Feeding Toms

[Florence Fennel]

Like Chris I struggle to find trays to stand my tomatoes in, as gravel trays are none too cheap, so consequently I have watered and fed from the top when the tomatoes are in their final flower bucket. I have decided to try the bottom method this year. There have been some good suggestions on here for cheap trays (cat litter trays for one). I've got some foil roasting trays, 3 in a pack from Wilkinsons for less than a pound and they work ok.

[Sanjo]

Last year I used gravel trays from Wilkinsons (87p) filled with left over shingle from the pebble dashing. Each tray had a flower pot in the centre that was just an inch or so taller than the tray. This was also filled to the brim with shingle.
I cut a large hole in the bottom of a Morrison's bucket, lined it with a couple of sheets of damp newspaper to hold in the compost and the Tom. This was then placed onto the flower pot. It means that the roots go down into the water in the gravel tray and the extra inch or so of shingle in the flower pot stops the compost from becoming waterlogged. I feed from the top and water from the tray, ie the Morrisons bucket is above the gravel level in the tray.
Last year, for times when I was away, I used the ceramic water thingies and old water bottles to water the gravel tray.
It worked for me so this year I am doing the same thing, although I am also experimenting by filling the trays with sand first, then topping up with the gravel to make it look better on the eye.
Doing it this way means that the plants just take what they need. The roots going into the tray last year were pretty strong so they obviously found the water!

[taff]

Whilst I understand the best way to water small pots is from the bottom once my toms are good sized plants and in their final place I both water and feed from the top.

Question. When the plants are growing in the wild who nips round to feed or water them from the bottom?

Colin

but we aren't growing them in the wild, you're growing for maximum crop, giving it optimum conditions.
You've seen what happens to cordon tomatoes when you don't take out the sideshoots, there's no mother nature nipping them out in the wild.
You coluld always do an experiment where you leave one growing outside in the garden and don't look after it, v one in the greenhouse pampered to within an inch of it's life and see which ones gives the better harvest

[VirginVegGrower]

I know the theory but I always water and feed from the top. Basically, I'm a lazy beggar!

As do I, as previous post said too, once planted you have to top water anyhow. I have very strong plants with good root system (just planted them) and they have only ever had their drinkies from above.

[Lotsaveg]

I'm trying a new method this year. I acquired some old flower containers from Sainsburys (the tall black ones), and planted my tomatoes two per container in just 3 inches of compost. Each container had 4 pencil sized holes drilled into the bottom.

As the plants grew I kept adding more compost until it reached 2 inches from the top of the pot. This meant that the stem would keep producing roots as it grew.

Every evening I fill each pot with water to the rim and let it drain through. Every Friday I mix Miracle grow into the water before watering.

The plants are about 2ft tall, look terrific and they're now producing the second truss of flowers.

From now on I'm going to feed every Tuesday as well.

[Davyburns]

Erm lotsaveg, if you feed them with miraclegrow, you will get lots of foliage and flowers, but not a lot of toms. your plants will look fantastic, but wont be efficient at bearing fruit. You will be better off feeding them with a feed designed specifically for tomoatos such as Tomorite ect

[Lotsaveg]

Erm lotsaveg, if you feed them with miraclegrow, you will get lots of foliage and flowers, but not a lot of toms. your plants will look fantastic, but wont be efficient at bearing fruit. You will be better off feeding them with a feed designed specifically for tomoatos such as Tomorite ect

Hi Davyburns,

I'm just making sure I have plenty of healthy green leaves and a thick robust stem before I change over to Tomorite. I'm waiting until the first truss flowers start to produce fruit then it's tomorite all the way!!

I'm also spraying weekly with SB Plant Invigorator which provides a foliar dose of nitrogen and iron chelate whilst washing off any pests and fungal spores.

[coreopsis]

Feel like my toms are badly neglected comparing to yours.
No special treatment,just some pong,water and twisting their arms(cordons).Doesn't sound like a dream holiday?

[Sylvan]

All mine get is a bit of seaweed extract in the water. They won't be getting any comfrey till they're permanently in the garden.
I tend to feed and water from the top, because the pots have to be jammed together tightly to help prevent them blowing over, but I've been following Two_Sheds' watering advice this year and since we're planning to cut the bottoms off the pots and sink them slightly into raised beds this year we should be able to water from the bottom.
In those ring culture things we watered into the channel round the edge and fed into the top bit.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Taff, it was a tongue in cheek comment.

Lotsaveg been doing almost exactly like you for several years now, this years of Sungold are up to 3 trusse's and getting their tomorite on a regular basisi now.

Colin