Re: Grafted Tomatoes

**R* M* M* <r*@comcast.net>**

Hello Kathryn,
  Would you please elaborate a bit on seep and the "old sunk flowerpot  
trick".
Rose Marie Nichols McGee
Nichols Garden Nursery
www.nicholsgardennursery.com
On Jan 31, 2010, at 2:29 PM, Kathryn Marsh wrote:

> Interesting. Many growers here initially moved to plastic from glass  
> because the higher atmospheric moisture levels in the early tunnels  
> gave control against mites - and then found they were getting late  
> blight. With the high level of atmospheric moisture here in Ireland  
> drip irrigation and polythene combine to make a recipe for disaster.  
> Professionals have either moved back to glass or use seep, which can  
> be laid in such a way as to keep the soil surface dry.
> For amateurs with home polytunnels, which are hard to vent well, I  
> recommend the old sunk flowerpot trick. Not viable on a commercial  
> scale but it works fine for a couple of dozen plants. Had fun  
> teaching tomato grafting on radio last year - not the easiest  
> medium. Radio may have the best pictures, but not the best diagrams
>
> kathryn
>
> On 31 Jan 2010, at 22:11, frielster@aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> I mentioned grafted tomatoes in a couple of posts last year.  
>> Commercial growers here in PA are going that route to protect  
>> against soil-borne diseases like late blight. Grafting disease- 
>> prone heirloom varieties onto disease-resistant rootstock greatly  
>> increases yield. The most dramatic results are seen in tunnels with  
>> drip irrigation. If vented properly, tunnels do not allow excessive  
>> humidity build-up but do protect against heavy rains, which tend to  
>> split some heirlooms. Growers say the tunnels solve the "wet"  
>> diseases (fungi, root rot), but make the "dry" diseases (viruses,  
>> mites) more of a management challenge.
>> I haven't heard of anyone making grafts available to home gardeners.
>> JF
>>
>> Subject: Re: [GWL] Grafted Tomatoes
>>
>>
>>

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