grouchy old primitive describes tomato; another primitive describes worms

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2508

Oh my.

The grouchy old primitive must have been reading freerepublic today, where I described how lushly the tomatoes grow, on the William Rivers Pitt.

NNN0LHI  (1000+ posts)      Tue May-05-09 02:20 PM
Original message
 
In the Garden with Deb — Anatomy of a tomato

http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id...

Choose tomato plants that are well rooted and healthy appearing, not wilted, yellowed or showing signs of stress. Don't buy overly large plants that already have fruit formed. They will be set back by transplanting and need to "rest" before growing again. Younger plants will transplant more readily and grow quickly.

If the tomato plant was in a greenhouse, acclimate it to outdoor conditions slowly, over several days. Be prepared to cover plants when nighttime temperatures dip below 45 degrees. We have had frosts as late as Memorial Day.

Tomatoes like deep, rich soil and all-day, full sun. Prepare poor soil by adding compost. Place crushed eggshells in the planting holes to provide calcium. It helps prevent blossom-end rot.

The best way to support the plants, which will grow much larger than you think, is a 2x2 inch, 6-foot-tall hardwood stake, driven deeply into the ground. Drive the stakes in before you plant so you don't injure the plants' roots. Tie the main stem to the stake as the plant grows.

I dunno, really.

Tomatoes seem to grow perfectly fine, without interference by any human agency, when growing atop antique swine manure.

watrwefitinfor  (802 posts)      Tue May-05-09 03:20 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. Cut worms.

In certain areas cutworms love to eat the tender tomato plant stems right where they enter the ground. I've seen them cut down a whole row I had planted the day before.

To avoid them, cut empty paper cylinders (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) about two inches wide, make a slit, and wrap around the newly planted stems so part of the cylinder is below ground, part above. (Don't wrap tightly, use original dimensions, just overlap a little where you cut the slit.) Cutworms can't get to stems. Problem solved.

I always put a good layer of mulch around the plants, too, right up to the paper cylinder. Use compost, grass clippings, hay with no chemicals (hard to find). Keeps the moisture in, weeds down, and soil friable from the start.

Another tip - in my area we can pick up bare root heirloom tomato plants at the feed stores loose, by the dozen, and quite cheap. Not planted in a pot, just the loose plants with the bare roots, usually about 8-9 inches long. Before planting, I strip off the lowermost nodes of leaves. Then dig a little trench to lay the lower part of the plant in. Cover the whole root and stem, including the nodes where the leaves were removed. Plant them so only the upper part of the plant sticks up with the upper leaves above ground, water well, tamping the dirt slightly. Then do the little trick with the paper cylinder and mulch. You will not believe how fast those little suckers will grow!

Another trick. In mid to late summer in the south, you can take a long limb of a spent tomato plant, strip off some of the leaves in the middle, and put them in a little trench, sort of like above. Don't even remove the branch from the main plant. Treat it just like a new plant (see above) and soon you will have a new plant, sprouting new roots in the middle that you buried, that should bear till frost.

The eggshells are a neat trick. I have used ashes for the same purpose.

What are "cutworms"?

The sandy soil of the Sandhills of Nebraska isn't conducive to worms of any kind, so I don't believe I've ever in my life seen a cutworm.

[Wineslob]

I don't know if we have "cutworms" where I live or not, but we do have little caterpillars that hatch out of the oak trees around here. They come down out of the trees on thin strands of silk, and proceed to eat.........and eat..........and eat. Most times I don't plant anything until I see that they have hatched. I learned my lesson when I first moved here, planted at my "normal" time (roughly 4 weeks ago), and promptly had everything "cuttoff" at ground level. If I wait for roughly a week after I see them coming down out of the trees they seem to be past the "eat voraciously" stage.

[Zathras]

The term cutworm is used for the larvae of many species of moth. Most cutworms are in the moth family Noctuidae, however, many noctuid larvae are not cutworms. Cutworms are notorious agricultural and garden pests. They are voracious leaf, bud, and stem feeders and can destroy entire plants. They get their name from their habit of "cutting" off a seedling at ground level by chewing through the stem. Some species are subterranean and eat roots. Cutworms are usually green, brown, or yellow soft-bodied caterpillars, often with longitudinal stripes, up to one inch in length. There are many variations across the genera.