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Re: Stan's hot tomato

Thank you Ian, Sheila and Alan.

     I never thought of a nutrient deficiency,  I, of course, was blaming
it on Fungus Gnats. 
    
     Earwigs and Pill Bugs and Fungus Gnats, OH MY!

     Peat pots sound like a great idea, but I guess in reality they have
major drawbacks.
I didn't really like them because they never seems to deteriorate.  And I
also believe
that they present too much of a barrier to the roots of seedlings.
     Also, you have to buy new ones each year.  (You know my feeling
about THAT!)
     What I have done in the past is to take 3 inch diameter PVC plumbing
pipe and cut it into 3 inch sections.  I then arranged them on an old
aluminum commercial pizza pan and filled them with potting soil.  I then
planted tomato seeds in them and watered them from the bottom.  This
arrangement works well.
When it came time to transplant them to the garden, I just placed the
whole (open bottom) unit on top of the garden soil.  I had hoped to ease
one area of transplant shock by not really transplanting them.

     Pros:  1.  PVC, (polyvynalcloride) is non-toxic, and will last
forever.
                 2.  PVC comes in all sorts of sizes.
                 3.  You can cut it to length with a hand saw, table saw,
reciprocating saw, circular saw, etc,  with regular wood working blades.
                 4.  It is fairly cheap,(especially since you can reuse
it forever). About ten dollars for a ten foot length.
                 5.  You could also use a much thinner version made from
3 inch or 4 inch field drain PCV pipe.  About 4 dollars per 10 ft length.
 (the type with a bell on one end made for connecting one piece to
another).  With this type of pipe you can cut off a three inch section,
and then slice it longitudinally, and hold it back together with rubber
bands.  When you go to transplant, you cut off the rubber bands, spread
the pipe, and the whole root ball will come out.
                  6.  You can bury the whole PCV into the ground for
stability.  ( I have only done this with tomatoes, which I believe have
exceptionally adaptable roots.
                  7.  They are dishwasher safe.  (don't ask me how I
know, and don't tell my wife!)
                  8.  If you partially bury them, they may act like a
barrier to some bugs.  

     Cons:  1.  The wind can knock the plant over until the roots take
good hold into the soil if you surface plant them.
                  2.  Field type pipe can crack while cutting and is more
difficult to cut because of that.  (so you lose a few, no big deal,
they're cheap)

     I have never talked about this with a real gardener before, so there
very well may be something I am missing.  I do know that this system has
worked for me for about 3 years now.  
     My biggest problem each year with transplanting tomato plants is
that I start them too early.  They are always very frail after I
transplant them and are susceptible to wind damage.  They also seem to
take about 3 weeks before they start growing again.  That is why I am
experimenting with the pyramid idea.
     Again, thanks for you help.

Stan        The cheap and lazy guy who digs in the dirt out back.
           

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