dwarf beef steak and patio cherries in 1.5 Gallon pots???

DelawareDave · April 4, 2015

I have dwarf beef steaks, and patio cherries in 1.5 gallon pots, I think.... there 9" diameter pots. Any way will these be ok to stay in these pots as long as they are fed enough and well watered? Or do they need to go in 3 gallon pots? Also they are just starting to flower like crazy would potting them be detrimental to the current flowers and tomatoes on them???

Tanya1977 · April 4, 2015

My tomato plants were in 25 gallons pots. They were very good in this size of the pots.

Ed of Somis · April 4, 2015

To be honest...I am not too familiar with either variety you mentioned. Generally, it is much better not to crowd your maters into a pot too small. Tomato roots become very extensive. You are correct about the watering/fertilizing aspects. However, you do not want your roots to become a tangled/crowded mess. The 3 years I have seriously been growing container tomatoes...I have learned 2 priority lessons: 1. Use a free draining potting mix with a wick 2. bigger pots are better

subhanallah · April 5, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

To be honest...I am not too familiar with either variety you mentioned. Generally, it is much better not to crowd your maters into a pot too small. Tomato roots become very extensive. You are correct about the watering/fertilizing aspects. However, you do not want your roots to become a tangled/crowded mess. The 3 years I have seriously been growing container tomatoes...I have learned 2 priority lessons: 1. Use a free draining potting mix with a wick 2. bigger pots are better

Pardon the intrusion.
What do you mean "with a wick"?

Nevermind, I figured it out.
How do you ensure the water makes it all the way to the top of the pot?

amideutch · April 6, 2015

Quote:

Any way will these be ok to stay in these pots as long as they are fed enough and well watered?

Yes, just make sure you support the plants.

Ami

Wi-sunflower · April 6, 2015

I had a lot of plants in 3 gallon pots about 5 years ago and even 3 gallon was too small for a vigorous plant. Watering heavy twice / day wasn't enough to keep the pots from drying up and falling over most afternoons. We eventually put in drip lines on a timer that watered for 5 minutes every 3 hours. AND we had to pound a length of rebar down thru the pot into the ground to keep the pots upright. A 5 gallon bucket would have worked better for us.

Carol

DelawareDave · April 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I had a lot of plants in 3 gallon pots about 5 years ago and even 3 gallon was too small for a vigorous plant. Watering heavy twice / day wasn't enough to keep the pots from drying up and falling over most afternoons. We eventually put in drip lines on a timer that watered for 5 minutes every 3 hours. AND we had to pound a length of rebar down thru the pot into the ground to keep the pots upright. A 5 gallon bucket would have worked better for us.

Carol

What type of tomatoes were you growing?

Wi-sunflower · April 6, 2015

about 1/3 of the plants were cherries that were against the walls and wove up on a string tied about 6 ft up. The others were various dwarf varieties. Quite a few Pixies and Orange Pixies and some Huskys. Those were staked and tied so they generally stayed centered above the pot. This was in a broken greenhouse that was covered above the plants but open on both ends and on the sides about 2-3 ft up from the bottom. Any wind at all knocked over the plants.

Carol

Ed of Somis · April 6, 2015

a wick can be researched on gardenweb...in the container growing forum. There are many knowledgeable growers there. It is placed in the bottom of the pot (through drainage holes) to aid in the "complete" draining. This helps in avoiding that "muck" that forms in the bottom 2 inches...rendering that area useless for roots. PS Ami is correct about the importance of support.

Granger · May 3, 2015

Last year I grew Bush Beefsteak in self watering containers called Growums that I found on clearance. They are like an earthbox only smaller and made for children. Guessing I would say they are around 10 gallons each. I grew one plant in each box and had a very good success. This year I decided to try two plants in each box and all are loaded with fruit. I don't know if they are still available but work great in small spaces if you don't mind the color.

luigiwu · May 3, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by subhanallah

How do you ensure the water makes it all the way to the top of the pot?

actually plants only need water near their roots (bottom) so you dont need to worry bout the top of the pot.
If you are container growing, I am a big advocate of self-watering containers (SWC) otherwise also known as sub-irrigated planters. (SIP) Gloogle global buckets or Alaska Grow Buckets OR my personal favorite which is Larry Hall's Rain Gutter Grow sytem (RGGS)

In general if you the container is not considered 'ideal' size' for a plant, you should trim off suckers (on indeterminate types) to control them a bit. THe same thing for watering, if you sub-irrigate using the RGGS, you provide a constant supply of water (using a float) so the plant can take up as much as it needs, when it needs it. It leaves you and you being able to water it totally out of the equation and then you also don't need to provide a pot that hold enough water for the plant between waterings. I suspect that 'ideal' size for top watered tomatoes have more to do with holding water for them then it actually does about the root-ball...

wormgirl · May 6, 2015

Delaware Dave, you may be confused by now. One person says use 25 gallons, another says they will be fine in the 1.5 gallon pots! As you can see there are a variety of opinions - and frankly, a variety of ways to be successful.

Have you grown tomatos in containers before?

What I have read so far is that most people feel 5 gallons is perfectly sized for a dwarf plant. It is certainly possible you could grow them just fine in 3 gallons, although they will not be able to grow as large or produce as much.

I see two issues with your current pots. One, you will have a very hard time keeping them watered once the plants get big and the weather gets hot. The other is the plants will become very top-heavy and tend to blow over in the breeze.

My best advice would be pot them up to 5 gallons when they go outside, after being hardened off. If not 5, then go for the 3 gallon containers. It shouldn't affect the flowering or fruiting significantly to be transplanted now.

Gerardo · May 6, 2015

3 gallon can work but you have to be VERY diligent about watering schedules (up 2x day) and fertilizing, the yields will also be stingy. At the end of the season you'll find almost all of the organic matter gone, with some stray perlite embedded in a massive root ball; you'll feel bad for your plant for having forced it in there.
5 gallons is solid for a single plant, yields will be better, but you'll still be dealing with late-afternoon wilting when it gets hot. Mulch helps a lot with moisture retention. Drainage holes on the sides are a must also.

Bigger container = happier plants.

April 4, 2015	#2
Tanya1977 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 19	My tomato plants were in 25 gallons pots. They were very good in this size of the pots.

April 4, 2015	#3
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	To be honest...I am not too familiar with either variety you mentioned. Generally, it is much better not to crowd your maters into a pot too small. Tomato roots become very extensive. You are correct about the watering/fertilizing aspects. However, you do not want your roots to become a tangled/crowded mess. The 3 years I have seriously been growing container tomatoes...I have learned 2 priority lessons: 1. Use a free draining potting mix with a wick 2. bigger pots are better

April 6, 2015	#6
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	I had a lot of plants in 3 gallon pots about 5 years ago and even 3 gallon was too small for a vigorous plant. Watering heavy twice / day wasn't enough to keep the pots from drying up and falling over most afternoons. We eventually put in drip lines on a timer that watered for 5 minutes every 3 hours. AND we had to pound a length of rebar down thru the pot into the ground to keep the pots upright. A 5 gallon bucket would have worked better for us. Carol

May 3, 2015	#10
Granger Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: California Posts: 2	Last year I grew Bush Beefsteak in self watering containers called Growums that I found on clearance. They are like an earthbox only smaller and made for children. Guessing I would say they are around 10 gallons each. I grew one plant in each box and had a very good success. This year I decided to try two plants in each box and all are loaded with fruit. I don't know if they are still available but work great in small spaces if you don't mind the color.

May 6, 2015	#12
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	Delaware Dave, you may be confused by now. One person says use 25 gallons, another says they will be fine in the 1.5 gallon pots! As you can see there are a variety of opinions - and frankly, a variety of ways to be successful. Have you grown tomatos in containers before? What I have read so far is that most people feel 5 gallons is perfectly sized for a dwarf plant. It is certainly possible you could grow them just fine in 3 gallons, although they will not be able to grow as large or produce as much. I see two issues with your current pots. One, you will have a very hard time keeping them watered once the plants get big and the weather gets hot. The other is the plants will become very top-heavy and tend to blow over in the breeze. My best advice would be pot them up to 5 gallons when they go outside, after being hardened off. If not 5, then go for the 3 gallon containers. It shouldn't affect the flowering or fruiting significantly to be transplanted now.

May 6, 2015	#13
Gerardo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: San Diego-Tijuana Posts: 2,594	3 gallon can work but you have to be VERY diligent about watering schedules (up 2x day) and fertilizing, the yields will also be stingy. At the end of the season you'll find almost all of the organic matter gone, with some stray perlite embedded in a massive root ball; you'll feel bad for your plant for having forced it in there. 5 gallons is solid for a single plant, yields will be better, but you'll still be dealing with late-afternoon wilting when it gets hot. Mulch helps a lot with moisture retention. Drainage holes on the sides are a must also. Bigger container = happier plants.