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| Help please. Put up cattle panels which are 5'4" above the ground. My tomatoes are about 1' over the top. Should I cut off the tops, let them fall over, will they break if I do? First time using panels. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Just let them drape back down. That is what most of us do no matter what type of initial support is used. The branches handle it just fine. You can cut them off it you want to but you will lose all that fruit production. Dave |
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- Posted by sleevendog 5-6 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 11:30
| As Dave suggests, i would let it grow. Very flexible on the top growth. Just keep an eye on it for breaks and bends. Your support sounds very strong. Only if the weight of so much growth and fruit threatens the future of the plant would i prune the top. I have a few tall tops at 6ft. Very early in the growing season so i'll let all go on. I did have a hail storm last thursday evening and did check my tie-ups carefully but missed one and a side branch took a hit and bent. I went ahead and cut it off. So you could decide at any time to nip-n-tuck. I get very strong winds so i will probably give them a hand and help some wispy growth back down and tied. An open wound bend could invite insects and pests, (not sure if that is true), but just my method/thought. My main tom bed is at 6.5 ft trellis so i have and need the height. I have lost some tops to wind sheers. And prune off any damage. It is a nice problem to have isn't it? Nice healthy plants by the 4th of July... |
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| Thank you both for your sage advice. This is my first season using cattle panels and growing indeterminates. They sprung up overnight and lookin good. I broke a couple of branches trying to weave them through the openings so started using clips to hold them up. This seems to be working. Since the branches broke so easily I was afraid that they would brake rather than bend over. Will let them follow their own growth pattern and see how it goes. Thanks again. |
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| Any tomato branches that break normally only do it partially - more of a bend than a break. They quickly scar over within 48 hours and keep right on growing. Dave |
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| I use cattle panels and have found that it varies by variety, the wispy leafed ones are normally very flexible and can usually be woven in, but other varieties have such stiff branches that tying (or using clips as you did) is needed. After snapping off branches every year due to my impatience, I think I have finally accepted not to try to force the issue and just walk away until I can return with my twine. ;-) |
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| I think they can drape alright. But I would be concerned with doing it on thin wires. |
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| I don't think that the cattle panels have thin wires, they are rather thick. For lack of space I planted them 2' apart and they have taken over the panels. Followed prior suggestions and left the suckers alone but I think that next year will have to cut out at least a few. From the getgo I have relied on these posts and without all of your very experienced knowledge would probably has messed up big time. Am grateful that so many of you pros are there for all of us nubees. |
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- Posted by sleevendog 5-6 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 9:47
| I still consider myself a newbie and my garden was first tilled in a farm hayfield in '95. We have always been information junkies and no season is the same... No longer do we panic about different seasons and their troubles... Plant, start from saved seeds, and let nature have its way sometimes. Pay attention and watch for troubles. Build a good soil structure without too many outside amendments that one cannot track the source. Let the bugs be and figure it out. A good 'hobby' full of fresh produce every year...some years different than others. Enjoy the harvest that you are given each year. |
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| Sleevendog, started with some good bottom of the pond top soil then added some non GMO old chicken manure, have yet to start a compost pile which I am planning to do. Never use pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. If spraying is needed plan to use some home made spice and herbal solutions as I do with my flower gardens. Good advice, thanks. |
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| non GMO old chicken manure That's a new one. Exactly what is "non GMO old chicken manure"? Dave |
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| It's manure from non-GMO hens that have stopped laying ;-) |
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| You put a smile on my face ajsmama. It is the feed that is given to the free range chickens that is non GMO, not the chickens. |
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| So it is just free-range chicken manure. Better than slapping the non-GMO label on it. Hope the pejorative use of that label never gets to the point of calling it "non-GMO air" or "non-GMO water". Dave |
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| Those GMO chickens with the extra wings are weird-looking, aren't they? I know what you meant by non-GMO, just hope "old chicken manure" is composted (or year-old aged) manure/litter and not from old chickens ;-) but if your plants aren't burnt it couldn't have been too fresh. I've still got to get DH to set our new coop level so I can build a run, my uncle has 2 hens he wants to give us since he has to keep them apart from the rest of his flock. We'll add a few more next year. Where do you buy the non-GMO feed? Yeah, Dave, it's like "gluten-free" everything or "organic maple syrup" - what can you possibly do to maple syrup to make it not organic? But since chicken feed has corn in it, it does make sense to label it non-GMO if that's what it is, since we don't have a law that requires labeling of GMO foods even for humans. |
This post was edited by ajsmama on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 14:13
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| Are you two having a good time teasing me about my non GMO chicken manure? These babies are free roaming and do their droppings where-ever they land, however, during the few months of winter they need to be grain fed. Over 90% of the corn and soy grown in the US is GMO, that be said, there are sources that do sell non GMO feed. My source is a local farmer who sells eggs and chickens and believe me he was grilled by yours truly before I purchased them or took any of their valuable jewel droppings. Have you seen the photos of the rats fed GMO food, they had tumors all over their bodies some of which were the actual size of the rats. How gross. |
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| I'm teasing Dave, not you. No, really, I am interested in the non-GMO feed - but you don't own chickens, you got the manure from a farmer, so you don't know the brand of feed he uses? Or did you buy the chickens from the farmer and you feed non-GMO? Not sure if you just buy eggs and manure from him. I'm sure my uncle buys whatever is cheapest at Tractor Supply, I'd rather eat eggs from his chickens anyway instead of store-bought eggs that are a month old. But once we have our own chickens I thought I'd like to feed them non-GMO (though not necessarily organic) feed. I don't buy a lot of produce (except frozen veggies and I'm trying to reduce that) due to GMOs, pesticides, herbicides. I have a small (noncertified) organic farm, just fruits and veggies for now, probably won't ever expand into livestock for meat and milk. |
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