[prakash_mib]

I am growing some toms for outdoor but as usual they need lots of potting.
I did this now potting 2 in a six inch pot. and I would say this would be last potting and the divider is just a newspaper folded and placed (full deep). Will post results on this later this year

[Growster...]

That's great tip Prakash!

I've never even thought of that one, and so much more economical on the compost!

And they'll surely get away quite comfortably as well!

[MJS]

Looks like It will be trying this as well for my outdoor tomatoes. What variety of toms have you used?

[prakash_mib]

I am planting f1 incas, red alert and a seed from india. same set I grew last year.
f1 incas is the plum variety
but red alert and the indian toms had great taste! 

[MJS]

I am planting f1 incas, red alert and a seed from india. same set I grew last year.
f1 incas is the plum variety
but red alert and the indian toms had great taste! 

I have the F1 Incas plum too, will definitely give this a try. ( i will keep red alert in mind for next year )

[Kristen]

I think its counter productive 'coz I pot them on to give each plant more root space, and as they get bigger I stand them further apart so all the leaves get plenty of light - otherwise they grow tall and gangly. I also doubt the newspaper will be much of a barrier and when you come to plant them out the roots will have grown through and matted together

But if you are short on space its a fair plan

[Swing Swang]

Nice idea and will cause less root damage than cutting them up with an old knife (which is what I've tended to do. Thanks. SS

[Munchkin]

Is it important to re-pot toms more than once or twice?

Last year and so far this year I've been avoiding the whole thing as much as possible by only re-potting once. The toms aren't dead... but is this detrimental to their health or something?

[Kristen]

If you put them straight from, say, a 3" pot into a 9" pot there are two issues:

The roots will grow to the outside of the pot. If you pot them on an inch or two [larger diameter] at a time the roots will fill the new compost, and by the time they are in 9" their roots will fill the whole rootball.

Secondly, the 9" pot will have a lot of water relative to the size of the plant. It becomes very difficult to judge the watering process, and after watering the plants are in a "swamp" for a while. If you pot-on then you may have to water more often, but even immediately after potting-on the plant can drink the total water in the pot within a reasonable time (perhaps 1/2 a week max, and once the plant is ready to be potted on again it will drink it in a day, or less).

Potting on also provides fresh nutrients in the newly added compost - although you can simulate that with feeding of course.

There is a theory that potting on provides more open compost - as the compost compacts with watering, so maybe that additional of "air" helps too.

They also take up less space when they are in smaller pots.  That may be a consideration in a "fully loaded" greenhouse. By the time Tomatoes need more space other things will most probably have moved outside - such as Courgettes etc. being raised indoors until danger of frost is past.

[Munchkin]

If you put them straight from, say, a 3" pot into a 9" pot there are two issues:

The roots will grow to the outside of the pot. If you pot them on an inch or two [larger diameter] at a time the roots will fill the new compost, and by the time they are in 9" their roots will fill the whole rootball.

Secondly, the 9" pot will have a lot of water relative to the size of the plant. It becomes very difficult to judge the watering process, and after watering the plants are in a "swamp" for a while. If you pot-on then you may have to water more often, but even immediately after potting-on the plant can drink the total water in the pot within a reasonable time (perhaps 1/2 a week max, and once the plant is ready to be potted on again it will drink it in a day, or less).

Potting on also provides fresh nutrients in the newly added compost - although you can simulate that with feeding of course.

There is a theory that potting on provides more open compost - as the compost compacts with watering, so maybe that additional of "air" helps too.

They also take up less space when they are in smaller pots.  That may be a consideration in a "fully loaded" greenhouse. By the time Tomatoes need more space other things will most probably have moved outside - such as Courgettes etc. being raised indoors until danger of frost is past.

Thank you!

My laziness theory was that re-potting once, planting them in the finishing pot (huge) and putting it in the finishing spot in the GH saved time as well as making the place easier to organise.  Silly but I'm going to try this method this year. Luckily I still have some plants that haven't been re-potted yet. Wooo!

[Kristen]

Do some-and-some and report back?

I'm always a bit sceptical to discard something that gardeners have done for years, unless there is some evidence that the New Way is proven to be better

[prakash_mib]

space is an issue for me. and they are outdoor toms as well. two things came to my mind when I thought about this idea. the roots dont spread to whole as it would on a 6" pot and you get deeper roots they are deeper than a 3" pot (similar to the concept of root trainers). the paper I have put in is not just a single layer but a folded full sheet of paper.
I will certainly post the results, if I get any 

[Munchkin]

Do some-and-some and report back?

I'm always a bit sceptical to discard something that gardeners have done for years, unless there is some evidence that the New Way is proven to be better

Yeah, that's what I'll do. I had a thought today, what happens in the wild? Does something happen in the soil ? I mean is re-potting a natural process? something that happens in the wild or is it just what humans do to help nature along?

[Kristen]

I had a thought today, what happens in the wild? Does something happen in the soil ? I mean is re-potting a natural process? something that happens in the wild or is it just what humans do to help nature along?

Seed grows where seed falls.  Animals eat the plants. Not many survive. They don't have the same issues as potting on - the soil moisture is much more evenly distributed in the soil than in a pot. I grow my Tomatoes in the greenhouse border, I grew them in Pots (and Bags and Ring Culture) for years.  Growing them in the border is a lot less effort watering and feeding.

But the other half is maximising yield. Man gets a better plant out of a Tomato seed by potting on than not. And by feeding, selective breeding, and shared-knowledge about good husbandry etc.

That's the way I read the tea-leaves anyway!

[Munchkin]

Seed grows where seed falls.  Animals eat the plants. Not many survive. They don't have the same issues as potting on - the soil moisture is much more evenly distributed in the soil than in a pot. I grow my Tomatoes in the greenhouse border, I grew them in Pots (and Bags and Ring Culture) for years.  Growing them in the border is a lot less effort watering and feeding.

But the other half is maximising yield. Man gets a better plant out of a Tomato seed by potting on than not. And by feeding, selective breeding, and shared-knowledge about good husbandry etc.

That's the way I read the tea-leaves anyway!
[/quote]

Good point!