Re: watering tomatoes
- To: Jerry Heverly <h*@ccnet.com>
- Subject: Re: watering tomatoes
- From: r* s* <r*@california.com>
- Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:57:40 -0700 (PDT)
Thanks to everyone for your input on tomato watering. I now have lots of
material for experimentation.
Barbara
On Tue, 29 Jun 1999, Jerry Heverly wrote:
> At 8:18 AM 6/29/99, richard sargent wrote:
> >I've always thought that tomatoes should not be watered after they start
> >to set fruit. I've had pretty good results with that method. But since my
> >tomatoes all failed last year, probably due to el nino, I'm open to other
> >suggestions. For example, someone keeps writing to a gardening newsgroup
> >saying that tomatoes should be watered every day and are the one exception
> >to infrequent deep waterings.
> >
> >I'm in Berkeley, California. What are your experiences and opinions?
> >
> >Barbara
>
> Commercial growers in the Central Valley of California(sandy-loams
> and sandy soils, extremely high summer temps) water their tomatoes approx.
> four times between planting and harvest. They flood irrigate with as much
> as two feet of water at each watering.
> There are several reasons why anyone growing tomatoes would want to
> maximize the time between waterings.
> 1. Tomatoes are extremely drouthy. Few plants can rival the root
> surface area of a tomato.
> 2. The greatest danger to tomatoes are usually soil-borne
> organisms, particularly fungi: Fusarium, Phytophthora, Verticillium,
> Pythium. All are dependent upon water-motile spores, i.e. they need
> standing water within the root zone in order to reproduce. Dry soil
> greatly inhibits their ability to propagate.
> 3. Tomato pollination is dependent upon warm night time
> temperatures. Damp soils lower night time temps.
>
> I suggest a two inch thick mulch of grass clippings to aid water
> retention.
> Jerry Heverly, Oakland, CA
>
>
>
