What did you do in the garden today?

[CNJ]

I have had some problems with root bound plants I have purchased at the stores.

I was thinking that tomato plants can grow roots out from the root bound ball and they will also make new roots along the buried stem.

I am doing a test run on semi root bound tomato plants in 5 inch net cup bucket covers in my Kratky 5 gallon buckets. Prior to this I have been rinsing of the potting mix from the roots and putting it in 5 inch net cup bucket covers with clay pebbles. They struggle and wilt and their growth gets set back. However, when they recover they send down roots and follow the solution down.

In this test run, I put the plant from the small pots straight into the 5 inch net cup bucket covers without rinsing off the potting mix and filled the sides and top with clay pebbles. The plants didn't even know that its been transplanted.

Now, I want to see what happens when the plants use up the 1/2 inch of solution they are sitting in, will the root bound plants send down roots and follow the water level or will it die?

I would post a picture, but can't find my camera.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Good afternoon gardeners. It took me awhile to catch up. The snow is melting slow enough to not overwhelm the sump pump. The latest drama is the weight of snow and ice was too much for one of the beams holding up the roof on the chicken run. I’ve been working on clearing the roof of ice and snow and put support posts to keep that beam from totally failing. Getting worn out. I’m behind in starting more seeds and I seriously need to up pot my leeks. I finally got the laundry finished that was postponed because of the power outage. I got regular seed potatoes but I’m still looking for a good variety of fingerling potatoes. I had to run an errand today which helped. The drive takes me past a winery. I got a good look at their vine set up so that helps me figure how to do mine. I’m so hoping the tree cutters come back soon to finish and clean up the debris. Oh, and just 10 to 15 miles south of me is totally clear. No snow and green grass. I’m sort if jealous. Lol!

I bet that nice green grass is just making it's way towards you!

 

[gtaus]

I was thinking that tomato plants can grow roots out from the root bound ball and they will also make new roots along the buried stem.

I knew tomato plants will make new roots along the buried stem. I always pince off the lowest leaves and bury that part of the stem. I don't know about roots growing out of a root bound ball. I always tried to shake off the potting soil and untangle the roots.

I had some good luck using soil blocks. But it does take time to get the soil mixture right so the soil blocks stay together. I purchased a 4 cell 2X2 soil block maker and it did not work for me. It only pushed out about 1 good block out of the four. So, I ended up doing it over and over again. I ended up getting a refund on the soil block maker, but the company just let me keep it. Later last summer, I rebuilt that soil blocker with additional hardware and I think it might work better for me this year.

I am going to try a 50 pack of 3" net pots for seed starting this year. I hear the advantage to the net pots is that you don't need any special soil block mix but you still get the air pruning of the roots.

 

[Sally PB]

Cold now, and windy. Colder tomorrow, more windy, and snow. Wind chill of single digits tomorrow.

Sounds like a good day to stay inside and read.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Forgot to mention, I saw plant clips at Dollar Tree yesterday. I got several bags for berry and grape vines.View attachment 3434713

I picked up some of those too.

 

[CNJ]

I am going to try a 50 pack of 3" net pots for seed starting this year. I hear the advantage to the net pots is that you don't need any special soil block mix but you still get the air pruning of the roots.

I have some tomato plants growing in 5 inch and 2 inch net cups. I have a tomato variety called Tim's Taste of Paradise growing in a 2 inch net cup. These plant were the tiniest tomato seedling's I have ever seen. I manage to keep two alive and they are now past the danger zone and are about 4 inches. I put one in my Kratky bucket and have one waiting to be planted.

People that have tried Tim's Taste of Paradise, like it better than Sun Gold. The description says it taste sweet and fruity.

I ordered a new batch of net cups and were disappointed when I got them. They were not the same as the ones I got before. Make sure to check the netting size, the new ones are twice as big, so a lot of potting mix falls out. This type with the big netting holes are for large clay pebbles.

 

[Fishychix]

That's exactly what he's suffering too. He's not congested really. His snot is clear, what little there is. But the inside of his nose is mega red, swollen, and inflamed. It's just weird....

Sounds like what i have going on. Eventually i went to a doctor and they said its a virus going around. Coulda fooled me!

 

[karenerwin]

I have a question:
My bunny has 100% recycled paper pellets in her litter box where she goes to the bathroom.
Can I put that straight into my garden after her litter box is full? Or is that not a good idea?

Yes! Rabbit waste can go straight on your garden bed with no need to compost first. When I raised rabbits I used gutters to dump their waste directly into my garden. Everyone said those were the best tomatoes I had ever grown !

 

[WthrLady]

I grow my garden in alpaca poo
I just moved 2,400 pounds of it to the hayfield.
When I mix the lime in the garden next week, I'll add fresh alpaca to it too.

 

[gtaus]

I ordered a new batch of net cups and were disappointed when I got them. They were not the same as the ones I got before. Make sure to check the netting size, the new ones are twice as big, so a lot of potting mix falls out. This type with the big netting holes are for large clay pebbles.

I will watch out for the potting soil falling out. Someone mentioned that they use a coffee filter in their net cups so the soil does not come out. I saw a YouTube video where they lined the net cup with a paper towel. Evidently, both are good enough to keep the soil in but the roots will still poke through and air prune. Obviously, I'm hoping that the slits in the net pots I ordered are not too wide for my soil, whatever medium I end up using.