Re: [tomato] seedling transplant
margaret lauterbach (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Wed, 03 Mar 1999 11:00:32 -0700
At 12:56 PM 3/3/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Maragaret,
>
>I said breaking the tap root. If the tap root gets too long
>you have a greater chance of breaking it pulling out of
>starting medium or placing into potting medium. Once the tap
>root is gone so is the plant basicaly. You will get some growth
>but a very poor plant.
>
>I have also found the deeper the pot the better, Most of mine
>go into a 4in dia by 6in deep pot. This allows the tap root to grow
>longer and send out more feeder roots.
>
>I have a 90 to 100 day tomato growing season, If I can get 12 to 16 in
>plants to transplant, I have a higher productivity.
>
>Byron
>
Byron, try an experiment here. Try direct seeding some tomatoes when you
put out your transplants. Make sure your direct-seeded tomatoes have the
same days to maturity as your transplants. Then keep track of when you
start picking from each source.
Kay Lancaster, who knows everything worth knowing about plants, said you'll
be picking ripe ones from direct-seeded within a week of the transplants.
I tried it, and found that was correct, too. Another thing, I've recently
read that the older the transplant, the longer time it takes to acclimate.
It would be worthwhile to all if you'd keep records on that, too. Margaret