Welcome to the jungle, of tomatoes that is LOL

[RyanDe680]

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]

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

Best of both worlds...

HG

[garden5]

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?

[gixxerific]

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.

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 and buy some.

[applestar]

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.

[gixxerific]

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. 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.

[applestar]

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]

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]

Anyone have any 'suggested reading' on root pruning?

[wolfie]

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!

[gixxerific]

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.

[Ozark Lady]

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]

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]

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.