Even More on Leggy Tomatoes...& Salicylic Acid

Another friend of mine who is an organic small farmer in NM had this response to the post of several days ago...

...about leggy tomatoes... It is most likely from not enough light. Tomatoes are very sun hungry and need at least( and preferably more than) 8 hours of DIRECT sunlight per day. Most house windows will not get this , which is why people use greenhouses or grow lights. Grow lights are not  that expensive. I got the long fluorescent tube holders with aquarium/plant tubes for pretty cheap in the past.

 

To deal with the legginess, you can also plant them very deep, for instance with maybe only 8 inches above ground and the rest buried. The stem that is buried will send out roots all along its length and it will be stronger therefrom.  Taking cuttings may set you back a little bit as the plant has to put so much energy into making new roots, rather than working off the roots that it has already established.

To make your own rooting hormone, to help them root faster, you can go cut a few willows and put them in water and the “tea” makes an excellent rooting hormone after a few days to water plants that need to root. You can make it faster by shaving the bark off the willow branches with a pocket knife and soaking them in water.

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Great advice; however, I still can't afford grow lights, so I'm pressing on without them.  About half my 50 plants (mostly tomatoes) are now on the back porch.  That porch is very "open", but it is covered; portions of it get maybe four hours of direct sunlight per day.  The primary problem there is that gusts of wind are sometimes very strong.  We'll see how it goes.

Regarding the hormone from willows...good idea.  I've read, too, that putting an aspirin in the container soil does the same thing AND triggers an immune response in plants that wards off disease.  I'm experimenting with that idea.  It makes sense because willows produce salicylic acid...aspirin.

I also like the idea of transplanting tomatoes deeper.  Just make sure only the main stalk is underground; cut off all the lowest leaf branches or they'll rot and likely damage the whole plant.

Thanks again, Alex and Dixie.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

 

Thanks, and More on Tomatoes

Regarding the last post, a few people emailed me with suggestions...thanks!  We'll get to that shortly, but first... after receiving the information, I did a little research & discovered something interesting, as follows.  [Most of you probably know this already; even though I've been around a long time, it was news to me:]

There are two broad categories of tomatoes--- determinate and indeterminate, in relation to growth/height.  The first are the "bush" varieties (such as Roma); the second are the "vine" varieties (such as most Cherry types).  The "vines" are supposed to grow to 6-10 (or 12) ft high. The "bush" guys---3-4 ft.  I never knew that...thought they all grew to 3-4 ft.  I have a lot of cherry tomatoes!  The articles said they're usually grown on a trellis; the cages are for the bushies.  Live & learn, eh?  In my outdoor or non-container gardening days, I guess it was dumb luck that all I ever raised were determinate tomatoes... never, ever had an indeterminate "vine" tomato.

Here's a response I received from a friend in CA who runs a small organic farm there.  He and his wife, among other things, can about 50 gallons of tomato juice each year.

Yes your problem is insufficient light.Also when you 'clone" plants:take cuttings, propagate from them, they don't produce as well as when from seed.

The remedy is a cold frame. yes it is outside, but the plants will have enough natural light. The other remedy is using lights.The best window for plants faces southwest, and gives good light, no tree shade,curtains.
I plant my tomatoes in the beginning of March, then almost immediately, I put them in a cold frame, if the temps go below freezing, I throw a cover over it.I also have heat actuated openers on the cold frame, so it doesn't get too hot in them.I have nice compact bushy plants.I start my peppers over the wood stove, they must have 80+ degrees warmth in early January.When they are 4-5" high, also into the cold frame.

The melons planted later, also do very well in the cold frame.

Cold frames can be made out of an old window sash, and all used materials.The opener is what you have to buy,or be there to open the cold frame yourself.One warm day without the cold frame opened can damage your plants.

Here's his YouTube Channel...entertaining & informative---
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR3R2OutoTkY4TLSnEUaexw
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I'll post another, different response next time.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Part Three: Gardening Containers... and Fertilizer Tips

End of Gardening Containers---

6.  Any suitable plastic jug... following the instructions on previous posts, simply cut off the top, cut holes in the bottom for drainage, and supply a catch basin (saucer, tray, lid, or a slightly larger, shorter container) for excess drainage.  We've used everything from empty coffee cans---including metal ones---to various empty cleaning fluid/liquid containers.  With something like a vehicle windshield washing fluid jug, be sure to rinse thoroughly.

7.  Plastic tubs of varying sizes... the Dollar Store, Family Dollar, and other stores have fairly inexpensive tubs.  With the larger ones (they range up to 18 - 20 gallons), you'll have to drill holes for drainage.  Often the plastic is either too thick or too hard & brittle to cut with a knife.

8.  Galvanized metal tubs... a bit pricey when new, but often used ones can be found at yard sales, on Craigslist, or at Swap Meets (Flea Markets) at very reasonable prices.  If they don't have holes in the bottom, you'll have to drill some.

9.  Buckets/pails...from 2.5 to 5 gallons...like large tubs, these too are the final homes for your plants.  My organic farmer friend in California, Alex, thinks that three gallons should be the minimum size.  I'm experimenting with 2.5 gallons and so far, things look good; but Alex is probably correct.  We have to be careful that the plants don't get root-bound from lack of space; if they do, usually they don't die, but production of fruit is greatly reduced.  If the bucket is smaller than 5 gallons, usually you can cut the drainage holes with a knife.

10.  The very best containers, of course, are the old terra cotta clay plant pots...all sizes.  Unfortunately, there are some HUGE disadvantages:  the cost; plus, these pots are relatively easy to break; and, in this day & age, they are somewhat difficult to find.  The main advantage is that they breathe...air goes in & out of them through the sides.  If you can find some used ones that aren't cracked or broken (at a reasonable price), grab them up.

Beginning of Fertilizer Tips---

Potting soil is very rich in plant nutrients, but it's somewhat limited because it's isolated in a container; in other words, there's no source of additional nutrition coming into the container naturally.  So as nutrients get "used up" (incorporated into plants), there's no animal waste, very little, if any, green manure from dying/dead plants, no runoff from hillsides, etc. to replace what's gone from the soil.  Therefore, depending on the size of the container & how soon the plant will mature (& other variables), it's often a good idea for us to add certain nutrients to our container soil.  It's best to stick with natural fertilizer whenever possible, as follows.

Just before you plant seeds in a tray or cup(s) for germination, add the following to the soil (bury these things) in your largest containers...the ones which will be the final homes for your plants:
1.  ground up or crushed eggshells (a source of calcium);
2.  used coffee grounds (a source of various nutrients, including calcium); and
3.  a sliced up banana with the skin on it (a source of various nutrients, including potassium).
Work all that well into the soil.  In a 5-gallon bucket, that won't take more than five or so minutes at most.  By the time your seedlings get large enough to be transplanted into the large containers, the organic fertilizer material you added to the soil should be at the point of becoming humus.  The nutrients then will be released slowly to your plants.  [Depending upon a bunch of variables, some unknown amount of these nutrients may not be plant-ready until the next season; therefore, preparing these final buckets 6 - 8 months in advance isn't a bad idea at all.  Another option is to bury a whole banana and a whole egg about six inches down in a 5-gallon bucket...8 or so months before germinating in different containers.]

More on fertilizing next time.  Happy Trails, and Be Well

Part Two: Gardening Containers...

4.  Clean out an empty plastic jelly jar and follow the steps in 2. & 3. (previous post).  Cleaning is a snap:  put a dash of dish soap in the empty jar and fill it with hot water.  Let it stand for about an hour or so.  Then empty and rinse thoroughly.  In most cases (as with most plastic food jars), you'll need to punch the holes in the bottom along the edge of the bottom.  That's because a jar of food that's relatively heavy usually has somewhat of a dome inside on the bottom...for container strength.  In other words, the outside of the bottom is concave, and the inside is convex.  We want the drainage holes in the lowest portion of the bottom, which is along the edge in this case.  When making those holes with a knife, once the tip of the knife has pierced the plastic about a quarter to one-third of an inch or so, twist the knife a bit.  That will widen the slit, thus making for better drainage.  [A sturdy pocket knife is best for this; twisting will warp/bend some steak knives completely out of shape.]  Be careful not to stab yourself; this operation is the most likely time that you'll do it.  If you have an electric drill, that's a good option.  Use safety glasses.

5.  Dry dog food bags for small dogs or puppies (and dry cat food bags) that have only 3 -5 pounds of food in them usually are lined with plastic, or are made of mylar, or are waterproof in some other manner.  Those bags make great gardening containers.  Cut holes in the bottom of the empty bag, then use the bottom half of a gallon milk jug or something similar for containment of excess drainage.  The bottom half of a milk jug is the perfect size for most of these small pet food bags.
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Among other places, currently Venezuela and Argentina (to a somewhat lesser extent) are experiencing an economic and/or financial collapse.  One of the main things in short supply, especially in Venezuela, is food.  The whole world is in the midst of an economic downturn.  Despite the Propaganda to the contrary, the USA already is in a Recession... and most probably headed for a Depression.  Take up Container Gardening; it will help.

Be Prepared, and Be Well

Brief Introduction...and Stimulation

At the site individualsovereignty, I've been on blogspot for a little over nine years.  That site is devoted to politics, economics, and government.  As you can see, I'm changing horses.  We're going to explore how to significantly improve our lives...one container at a time.  Please join me.

Not counting sprouting (which I've done for decades), I've been doing container gardening for only a short time.  Nevertheless, because I now have about 50 plants in containers and perhaps because of my background and experience in related matters, we're going to learn a ton of useful information here.  Plus, if you're new to gardening, you'll find the "work" (really, FUN) very mentally and spiritually refreshing.

We'll begin with a short, general overview of the whole process and then go in-depth on topics such as seeds, soils, mulch, containers, organic fertilizer (mostly home-made), more containers (ones you've already paid for), transplanting, and watering.  The great thing about container gardening is that you essentially eliminate two of the biggest pains relative to gardening:  weeds, and insect pests.  In addition, you virtually eliminate (in most cases) wind damage, rain damage, and hail damage.  Any worry over the weather is 99% gone.  We'll learn how to garden at the absolute lowest cost...both stress-wise and monetarily.

I have two videos (more to come) on my YouTube Channel about container gardening, but it's difficult to go into very much detail there because people expect relatively short clips.  If interested, do a YouTube Search for:  Scott Haley container gardening.  [If you use only my name, you'll get a gazillion clips on Haley Scott, a female actor & singer:]  On this venue, we can go into much more detail.  I'll do my best to post a piece at least three times a week...barring unforeseen circumstances.

Take up gardening.  This kind of it can be done by anyone living anywhere.  It will boost your spirit, clear your mind, and save you money.

Happy Trails, and Be Well.