16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Also, the subject of EGGSHELL in its connection to Ca and BER has been debated more than anything else. So it is quite evident that adding it to soil in mid season is not going to result in Ca++, available to plants.Actually, most BER cases disappear by mid (harvest) season.
Sey
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What I have distilled from reading about eggshell is that if you actually grind it into a fine powder in the blender, it might be useful -- but probably not in the year you apply it. A real long term thing. Shells that are merely crushed would be nowhere near as effective. Some people do say you can use vinegar, make a tea, etc. but I think if I were facing BER I would use a fert with Calcium Nitrate instead. This year I'm using Texas Tomato Food, which includes that. And it's awesome :)
Epsom Salts supplies magnesium, which is helpful if your soil is deficient, but probably useless if it isn't. Soil test would tell this.
General fertilizing is great. My neighbors didn't fertilize their tomatoes last year and the difference was pretty astonishing. (One just isn't that sophisticated, the other told me "the soil is naturally fertile." She was using potting soil.) This year, they are thinking about fertilizing LOL. Since dry takes time to break down I might use more solubles at season's end. Using a high N fert is not conducive to bloom but it doesn't sound like you've had problems with that.
Patio is a variety that is midway between New Big Dwarf and Red Robin in height. I've been selling lots of potted dwarf plants over the last week as fruits begin to ripen on the plants. Patio plant sales lag a bit b/c these are a little slower to ripen even though fruit size is only about an ounce.
Plants cannot use any fertilize unless it is soluble.
Your mixture looks to me to have a lot of organic matter.
That is good, but the plants cannot benefit from it untill the microbes and fungus break it down, into a soluble form.
I would use a liquid such as mirical grow not just for the plants. But more so to help the organisms in the soil to their job. Go slow and let your plants tell you what they need and make sure your beds have good drainage.
you can also add some molasses with fish emulsion which also works to feed the microbes in the soil. when i spray with liquid kelp i also add molasses to the mixture. but i agree with dan go by how the plants look. miracle grow is always good to keep on hand.
Shaking , tapping the blossoms, that is what I do to. I know that it is not really necessary but that is part of my life after plant out. LOL
I see some bumble and honey bees. The bumbles don't care much to tomato flowers. Right now they dive into iris flowers. The like BIG flowers to relax on. I will need them later on for cucumbers. They love trumpet shaped flowers a lot.
Anyway, nice weather is with us till friday. Sa and Sunday will be rainy and highs in 60s. I sprayed my tomatoes 3 days ago (Fungicide) Good thing that it did not rain since then. I will repeat next Monday again.. I don't like mold.
Sey
Nate, you are a lucky person, picking ripe maters.
You don't fertilize because of rain ? How much rain are you expecting to get ? In rainy times maybe you can top dress granular ferts. My plant look mostly nice green But the new growth ( on some varieties) looks slightly pale. Should I fertilize ? I have not done a major fertilizing yet. But added some granula slow release in the planting holes.
Sey
We're having a crazy heatwave here, and I made some very poor judgement of leaving both pots outside. Although they were watered properly, both plants dried out totally. Lesson learned.
Luckily I kept some more plants indoor, so once the heatwave is over I'll do proper hardening - how many days would you recommend outside before I can transplant again?
I suspect everyone hardens their plants a little differently, and if you search this forum you'll undoubtedly find many methods. But I start by setting the plant in the shade for an hour, the next day 2 hours, the next day 4... maybe starting to give it a little sun, gradually building up to them being outside all day (and all night - here, nighttime temp is a concern.) Sometimes I kinda have to do it based on my work schedule and what the weather is like. I'd say take at least a week to 10 days to harden.
It looked like your seedling was healthy when it went out, so I think you'll be successful this time around!
I prune, because I grow in containers and need to make sure the plant doesn't outgrow the pot. But really, the best answer is do what works for you. Sounds like you have been growing without pruning just fine for some time. You could always try an experiment, prune a few and compare the results to unpruned.
It also makes sense to me to prune at the end of the season when new growth could not possibly produce fruit before season's end. Then the plant can focus its energy on ripening the fruit it has.
Agree that grubs in the soil are a normal part of any garden. We all have them. It is the rear end of the grub, the raster, that determines what type it is and detailed close up is required. You can make that determination at the link below. They are no threat to your tomato plants.
It is an incredibly robust plant so it has to stay. I guess it will be a surprise for me and that my be fun. Sometimes it is fun to try something you never would have gotten by yourself. (But there are reports of BK having crossed and becoming potato leaf.)
BUMP.
Talking about avoiding disease .. rather than trying to fight it.
I like this old saying:
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A POUND OF CURE.
Having said that I have put in place a fungiciding schedule. Weather permitting I will spray every 10 to 15 days.
First spray : May 1st, 2015
Second spray May 15th, 2015.
The reason for delay was rainy weather..
I have a log and write down the dates that I spray. It is nailed on the wall of my tool room.
Do you have a prevention schedule ? How do you do it ? what do you Spray with?
I have 3 kinds of fungicide : (1) Daconil (2) Neem Oil (3) Copper fungicide. .
So far I have used Daconile. The next time I will use Copper Fungicide and then maybe Neem Oil.
Sey
Breanne Farris - post your request over on the Seed Exchange forum.
So I am in the process of moving to FL -- and have decided it is ablessing that I will not arrive till Oct probably.
I hate humidity!!! LOL
Now I will be starting out in an Appt -- so I need to do containers -- please explain further the benefits of double potting. Also glad you said not to try to make the sand into Northern soil -- I most certainly would have I am afraid.
Where is the best place to find local veges in the Largo FL area??
Do I need to use extra large planters -- since appently plants grow much larger there!!
Thanks
Karen
The only way I grow tomatoes is in containers. I have been gardening in central Florida just north of tampa for many years and Nematodes are the biggest single problem with tomatoes. Container growing solves that if you don't put the pot directly on the ground. The best varieties for this area, spring and fall are any cherry type and best boy and better boy. There are other types like Homestead and mortgage saver but they don't get as large as the better line and the plants grow better in reduced light.