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gixxerific
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Welcome to the jungle, of tomatoes that is LOL

I have been somewhat ignoring my tom's, took a good look today and noticed that they are growing so fast they are choking out the light to a few of them. I had to do some rearranging to them to make the light more available to everyone. I just can't bear to cull any of them yet.

I hope they make it another couple of weeks to their final home. Still thinkingt I should plant more seed because I'm worried these will not last the season, they are all root bound but I don't have enough room to put them all in in bigger pots. I do have the pots though.
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03407.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03408.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03409.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03411.jpg[/img]

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Duh_Vinci
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Dono - that is indeed a jungle down in your basement! But great, thick and healthy looking plants!

What color temperature lights did you ended up using for them?

Regards,
D

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gixxerific
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6500k and no fertilizer. The picture don't give it justice, like I said I have to give them room it was like the canopy on a rainforest.

They are T12's. I seem to remember somone saying that T12's won't grow anything worth a darn? :lol: :P

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Duh_Vinci
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LOL They sure do! Just a little less efficient, aside from that - grow just fine! I think Jal_UT using T12's too with no issues!

And yes indeed, tomatoes and peppers love them some 6500K!

And your growout - I remember someone not long ago was worried so much that they may not do so well with growing toms from seed, well - :lol:

I have about 14 spare plants from the first batch for giveaway, but no one at work is willing to risk or try to "babysit" 12"plus seedlings - I don't want to just cull them, and I have no extra room for re-planting them (still have 40 something varieties growing in the basement, with 2-3 seedlings of each,) so what I may do with this first batch of spares - is cut them down, put them into the cups filled with water, let the grow new roots and transplant them again into the soil in 2-3 weeks with fresh, new roots like I did with few plants last year, will see...

Regards,
D

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applestar
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Looking GREAT, Gixx! :clap:

I'm going to set up some Wall-o-waters and see if they really *CAN* protect toms 8 weeks ahead of schedule (In my case, now is about 4 weeks earlier than when I set some out in WOW's last year). Why not give them a try? We'll compare notes. (Some of my June racers are going out in them.) :wink:

Days like today, when temp in the sun was 90ºF, you could believe that toms might be able to stay out if they had adequate protection and the soil was warmed up enough....

p.s. Actually, the ones I have is an off-brand not the WOW. There are also red ones. Try them, try them! :>

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gixxerific
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Well thanks for kudos on my growout. I do seem to usually have a green thumb.

I'm not familar with the cutting of plants though I have heard a little bit about it lately. I was thinking about starting some more seed tommorow just for total insurance and filling in the gaps if needed. I will not platn all of those I don't have room. With my luck they will all die in hardening off. Though I mentioned elswhere I threw a baby out in the yard a few weeks ago it is still alive, with 0 hardening off, yet it is roughly the same size it was when aborted. While the others have trippled in size.

It will all come together, I need to quit reading about all the insect and disease damage, It makes me nervous. :lol:

Spring is here now where are those warm temps my baby's need a pemanent home.

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gixxerific
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Apple I really can'r afford anything else like the WOW now. though I could very easily throw a few out wihtout protectin and we could see the results there.

I have already said my big cherry has already been for the most part a permantent home outside. I brough it in tonight cause they said it was going to be below freezing which now is only gonna be about low 40's. It will go out again maybe after sun for good. That plant is doing just fine. It should though it is mighty strong and thick like a tree.

I'm about 3 weeks out for the 50% frost and am more than ready to go whenever.

Let me know if you put some plants out. I have somewhat been folowing your lead this year anyway's. We both seem to like to experiment and do crazy things against the norm.

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applestar
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How about this?
[img]https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/lubbock/TomCage.JPG[/img]
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/lubbock/tomatoesc-t.html
(NOT saying I agree with everything written on this website. I was looking for the photo, and this was the first I found on an .edu site.)

In addition to the 6 WOW-wannabe's, if my BIL comes through with some concrete reinforcing wire cages, I'd like to try something similar -- adjusting for extremes of frost protection needed:
(1) double-layered with a sheet of giant bubble pack for the REALLY early ones
(2) double-layered plastic sheeting
(3) single-layer plastic sheeting
(4) single vented plastic sheeting
(5) a spunbonded fabric -- I have a really heavy one called Garden Quilt and a lighter floating cover

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gixxerific
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Now that I can do Apple.

I already have the concrete renforcing wire and and palstic, tarps, row covers.

Thanks for the idea, though I actually have already thought about that but forgot. :oops: :lol:

When are you thinking about putting your tom's out? It was 70 last fri but that didn't last long. It's supposed to be in around the 50's here for a while. I have been watching the long term forecast and was kinda thinking maybe in a week or 2 going out and seeing what the ground temp is.

You are a little insitagtor aren't you, you are why I started my plants inside so early. :P

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applestar
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I'm setting up the WOWwb's in the next couple of days to warm the soil inside for a week. Technically, since I'm in Zone 6b, I should be able to get everything out 2wks ahead of you, even though micro-climates, etc. apply and my garden seems to be on the colder side. However, I've built a new tomato bed in the warmest, most sheltered spot. So we'll see. :D

Decado
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What are these wall of waters? Think they can work in zone 4 a couple weeks before the avg last frost date?

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tn_veggie_gardner
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Lookin' great, gix! =) I have the same problem. I had to stake my first round of maters yesterday that are still indoors! It will be about 2 weeks before I even put them outside in the cold frame...lol.

wolfie
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I am totally out of room with my early girls taking up so much space, that my heirlooms that are ready to be potted up will have no room... SO, I sent 12 of the early girls over to my partners house, he is going to put them out, put cages around them, then tarp them off if it gets too cold.

I think with the other 20 of them I will do the same in my yard...

I will keep 5 inside just in case they all die lol

will let ya know how it goes lol

GardenJester
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wow gix, nice seedlings, I think I'm getting tomato envy. :P

when you going to transplant them? They look like they are ready to go out right now.

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gixxerific
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gardenJ They have been ready to go out for some time.

I may way till mid april OR I may put a few out before that I have more than enought to play with.

RyanDe680
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gixxerific wrote:gardenJ They have been ready to go out for some time.

I may way till mid april OR I may put a few out before that I have more than enought to play with.
Roots coming out the bottom at all?

I seem to have that problem sometimes....

The Helpful Gardener
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I like that idea, gixx; set some early now with backups if things go awry.

Best of both worlds...

HG

garden5
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Congratulations, Gix! That looks awesome!

I started mine the end of February and They are on their second set of leaves, only. When did you start yours?

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gixxerific
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Ryan, HG, G5.....

The roots are circling around and that worries me I know they should be in bigger pots but I don't have the room, heck some of these should be in gallon or bigger. :shock:

Right now I have 5 generations of tom's. One palnted a long time ago the ones in the pic were planted 2/12/10 I have some that just are beginning to sprout today 3/24/10 so I'm more than covered for insurance plants. Plus my freinds and family will get the extras.

Time will tell if all else fails I can go to the nursery :cry: and buy some.

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applestar
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Just for fun, why don't you experiment with root pruning and putting the plant back in the same pot? The idea is that it would grow more fibrous root branchlets and develop a denser root ball. Go with the 1/3 rule.

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gixxerific
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applestar wrote:Just for fun, why don't you experiment with root pruning and putting the plant back in the same pot? The idea is that it would grow more fibrous root branchlets and develop a denser root ball. Go with the 1/3 rule.
Not sure what that is and obviously never done it. Though I have that some plants like their roots mussed with before planting, it kind energizes them. Is this the same type of thing.

I know that probably all of my toms have some serious circling. :oops: I really wish I had the room to put them in bigger pots. I guess I could if I aborted some of them, but I'm not into abortion. :) This weekend will be the final decision I may just have to bite the bullet and make room somehow. :(

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applestar
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Rather than leaving the roots to circle and self-strangulate, take out of the pot, trim no more than 1/3 of the length and no more than 1/3 of the total root mass, and repot in the same container. I would replace some of the soil with fresh compost mix and/or water with AACT.

The Helpful Gardener
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That's probably of more value than letting them circle. You should at least get some root ramification. Circling roots can create root balls that strangle themselves...

Or step em up... but leaving them is just not a good idea...

HG

RyanDe680
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Anyone have any 'suggested reading' on root pruning?

wolfie
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My tom's were planted Feb 21 and have 2 sets of leaves. They are not nearly as thick or tall as the pictures here tho :(

I gave away 12 to make more room, then am planning on putting about 8 in the ground, and giving 6 away next weekend. That leaves me 11 for back up. Those are the early girls.

The ones I am really looking forward to are all the hierlooms. Those were just planted March 12 and are mostly forming first set of true leaves. those I will baby and nurse as long as it takes!

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gixxerific
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Apple about the root pruning. I re-potted as many as I could with big pots, probably quart size I'm guessing. But a few of them I just ripped off the bottom of them. I hope this is not bad. I was thinking I might be getting the taproot doing this.

Thoughts on this? I hope I didn't doom them.

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Ozark Lady
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Gixx, aren't you the fellow who was panicking over seedlings and would they come up?

Looks like they came up, they grew, and grew, and grew.

How about a homemade wall of water? Got any empty gallon jugs?
Cut the bottom off of one, then gather up the others and fill them with water. Plant your plant, put the bottomless one over it, to be a cloche, leave the top open. Then take the other jugs of water and place them in a circle all around your baby.

I haven't tried this, but I have seen it done. I would be sure to harden your plants a bit, the cloche will protect them alot. And I would put my cloche in place a day or two ahead of transplanting to warm the soil. Maybe a soil test thermometer?

My babies are just starting second leaves, and approaching 4" tall, so I have a few days, before...PANIC! Joking. But, once they reach a certain point it does seem that you can watch them grow.

The Helpful Gardener
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We are going to the low twenties the next two nights. Walls of houses will work better than walls of water...

Glad I didn't jump the gun this year...

HG

Cirtes
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Xmas lights work great for fighting off a few days of frost. Just make sure they are old school lights and not the new LED kind.



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