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Old October 23, 2012   #44
carolyn137
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clkeiper View Post
Kilroy, Yes, you get to pet your plants! I learned this while working in a greenhouse many years ago and do it to my own plants when I start them in the spring. I also keep an oscillating fan going in the seed starting greenhouse. It helps with all the plants, so if you have a lot of seedlings one might do well for you too.
And it was in greenhouses that the phenomenon of what's called thigmotropism was first seen. Thigmotropisn means sensitive to touch.

It was noticed that plants along the ailes, which are narrow, that the plants were more sturdy. About 40 years ago the Cornell Coop Ext in my area started suggesting to farmers that they take a broom handle and run it over the plants each day.

My good friend Charlie had 28 greenhouses and did it for a whole week, but it already took him up to 8 hours each day to keep everything in the greenhouses watered, so he gave up.

I used to take all my 20 row professional trays after sowing tomato seed to his seed greenhouse which had pipes with warm water that were embedded in the concrete. And then at the right time I'd do all my transplating there as well.

My assigned spot to put the transplants was in greenhouse #19, amazing that I always remember that, and that space was right in front of a huge exhaust fan. He didn't want to put certain plants there but it sure worked out fine for me since the constant air movement made my tomato plants very sturdy indeed.
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