Re: Grafted Tomatoes

**K* M* <k*@iol.ie>**

Hi Rose Marie

Whereaa drip irrigation provides water to individual plants from above the soil surface, seep hose, which is perforated, is laid just under the surface of the soil, so water is delivered below the soil surface. It is thus possible to keep the soil surface dry and commercial organic growers in the UK and Ireland normally use this method of irrigation for tomatoes. For an inexperienced amateur it tends not to be a suitable irrigation method because it becomes almost inevitable, in my experience, that sooner or later, probably sooner, they will put some kind of edged tool through it - usually a hoe or spade but I've seen considerable ingenuity used in terms of destroying it.
The "sunk flowerpot trick" involves sinking a flowerpot up to its rim beside each plant and feeding and watering into the flowerpot. The water goes into the soil through the base of the pot so the soil surface above it stays dry. In this method one uses either a hose pipe or watering can depending on the number of plants.  The system is remarkably effective in terms of preventing late blight.
In our climate the biggest problem for amateurs is thst neither tomatoes nor cucumbers are a reliable outdoor crop, but if you keep the atmosphere dry enough for the tomatoes to avoid late blight then the cucumbers, which need damp feet, get downy mildew and red spider mite. Apart from keeping the ventilation as effective as possible I haven't found a way around this for the normal owner of a 6 foot by 10 foot greenhouse or small polytunnel. 
Both greenhouse and polytunnel here at home are below 0C this morning though - so definitely no tomatoes, grafted or otherwise, for a couple of months

kathryn

On 1 Feb 2010, at 06:46, Rose Marie McGee wrote:

> 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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