Dealing with a big rain. (Please see comments for the question.)
Dealing with a big rain. (Please see comments for the question.)
by NPKzone8a
6 Comments
NPKzone8a
**Dealing with a big rain**
We had 3 inches last night and the forecast calls for “scattered showers” today and tomorrow. NE Texas, 8a. My tomatoes have a history of fungal disease in past seasons. Have held it at bay this year by preventive spraying with copper sulfate and Daconil, alternating the two every 10 to 14 days or so.
I’m wondering about the advisability of pulling off the wet mulch this morning to let the roots of my tomatoes dry out more rapidly. 32 plants in large grow bags, mostly 15 and 20-gallon. The tomatoes are a mix of indeterminates, determinates, and a few dwarf varieties. Lots of green fruit on the vine.
Some rows are mulched with straw, others with pine shavings. I could gather it into a couple of 32-gallon plastic trash cans, leaving the soil bare for a few days, hopefully to evaporate faster. I’m a believer in the importance of a good mulch layer to protect the roots from the summer sun, so I would replace it after the return of dry weather.
Admittedly, it’s a little bit of work, but should take less than an hour, and I do have the time. Just not sure if it makes sense. Is it just “amateur fiddling” for minimal gain? Certainly isn’t something a farmer or serious market gardener would do.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!
CobraPuts
1. I don’t think pulling off the mulch will do anything significant to dry them down faster in humid weather 2. You would be exposing the foliage to exactly what you’re trying to avoid, which is soil-borne fungi
It looks like you have a really nice setup. Just keep the plants as healthy as possible and they will most likely be fine.
Davekinney0u812
Your tomatoes look healthy and I wouldn’t tinker around with anything. I would suggest the mulch did part of it’s job and that is to prevent the soil from splashing up onto the leaves during your heavy rains.
Hopefully you get some good harvests in before disease or your Texas causes them to stress out and die off!
I live just north of Toronto and last year due to a wet humid summer, everyone I know lost their tomatoes just as the fruit was ripening. So frustrating to see and it happened over a couple of days. Didn’t seem to matter what anyone did to cure or prevent it either. So frustrating.
nmacaroni
How big are your fabric planters and how much soil does it take to fill one of them if you know?
I would not worry about the soil if it drains well, especially in fabric pots. However, your canopy DOES look dense. If you really want to be active, consider some horizontal airflow fans to get air circulation after the rain.
Spacetrash08
I’ve never understood why we worry so much about the rain. My tomato’s have never had issues and I live in a rainforest
6 Comments
**Dealing with a big rain**
We had 3 inches last night and the forecast calls for “scattered showers” today and tomorrow. NE Texas, 8a. My tomatoes have a history of fungal disease in past seasons. Have held it at bay this year by preventive spraying with copper sulfate and Daconil, alternating the two every 10 to 14 days or so.
I’m wondering about the advisability of pulling off the wet mulch this morning to let the roots of my tomatoes dry out more rapidly. 32 plants in large grow bags, mostly 15 and 20-gallon. The tomatoes are a mix of indeterminates, determinates, and a few dwarf varieties. Lots of green fruit on the vine.
Some rows are mulched with straw, others with pine shavings. I could gather it into a couple of
32-gallon plastic trash cans, leaving the soil bare for a few days, hopefully to evaporate faster. I’m a believer in the importance of a good mulch layer to protect the roots from the summer sun, so I would replace it after the return of dry weather.
Admittedly, it’s a little bit of work, but should take less than an hour, and I do have the time. Just not sure if it makes sense. Is it just “amateur fiddling” for minimal gain? Certainly isn’t something a farmer or serious market gardener would do.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!
1. I don’t think pulling off the mulch will do anything significant to dry them down faster in humid weather
2. You would be exposing the foliage to exactly what you’re trying to avoid, which is soil-borne fungi
It looks like you have a really nice setup. Just keep the plants as healthy as possible and they will most likely be fine.
Your tomatoes look healthy and I wouldn’t tinker around with anything. I would suggest the mulch did part of it’s job and that is to prevent the soil from splashing up onto the leaves during your heavy rains.
Hopefully you get some good harvests in before disease or your Texas causes them to stress out and die off!
I live just north of Toronto and last year due to a wet humid summer, everyone I know lost their tomatoes just as the fruit was ripening. So frustrating to see and it happened over a couple of days. Didn’t seem to matter what anyone did to cure or prevent it either. So frustrating.
How big are your fabric planters and how much soil does it take to fill one of them if you know?
I would not worry about the soil if it drains well, especially in fabric pots. However, your canopy DOES look dense. If you really want to be active, consider some horizontal airflow fans to get air circulation after the rain.
I’ve never understood why we worry so much about the rain. My tomato’s have never had issues and I live in a rainforest
Can you share how you constructed your trellises?