A brief look at the best plants I ever had. No pruning allowed here – I believe foliage produces food to make the fruit, and you can’t argue with the results. Weekly feedings with 13-13-13, gypsum, and epsom salts. I spray them with very diluted insecticide plus Joy detergent and Murphy’s Oil Soap and epsom salts. Email me if you want more details.
are you planting them in in plastic bags or bucket? if so is it so they dont get too huge? and are you watering by hand?
thanks happy growing
-k
No they are not in buckets. Those are rings around the plants made from half a bucket. And I do water them with the hose about every 36 hours except when it rains.
Can i ask how you got the footage to be so clear on youtube ?
Good question but all I know is we used my little Casio Exilim 10.1 megapixel camera and I uploaded the raw file. I did not use the camera’s “youtube” software feature, but I think it would have been the same if I had.
What fertilizer & treatment are you using? Compost? etc?
Used Miracle Grow garden soil. My dirt is red and rocky. I put gypsum and 13-13-13 below the roots in the hole. Also used cottonseed meal. After they take hold, I applied around the plant small amounts of 13-13-13, gypsum, and epsom salts weekly and watered in. Sprayed with various insecticides, but mixed in dissolved epsom salt, joy detergent, and Murphy oil soap. Used sevin dust some too. This year I may use a lower nitrogen fertilizer. I hear that’s better? thanks
@sanbarhero Mike, Sounds like you have a good plan. High nitrogen until flowers are present is great as that is where the height comes from among some of your other parts. Once you get the flowers, time to reduce the Nitrogen and ADD Bone Meal as this is what makes the fruit larger. I’ll keep watching your videos. Regards, Kman
Kman, gypsum being mostly calcium and sulfur (also shows a little iron on the sack), I was thinking that took care of what bone meal adds. Is this right? I had no trouble with end rot which I have been told the gypsum was good for that if you had it in the ground from the beginning. I put two plants in a big tub today that are supposed to make 16 to 24 ounce tomatoes. I guess I will see if they do. I forget what they are called but it is dark outside so I won’t go look at the tags 🙂
@sanbarhero Mike, The gypsum is needed in your area due to the compacted nature of your clay soils. Sulfur is used to LOWER Ph (reduce pH to make Acidic) which is what Tomatoes LOVE! End Rot in your area is due to clay compaction so hard, preventing good moisture penetration, starving the roots of moisture. Kman
@sanbarhero Mike, You still need to ADD approx. 3-4 tablespoons of Bone Meal a week OR 1-2 tablespoons of Ammmnium Phosphate (super phosphate) a week as a TOP Dress. I can tell you that your super growth is mostly due to the constant fertilization you give them. Farmer, your doing it right in the South! Kman
@theoriginalkman OK thanks Kman, I will add bone meal to the mix. The pressure is on! Folks I gave tomatoes last year are already asking how mine are coming. I’ll have to stay after the plants. A failure would be a catastrophe 🙂
@theoriginalkman Have you ever heard it said, “even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then” ?
@sanbarhero Mike, Did you get the other half of my reply regarding Gypsum & Sulfur? I tried to send the comment last night in 2 halves due to the size. Please advise. Thanks, Kman Kelly
@theoriginalkman Yes I got both parts. Funny how many people ask me if I have put any lime in the soil and when I tell them no they think I am making a mistake. My yard likes gypsum too. I had some weak yellow areas for years and the gypsum made it heal up. I tried it on a small area first. I will be getting some bone meal or ammonium phosphate to use a little later. The two plants I put in a tub yesterday were Bonnie’s Goliath. They say they make 16 to 24 ounce fruit, we’ll see. thanks
@sanbarhero Gypsum is SOIL NEUTRAL-it is added EVERY YEAR as a way of breaking down heavy Clays to make them available to plant. LIME is used to INCREASE PH to Alkaline Levels. Sulfur fertilizers are used to REDUCE PH towards the ACIDIC Level. Kman
@sanbarhero Mike, I missed your earlier Note regarding the use of Epsom Salts (Contains Magnesium & Sulfur). Epsom Salts is EXCELLENT in providing the acid needed, but also it strengthens stems and prevents stem tears, splits & tomatoe skin ruptures. Kman PS: You are doing everything right!
@theoriginalkman Well that is consistent with my thinking only your way of putting it is better than I have done. I just figured I was getting sulfur two ways, one with calcium, and one with magnesium. I am interested to see if I get noticeably bigger tomatoes from using bone meal. I had decent ones last year but not real big. But they were pretty and good, and lots of them. People seem to be interested so I will do two or three videos (if I don’t have a disease failure 🙂
@sanbarhero Phosphorous is specifically to ENLARGE the Fruit of Tomatoes, Potatoes and ALL BULBS. I hope to have a garden in soon if my health gets better although I am fairly young. If it works out, I will try these new fangled videos to send you and at the least, so digital pictures. Glad to have you as a friend. Hope your weekend is good to you. Regards, Kman
@theoriginalkman I wish I had a place for a garden . . . these tomatoes are just here and there where I can put them in my yard. If you want to talk more about health send it to my user name at gmail. I’m 58 and was basically told by my doctor to retire 15 years ago but I waited until 1999. I get some produce from another retired friend about 40 miles away in Reform AL. He has to get most of it picked on halves because his knees are real bad. I wish he’d get ’em fixed while he can.