EarthTainer and other SWC questions?

[JohnMich]

Hey! Salty! Buying 220-300 litres or so at a time - what are you doing? Covering you whole backyard with SWCs? Anyway what I suggest you do is have a look around for a local potting mix maker. I know that the Gold Coast is the centre of Australia and Lorne is nearly the wild west (as a Taswegian of 40years standing I know about the outer fringes) but I'll bet you you can find a pot mix mixer who will do you a 1000 litre (1 metre) mix of your prescription at a price that will make your eyes stick out with surprise - like half the bagged price. I have I have aready mentioned them and I'll use them if I can just get this whole SWC thing rolling. That got your attention. Now that might sound like a big hit but if you can drum up a mate or two (or the missus to loosen the purse strings) to share with you might have a bit of a deal going.

I know you are using the Aldi mix and its a reasonable base but it is not going to have the long term wicking power, etc of a real SWC mix - plus the recycling which idea really captured your attention!

Let me make a guess - my middle name is Angus - I'll be quite surprised if you don't sport similar ancestory! Or have you got a 'stein or 'berg in there somewhere?

Talk to you later, John

[Salty_Dog]

Well it seems I have broken a few of the Golden Rules of Tomato Growing.

I have huge plants (especially in the SWC) but not a great deal of fruit.

Why?

Well it seems i have spoilt them rotten. Too much fert from the seedling stage, water on demand, mulched etc etc... In fact, i followed a few ideas mentioned on here.

While looking up about Potash, i have come across an article by a respected Australian TV Gardener.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1769474.htm

Seems he follows the same set of rules my Tomato Growing friend does.

NO ferts at all until first fruits
NO mulch
ADD Potash

Seems with my SWC and due to the top watering i had to do to get the wicking system working, i have feed my plants with a massive excess of nutrients... providing huge plants at the expensive of fruit. Seems to be a problem with the whole "sealed" medium idea.

My other plants in normal pots have enjoyed potting mix with added Blood and Bone, Seaweed and a small amount of Cow manure, and have been covered with Cane Sugar Mulch to prevent weeds and the lower leafs coming into contact with the mix.

Seems less is more when it comes inspiring plants to fruit

Ah well, we live and learn... perhaps i can just add the Potash and see if that helps

[rnewste]

Salty,

I have resigned myself that it will likely take 3 Seasons or so, to "fine tune" the EarthTainer system to get it optimized for a particular temperature / rain climate environment. Likewise, the fertilizer regimen will take a few Seasons to get it perfect. That is the real fun of gardening, isn't it?

Raybo

[Salty_Dog]

Absolutely Ray,

By no means am i having a shot at you or the system... just pointing out how i flooded them with ferts while top watering, which would of leached out the fert ring.

The concept i love and i'll be the first to admit, the cheap potting mix i bought was less than ideal.

Yes, fine tuning indeed, i already have a list of things i shall do different next season, aka the potting mix. As in my case, you can read all you like, but you never fully understand why someone suggests something or another until you try yourself...

Then generally by trail and error, you soon work out why it was first suggested

I think i would like to try a "Hybridised" version or your containers next.... The same mechanics, but with an open top so you can add things when needed a little easier. Perhaps even allowing some "Companion Planting" of some Basil?
Or would that be fine in a separate container positioned near by?

[JohnMich]

G'day Salty

Sorry to hear about your problems but as a newbie you are not alone. Not getting it right has just resulted in me uprooting toms out of 5 containers. I think I might do what the missus says. Grow them in off-season, which we can up here, and when the supermarkets are charging like wounded bulls.
I noticed that you had some quite expensive seedlings, Diggers Club?, have you seen the recent articles on cloning here. That could save you a bob or two particularly as you have plenty of material on hand. Just a thought

Regards, John

[Salty_Dog]

I haven't seen the thread on cloning here, but i have taken 7 cuttings from the Green Zebra and Black Russian and i'm trying to strike them in smaller containers.

6 i put straight into a potting mix with some blood and bone (probably not the best idea, as they went straight into the biggest shock i have ever seen, they are limp and weak, but still alive)

The other i dipped in some honey and have it sitting in a glass of water, it is actually doing very very well.

I didn't have Rooting compounds on hand or even in my town, so i just did what i thought was best with what i had.

My plants are all doing ok to good, i think i am just being extra fussy as i am putting in more effort.

The irony in this is previous plants seem to of done better with garden soil mixed with potting mix and just watered and left alone

[rnewste]

Salty,

On about half of my 30 EarthTainers, I have left the moisture barrier off, and instead just applied a half-inch layer of bark fines:



We are in a dry climate here, and if I do not use a layer of bark fines, the top of the potting mix dries out too much. The "blanket" of Fines tends to prevent this.

So yes, you can certainly mix in additional plants along side the tomatoes.

Raybo

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks Raybo,

I may even choose a couple of the SWC's and remove the plastic later in the season.
But i have been happy to go "By the book" for now and compare them to the same varieties grown in normal containers.

Or it may not be too late for me to build some more SWC's... but the garden/deck is already brimming with too many plants

[JohnMich]

I went to a gardening course years ago where the tutor recommended using honey as the rooting compound but in that case the cutting was dibbled direct into the potting mix. It works well and cuts out one step.You might try that.

[Salty_Dog]

Yes, i was told to put the Cutting in Honey and into the Potting Mix also.
Alas, i have run out of potting mix

As a comparison, i can't believe how well the cutting dipped in honey is going compared to the ones i put straight into Mix.
The ones in the Mix went from firm cutting to limp withered stems and leafs in front of my eyes... it seriously happened with in 10minutes tops.

I figure the Blood and Bone i had mixed in the Potting Mix was to hot for them.
They gave a burst the next day and started to stand up straight, but have since gone back to wilting.

Ah well, i did it as a experiment, i can see what i have done wrong.

[Salty_Dog]

Well i had to go and install the second Tomato Cage to my SWC's, it was a bit over due as the leaders were well out of the first cage...
Now that i have settled the leaders in their new home, they are already half up this next cage!!!!!!

Man, it's already at a height i can just reach and i'm 6'2".
These things are amazing!
Even if they don't produce heaps of fruit, i can already say i have the tallest Tomatoes in town! Looking more like a row of Pencil Pines than Tomatoes

But i love it!!!!!


I can see the women reading this now, "Whats with men and the size thing??"

[rnewste]

Salty,

You will find that the vines will easily outgrow even one cage inverted on top of the other. Mine went up over 7 feet and I started to nip them off at the top to encourage more lateral growth.



Raybo

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks Ray,

Your pics look great. I wish i had my digital camera back.... My plants are so bushy and tall, it's nuts.
I have fruit, but lost a lot of my first flowers, so i hardly have any down low like you do in those pictures.

Also i think a build up of salt in the container is effecting my Sweet Bite plants (others seem ok).
Random whole branches turning yellow, no spots or anything, just a yellow leaf at the tip, then next the whole branch is yellow.
Has happened in the SWC and normal containers, so i can't blame either method.

[rnewste]

Salty,

The yellow branches could be an indicator that the Potting Mix is getting too wet. Do you have a Moisture Meter to check?



Alternatively, if you dig down 3 to 4 inches, is the Potting Mix saturated, or does it crumble in your hand?

I am learning that the right composition of a Potting Mix blend is essential to controlling the moisture "conveyor" to the plant's root system.

Raybo

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks Raybo....

You could be correct. We have had a bit of cool and wet weather of late.
Plus i still have been watering on a regular basis.
I'll go a check my mix now. I don't have those meters, so i'll do a hand check.

Yes, it is nicely damp 5cm down in the mix and i hadn't water since last night (21 hours ago)
So i'll just back off on watering them on the cooler days.