To anyone that saw the last ghetto drip irrigation video I posted. I took note of what everyone had recommended me to do instead, and I did. The cap with a hole slowed down the drip drastically. I used a gallon jug this time. It’s 30 min in and the jug is still 3/4 full.
by TheLukawskiPaul
6 Comments
sounds good. i have a few bottles.
This is not the proper way to water tomatoes.
Tomatoes should be well watered until water freely flows from the bottom of the containers. Then the soil should be allowed to almost dry out.
Tomatoes, like most other plants can best absorb nutrients at certain Ph levels. When you let a potted plant ‘naturally’ dry out, the Ph drops as the soil dries out. If your Ph was 7 when you started, it would range down to 6 or so as it dried, allowing all of the macro and micro nutrients to hit their sweet spot absorption Ph.
Roots also need to ‘breathe’ oxygen, which is next to impossible is roots are constantly wet. This will not only affect the plants growth, but the roots can also rot.
Think about how things work naturally, before attempting to re-invent the wheel. In nature, during the summer, a thunderstorm rolls through and a bunch of water is dropped. Then it dries out.
What are u putting in the water?
You nailed it they are blossoming then dying but my concern this season was more so finding good spots that these plants will thrive I live in the Central Valley cal it’s 100 and sunny all summer so this winter I’ll be building some big raised garden beds and a small greenhouse
So, question – I learned to just add the fertilizer juice with a watering can until it starts flowing out the bottom. Why do you water so gradually? (genuine question, my first year growing tomatoes!)
I just had one of these cages fail on me- lost pounds of tomatoes from my best plant. Hopefully the plant makes it (damage to the main stem and here in Georgia we’re feeling that heatwave). They work great on my cherry tomatoes but I’m never going to use them again for slicers.
Sorry to be off topic