Quote:
Originally Posted by MissS
Yes correct your PH with the lime and add the mycos. That's it. Feed them with the MG with Epsom salts and 7-10 days later use a dilute Calmag and see how they look.
I will say that I do have 2 friends from NZ. One lived in Kingston and the other in Tamaru. They both grew their tomatoes outside without a greenhouse and they were happy with their crops.
Tomato seed stays viable for 10 years. Yes, they will take a little longer to germinate but they will. I have grown my hybrid Compari seeds out to F4 or F5. I have not seen much of a difference from the original F1 plants. Growing a seedling from a hybrid does not mean that they will be weaker, it just means that you may get a fruit far from what it was that you expected.
I am another one that will not use vermiculite to start seeds. It gets too wet and as it decomposes it tuns into clay. I use peat and perlite or a product called Optisorb which you can not find there. I use quite a bit of perlite as it adds air to the soil.
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Patti....Thanks ..I will certainly do as you say...I intend to make up a small mix and repot the 4 Tasty Toms today and see how they go...Kingston is north west from here at altitude so no doubt get much better and warmer weather ...Tamaru (I presume you mean Timaru) is on the South Island east coast north of here and I lived there once.....I would have thought a greenhouse would be required there...
Re Campari ..They are so close to Tasty Toms I often wonder if they are the same ...A friend and myself both think Tasty Tom is just slightly more of a Tomato taste but both varieties are so similar in every way including the small peak on the end of the fruit..If I never had Tasty Toms I would be growing Camparis and they are 1/2 the price..Forgive my ignorance ...I know F1 has something to do with disease resistance but I wonder what F4 and F5 relates too..
Yes I remember you telling me about Vermiculite and in my latest mix I have not used it....In fact I am reconsidering my method that I have used so far...I am looking at the water content in the pots and I am wondering if Vermiculite in the mix put in Peat Jiffy Pots sitting on a Capillary cloth could be a real problem ....maybe they are just too wet....I presume the peat draws up water and with the Vermiculite holding it could be a problem....All my seeds have a root exposed and then are laid on the mix so they have all germinated ..I have round 75% success so far the rest could be just slow but I note a darker colour of the jiffy pots that have not produced a plant and I think the colour may relate to the amount of water contained within the pot and in the pot itself...ALSO I am using a wipe cloth that I tested for a capiilary and maybe it is holding too much water so there are several factors here that I have to address and try and work out....and there is the sphagnum moss ...could it be a problem?
I will be glad when everything has some true leaves cause then once repotted I think from past experience they usually take off ...Regards Ron