CGS's 2012 Earthtainer Garden - Page 2

cgs · April 19, 2012

Picked my first! Yeah! Sungold.

lapk78 · April 20, 2012

cgs,

I too live in SA. This is my first year using EarthTainers and only my second year attempting to grow tomatoes.

Have you had any problems with thrips this season? A couple of my plants seem to have a disease (TSWV?) and thrips are known carriers of the virus. If you have a treatment/prevention, could please you tell me the details? What and when you use to treat?
Your plants are looking awesome by the way!

Thanks,

-Lyle

cgs · April 22, 2012

Thanks Lyle. I think I may always feel I am new at this, so I am not sure my recommendations are the best.

I had to search thrips. I do think I may have seen one or two of those, but my big problem has been gnats. (My aggregate is partially MG potting mix and I saw a thread somewhere about it being particularly hospitable to gnats. I believe it!). My other pest is caterpillars, and though I have dusted with Dipel once or twice, mostly I hunt and kill them. I have been using Greenlight Spinosad for the gnats. I spray in the late evening and do a soil drench. A little frustrating as a bottle cost $18 and I use more than half for one round of spray and drench on 8 Earthtainers.

For disease, in the past (in Houston) I sprayed daconcil almost weekly. I think it was key. Here I have been using Exel LG and am pleased. I have never had my lowest leaves stay so healthy so long.

All is not perfect - is it ever? I do have some leaf curl. Cherokee Purple seem to have stalled and lots of blossoms are falling. I see some "burnt" leaf tips which I understand to indicate gnat larvae root damage. I have not fed any N. So I am focused on my roots. I'll try to update some pics this week.

Good luck Lyle and please keep us posted on what works/doesn't.

cgs · May 5, 2012

Overdue for an update: I think the gnats really set me back, with larvae feeding on roots. Too bad cause the weather was so perfect. Still doing ok, recovered and am moving forward. I have soil drenched with spinosad, sprayed spinosad, and put 1/4 mosquito dink down the fill tube once a week. The plants really stalled and dropped blossoms for almost two weeks. I have been busy: biweekly foliar feeding of Seacom PGR w/ molasses, a round of biota max, Biobizz Topmax, Biobizz Bloom, and calcium nitrate. I ordered calcium nitrate after some BER, but it really seems to have woken the plants back up and they are growing again. No signs of BER. Weather crossing over to too hot for fruit set. Just installed AWS today.

Cherokee Purple was hardest hit by the gnats. Dozens of fruit should have set, but haven't in three weeks. Just starting to grow again. I've picked two almost ripe, and this is the first ripe large fruit.

Persimmon has really come along. It has light regular leaf foliage, but plenty of it. It has motored along and steadily set some fruit all along. It's not super productive, but steady and growing well. No signs of ripening.

Green Zebra has also been steady. These are also larger than I expected. Setting some fruit and moving along. No signs of ripening.

Mortgage Lifter seems to have just needed some warmer weather and some N. It is at the top of its extension, and has set some impressive clusters.

cgs · May 5, 2012

This is simply a strange Black Krim plant with a very short growth habit, maybe 3 feet. However, several very handsome and large fruit are developing. Not ripe, but I think I see some color change.

Sungold is simply producing and growing and some work - poor me has to pick 10-20 every day ;-).

Some impressive double clusters setting on Black Cherry. Almost as productive as Sungold. I've probably picked ten.

Vintage Wine seems to be second hardest hit by gnats. Calcium nitrate appears to have it growing again and it set some fruit last week. No sign of ripening, but these larger, ruffled and striped tomatoes are pretty. This is one of my favorites ex taste.

Anna Russian looks to have mostly skipped that whole foliage hassle and is setting and growing fruit as fast as it can. No more Signs of BER.

cgs · May 5, 2012

I've picked four or five Black Plums and they were tasty roasted on a pizza. This plant is super productive and prolific...how come that seems boring? I should be giving it more credit.

Picked first several Homestead today. They need a day or two to ripen. I don't know if it was the gnats, the fruit load, Lack of nutrition, or semi-determinate genes, but this thing stopped. Calcium nitrate seems to have kicked it off again, new growth and some fruit set.

Blush has really started to perform with heat. Setting a lot of fruit still and I have harvested 6 or so. Very pretty light yellow striping gets some red blush. Light taste. Redeeming itself as it grows out of the two pea fences.

If you can get past that Black Brandywine produces saladette tomatoes, this plant continues to impress. It too stalled under gnat duress, but has set well over a dozen tomatoes in the last week. Pretty sure it is most productive by poundage. Picked a dozen probably.

rnewste · May 5, 2012

Looking great!!!

Raybo

cgs · May 5, 2012

Roman Candle has disappointed, but looking at this pic, it has been setting fruit. The older fruit have gotten three times the size I expected ( they start out looking like Blush). No signs of ripeness.

Orange Minsk has definitely calmed down. It has dropped a lot of blossoms. It has lost no more to BER. Not sure if it was gnats or if fruit production is taking its toll. Dont get me wrong, this is a stout plant producing some good look fruit. Not close to ripe.

It's Jersey Devil that is showing up OM. Setting fruit very consistently,growing out the top of its cages, lush foliage, and pretty large fruit. I am impressed. Not close to ripe.

cgs · May 5, 2012

Black Brandywine, Homestead, Cherokee Purple, Sungold, Black Plum, Blush, Black Cherry.

Which one is different? Mortgage Lifter close to Green Zebra.

Another....Orange Minsk among the Jersey Devils.

Peppers are happy.

lapk78 · May 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgs

Overdue for an update: I think the gnats really set me back, with larvae feeding on roots. Too bad cause the weather was so perfect. Still doing ok, recovered and am moving forward. I have soil drenched with spinosad, sprayed spinosad, and put 1/4 mosquito dink down the fill tube once a week. The plants really stalled and dropped blossoms for almost two weeks. I have been busy: biweekly foliar feeding of Seacom PGR w/ molasses, a round of biota max, Biobizz Topmax, Biobizz Bloom, and calcium nitrate. I ordered calcium nitrate after some BER, but it really seems to have woken the plants back up and they are growing again. No signs of BER. Weather crossing over to too hot for fruit set. Just installed AWS today.

Cherokee Purple was hardest hit by the gnats. Dozens of fruit should have set, but haven't in three weeks. Just starting to grow again. I've picked two almost ripe, and this is the first ripe large fruit.

Persimmon has really come along. It has light regular leaf foliage, but plenty of it. It has motored along and steadily set some fruit all along. It's not super productive, but steady and growing well. No signs of ripening.

Green Zebra has also been steady. These are also larger than I expected. Setting some fruit and moving along. No signs of ripening.

Mortgage Lifter seems to have just needed some warmer weather and some N. It is at the top of its extension, and has set some impressive clusters.

cgs, How much and how often are you adding calcium nitrate to your EarthTainers? Do you ever use it as a foliar spray? Thanks!

-Lyle

cgs · May 17, 2012

I have added calcium nitrate twice about 10 days apart, with the last dose a week ago. While most have responded with some growth, I have seen significantly more blossom drop that may be from too much nitrogen. I have also in the last few days lost one Black Plum and two Geen Zebra's to BER.

I have been picking plenty and I'll try to get some updated pictures of tomatoes and thoughts on here this weekend.

April 19, 2012	#16
cgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 59	Picked my first! Yeah! Sungold.

April 20, 2012	#17
lapk78 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Zone 8B Posts: 118	cgs, I too live in SA. This is my first year using EarthTainers and only my second year attempting to grow tomatoes. Have you had any problems with thrips this season? A couple of my plants seem to have a disease (TSWV?) and thrips are known carriers of the virus. If you have a treatment/prevention, could please you tell me the details? What and when you use to treat? Your plants are looking awesome by the way! Thanks, -Lyle

April 22, 2012	#18
cgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 59	Thanks Lyle. I think I may always feel I am new at this, so I am not sure my recommendations are the best. I had to search thrips. I do think I may have seen one or two of those, but my big problem has been gnats. (My aggregate is partially MG potting mix and I saw a thread somewhere about it being particularly hospitable to gnats. I believe it!). My other pest is caterpillars, and though I have dusted with Dipel once or twice, mostly I hunt and kill them. I have been using Greenlight Spinosad for the gnats. I spray in the late evening and do a soil drench. A little frustrating as a bottle cost $18 and I use more than half for one round of spray and drench on 8 Earthtainers. For disease, in the past (in Houston) I sprayed daconcil almost weekly. I think it was key. Here I have been using Exel LG and am pleased. I have never had my lowest leaves stay so healthy so long. All is not perfect - is it ever? I do have some leaf curl. Cherokee Purple seem to have stalled and lots of blossoms are falling. I see some "burnt" leaf tips which I understand to indicate gnat larvae root damage. I have not fed any N. So I am focused on my roots. I'll try to update some pics this week. Good luck Lyle and please keep us posted on what works/doesn't.

May 5, 2012	#19
cgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 59	Overdue for an update: I think the gnats really set me back, with larvae feeding on roots. Too bad cause the weather was so perfect. Still doing ok, recovered and am moving forward. I have soil drenched with spinosad, sprayed spinosad, and put 1/4 mosquito dink down the fill tube once a week. The plants really stalled and dropped blossoms for almost two weeks. I have been busy: biweekly foliar feeding of Seacom PGR w/ molasses, a round of biota max, Biobizz Topmax, Biobizz Bloom, and calcium nitrate. I ordered calcium nitrate after some BER, but it really seems to have woken the plants back up and they are growing again. No signs of BER. Weather crossing over to too hot for fruit set. Just installed AWS today. Cherokee Purple was hardest hit by the gnats. Dozens of fruit should have set, but haven't in three weeks. Just starting to grow again. I've picked two almost ripe, and this is the first ripe large fruit. Persimmon has really come along. It has light regular leaf foliage, but plenty of it. It has motored along and steadily set some fruit all along. It's not super productive, but steady and growing well. No signs of ripening. Green Zebra has also been steady. These are also larger than I expected. Setting some fruit and moving along. No signs of ripening. Mortgage Lifter seems to have just needed some warmer weather and some N. It is at the top of its extension, and has set some impressive clusters.

May 5, 2012	#22
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Looking great!!! Raybo

May 17, 2012	#26
cgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 59	I have added calcium nitrate twice about 10 days apart, with the last dose a week ago. While most have responded with some growth, I have seen significantly more blossom drop that may be from too much nitrogen. I have also in the last few days lost one Black Plum and two Geen Zebra's to BER. I have been picking plenty and I'll try to get some updated pictures of tomatoes and thoughts on here this weekend.