Re: [tomato] Tomato Digest V1 #404
Betsy Lasarow Tozzi (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Sun, 30 Jul 2000 00:22:27 -0800 (AKDT)
We grow in large containers as well, and I think Richard has given some
excellent suggestions. In addition I'd add:
- Try to be watering considerably earlier in the day -- early morning is a
good time if you are using a drip system.
- Watering deeply (longer and all at once) will beneift the plants a lot.
Shallow watering stresses the plants; deeper watering will help keep them
happy. I'd probably water a bit more often than Richard suggests, but I'd
say that in most cases every-other-day should be adequate if you're
watering deeply enough to begin with.
- Typically, tomato plants require a minimum of 1" of water per week. If
you are growing them in containers, you may find you need more (plus
supplemental fertilizer or foliar feeding).
- Are you using any soluble fertilizer in your water? Or are you
side-dressing the plants with any nutrients?
Betsy
Fairbanks, Alaska
On Sat, 29 Jul 2000, Richard Yarnell wrote:
> That's only about 5/100ths of a gallon, barely enough to wet the surface.
> The water, a great deal of it, probably evaporates from the surface or is
> taken up by shallow roots before it penetrates.
>
> Try putting 90 minutes of that drip rate into the pots once a day until
> you see water coming out of the bottom of the pot. It may take some time
> to get this to happen. Then calculate how much water it would take to
> make a 1" puddle in the diameter of the pot. Run your emitters long
> enough twice a week to produce that 1" depth. (Normally, once a week,
> depending on weather conditions, would be enough, but the entire root ball
> will be at a higher temperature in the pot than it would be in the ground.