watering tomtao plants

[queen of the cobs]

Afternoon all,

I'm tryiong to keep my tomato plants moist, but have noticed that some people are standing their pots in small trays of water, or keeping the large saucers underneath the pots full at all times. Is this the best thing to do? I try to get to the plot most days, but obviously don't always manage that.

[rustylady]

Are your tomatoes in pots, or in the open ground? Mine are still in pots in the greenhouse and I always water toms in smalll pots by standing in trays and letting them soak up what they need - that way the roots go right down to the bottom of the pot.

[Snadger]

I think tomatoes like a moist atmosphere, I know I always finish watering the plants then water the paths to give a bit more humidity. Maybe thats what the other growers are trying to achieve but to have roots permanently in water can't be good for the plants, surely!

Tomatoes and cucumbers are not supposed to be grown in the same area for this reason as cukes like a dry atmosphere...or have I got this the wrong way round???

[rustylady]

Think cukes like the air moister than tomatoes do Snadger. Having said that I have grown both in the same greenhouse with good results. Greenhouse was 8' x 6' so didn't have much opportunity to vary the growing conditions.

[Alison]

I've heard this about cukes and toms before but as I was already growing them quite OK next to each other I've decided to totally ignore that bit of advice - already get plenty of crops off both so even if I'm reducing them slightly it isn't enough to give me a problem.

Re the watering it depends on the size of pot, if the roots aren't down the bottom of the pot yet then having the water underneath will encourage them to grow down to the water but you need to make sure you don't have the compost saturated to an extent where the roots will rot.

[queen of the cobs]

thanks - they are all in pots. The pots are pretty small though - I think I need to move house so that I am right next to my allotment - that way I could go down there 2twice a day!

I've got them in the same greenhouse as my indoor cucumbers and gherkins but I'm pretty sure that they like a much higher humidity than the toms will bear. Having said that, I've never had any problems with toms, they seem pretty hardy plants.

however, have already got about 40 tomatoes in pots, and another 30 or so in a grow tray. My first time growing in a greenhouse, rather than a windowsill and I really do have an embarrassment of riches!

[Flummery]

Welcome to the grapevine QoC -it's always like that - a feast or a famine. either you think they won't germinate so you put plenty in and they ALL do, or you put in a few because you don't want a glut and none come!

[queen of the cobs]

I've got 14 cucumber plants as well, and 10 butternuts. I never knew I had such green fingers!

[vegman]

In the old days Tomatoes used to be grown using ring culture. ie a bottomless pot made from a type of roofing felt filled with compost & standing on a gravel bed. The bed was watered so the big tap roots would decend and draw up the moisture while the feed went into the soil in the 'ring' where the finer feeding roots lived.

Ive grown tomatoes in ten litre buckets with the bottoms removed standing in large plantpot trays filled with gravel I have a superspray hose end sprayer that connects to a hosepipe and filled with tomato feed. saves messing about with watering cans. You can apply feed or plain water at will.

Using this method and when youre away at work, watering beomes less critical in hot weather.

When the plants are in flower, hose down the GH floor to increase the humidity and shake or tap the supporting plant canes for better polination of flowers. Keep the water off the leaves if in direct sunlight or they will burn and trun whiteish. Better to shade the house when well into summer.

[Snadger]

'In the old days' they used to plant tomato plants in the bedsoil as well!

Thats where mine are, with some water retaining granules below them and a six inch mulch of cow muck above them! They've also got a 15-6-27 slow release pelleted fertiliser between bedsoil and mulch!

Hopefully this will liquid feed them each time I water them through the mulch and they shouldn't want for water with the granules below.