Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
April 25, 2014 | #16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
|
Your setup looks a lot like mine. Crowded with power cables everywhere....
Yes, I think that is too dry. A lot of people do, but I do not let mine get that dry. I don't want to speak for Karen but I assumed she was referring to Celsius or they would be some really cold tomatoes! If you can roll them outside, by all means do it! The daytime temps will be fine, and in fact cooling them off to between 50 and 60 will slow them down. Sun will be your enemy for the short term. Plain white sheets would give you sun protection and not cause a heat build up. It might rain tomorrow, so having plastic handy as well would be a good idea. Can you wheel them back in easily for night time? We are creeping into to the 40s for night time temps for the next week, so you could start leaving them outside, but I would still wait for that until later this week when the night time temps will be in the high 40's. Plastic alone is going to be problematic in the short term. They are not ready for direct sun and you run the risk of cooking them with too much greenhouse effect. A shady spot would be ideal, but if you don't have it.... you don't have it. PS. - I just saw your next post while I was writing this and yes you might need to pot up if we are stuck for another month! (lets hope not!) Cutting you light cycle back by an hour or 2 might help slow them down as well. |
April 25, 2014 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,922
|
Yes, The temps I wrote of are in Celsius. The whole wide world measures temperature in Celsius except one country....
in fact, metric system measurements are used in all industrialized countries... except one for a rough estimate conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 32 so for example 10 degrees Celsius = approximately 52 degrees F give or take a fraction of a degree, close enough. Karen |
April 25, 2014 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
|
Luigi your plants look great.
A beer cup is 4 inches tall and I can eyeball your plants are not more two cup heights in the photo and near as wide as they are long. Granted that tomatoes can grow two inches in a day if it suits them. Or while you're posting on T'ville and your back is turned. My plants were 10 inches tall or more than 2 cup heights on Monday this week when I started to get worried. Buds were detected midweek on these mammoths. I'm shuttling them in and out of the greenhouse as temps permit, to chill em up some. Sheesh we're in a fog bank for the next week. That'll teach em. |
April 25, 2014 | #19 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
|
Quote:
"Well, blame President James "Jimmy" Carter. He started America on a path to the metric system but then just gave up. Psh, he wonders why he was a one-term president." Dr. Sheldon Cooper |
|
April 26, 2014 | #20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ny
Posts: 1,219
|
So I did a little experiment today. I got some 4mil visqueen and wrapped it around a shelf. And tracked the temp. It actually got as hot as 94 degrees inside, with just the sides open. And then at night, with everything closed up its now 50degrees. Is 50 degrees too cold for them?
Will a double layer of this 4mil stuff do a better job of insulating? I rather not shuffle them to and fro because, well, there are a couple steps involved. LOL But if 50degrees at night is too cold for them, then I just have to do it... ? |
April 27, 2014 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
|
50 is great if you can maintain the temp overnight.
|
April 27, 2014 | #22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,922
|
I would be more worried about the 94 than the 50. your set up will likely hold heat better with potted plants inside than it does empty. A low of 50 overnight will be OK but 94 in the day is a little too hot. can you open it up more in the daytime maybe.
Karen O |
April 27, 2014 | #23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ny
Posts: 1,219
|
I agree, KarenO. Yesterday was warm but it was a comfortable 70 degrees (not 94!!) I think I'm going to move it to a location that get approx 2 hours of morning sun and then all shade.
So tell me, is this considered root bound? Trying to decide if I should pot them up for this last stretch... Last edited by luigiwu; April 27, 2014 at 07:14 PM. |
April 27, 2014 | #24 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,922
|
No, they are not root bound, roots look fine. They all look good.
Work on hardening them off over the next couple of weeks and they can be planted in their permanent outdoor location as soon as it's reliably warm enough. good job Karen |
April 28, 2014 | #25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ny
Posts: 1,219
|
Thanks, KarenO! Might have spoken too soon though - I took a look at a different plant that was much much taller and the roots were circling the very bottom of the container already so is that what "root bound" means?
In addition, the homemade cold frame got down to 48 degrees last night. eep. Poor babies. They look okay but we'll see, right? Maybe I should put a blanket over the cold frame... I am reeeeeally hoping the cold will stunt the growth of these plants. They are already pushing up against the underside of coldframe shelf I am using... is that bad for them? |
April 28, 2014 | #26 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: texas
Posts: 1,451
|
Quote:
As far as how I harden off. I stick in window. then I stick them on back porch only bringing in when temps get to the low 40s. Then when it warms up again back on porch. after that out in yard then in ground. I do not baby them just stick them out. Those that survive are my new plants! |
|
April 28, 2014 | #27 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Indiana, zone 5B
Posts: 63
|
Quote:
|
|
April 29, 2014 | #28 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ny
Posts: 1,219
|
All is not well on the Luigiwu Urban Farm... I really started these too early...
I simply do not have the space for the size of these... They are currently crowded with their cups/pots right next to each other, so of course the they are not happy. I have a fan on them but it really is super dense... As a result, the bottom leaves on a lot are droopy/withered. I know those won't come back so I've been pinching them off. The next 3 days are suppose to be rainy and overcast. I think I'm going to do something drastic. I am thinking of moving them all outside covering the shelf well with 4mil plastic. My test from the weekend says that the 4mil plastic is doing a good enough job to make sure the temps are mostly above 50degrees (52 last night!) I live only 30-45 minutes away from JamesL and I know he has said he never get ready to plant out this early... After a week, I'll probably get them in their final 5 gallon buckets but also have a 4mil plastic/cold frame over them until I guess past the middle of May?? Any thoughts guys? |
April 29, 2014 | #29 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
|
luigiwu, I would do the same as you're thinking - basically what I'm doing here, except the conditions are colder. As far as night temperatures go, in my experience 48 is as good as 50 for a night low, never seen any sign of stress at 48 nor down to about 45 F in a tucked in situation where there's a barrier to wind chills. Leaf damage from the cold I've seen at 41 F.
Since I want to slow em down and toughen em up, I've been putting my plants out every day, but waiting till it's above 50 or better yet closing in on 60 F before I do so. In the evening I let them stay out as it cools down towards 50. Without sunshine, the daytime highs this week have not been over 60 F. The plants are okay at 60 but not looking too happy when it doesn't quite get there. I have read that cold stress and damage is cumulative, so what is tolerated for a few hours is not so tolerable for days at a time. So if you find that your temp isn't getting above 60 on these rainy days, you may have to bring them in at night to let them recover and make sure there's no cumulative damage. On the other hand, high temperatures can kill your plants outright in a small enclosed space, in a matter of hours or less, not days, so don't take the risk of overheating too lightly. If I'm not going to be around, I'll open the greenhouse window even on a cold day, to make sure I don't cook those puppies while I'm out. It only takes 5 minutes of sunshine to raise the greenhouse temperature 10 degrees! The cold isn't optimal, but they will survive it. So even if the forecast is rain with no sunshine, I'd drape that cover so there's air flow through the sides even so if you're away in the daytime. In the evening it's better to tuck them in tight. And if you find they're miserable because it didn't get up to 60 F, take em in and baby em for a night. 2 cents, and good luck. |
April 29, 2014 | #30 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
|
Even though I agree with Bower, I vote bring'em in tonight.
If the forecast is to be trusted, and it probably isn't, 45 tonight, high of 50 tomorrow and rain all day. After that it appears the weather is going to go in our favor. I think you would be better served on some or all getting no light for 24 to 48 hours. Or gamble with half of them and give the other half room under the lights. That might be the better idea, split the group and see how half of them do. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|