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Post by littleminnie on Mar 25, 2011 19:26:51 GMT -5
OMG Darth! You overhead water!
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Post by willyswoodpile on Mar 26, 2011 3:43:56 GMT -5
So how is rain different than a sprinkler? My sentiments exactly.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Mar 26, 2011 7:33:40 GMT -5
My fix for BER (in lime starved NH) was to amend garden beds every other year with lime stone, and compost. That knocked most of BER presence out. A switch to to other than roma tomatoes knocked it to virtually nil.
By the time the total count of tomatoes with BER were less than 10 per 100 plants, per year it wasn't worth trying more.
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paulf
Tomato Gardener
Posts: 70
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Post by paulf on Mar 26, 2011 7:49:46 GMT -5
About foliar feeding: many years ago research was being done on the plant's ability to take in nutrients and it was discovered that pores on the leaves of plants (this research was done mostly on soybeans and corn but is true for most all leaves) tend to open as dew begins to form so that moisture could be sucked into the plant. During non-dewy times those pores would close again to conserve. It was discovered that nutrients presented in a form closely resembling natural dew(as close to fog as could be) would be ingested? into the leaves thereby feeding the plant nutrients (mostly micro-nutrients). Major feeding, n-p-k, was done conventionally through the root systems.
I worked for a company who was a major player in foliar feeding research. Most of the foliar feeding was done at dusk and used crop dusters, either fixed wing or helos. My first and last helicopter ride was with a crop duster who had been a Nam pilot and flew that thing every way but right side up and level. The increase in production for those farmers was amazing.
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Tom Akers
Tomato Gardener
Fishrman and Tomato Lover
Posts: 84
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Post by Tom Akers on Mar 26, 2011 8:14:41 GMT -5
:oWe overhead water 350 acres of cranberries, plus my tomatoes. Rain is better, but sometimes unavailable on demand. And I haven't had BER in years. Knock on wood. ;D JMO, Tom
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hillbillypie
Breeder in Training
Tomato Growing Nutjob
Posts: 210
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Post by hillbillypie on Mar 26, 2011 10:24:02 GMT -5
Did you know aspirin can be used for birth control? All you have to do is place one tablet between your knees and hold it there all night. Works as good as those fancy scientific chemicals you get at the drug store.
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Post by littleminnie on Mar 26, 2011 20:24:21 GMT -5
The difference is you can't do anything about rain. When you overhead water in some climates it makes things even more humid and leads to more fungal problems. I suppose it is like BER, not watering overhead is one thing that helps not get fungal problems, but there are other factors like mulching. Climate is a huge factor.
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Post by tucsontomato on May 26, 2011 17:40:47 GMT -5
Since my last post I have experienced BER a lot- especially with my Roma VF. Anyway, I checked the pH with a pH meter and got a reading between 5 and 6. So- if you can stay as close to a pH at which the plant can obtain calcium you probably won't get BER. Here's a link to a simple chart that illustrates this concept. www.texasgardeninginfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ph-nutrient-chart.jpgI added some sifted native soil- average pH of 8-9 and it does seem to be helping. It is a little late to really work it into the soil but I figured that it could only help.
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