Opinion on bigger plants

Thomas · January 17, 2008

Until last year I put out 6-8 week old tomato plants. They did fine..but then I started thinking about how much better my plants might do with a larger root system. Well..the only way I could think of getting deeper roots would be to start seeds early, snip off the branches leaving a couple sets of leaves on at planting. Well I did this last year and there was a big difference in my plants. They set earlier, were more healthy, and got BIG.

Does anyone else like to set out there plants this way? 12-15 wk old plants?

bryanccfshr · January 17, 2008

Bigger plants are a recommended method of getting a jump start on the season here in Texas. We have a limited time until hellish temperatures set in so the sooner we can get productive blooms the higher the yield. The main drawback is you have to start earlier and maintain seedlings longer. Mine will only be 10-11 weeks when I plant mine out.

Andrey_BY · January 17, 2008

It's better to have much larger pots then start your babies several weeks earlier unless you have a good extra light system in February. There is a big chance to loose you first crop from 1-2 clusters on 10-15 week without a large pot for the roots and enough light for the plant...
Also plants are used to became leggy and less adoptable to new conditions after you transplant them outside. But if you have enough place indoor to care or your babies during 3-4 months you can try...

kygreg · January 17, 2008

What Thomas says is interesting and I think I may try it; Thomas did you try the smaller plants and the larger plants in the same season or is that a factor in Texas? If I had space would like to try both methods in the same season using the same varieties.

dice · January 17, 2008

If you trench plant taller plants and use per-plant stakes,
you need to either stake them when you transplant or mark
where the end of the rootball was (so that you don't cut
the root system in half pounding a stake through the middle
of it later).

Lots of people do this, to take advantage of the stem's
willingness to grow roots anywhere it is in contact with
the soil. If you live in a place that is quite hot in the summer,
where drought is a frequent problem, or you simply have sandy,
fast-draining soil, a deeper vertical hole is probably a better
idea than a horizontal trench (more roots stay moist longer).

January 17, 2008	#1
Thomas Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 180	Opinion on bigger plants Until last year I put out 6-8 week old tomato plants. They did fine..but then I started thinking about how much better my plants might do with a larger root system. Well..the only way I could think of getting deeper roots would be to start seeds early, snip off the branches leaving a couple sets of leaves on at planting. Well I did this last year and there was a big difference in my plants. They set earlier, were more healthy, and got BIG. Does anyone else like to set out there plants this way? 12-15 wk old plants?

January 17, 2008	#2
bryanccfshr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Farmington, Nm Posts: 450	Bigger plants are a recommended method of getting a jump start on the season here in Texas. We have a limited time until hellish temperatures set in so the sooner we can get productive blooms the higher the yield. The main drawback is you have to start earlier and maintain seedlings longer. Mine will only be 10-11 weeks when I plant mine out. __________________ I moved!

January 17, 2008	#3
Andrey_BY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Minsk, Belarus, Eastern Europe (Zone 4a) Posts: 2,278	It's better to have much larger pots then start your babies several weeks earlier unless you have a good extra light system in February. There is a big chance to loose you first crop from 1-2 clusters on 10-15 week without a large pot for the roots and enough light for the plant... Also plants are used to became leggy and less adoptable to new conditions after you transplant them outside. But if you have enough place indoor to care or your babies during 3-4 months you can try... __________________ 1 kg=2.2 lb , 1 m=39,37 in , 1 oz=28.35 g , 1 ft=30.48 cm , 1 lb= 0,4536 kg , 1 in=2.54 cm , 1 l = 0.26 gallon , 0 C=32 F Andrey a.k.a. TOMATODOR

January 17, 2008	#5
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	If you trench plant taller plants and use per-plant stakes, you need to either stake them when you transplant or mark where the end of the rootball was (so that you don't cut the root system in half pounding a stake through the middle of it later). Lots of people do this, to take advantage of the stem's willingness to grow roots anywhere it is in contact with the soil. If you live in a place that is quite hot in the summer, where drought is a frequent problem, or you simply have sandy, fast-draining soil, a deeper vertical hole is probably a better idea than a horizontal trench (more roots stay moist longer). __________________ -- alias

January 17, 2008	#4
kygreg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: kentucky Posts: 1,019	What Thomas says is interesting and I think I may try it; Thomas did you try the smaller plants and the larger plants in the same season or is that a factor in Texas? If I had space would like to try both methods in the same season using the same varieties.