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Pebbles
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:44 am
Location: Lancashire UK

TZ_OH6

Thanks for the info on Organic Tomato Magic. Hubby did down load this for me and it has taken me a couple of hours to read it.

I agree that there are quite a few ambiguous statements. Also the fact that although he is giving particular advice, he has not experimented with the advice himself.

There was so much to take in. I would love to think that following his steps just might be productive. Some part of me wants to believe and yet other parts of me wonder.. :roll:

I am still toying with the idea to try his techniques on one of my plants (especially the 3 leaves and to snap off the leaf branch in between every fruit branch. I also liked the idea of the string and the metal pole at the top of the greenhouse to help with pollunation.

What do you think, should I give it ago?

TZ -OH6
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I am all for mutilating/experimenting on your own plants just for the fun of seeing what will happen. I personally won't do it with my plants because I don't think the guy even grows tomatoes himself. I would consider trying Chuck Bartock's, less severe, pruning method, because he was a commercial grower for many years.



Most commercial greenhouse tomatoes are grown on a string dropline, and they grow for two years and can get over 20 feet long (the lines are on reels that let line out so that the plant slumps down and top of the plant stays at picking level). Most of those growers either use motorized flower buzzers (home growers use electric toothbrushes) to aid pollination, or bring bumblebees into the greenhouse(studies have shown that bees are by far the best at getting tomatoes to set fruit). Whacking the metal frame is less effective, but better than nothing and many people walk around in the mid morning and whack their tomato cages and stakes to aid pollination. I have plenty of tiny sweat bees around so I don't bother. The bees are all over the dandelions and wild mustard weed flowers right now so I know there will be plenty of them around when the tomatoes go out. Planting flowers to attract bees might be better than whacking the plant support, it will also help attract ladybugs who eat aphids.


Once you work around the author's own lack of understanding of the facts he is preaching most of the things he says, other than the bit about pruning is pretty standard for certain situations*, and I think that he simply misunderstood his grandfather's pruning method and reasons for it.



* For example I took a quick look and saw a section on acid soil, which he states is catagorically bad and one reason everyone's tomatoes taste horrible and don't produce. The scientific fact is that nutrient uptake is maximized by tomato plants between about pH 5.8 and 6.8, which is acidic (below neutral pH 7). As you move to higher pH (basic) soil nutrients are less available to plants. That is where he is wrong saying acidic is bad, but how he got there probably goes like this... Grandfather said acid soil was very bad...reason...artificial soil mixtures (and in some cases natural field soil) tend to get more acidic with time, below the optimal ph range certain nutrients become unavailable to plants. This highly acid soil is called "sour" by farmers, who periodically add lime to their fields to "sweeten" the soil and bring it back to an optimal, slightly acidic, pH.

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Pebbles
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:44 am
Location: Lancashire UK

TZ - thanks again. You certainly are taking a lot of your time in helping me out here.

I will, this afternoon, look into Chuck Bartock's pruning methods as you have suggested.

I don't like the idea of mutilating anything to be honest. Last year, our bee population was very low. However, I must admit, I have seen quite a few already this year. It would be lovely for the bees to pollinate the plants as apposed to using artificial measures. Obviously it would be so much easier and less time consuming as well.

Just when I thought I had learnt something about soil acidity through the book, I now find that this was not the case. Makes you wonder whether other advice on the internet is correct doesn't it?

However, I am such a novice at this and I would like to learn the correct advice and would, without a doubt, take on board the suggestions of someone like yourself who has actually grown these plants and has reaped the benefits.

Thanks again. I as I said earlier, I will look into Bartock.

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Pebbles
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:44 am
Location: Lancashire UK

TZ Our speakers aren't working so I can't listen to the Bartock's videos at the moment. However, hubby is pretty well skilled in computers (he even builds them). He said he knows how to put the vids onto discs so I can watch them on the tv. May take a couple of days but I'll get there. Thanks again!



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