Holding back the water in SWC's

sprtsguy76 · August 14, 2010

I have noticed huge taste improvements with my tomatoes grown in swc's when I let the reservior dry up completely, ya thats right completely! It seems to me that water demands are lower when the majority of the fruit are full grown, so at that time I let the resevior dry up and even let the plants themselves slightly wilt before giving them an inch of water in the resivior and then I repeat. I know it sounds crazy, but has worked great for me and I have had no problems with BER. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, because we all know that soil, weather and fertilizer vary greatly, but if your up for a little trial it might be worth the effort. I'm just sayin.

Damon

Chucker · January 22, 2011

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I think this is an interesting idea.

1. That's sort of the same process as for seedlings - wait till they dry out and wilt a bit before giving more water - that seems to work well.
2. A lot of people complain that their SWC mixes stay too wet - this would help with that.
3. It would cut down on the nightly watering - which can be a pain especially in the summer when I may be away for a week or so for vacation.
4. I would think you wouldn't have to worry so much about the size of the wick being perfect to control the moisture of the mix.
5. I've had problems with BER the last two years in my SWCs. I'm starting to think the lime doesn't really help anything. I would be most interested in this just to see if it helps with BER.

I'm probably going to give this a try this season to see how it goes.

sprtsguy76 · January 22, 2011

Its cool to see somebody else try this out. It was an amazing experiment last year. But I also learned you have to be on top of the 'watering in sips' before you start to damage the plants from too much drought. But I also atribute my success to the soil I used. Really fine bark peices are the main ingredient in my mix and I use as little peat as possible. Just because the bark pieces I use are finer than other 'bark fines' does not mean its going to wick more water or even hold more water. Bark is naturally resistant to water and thats a great thing for limiting water retention in your swc mixes. The little peat I use in my mix is barely enough to wick water but it also helps keep the bark fines just moist enough. There are downsides to my experiment though, my plants weren't mosters by any means. And the overall health of my plants did slowly decline after holding back water, but I believe that all tomatoes grown in swc's are destin for demise eventually, no? And of course this is what I've seen so far in my early swc experiments and I'm still learning things from trial and error. And I'm by no means an expert at swc's. But the bottom line for me is that I much rather have quality than quantity. And I'd even risk the health of my plants for better tasting fruit.

graceshine · February 6, 2011

I can't wait to try this technique this year. I noticed last season that my tomatoes grown in SWC tasted so watery compared to my other tomatoes grown in huge pots and potato grow bags! Was wondering if it was because they have access to water all day long. Or maybe it was because my soil was too moist? Not sure but I intended on decreasing my waterings to see what would happen and was happy to read your post!

Happy gardening this season!

August 14, 2010	#1
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Holding back the water in SWC's I have noticed huge taste improvements with my tomatoes grown in swc's when I let the reservior dry up completely, ya thats right completely! It seems to me that water demands are lower when the majority of the fruit are full grown, so at that time I let the resevior dry up and even let the plants themselves slightly wilt before giving them an inch of water in the resivior and then I repeat. I know it sounds crazy, but has worked great for me and I have had no problems with BER. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, because we all know that soil, weather and fertilizer vary greatly, but if your up for a little trial it might be worth the effort. I'm just sayin. Damon

January 22, 2011	#2
Chucker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 180	Sorry to bump an old thread, but I think this is an interesting idea. 1. That's sort of the same process as for seedlings - wait till they dry out and wilt a bit before giving more water - that seems to work well. 2. A lot of people complain that their SWC mixes stay too wet - this would help with that. 3. It would cut down on the nightly watering - which can be a pain especially in the summer when I may be away for a week or so for vacation. 4. I would think you wouldn't have to worry so much about the size of the wick being perfect to control the moisture of the mix. 5. I've had problems with BER the last two years in my SWCs. I'm starting to think the lime doesn't really help anything. I would be most interested in this just to see if it helps with BER. I'm probably going to give this a try this season to see how it goes.

February 6, 2011	#4
graceshine Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 41	I can't wait to try this technique this year. I noticed last season that my tomatoes grown in SWC tasted so watery compared to my other tomatoes grown in huge pots and potato grow bags! Was wondering if it was because they have access to water all day long. Or maybe it was because my soil was too moist? Not sure but I intended on decreasing my waterings to see what would happen and was happy to read your post! Happy gardening this season!