big beef buckled

TightenUp · July 9, 2013

i came home after a 10 day vacation to my big beef plant loaded with tomatoes. unfortunately the crappy cage i'm using kind of tilted a little and the main stem buckled down and is laying on the ground.

TightenUp · July 9, 2013

a few more shots of the plant.

really loaded with maters. i just hope it stays standing and doesnt fall over on me

Redbaron · July 9, 2013

What you can do is pile up some dirt over the base. It will grow new roots to help stabilize it.

TightenUp · July 9, 2013

exactly what i was thinking

JamesL · July 9, 2013

Looking good except for that issue. You could try pulling it up and tying it off, but the risk is probably not worth it. Go with some better quality potting soil to bury with, assuming you have it handy.

lakelady · July 11, 2013

I didn't go on vacation, and I have a small bed that I basically neglected to properly support. They ARE laying on the straw and I've decided to leave them there. As soon as I tried to pull one up, a branch broke and man, they have grown so fast this year it all happened before I knew it. Two plants actually setup roots where the stem was laying on the ground, so to me, it is better to leave them be. Some folks like Carolyn mention that they just let them sprawl, so I figure if they could do it, so could I.

Actually the sprawled ones seem to have more tomatoes on them, which is very interesting. Can't call it conclusive though since they are all different varieties than what is elsewhere. I vote for putting some additional soil over them.

Riceloft · July 11, 2013

Both of my Tasmanian Chocolate dwarf plants got too top heavy and toppled during the last storm. They are pretty loaded. I managed to pick them back up and support them without any noticeable damage. I'm concerned that my Dwarf Sweet Sue will be next.

cythaenopsis · July 11, 2013

Very nice looking plants and a terrific crop in progress--ah, the advantages of in-ground! (I'm a container guy).

Tomato plants continually amaze me. I planted mine rather deep and after two months I could see some robust roots running just under the surface of the soil. I'm not at all surprised to hear that building up the soil at the base can help encourage root growth to further stabilize the plant. You may also want to insert an angled stake or two for additional support.

TightenUp · July 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by cythaenopsis

Very nice looking plants and a terrific crop in progress--ah, the advantages of in-ground! (I'm a container guy).

Tomato plants continually amaze me. I planted mine rather deep and after two months I could see some robust roots running just under the surface of the soil. I'm not at all surprised to hear that building up the soil at the base can help encourage root growth to further stabilize the plant. You may also want to insert an angled stake or two for additional support.

thanks! i've had decent success in containers but nothing like the plants i have in the garden this year. i'm just so thankful the tree went down in the hurricane and i was able to create a garden that gets full sun.

i covered the stem with about 6 inches of soil. i'm going to hammer a T-post into the ground and tie off the cage to that for some better support.

ScottinAtlanta · July 12, 2013

We have had so much rain that everyplace a tomato touches the ground, there are roots. I have stopped staking the sprawling branches - they are rooted, and I figure are sucking up more nutrition than if they stood straight up. I am staking the ends that are standing up toward the sun - it is like getting multiple plants out of one.

TightenUp · July 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

We have had so much rain that everyplace a tomato touches the ground, there are roots. I have stopped staking the sprawling branches - they are rooted, and I figure are sucking up more nutrition than if they stood straight up. I am staking the ends that are standing up toward the sun - it is like getting multiple plants out of one.

i agree. i'll have to take a new pic of the plant in this thread. its gigantic and loaded with tomatoes. by far my best container plant

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28598

July 9, 2013	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	What you can do is pile up some dirt over the base. It will grow new roots to help stabilize it. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

July 9, 2013	#4
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	exactly what i was thinking __________________

July 11, 2013	#6
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	I didn't go on vacation, and I have a small bed that I basically neglected to properly support. They ARE laying on the straw and I've decided to leave them there. As soon as I tried to pull one up, a branch broke and man, they have grown so fast this year it all happened before I knew it. Two plants actually setup roots where the stem was laying on the ground, so to me, it is better to leave them be. Some folks like Carolyn mention that they just let them sprawl, so I figure if they could do it, so could I. Actually the sprawled ones seem to have more tomatoes on them, which is very interesting. Can't call it conclusive though since they are all different varieties than what is elsewhere. I vote for putting some additional soil over them. __________________ Antoniette

July 11, 2013	#8
cythaenopsis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Hoboken, NJ USA Posts: 347	Very nice looking plants and a terrific crop in progress--ah, the advantages of in-ground! (I'm a container guy). Tomato plants continually amaze me. I planted mine rather deep and after two months I could see some robust roots running just under the surface of the soil. I'm not at all surprised to hear that building up the soil at the base can help encourage root growth to further stabilize the plant. You may also want to insert an angled stake or two for additional support. __________________ I'm GardeningAloft.blogspot.com (container growing apartment dweller)

July 9, 2013	#5
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Looking good except for that issue. You could try pulling it up and tying it off, but the risk is probably not worth it. Go with some better quality potting soil to bury with, assuming you have it handy.

July 11, 2013	#7
Riceloft Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Parma, Ohio (6a) Posts: 299	Both of my Tasmanian Chocolate dwarf plants got too top heavy and toppled during the last storm. They are pretty loaded. I managed to pick them back up and support them without any noticeable damage. I'm concerned that my Dwarf Sweet Sue will be next.

July 12, 2013	#10
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	We have had so much rain that everyplace a tomato touches the ground, there are roots. I have stopped staking the sprawling branches - they are rooted, and I figure are sucking up more nutrition than if they stood straight up. I am staking the ends that are standing up toward the sun - it is like getting multiple plants out of one.