3]

Some of my plants, not that many, about 15 or so...were late to be caged in their PVC supports, simply due to the time it took, to clean these cages, before placin them, an the multitude of other tasks goin on. In fact, i still got 3 or 4 to get up off the ground.

In engaging in this endeavor, i notice...that the Big Leader stalks...send roots down underneath their extended length upon the ground, i guess accurately, all stems do this. Well....i notice watermelons do the same thing. An i know from past experience, a watermelon dont like to be messed with, so...one either trys to route it in the desired direction while the growing tips are young, or screws it up...by lifting the vine after it has shallow-rooted all over.

I also feel, that a watermelon is capable of, an feels capable of, maybe one or 2 more fruit sets, when it can simply sprawl an root all over as it pleases. I saw this...last season, an am seein it again.

I'm startin to wonder...the same...about a tomato. When a tomato is sprawled, an it roots out on the underside all over...Do any of you Sprawlers feel...that this increases the nutrition available to the Plant ? Do any of you believe that this additional, albeit... Surface-rooting, gives the Plant a greater ability for Production ?

Conversely...do any of you feel that the Up-rooting of these shallow roots, when lifting the plant into a support system, might somehow disturb and discourage the Plant's Ambitions ? Or in any other way, have negative influence upon the Plant ?

Gut feelins would be Fine...dont need exact Science, although that's Great, Too...)))

[bcday]

Do you have room in the garden to let the plants sprawl, and still walk around between them, and were you planning to prune the plants at all?

If you intend to leave the suckers on to produce fruit of their own, the roots that are growing down from the stem will help support and feed them, instead of each sucker getting all its nutrients from the main stem.

So if you have room, I would leave them lay, because if the roots are well-developed and the plant is already depending on them, it's going to shock the plant somewhat to be suddenly deprived of them.

Plants grown by sprawling and not pruned supposedly produce more total poundage than plants grown by other methods, but the fruit is also subject to damage from slugs and rot from contact with the soil, so I don't know if you actually get more usable yield. Mulching under the fruit helps somewhat.

Can you leave the rooted part of the stem where it is and just direct the unrooted part of the plant up into the cage?

[timcunningham]

Georgia Brother:

I am usually a cager, but this year due to lack of time (read: new born baby) I let three of my plants sprawl. I notice on them that they seemed to touch the ground, set roots and bounce up again. Granted some of the fruit where eaten by ground crawling creatures, but I seemed to get more shoots up that gave me untouched tomatoes.

Honestly at this point I think it is draw, between the two types of plants. I will wait and see what unfolds - after all that is the best way to learn, isn't it? That and listening to the more experienced?+

[MikeH]

In my neck of the woods,if a tomato lays on the ground any length of time(even with a thick layer of mulch)the critters,slugs I suppose,will make the fruit unusable in no time at all.I have let them sprawl in the past,and they do seem to produce more tomato's,but if they are half rotten whats the point?

Might just be the soil here too.You may well be able to get away with it.But,I can't.

[Gimme3]

BC...VERY...pertinent response...and questions...TY...)))

Yes, i Can...allow the rooted stems to remain rooted, it's jus simple human nature, to want to Finally...lol...get this Plant growin UPWARDS...))) I already contemplated...that question, an Since i jus dont Know....thus the Questions...))) But yo thinkin is like mine....i kinda believe...that jus like a watermelon...allowed to root all over, that i am doin a great dis-service, by tellin these plants, sometimes...to get up Off the Ground. I either need to be more expedient in cage application, or allow....natural rooting, an protect it from harm, in my procrastinated efforts.

Have i got the room ?....im actually sprawlin One Plant, at this time, an thats because it's the very last seed i had, an i'm growin it far away, from the rest...i jus wanted to see....what it might do, in my very best bed.

It's gone be allowed ...to simply be a tomato vine....lol, no interference whatsoever from me, although....lol....it's crazy..it is growin so wonderful, but....i had a natural pruner visit it...)))

No , i dont prune, for space or yield...i only prune, diseased foilage. I'm tryin to Learn.....both from Experienced sprawlers, as well as on my own. Somethin i did not mention, initially, because it was not relevant at the Time, but seems so....now....is this...A sprawled plant is exposed to far more Soil Splash, than a Supported plant. Therein, lies disease. Additionally, and even more pertinent...is the Sun Scald, that a sprawled plant will get, unless it is grown in a very favorable, minimal disease environment, here in the South.

Still dont want to muddy the Stream....steppin lightly...)))

TC...You are DEAD RIGHT.....Bro...))) To me, it is a Draw, as well, but im tryin to untangle that Draw...))) Thats how we learn...Ty for yo Response, Friend...))) Mighty best wishes for Yo Family's newborn Happiness...)))

[Worth1]

I too would letem sprawl every time I mess with sompen after it has gone that long it is a mess up to say the least.
Just keep the maters offa the ground, if you can.
Worth

[Gimme3]

This is NOT....a question regarding the merits of one technique over another. It is a question, SIMPLY....aimed at tryin to ask Sprawlers...what they feel,regarding the additional roots that develop ...AND...IF...they have caged also, then their experience would be even Moreso...appreciated.

Please bear in mind...the open canopy that exposes fruits to Sun scald.

It's not a supreme Court decision...))), jus want to hear...from experienced Sprawlers, or Cagers, that have pondered....samely...))) OPINIONS....on the matter...)))

It truly is...as TC called it... a draw...to me...so far...)))

Worth...Happy 4th...Dear Friend...))) Sometimes...it might aughta be best...lol...to leave it alone.....if it aint Broke...jus like you said...))) In Fact...lol...Most of the Time...)))

[QAGuy]

well I'm not a sprawler, I'm a cager. But any time a plant can throw
down more roots it'ss OK in my book.

That's why we (not all of us, but many of us) plant our tomatoes
deep or trench them. More opportunities for roots to form.

[elkwc36]

Gimme I have done both. Mainly all sprawl till about 6 or 7 years ago and went to cages for space reasons. Now I mulch heavy and use both methods. My experience is here in my semi arrid climate is I get more production out of the ones that sprawl. I have learned ways to help my caged ones. I plant sweet corn on the south side for a wind break and this helps. Diseases fortunately haven't been a big problem most years. Have had fruit rotting on the ground issues but mulch helps that. I would agree it is about a wash. This year I'm keeping better records and have some varities in each to compare the differences. So maybe in a few years will have facts to back me up. But like I stated I do feel the ones that sprawl set more fruit here in this hot windy area. Is it due to the extra roots? I would say possibly but have no facts to back this up. Just my opinions. JD

[MsCowpea]

Hi GImme,

Sprawling results:



That is not blossom end rot , it is rot where the tomatoes touched soil/straw.

This is just a drop in the bucket as for as the toms I lost due to sprawling. If the tomatoes touched the ground they rotted,
if they were deep inside the jungle growth they rotted due to insects/disease that I could not monitor well, and if they were on the surface they got sunscald.

I pick up one tomato resting on the ground and TWO of these guys were munching on the bottom of it.



Non-organic commericial growers treat the soil with a variety of chemicals (methyl bromide or substitute which kills everything in addition to insecticidal systemics, etc. ). That must help if they use sprawling technique.

We grow ALOT of tomatoes in S. Florida in the winter--they are always staked.

Some people like sprawling (guessing they would use insecticides and fungicides frequently) --I hate it--I lose way more than half of the tomatoes.

As far as the sprawled tomato rooting and thereby enhancing growth in some way I just can 't comment. If it did produce more tomatoes due to extra rooting it was just more of them to rot.
farkee
(member of SAS--Southerns Against Sprawling)

[jdwhitaker]

I live in a semi-arid, windy climate (just like elkwc36) and can back up his findings. The sprawlers just seem to be "happier"--if that makes any sense. I have always felt this was due to the adventitious roots they were able to set into the ground if allowed to sprawl. Sprawlers always seem more drought tolerant, and more likely to make it through the hot summer months and produce again in the fall.

I'm a fan of sprawling, and encourage tomato growing friends that have the space to let the plants grow this way. Of course this is in West Texas, where fungal disease problems are really rare. Gardeners in other areas where it actually rains should listen to MsCowpea's warnings.

Jason

[Bryan24]

We have both this year. The sprawlers have much more fruit. But the birds have gottel VERY smart. They prck the fruit, then sit back and wait. When creepy crawlies find the open fruit, they feast. I have very fat and happy finches, mockingbirds and the like. The plants are healthier, with much heavier foliage. Disease isn't a problem this year. But I have to be careful when I'm looking for fruit, so as not to break any stems, or disturb any roots. I find, if I remove any pecked fruit, and put it under the bushes near the vines (not too near) before the bugs get there, I get fewer damaged fruits (more for ME ).

laurel-tx