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Re: Tomato Bonsai

I agree that you should transplant your tomatoes into deeper containers.
The early buds are signs that your plants are stressed out- probably from
too little room for the roots.  

Seeds are often produced by signals to the plant that the conditions are
unfavorable to it's prolonged existence in it's current state.  For
example- cold weather crops bolt to seed when the weather gets too hot.
Some plants will fruit based on the length of daylight.  If a plant is
flowering prematurely (even if it is an early variety), then it's letting
you know it's unhappy.   

Transplanting now into deeper pots will fix the problem.  Tomatoes love
being transplanted.  You might feel like you're living in a tomato jungle
for awhile, but it will be worth it.

To clarify John's use of 1/2 gal milk cartons, I do the same with any
cartons as long as they are well-rinsed.  I cut off about half-way down.
Since your plants are getting big already, you might need to prop them up
with sticks- I like to get a big package of cheap chopsticks and use those.

Sarah

At 11:25 AM 4/7/98 EDT, John Orwick wrote:
>
>On Mon, 6 Apr 1998 17:01:47 -0400 Landrum Haddix <lhaddix@iglou.com>
>writes:
>
>>It's two weeks till hardening off begins and they have begun to flower.
>>Growth has slowed because they are pot bound, but I'm afraid if I
>>transplant  again they will start growing like mad.
>>
>>My question is:
>>
>>Does the fact that they have already begun to flower mean that they
>>finished growing and will not put on additional growth when
>>transplanted?
>
>You don't say if they are determinate or indeterminate but they will
>continue growth when transplanted. I suggest that you pinch off the bud
>clusters until they are transplanted. I suggest transplanting into a
>deeper container. I use 1/2 gal milk cartons. Remove all but the
>uppermost leaf stems and plant as deep as possible. New roots will form
>on the main stem.
>
>> Also if a transplant becomes pot bound, but still receives adequate
>water, >light, nutrients, can it resume normal growth without permanent
>set back?
>
>Yes, but you are wasting root growing time by not transplanting into a
>deeper container. This will slow the top growth while new roots are
>developing.
>
>oldjohn@juno.com
>John Orwick
>El Monte, CA [20 miles east of Los Angeles]
>>
>>Landrum Haddix 
>>lhaddix@iglou.com
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