Planting leggy seedlings

[TomatoNut]

Another of my favorites is the Ketchup Tomato. It is a determinate variety; the plant makes this bush like habit. The branches bend downwards, it looks quite interesting. The flavor of the fruits are unbeatable! I gotta tell you this funny tomato story: I purchased seeds for a dwarf variety called Micro Tom from eBay. The plants are only supposed to get like 6" tall! Well, I planted two seeds, and I was expecting the seedlings to stay VERY compact.... well let me tell you those seedlings kept growing! The eldest plant is now a foot tall or more, and looks like it plans to get much bigger! I'm like, oooookay, this is not a six inch plant! I don't know what it is now! Guess I'll have to call it, Big Tom!

 

[Chuck]

Another of my favorites is the Ketchup Tomato. It is a determinate variety; the plant makes this bush like habit. The branches bend downwards, it looks quite interesting. The flavor of the fruits are unbeatable! I gotta tell you this funny tomato story: I purchased seeds for a dwarf variety called Micro Tom from eBay. The plants are only supposed to get like 6" tall! Well, I planted two seeds, and I was expecting the seedlings to stay VERY compact.... well let me tell you those seedlings kept growing! The eldest plant is now a foot tall or more, and looks like it plans to get much bigger! I'm like, oooookay, this is not a six inch plant! I don't know what it is now! Guess I'll have to call it, Big Tom!

Buying seeds online is a good thing but sometimes somehow some strange seed gets mixed in. This year I planted a few varieties of yellow summer squash and something came up that was a squash but not a yellow squash or zucchini. It is round and green. I thought at first it was an Eight Ball or a Tatuma but it's not. Its a variety of acorn squash. I have often wondered how this happens.

 

[TomatoNut]

If you would like to try the Blue Beauty tomato, you can buy seeds for it and many other interesting heirloom veggies from one of my seed sources: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!

 

[Chuck]

If you would like to try the Blue Beauty tomato, you can buy seeds for it and many other interesting heirloom veggies from one of my seed sources: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!

Yep, Baker Seeds has a lot of old and new seeds. I usually get my squash and melons from them. This year I'm trying to grow Casabas and Crenshaws

 

[TomatoNut]

Wow, that's great! Baker Creek is where 80% of my tomato varieties came from! Have you ever tried a white tomato?

 

[headfullofbees]

I agree with what you say except for the "replacing" part. The bottom roots are not defunct. They still uptake nutrients. What if you laid them on their sides? The new roots are at the same depth as the new roots and when you pull them up the bottom roots have grown just as much as the top roots. That's why it makes no difference between on their side and deep. That issue and the moisture at depth encourages me to plant deep.

Tomato plants HAVE THE CAPACITY to root anywhere along the stem, so why don't they fill the gaps in the videos if it's advantageous?
Simple. Roots of that type, at that depth are useless, so they only grow at/near the surface again. Hence, the roots you bury deeper are defunct. QED.

"What if you laid them on their sides? The new roots are at the same depth as the new roots and when you pull them up the bottom roots have grown just as much as the top roots."

Nope, the bottom roots, when you plant deeper, do not continue to grow; they stay the same as when you buried them.

"They still uptake nutrients."

Nope, that's the tap root.

" I plant my tomatoes about 2 feet apart because of the intense sunlight. By laying them on their sides I am getting a little too close for the neighboring plants horizontally growing roots."

There's still no advantage to planting them deeper; you're wasting part of a short growing season. If you want the stems to thicken up, get a fan on them.

 

[headfullofbees]

Buying seeds online is a good thing but sometimes somehow some strange seed gets mixed in. This year I planted a few varieties of yellow summer squash and something came up that was a squash but not a yellow squash or zucchini. It is round and green. I thought at first it was an Eight Ball or a Tatuma but it's not. Its a variety of acorn squash. I have often wondered how this happens.

Cucurbits are notoriously promiscuous, and agricultural workers notoriously poorly paid.

 

[roadrunner]

I bought some tomato plants that were between 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) and I accidentally stepped on one and broke it in half. I planted the top half of the tomato plant and now it's just as big as the other half -- I got two plants for the price of one

 

[Chuck]

Wow, that's great! Baker Creek is where 80% of my tomato varieties came from! Have you ever tried a white tomato?

Not yet

 

[TomatoNut]

Well, there is nothing wrong with planting your tomatoes deeply! It works great for me, and I plan to keep doing it! I do agree with the fan for stronger stems. You can also run your hand across your young tomato seedlings to help strenghten their stems, but a fan might be better. Would also help with air circulation in your greenhouse.

 

[headfullofbees]

Well, there is nothing wrong with planting your tomatoes deeply!

Yes, there is. If you live in a climate where tomatoes are marginal, then the time wasted, may make the difference between a decent & a scant crop.
It's nothing personal, &, obviously, you are free to do as you wish, but kindly stop peddling this nonsense to others, who may be new to tomato growing, as it is just not correct, and you do them a dis-service.
Chuck, trust me, I don't post with such assurance unless I'm right. (remember micorrhyzae and brassicas?)
If you plant your tomatoes at 2ft. apart, then, if you bury them shallow at 45 deg, you have nearly 3 ft between roots: if that's not enough, throw them away, they're useless.

 

[Chuck]

Yes, there is. If you live in a climate where tomatoes are marginal, then the time wasted, may make the difference between a decent & a scant crop.
It's nothing personal, &, obviously, you are free to do as you wish, but kindly stop peddling this nonsense to others, who may be new to tomato growing, as it is just not correct, and you do them a dis-service.
Chuck, trust me, I don't post with such assurance unless I'm right. (remember micorrhyzae and brassicas?)
If you plant your tomatoes at 2ft. apart, then, if you bury them shallow at 45 deg, you have nearly 3 ft between roots: if that's not enough, throw them away, they're useless.

Bee's, I just can't forget about that video. Remember how big that top root ball was? And the bottom root ball wasn't as big? I didn't catch how old that plant was.. What did the plant do between the time of planting and when it was dug up? It seems to me that the bottom roots are the one's that gave the growth and blooms and the top roots are the ones that actually made the plant its final size and grew the fruits after the bottom roots did their thing. I am not disputing that the top roots grew the plant. What I am saying is that the bottom roots were not defunct and that they played a major part in the success or failure of the plant. It took considerable time for those top roots to grow. What did the plant do while they were growing? I believe that the top roots played a major role in the fruiting and growth of the plant and I also believe that temperature played a major role in the development of those top roots. I will say this: When I plant my leggy seedlings the root ball is not very big, all of the roots could fit into a tablespoon. I plant them deep and the time involved until blooms is significant. I usually have a plant or two that is cut down by something, usually cutworms, and when I dig up or pull up the plant to plant something else in its place, the top roots are very small.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I grow a lot of heirlooms. I usually grow 12-15 different varieties trying to find the perfect tomato. I've been experimenting with tomatoes for close to 50 years and haven't found the perfect one yet. I think I have found it and then the next year or the year after it fails. A perfect tomato never fails, never gets a disease, never cracks or gets sunscalded and produces like mad. I tried an Indigo series tomato a couple of years ago but the foliage was too sparse for south Texas sun and it scalded. I've never heard of a Blue Beauty. By your description it sounds similar.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the words of a hopeless romantic!

Seriously, how high do you support the celebrity?


Also, top roots can come because of top nutrients. I have starfished carrots proving that one.

 

[headfullofbees]

Bee's, I just can't forget about that video. Remember how big that top root ball was? And the bottom root ball wasn't as big? I didn't catch how old that plant was.. What did the plant do between the time of planting and when it was dug up? It seems to me that the bottom roots are the one's that gave the growth and blooms and the top roots are the ones that actually made the plant its final size and grew the fruits after the bottom roots did their thing. I am not disputing that the top roots grew the plant. What I am saying is that the bottom roots were not defunct and that they played a major part in the success or failure of the plant. It took considerable time for those top roots to grow. What did the plant do while they were growing? I believe that the top roots played a major role in the fruiting and growth of the plant and I also believe that temperature played a major role in the development of those top roots. I will say this: When I plant my leggy seedlings the root ball is not very big, all of the roots could fit into a tablespoon. I plant them deep and the time involved until blooms is significant. I usually have a plant or two that is cut down by something, usually cutworms, and when I dig up or pull up the plant to plant something else in its place, the top roots are very small.

I have suggested, on another thread, that you try a small number of plants planted trenched and a few more planted shallow. See what happens, eh?
Are we after strong plants, or are we after tomatoes?

 

[Chuck]

I have suggested, on another thread, that you try a small number of plants planted trenched and a few more planted shallow. See what happens, eh?
Are we after strong plants, or are we after tomatoes?

I couldn't care less about the plants. My entire goal is tomatoes but if you don't have a big plant you won't get big production.