Potting on Tomatoes

Want to grow lots of tomatoes this year but have very little space to hold on to lots of plant pots in order to keep jumping up pot sizes. Can anyone please tell me why this is suggested. Can I, for example, jump from a 3 or 4" diameter pot to the final pot size I want to use, prob 10" diameter x 12" deep. Thanks in advance for the advice. Sheelagh

 

Thats fine Sheelaghm,thats what i do anyway...it's always worked for me

 

The reason going up in pot sizes is recommended is one of watering, if you jump too far ahead in pot sizes you have too much wet soil for the plant to cope with, and rot can occur, this is why you jump to the next size pot up, then the rootball can grow into it without it being overly wet, then you pot on again. You can get away with jumping pot sizes but it's not something I would recommend.

Steve...

 

I agree with SteveR: "Could do" but "I don't"

other reasons to take into account are:

Frequent potting-on provides a small additional volume of fresh "fluffy" [i.e. not-yet-compacted] compost, this is easy for the roots to grow on into. After watering etc for a few weeks it becomes compacted. Just if you pot on direct into a large container the compost becomes compacted before the roots grow into it.

With an extra 1" or so of new compost the roots expand out and fully occupy that "zone", and then when you pot on another 1" they do the same again ... you wind up with a very dense rootball that is very effective. Potting on direct into a large pot the roots may grow out straight to the perimeter, and then grow around that, and thus much of the area in the middle is not as well / densely rooted as a plant that was progressively potted-on

Potting on provides nutrients with each successive repotting. Much of the nutrients in a large pot (that you have put a small plant into) will be washed out before they can be used. Its probably a minor point, as you can obviously feed a plant instead.

 

I'd agree with all that. If space is a problem can you gain any vertical space, i.e. racking, shelves?

 

I agree with Ziggy's agreement...

BTW, Hi Sheelagh, long time no see

 

I agree with Freddy's agreement, as long as its put to a vote.

 

If the toms were in 3 or 4" pots and it was time to get them outside in something bigger, I would plant them straight into big pots, but only fill them about 2/3 full of soil, and if the plant was at all leggy plant it deep and bury some stem. After it's grown taller fill the pot with more soil up around the stem, taking off any lower leaves that would be buried. Having the roots down deeper will also mean less stress for the plant between waterings.

What hasn't been mentioned above is that you will get more roots from buried stems, so every time I transplant the seedlings/plants go right to the bottom of the pot/cell tray. Below is a tomato seedling sown in a small pot with about 10 others that I pricked out this morning and ready to be dropped into the bottom of a cell tray and buried right up to where the first leaves are. When it goes into a 3.5" pot it will be buried up the the first true leaves.

Note how the roots at this stage are only coming from the very end of the stem. By the time mine get planted out there's loads more roots from the bottom 3" or so of stem (but I'll still bury a bit more):



Does that mean I've disagreed with everybody? - no change there then if I have.

 

Not at all, you've added extra info is all. When my plants went into the ground last year, they was a good 12 inches of rooted stem under soil. Later in the season another 6 inches of stem had rootlets coming off it..so I could have gone deeper at planting time.

Steve...