Plant management - Page 2

PureHarvest · May 18, 2016

Mark, it looks like you are using the same plum colored drippers coming off your 1/2" poly line that i am using.
I have to run my pump for one minute get 6 ounces of solution out of my spray stake.
Last year i ran it for 2 minutes per watering. Each watering occurred every 2 hours during daylight. So by the end of the day, each bag (which I am growing two single stem plants in) got about a gallon of solution.
How much total solution do you pump per bag per day, and how to you break up the frequency?
I really lightly dosed it throughout the day, but wonder if I should be heavier per watering, and reduce the number of waterings.

PureHarvest · May 18, 2016

Here's my 2016 bag growing effort:

IMG_1215.JPG

Dewayne mater · May 18, 2016

Mark

There aren't too many people in this obsession that make me rethink everything. For me that list includes Suze, Raybo, Bill in Alabama and now you. Thank you for sharing pictures that are always gobsmacking and freely sharing your approach in detail!

Between you and Bill I finally got the nudge to prune my in ground plants down to a couple of stems and use a string/tie/clip method. The ability to manage disease and insects alone makes it worth it. I haven't gone this route in my earthtainers because I don't have a means of growing them high enough, which is what happens when you have few stems. Inevitably, disease and insects hit them much harder. My production for those with 2 stems last year in the first year was improved and so far, things are looking good for 2016. We're having an unbelievably cool and wet Spring, so who knows what the results will be in the end.

Appreciate you.

Dewayne Mater

AKmark · May 19, 2016

Pure Harvest, I water until just a little bit runs out of the bottom of the container. This is supposed to keep a container from getting salt build up. I try to keep my media consistently moist, so I run mine for about 7-8 minutes, if it's hot a couple times per day. The fruit we have ate this year has been good, some varieties have had good zip.
Your spacing is just about the same as mine, looks like you are on your way. Are you doing two plants per container? I know HG does that plus my Horticulture friend does the same. That worries me, I think my isles would vanish, I want good air flow, he/ they, say I would be okay. LOL

Dewayne, we are getting some cooler weather this week too, I guess my heaters will run more.

Getting ready to pick some Brandywine, a few plants have some beauties.

sjamesNorway · May 19, 2016

AKmark wrote, "...Crnkovic Yugoslavian, it produces well, but the foliage gives me a wrestling match with Mg deficiency..."

I'm growing CY, partly due to your praise, so thanks for the heads-up. By the way, the plant is a lighter shade of green than all my other varieties. Is that normal?

Steve

AKmark · May 19, 2016

Steve, mine were the same, so maybe plan on upper the Mg if you see the deficiency.

zipcode · May 19, 2016

If you want Mg deficiency try Aunt Gertie's Gold. It's called gold probably because of the colour of the leaves. Very good tasting, but I'm not regrowing it in my containers. It sat in the same container with a Druzba that barely had any, so I know it wasn't my fault.
I'd say Crnkovic is not that bad with Mg, but it is one of the worse indeed. I said it before, but I firmly believe it belongs in a different category of production than all OP tomaotes.

PureHarvest · May 19, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

Pure Harvest, I water until just a little bit runs out of the bottom of the container. This is supposed to keep a container from getting salt build up. I try to keep my media consistently moist, so I run mine for about 7-8 minutes, if it's hot a couple times per day. The fruit we have ate this year has been good, some varieties have had good zip.
Your spacing is just about the same as mine, looks like you are on your way. Are you doing two plants per container? I know HG does that plus my Horticulture friend does the same. That worries me, I think my isles would vanish, I want good air flow, he/ they, say I would be okay. LOL

Dewayne, we are getting some cooler weather this week too, I guess my heaters will run more.

Getting ready to pick some Brandywine, a few plants have some beauties.

Mark I am doing two plants per bag, single stem on each of course.

I am trying to remember why I ran the system multiple times throughout the day last year. I must have read that in the HG tomato manual?

It kept the bag moist all the time, but I don't know that it ever allowed the 10% flush they recommend.

HG says a mature plant needs 40-50 ounces per day, so I double that since I have 2 plants per bag. I then just made sure my system ran enough times throughout the day to deliver that.
We had a rainy season last year, so that complicated things a bit when the extra moisture went into the bags. Glad to have the tunnel to prevent that this year.
I think this year I am going to run the system longer in the morning and cut down on the number of times it runs throughout the day.

BigVanVader · May 19, 2016

Thanks for the info Mark, much appreciated.

Quote:

I am trying to remember why I ran the system multiple times throughout the day last year. I must have read that in the HG tomato manual?

I read that multiple short waterings throughout the day is best somewhere as well, but not sure where.

AKmark · May 20, 2016

Pure Harvest, I am not sure how vast HG experience is with heirlooms either, they push the Dutch varieties more than any, and they are tailored, nice tidy plants. They also tend to grow just a few varieties in a greenhouse. Mike paused when I told him I had 40-50 varieties in any given greenhouse. LOL

PureHarvest · May 20, 2016

That's funny.
I've talked with mike before. He was willing to listen to a novice and help explain some ideas to me.
Yeah I try not to turn anyone's system into a bible, but give it a shot from the outset and then adapt from there.
Never liked or understood the greenhouse hybrid mentality.
I will say I bought and grew Big Dena from johnnys last year. I wanted to just try a greenhouse hybrid to see for myself. I knew it would suck.
HOWEVER, I liked its flavor better than big beef, red brandywine, big brandy, brandy boy, or jersey boy. Basically it was MY best tasting red slicer last year. uniform as all get out too.
Come to think of it, why am not growing any this year? I still have seeds and should germ a couple...

AKmark · May 21, 2016

Here's how I manage plants that are too tall to sucker in a timely manner. Bust off the lower leaves, and drop the plants, while gently coiling the vines. The exposed fruit will ripen faster, if you get sun scald just leave a few extra leaves.
You can see the messy tops, the cleaned up plants, then plants after they are lowered.

AKmark · May 29, 2016

The fruit on the bottoms of the plants is ripening very fast after a good pruning, which exposed it to more sunlight.

Here's a pic of KBX, Delicious, and a few pics of our own crosses.

I am running about a 2.4 ec, and ph is 6.2. I upped the MgSO4 and I think I have found the magic number, even Crnkovic Yugolslavian has green coming back into the deficient leaves. I am almost at double the recommended amount. I do blame that on 18 hours of daylight, MHO.
Anyway, planted another 250 or so, have Russian varieties outside, getting there. LOL

ricman · May 29, 2016

Thank you for posting Mark. Those are some gorgeous looking tomatoes and plants. Just awesome, I could look at your picture's all day long.

Rick

Ricky Shaw · May 29, 2016

Beautiful work, I always like the Delicious and yours are perfect, like bunches of red apples.

May 19, 2016	#19
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Pure Harvest, I water until just a little bit runs out of the bottom of the container. This is supposed to keep a container from getting salt build up. I try to keep my media consistently moist, so I run mine for about 7-8 minutes, if it's hot a couple times per day. The fruit we have ate this year has been good, some varieties have had good zip. Your spacing is just about the same as mine, looks like you are on your way. Are you doing two plants per container? I know HG does that plus my Horticulture friend does the same. That worries me, I think my isles would vanish, I want good air flow, he/ they, say I would be okay. LOL Dewayne, we are getting some cooler weather this week too, I guess my heaters will run more. Getting ready to pick some Brandywine, a few plants have some beauties. Last edited by AKmark; May 19, 2016 at 01:49 AM.

May 18, 2016	#16
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Mark, it looks like you are using the same plum colored drippers coming off your 1/2" poly line that i am using. I have to run my pump for one minute get 6 ounces of solution out of my spray stake. Last year i ran it for 2 minutes per watering. Each watering occurred every 2 hours during daylight. So by the end of the day, each bag (which I am growing two single stem plants in) got about a gallon of solution. How much total solution do you pump per bag per day, and how to you break up the frequency? I really lightly dosed it throughout the day, but wonder if I should be heavier per watering, and reduce the number of waterings.

May 18, 2016	#18
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Mark There aren't too many people in this obsession that make me rethink everything. For me that list includes Suze, Raybo, Bill in Alabama and now you. Thank you for sharing pictures that are always gobsmacking and freely sharing your approach in detail! Between you and Bill I finally got the nudge to prune my in ground plants down to a couple of stems and use a string/tie/clip method. The ability to manage disease and insects alone makes it worth it. I haven't gone this route in my earthtainers because I don't have a means of growing them high enough, which is what happens when you have few stems. Inevitably, disease and insects hit them much harder. My production for those with 2 stems last year in the first year was improved and so far, things are looking good for 2016. We're having an unbelievably cool and wet Spring, so who knows what the results will be in the end. Appreciate you. Dewayne Mater

May 19, 2016	#20
sjamesNorway Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Norway Posts: 1,049	AKmark wrote, "...Crnkovic Yugoslavian, it produces well, but the foliage gives me a wrestling match with Mg deficiency..." I'm growing CY, partly due to your praise, so thanks for the heads-up. By the way, the plant is a lighter shade of green than all my other varieties. Is that normal? Steve

May 19, 2016	#22
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	If you want Mg deficiency try Aunt Gertie's Gold. It's called gold probably because of the colour of the leaves. Very good tasting, but I'm not regrowing it in my containers. It sat in the same container with a Druzba that barely had any, so I know it wasn't my fault. I'd say Crnkovic is not that bad with Mg, but it is one of the worse indeed. I said it before, but I firmly believe it belongs in a different category of production than all OP tomaotes.

May 20, 2016	#25
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Pure Harvest, I am not sure how vast HG experience is with heirlooms either, they push the Dutch varieties more than any, and they are tailored, nice tidy plants. They also tend to grow just a few varieties in a greenhouse. Mike paused when I told him I had 40-50 varieties in any given greenhouse. LOL

May 29, 2016	#29
ricman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ardmore,Oklahoma Posts: 172	Thank you for posting Mark. Those are some gorgeous looking tomatoes and plants. Just awesome, I could look at your picture's all day long. Rick

May 29, 2016	#30
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	Beautiful work, I always like the Delicious and yours are perfect, like bunches of red apples.