Silvery Fir Tree

[lakelady]

I have a few of these in pots right now indoors and I noticed they seem to be very temperamental..the leaves that is . They are only 5 weeks old. They are now in larger pots, buried stems a little deeper last week when I repotted. One plant seems stronger than the other two and doesn't "curl" like they do. One day they are fine, then I'll get two days where the leaves near the top will curl for no apparent reason. Then they'll be fine. Tomorrow in daylight I'll take pics and post them. Of course, tomorrow they'll probably all look normal again !

Are they normally a more sensitive or temperamental tomato plant?

[muck4doo]

Interested in this thread as this is one I plan on growing next season. Aren't they supposed to be wispy type foliage?

[ljp]

I grew the Silver Fir Tree in a pot this year. I was happy with the production and flavour. The leaves are wispy and generally look worse for wear.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by muck4doo

Interested in this thread as this is one I plan on growing next season. Aren't they supposed to be wispy type foliage?

I don't call the foliage of Silvery Fir Tree wispy, which means something quite different to me than what the foliage is, which is called "carrot=like" whereas wispy to me means just normal foliage with leaves that have very narrow dissected edges and the foliage droops. Wispy and droopy kind of go together and are best seen with most heart and paste varieties.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...lvery_Fir_Tree

When you look at the above link you'll also see SFT aka Carrot-like mentioned and I know quite a few years ago here at Tville that I think it was Andrey and Tania who spoke to both varieties as to whether they were the same or different, so you might find that thread if you do a search here.

As to taste, well, it's not one that pleases me but I know that others like it. And as to the "silveriness" of the foliage, if you really want to grow something spectacular in that regard consider Velvet Red.

[lakelady]

Well, I was curious, and being a smaller plant thought I'd try them indoors for winter. To me they seem "wispy" but I've seen them referred to as carrot like. Delicate looking, but the stems are really nice and sturdy for the frail looking leaves. It just reminds me of a few of my outdoor plants that sometimes would curl leaves even while healthy early in the season when blossoms would appear. Being that it is for an indoor project, I'm overly observant of the plants since I can watch them all day long if I want. They do look very pretty.

Besides, if they are a total failure as an indoor tomato I can always get away with telling people it's just a houseplant

Will post if, and once I get fruits for anyone interested.

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I don't call the foliage of Silvery Fir Tree wispy, which means something quite different to me than what the foliage is, which is called "carrot=like" whereas wispy to me means just normal foliage with leaves that have very narrow dissected edges and the foliage droops. Wispy and droopy kind of go together and are best seen with most heart and paste varieties.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...lvery_Fir_Tree

When you look at the above link you'll also see SFT aka Carrot-like mentioned and I know quite a few years ago here at Tville that I think it was Andrey and Tania who spoke to both varieties as to whether they were the same or different, so you might find that thread if you do a search here.

As to taste, well, it's not one that pleases me but I know that others like it. And as to the "silveriness" of the foliage, if you really want to grow something spectacular in that regard consider Velvet Red.

Actually, I do also have Angora/Velvet Red seeds as well on hand that I could plant as well. Thought the Silvery seemed more interesting. This next season i'm going to try to raise more determinates. I take it that wispy and "wilty" aren't the same thing I should expect then, like the heart varieties? Is it more accurate to describe one foliage as droopy and another one as just thin, but perky?

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by lakelady

Well, I was curious, and being a smaller plant thought I'd try them indoors for winter. To me they seem "wispy" but I've seen them referred to as carrot like. Delicate looking, but the stems are really nice and sturdy for the frail looking leaves. It just reminds me of a few of my outdoor plants that sometimes would curl leaves even while healthy early in the season when blossoms would appear. Being that it is for an indoor project, I'm overly observant of the plants since I can watch them all day long if I want. They do look very pretty.

Besides, if they are a total failure as an indoor tomato I can always get away with telling people it's just a houseplant

Will post if, and once I get fruits for anyone interested.

I'm gonna try Tiny Tim in the house at the window for the winter. The ones i planted look like they are starting fruit and are all under a foot high.

[SEAMSFASTER]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

...
As to taste, well, it's not one that pleases me but I know that others like it. And as to the "silveriness" of the foliage, if you really want to grow something spectacular in that regard consider Velvet Red.

I concur with Carolyn's assessment of the flavor of Silvery Fir Tree. This is my first year growing it. After several attempts to enjoy the flavor, I would rate it as suitable for cooking, perhaps even for salads, but not for eating fresh by itself. That's just my taste buds though...

Another one I've tried this year is Velue Strieé, a variety with striking looking, angora type foliage. My single plant has been very healthy all season, but has not grown nearly as large as I had expected - not even as large as the Silvery Fir Tree, which is listed as "determinate". I found the flavor of these tomatoes (Velue Strieé) to be surprisingly strong, but not unpleasant.

I'm thinking Velue Strieé might make a good ornamental variety suitable for growing in pots, especially if the size is as compact as I have found (my seed source was Heritage Tomato Seed). The foliage is definitely beautiful and distinctive.

[ddsack]

I think some people might want to call them wispy because some of the leaves are tiny and delicate, but as Carolyn said, they are not a true wispy and the branches are stocky and stiff, not droopy. The delicate appearance is partly because of the tiny fern like leaves that stay small closer to the base of each branch.





I think most people would expect the tiny leaves to be at the end of the branch where the growing tip is. I grow it about every three or four years as an ornamental, often in a large hanging pot. Tomatoes are ok, nothing special in flavor, but fairly early.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by muck4doo

Actually, I do also have Angora/Velvet Red seeds as well on hand that I could plant as well. Thought the Silvery seemed more interesting. This next season i'm going to try to raise more determinates. I take it that wispy and "wilty" aren't the same thing I should expect then, like the heart varieties? Is it more accurate to describe one foliage as droopy and another one as just thin, but perky?

Angora and Velvet Red are not the same varieties. Velvet Red is angora leafed but has very narrow leaves with different sized fruits, which aren't bad at all, and when the sun shines on that foliage it's absolutely spectacular.

Many folks describe foliage as looking wilty, with that I'll agree, but wilty really refers to the wilt gene which is separate from any droopy or wispy looking foliage of plants that have enough water.

perhaps the two links below will help:

http://tgc.ifas.ufl.edu/vol42/v42p30.html

... and there's now known several alleles, or alternative genes, for the same

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14702

The above from a prior thread here at Tville.

[lakelady]

okay, here is what the Silvery Fir Tree seedling looks like right now. The other two have resolved, but this guy has one little clump of curled leaves on the upper right side if you can see them. It comes and goes and I have no idea why. It's a 6-week old seedling, and it looks so pretty so I hope it grows full size as I'd imagine it will be beautiful. From the pics it looks like it's in a small pot, but its in a 3 gallon deep pot.

[lakelady]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Angora and Velvet Red are not the same varieties. Velvet Red is angora leafed but has very narrow leaves with different sized fruits, which aren't bad at all, and when the sun shines on that foliage it's absolutely spectacular.

Many folks describe foliage as looking wilty, with that I'll agree, but wilty really refers to the wilt gene which is separate from any droopy or wispy looking foliage of plants that have enough water.

perhaps the two links below will help:

http://tgc.ifas.ufl.edu/vol42/v42p30.html

... and there's now known several alleles, or alternative genes, for the same

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14702

The above from a prior thread here at Tville.

Ahhh. thanks Carolyn for clarifying the difference between "wilty" and "wispy". Good to know correct terminology and WHY.

Red Velvet sounds gorgeous, I'm going to have to add that one to my list of "must haves" which is already 80 varieties long!

Sheesh, add all the new varieties from the dwarf project and others in the works, and I will never shrink that list down. I'm already trying to figure out how I can narrow it down to 25-30 for next year, and that's with only 1 plant of each.

Think I'm overdoing it? lol

[ljp]

Silver Fir Tree tastes good when it's your first ripe tomato and it and Sandpoint are your only ripening tomatoes.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ljp

Silver Fir Tree tastes good when it's your first ripe tomato and it and Sandpoint are your only ripening tomatoes.

Thanks for the laugh and why do I laugh?

Because the first time I grew Sandpoint I called it a spitter and this thing has been going back and forth between myself and Glenn Drowns who was raised not far from Sandpoint, I think in ID, but would have to check that out and I used to know the breeder as well.

So I asked Glenn ( Sandhill Preservation) if the taste would improve if the fruits were coated in chocolate and on and on we've gone through the years but I've never grown Sandpoint again. Period.

[Worth1]

I have found (Silvery Fir Tree to be one of the worst tomatoes I have ever had.
As far as I'm concerned a total waste of space.

A taste comparable to shredded junk mail.
I had rather eat a Fir tree.

Worth.