THE TOMATO GROWING THREAD 2018

@pete this sounds like Frankentoms! @Mike Allen I have read about this being done with trees but they didn't sever the root systems, they just created really interesting tree sculptures. Hmmm, can't remember where the place is but for some reason I believe it is in the southern states where there is a park with several of these interesting tree clusters.

 

I bury long lengths of stem to produce large root systems. Next year I might try grafting one to the side in addition to that, then severing one stem to create double the extended root systems. I wonder if it would help if the sacrificial plant was a hybrid grafting rootstock variety?

One a bit like that is in the news here

2018’s Tree of the Year winners revealed

 

Just use good mycorrhizal fungi it will give you the biggest root system you could hope for ( as long as it has somewhere to grow) and great crops, I have used it for years and had tomato plant roots running the length of the greenhouse. I have never seen a grafted plant with anywhere near that amount of root. I grew six grafted plants last year, three bumble bee plants and three crimson crush and I was disappointed with all of them. The bumble bee plants were disappointing for any type of tomato.
I compared six crimson crush plants, three were bought in grafted plants, three were my own seed sown plants treated with mycorrhizal fungi, the grafted and seed sown plants were grown in identical conditions
One of each were in pots with loads of holes in bottom allowing roots to forage into the border

The grafted plant roots had extended six to eight inches out of the pots into the border.
The mycorrhizal treated roots had extended four feet from the pots to greenhouse wall​

.
One of each were planted directly into the border
The grafted plant roots had extended about sixteen inches
The mycorrhizal treated roots had extended four feet to greenhouse wall one way and two feet to the greenhouse wall the other

One of each were planted in quad grows
The grafted plant roots had extended down into the water tank around the base of the pots above
The mycorrhizal treated roots had extended down into the water tank completely filling the tank with roots
In all cases the plants with the mycorrhizal treated roots produced more fruit and were much better tasting.
The three bumble bee plants were planted directly into the border and did very little, the fruits were poor and tasteless, I dumped these three plants.
The border soil in these tests had previously been used for tomato growing
I will not be growing grafted plants anytime soon
Regards Sandy

 

I also use that.

 

I put all my green toms picked pre-frost in an unheated spare room - I don't want to accelerate ripening. This from a picking of the ripe ones a couple of days ago. I'm getting that many about twice a week and reckon the remainder will keep us in tomatoes throughout November.

 

Grafting multiple root stocks onto one stem is a variation of inarching and it works really well for woody plants like trees, especially fruit trees.

I tried the grafting method on a tumbling tom in the Tomato Grafting thread and it seemed to produce bigger fruit which ripened earlier than its standard counterpart.

 

And a week later, another 2lbs



And another week later, another 1lbs 8ozs (and I still have 3lbs left to ripen)

 

Getting itchyfingers already for next years endeavors. Planning on starting some toms and Marconi peppers under lights.

Plan is using the airing cupboard, under 4x2ft led tubes. Just noticed the cool white are only 4000k and not the ideal 6500k.
Will have to do. Thinking early January.

Anyone else starting early ?

 

Hi Wee Tam, I have a Garland Grow Light

Details from their website
Features 2 high efficiency Sunblaster 24 Watt high output lights consuming 20% less power than a standard domestic light bulb and giving 10,000 hours of use. NanoTech Reflectors reduce heat build up and maximise performance by reflecting 100% of the light towards the plants.
I start my Toms/Cucumber the 3rd week in Feb, I find this is probably right for me.

 

@john558

 

I always start my first batch second week in January under LED's

 

Cheers Sandymac and john558. Now thinking peppers january and toms mid feb .......
Looked at the sunblaster,tempting. Went for a 36w 6500k led, got a good price. Will combine with the led tubes. If it all goes wrong it wont be because of a lack of light..

 

I use a Vipar spectra v450 dual function with both grow and bloom settings

 

Another 1lbs 7ozs picked yesterday from my dwindling stock of slowly ripening green tomatoes. The best I've managed in the past is home grown tomatoes on New Year's Day.