Miserable toms

[Two_Sheds]

How do you water from below, by having the pots in a tray and fill that with water?

Exactly

I'm getting my class to lift the pots and decide if they feel heavy or light (compared to a pot that's been watered). If they say 'heavy', it goes back on the shelf

When would you water? When the top looks dry?

No, when the pot feels light.
At the mo my children are watering everything, every day. It's an obsession (well it's fun, I get that) Yesterday they were watering in the drizzle!

I asked the question because I just don't understand where this idea comes from, that veggies need watering constantly ... ? We don't rush out and water trees & flowers every day

[Jamesy_uk]

Have to say I have been super careful with my toms this year, foil collars for extra light and a gentle water from below every other day. Last year before I found this forum i killed off a good 12 plants that way, but thats not always terrible as we learn from things like that just like i learnt not to trust what it says on the back of a seed packet for sowing times this year

[Nik]

Well I just water them when the compost looks dry, but didn't think to pick them up and see how heavy the pot is. Not happened before but then I've never started toms so early before.
I guess I just remembered how thirsty the fully grown plants were last summer, and assumed they need to be kept moist. Lesson learnt! I think killing plants is the only way to truly learn how to keep them alive.

[Two_Sheds]

I think killing plants is the only way to truly learn how to keep them alive.

Yep, you have a point there. I hope I wasn't too hard on you?

I'm taking sickly plants in to school to show them what happens if you: sow too early, keep them in hot sun, over-water, under-water etc

Good luck to ya

[ugley_matt]

i think part of the problem is that there isnt a real dummies guide to gardening. Something that assumes totally ignorance and teaches the basics.

Maybe thats something we could build here.

[Kristen]

I'm taking sickly plants in to school to show them what happens if you: sow too early, keep them in hot sun, over-water, under-water etc

We need cuttings of you Two-Sheds, or some other cloning mechanism , so you can teach at all our kids school's too ... wish you'd been teaching at mine when I was a kid

My kids' school has gardens (you know, the sort of thing where Mums with nothing better to do go to the garden centre and buy a couple of trolley-fulls of plants, and then plant them all up for Little Johnnie - who then forgets to water them so they are all dead a week later ...) but my real gripe is that the Summer term finishes before anything/everything is ready, and the gardens don't get watered over the Summer holls (fair enough), so the kids can't grow much at school (effectively). Sorry, probably should be the topic of a new thread.

[Hillwalker]

Personally, when planting, I think there's too much emphasis on plants being: "thoroughly watered in," "given a good drenching," etc. Particularly if planting in containers. I prefer to ensure my compost is moist when planting, rather than being saturated afterwards. This never made any sense to me with young plants, bare roots or bulbs. Plants at this stage are at their most vulnerable and will sit in these sodden conditions for a long time until they establish or until the medium dries. No wonder many don't survive this stage. Yet the advice, if you equate it per square inch, is to give them the equivalent of a monsoon?!

[Two_Sheds]

there isnt a real dummies guide to gardening.

lol at the title
I haven't read it though, so can't comment on the quality

[Two_Sheds]

the Summer term finishes before anything/everything is ready, and the gardens don't get watered over the Summer holls

There's no budget for gardening - it's hard enough to buy new books and decent pencils. My gardening work is unpaid... I do it for the love of it. Our Head is right on board: she's given me a key to the grounds so I can pop in during hols to water & weed (I live only a mile away and it's on my way to town)

I think there's too much emphasis on plants being: "thoroughly watered in,"

Hmmmmm, maybe it's in the interpretation.
I do thoroughly water in, all my stuff. But then I step back and leave it alone, only watering if things are seriously dry (light pots) or wilting (I've had baby lettuces out on the lotty during this mini-heatwave, and apart from an initial watering in, they've been left alone. They're fine)

[Rocketron]

i think part of the problem is that there isnt a real dummies guide to gardening. Something that assumes totally ignorance and teaches the basics.

Maybe thats something we could build here.

To me, that's what this forum does. Have a good look around.

[Shadylane]

To me, that's what this forum does. Have a good look around.

Have to agree with this. A huge percentage of everything I've learned has been from here, simply from looking around. There aren't many questions (GYO related) that can't be answered on here

[Two_Sheds]

How do you water from below, by having the pots in a tray and fill that with water?

When would you water? When the top looks dry?

I've tried to answer your Qs with this video: YouTube - how to water seedlings

[zazen999]

Thanks chick - I've lifted that into a thread in Growing Techniques.

[Nik]

Thanks for the vid 2 Sheds, I promise never to kill another tomato plant again!

[Sylvan]

Just need to figure out how to convince the dog that plant saucers aren't drinking bowls then, or resign myself to just using plain water.