Stakes and Mulch Time

[NOTE: the content of this post is about 2 weeks old, posting retroactively]

One of the amazing things about a tomato plant is how it can exhibit slow or normal growth and then suddenly in a matter of a day or two show a tremendous growth spurt of several inches. I wish I had the time and knowledge to do time lapse photography, to see exactly what my plants are doing.  If you browse YouTube you can find a few time lapse tomato growing videos (tomato time lapse from seedlings; fruit growing). In a matter of just a couple of weeks, my plants showed a rather notable spurt of growth.  The Black Krim became so tall and wide that I had to jump ahead on installing a larger set of support stakes. It also had a number of suckers sprouting forth that I dispensed with.

Black Krim -- 9 weeks

There are several techniques one can use to support tomato plant growth. In the beginning a central stake is paramount. This is where the plant is small but growing large enough where the wind can blow it around by a few inches. A simple 12 inch or longer stick inserted close by the central stem and lashed together near the top is what I did for both plants at the 4 week mark. At 7 weeks, I took a hard plastic blind adjustment rod and inserted it for greater support of the faster growing Krim.  Now, it wasn't enough. I'd thought about buying a cage and installing it, but I didn't like the restrictive nature of an elaborate setup. Usually the cages are either boxy or cylindrical.

I went with good old fashioned eco-friendly bamboo. Bamboo is thin, light, and super strong. I drove one in the center, replacing the blind adjustment rod, and then another three in a triangular pattern.  Next, I took gardening tape and wrapped it around the stakes to provide some additional stability. It didn't really work that great, because the tape would either be tight or go slack depending upon how it was tied off. The good thing about the tape is that you can untie it and re-position as needed. However, as the plant gets a little bigger, I think I'll install some thin rigid sticks horizontally to provide better support,  at a couple of different levels.  The tape will be useful for lashing the stems to the stakes. I'd been using twist ties to do the lashing, but the hard cardboard and plastic isn't friendly to the skin of the plant, whereas the tape is soft and gentle.

Lemon Boy -- 9 weeks

I added a set of stakes for the Lemon Boy as well, but didn't need to add any tape yet as the plant wasn't unwieldy enough. I also covered the top soil with mulch.  This is an ambiguous "forest product" mulch, so I have no idea how much of it is wood chips, bark, and other organic matter. It has "brown coloring" in it... which wasn't detailed at all. Anyway, the mulch layer helps keep the soil moist (the top soil had been getting dried out and dusty, but the mulch totally cured that), avoids soil splash onto the plant, and foils potential weeds.

Lemon Boy -- 9 weeks

While the Lemon Boy was still noticeably shorter than the Black Krim, it has been flourishing in all other respects. A good coverage of leaves (just enough to shade blossoms and absorb the sun's rays without being too bushy), a handful of fruits, and no signs of disease. I'm hopeful that this plant will keep going strong like this for the rest of the season, providing the weather doesn't become uncomfortably hot.

Fear of the Heat

As we now head into July, the ambient daily temperature is going to go up and strings of 90+ degree days will be coming. Tomato plants don't like super hot weather. As I noted in my last post, blossom drop can start happening in the low 90's.  I thought that maybe on the hotter days, I should bring the plants indoors (which will be awkward as I try to get them through the window). I could pour off the water reservoirs (so I don't lose the nutrient rich water) and slide them on in... but I think I'll leave that as an extreme measure, if actual temperatures get above the mid 90's.

Meanwhile, because the Black Krim seems to be the more sensitive of the two plants, I put up a large white plastic bag punched through the stakes.  This would allow me to roll the bag down and protect the upper half of the plant, providing some much needed shade and perhaps lower the temperature by a few degrees. Blossom drop tends to be a reactionary thing over a couple of days (meaning, one or two major hot days and then blossoms fall a few days later), so I'm not sure if this practice is doing any help yet. Once the hotter part of the day has passed, the bag can be rolled up so that most of the plant is free of coverage except for the very top. It'll be interesting to see if this little technique works out. If it does, then I'll look into fashioning something a little more permanent and easier to manage.