Name this malady...if you can

[kurt]

It is nice from Oct.-March.Then the heat sets in and 100%humidity during the rainy season.Do not forget the snakes,misquitos,now pythons,4 ft. iguanas,wild hogs making thier way down here.We tend to hibernate down here during the summer.Our AC bill is kin to the northeners heating bills.Beleive it or not we vacation up noth in PA to get away from these summers.Oh lest I forgot the nile monitor lizards(3 FT)some kind of rodent called the nutria,and a new type of jungle rat moving in.Most of these are introduced species let go by owners or escaped.Then we have a lot of farm theft and the nuts are killing and slaughtering horses for meat here in S Miami.All of my neighbors have concealed permits and we are allowed to shoot anyone on our properties.So much for the good old days"paradise lost".

[z_willus_d]

Ok, so emphasis on the *Wild* then. I've read the big produers manage to grow their tomatoes in Florida in sandy soils through the summer. Of course, all through Herculean new agricultural efforts and chemical support systems.

Watch out for those R.O.U.S.!
-naysen

[kurt]

Yes thanks.Oh I forgot to mention the Capabarras,the odd alligators,once in a while a stray croc during high waters.I have two ridgebacks that are a good alarm system and ruthless killers.Inside the wifes two minpins take care of the smaller critters.Plus we use a pistol called the Judge that chambers 410 shells and 45 slugs at the same time.Old Henry 30s for the long shots and AR 15s for close range.

[z_willus_d]

Over the weekend, I re-potted around 10 of my worst looking seedlings, mostly, but not all, paste types that had lost leaves/branches, shown some degradation, curling, and were generally weak and insipid in growth.

You might be able to make out in the 1st and 2nd pics the difference of composition of the old (top/right-side) and new (bottom/left-side) grow medium. I thought I might be retaining too much water in my too large 6" pots for such small seedlings, so I decided to remix the media with 100% FoxFarm's LightWarrior mixed with additional Perlite. This should help with drainage and better aerate the root system.

Someone had requested pics of the root balls, so I included a few of those. The majority of root balls weren't through to the bottom and sides of the pot, but there were a few larger plants that showed the beginning signs of constraint.

I'm hopping these plants start to perk up, though it's been several days and they seem to be in some kind of stasis, probably due to the shock of the transplant. I'm pretty certain I took out a number of peripheral roots in the process of re-potting these sad seedlings. Hopefully the damage is worth it in the end.

-naysen

[kurt]

Seems like the humidity factor in those deep containers and not enough air/carbon dioxide exchange will be present.If the rootballs are that good why not pull the plant up to the top of container so it will not suffocate and get good natural light?

[z_willus_d]

Kurt, the plants are in 6" pots. That large deep 18-gallon tote is just what I used to hold the old and new peat media during the re-potting. I certainly wouldn't have room to fit 100 of those totes in my backroom.
-naysen

[kurt]

Sorry I missed the intent of those containers.The rootballs look good though.Never had experience with inside growing.Just looking at those underground growing operations I see a lot of carbon dioxide infused sytems and natural light spectrums used.I know it is probaly expensive as hell but thier profits warrant it I guess.All I can suggest is get them outside if you can.

[Heritage]

Naysen,

The texture/drainage of the old root balls looks perfect to me. If anything, they look dry, but that's hard to tell from the photos. I don't think drainage/water retention is a problem.

If you are planting out in about a month, I wouldn't worry about potting up - those plants are a long way from being root bound. And, I agree with Kurt - I would start giving the seedlings a few hours of natural sunlight everyday to wean them off their artificial environment, in preparation for their permanent home. Maybe move them outside in the shade for a few days and then gradually start adding sunlight.

Steve

[z_willus_d]

Hi Steve,

Yes, I've been wanting to perform the seedling shuffle for sometime now, but a couple weeks back we started having this rather coldish storm system. There are intermittent days of some sunshine, but so far those have all fallen on weekdays (a.k.a. workdays). I'm waiting for the weather to clear up enough for me to drop the plants outside safely for the entire day (and night) or a good sunny weekend where I can look after and shepherd them in person.

Thanks for the input on the root balls.
-naysen

[vermiit]

Hi Naysen, I hope you got your tomatoes in this weekend! I'm not far from you in Davis. I put a couple in the ground last week, and most of them in between the rains this weekend.

I'm a lazy gardener, and one thing I've done is put up Wall of Waters, (or can be a cut up gallon milk jug) to put over my plants, like a mini-green house. If I thought we'd get down to freezing, I'd actually fill them up with water, but I didn't see the need, since I'm starting later than previous years (I'm an impatient gardener too, lol)

Since I have usually free-roaming chickens, this also keeps my girls from eating up my plants.

And I'm usually lazy to harden off, and it prevents my young tomato plants from burning, and slowly opens as the plant grows up and hardens them off.

[z_willus_d]

Hi Vermiit, it's good to hear you've started the season, and things look great there. I didn't plant any this weekend. I had ordered several Wall of Water 3-packs myself (from Burpee). Burpee isn't the most expedient company with their deliveries, so I'm still waiting for the WoWs to get started. That and the rather coldish and wet weather informed my decision to wait. If the WoWs don't get here by next weekend, I'm nearly certain I'll get a first wave of vines out, assuming the weather is about comparable to this weekend and no worse.

Do you think there is a downside to filling the WoW in the scenario where we're not really in danger of a freeze? I was thinking about their effect, and it occurs to me where the averaging of daily temperatures will help to keep a plant from freezing off, it also must have the effect of chilling it through the early day before the sun has a chance to radiate the water. I'll probably just fill them partially, or maybe I'll try an experiment and fill only half to compare.

Well met.
-naysen

[rwsacto]

Hi Naysen,

I will probably wait at least a week and probably 2 weeks to begin to plant out. I use WOW for early ones. If you fill 2/3, they will close at top like a teepee. When they grow out, fill up and they will form an open cylinder. You will see that they act as a small greenhouse to raise soil temperature and humidity around the plant.

Good Luck,
Rick

[vermiit]

I really don't think there's a downside to filling them~ just make sure you take the tips in this thread.

I forgot about the bucket tip when I tried filling one, and smooshed my Black Trifele seedling.

I hope this season will be better than last year!

Have you heard of Morningsun Herb Farm in Vacaville? They're getting the bulk of their shipment in late this week. All kinds of heirlooms, and a lot of Brad's tomatoes. Soooo tempting!

[z_willus_d]

Rick, good luck to you as well.

Vermiit, I appreciate the link to the tips thread. The WoWs are new to me this year. I had not heard of Morningsun before, but it's great to know I have an option to procure many great heirlooms should disaster strike (more than it already has) upon my seedlings. Still, you can't beat the certainty and contentment of taking the plants from seed to seeds.

--naysen

[vermiit]

I missed and regret not starting seed this year...next year I plan to grow out a number of seeds from years past. I'm also looking into a small portable greenhouse, and wondering how to grow winter tomatoes, and other advantages having a hot weather greenhouse could be. (I should start a thread and ask!)

We have such a short fruiting season sometimes if the heat comes to fast, and then this year Winter seems like it just arrived...just in case it decides to stay a bit, I did sow a few seeds yesterday of 'Super Italian Paste Tomato' that I first got back in 1992 from SSE.

I think my internal calendar is just out of whack! lol. Good luck on your seedlings!

~Vermiit