DIY This Prolific LOW & LEAN Tomato String Trellis with Tomahooks
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- Опубліковано 14 бер 2022
- We're showing you how we grow tomatoes and everything you need to know about using Tomahooks!
0:16 WHY Tomahooks
0:49 Basics
5:55 Pruning Suckers & Redundancy
10:21 Compostable Plant Clips
-Tomahook Loaded with 40 Feet of String
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-Compostable Plant Clips
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Let's get started with WHY we love to use and talk about Tomahooks. They're a simple but innovative product that lets EVERY gardener grow like a pro. It's all about more production and fewer issues like disease & extraneous growth. Tomatoes can get wild so these help you keep everything under control.
Here's a Tomahook pre-loaded with string, and I have a few set up already too. You plant your INDETERMINATE tomatoes (like beefsteak heirlooms and many cherry varieties) like you normally would, and you clip the plant's main stem to the string as it grows. As the plant gets taller, you just unwind & slide your hooks. Don't worry - we'll keep doing videos as our plants grow so you can follow along.
Some plants will want to give you a lot of foliage so this method helps you train your plants to produce fruit. You can easily identify your first tomato and prune to focus energy there. Pruning from the bottom up greatly reduces disease because you are getting rid of the oldest leaves and those closest to the ground.
When your plant reaches the top of the trellis (ours is about six feet tall, but taller can be better), you lower your Tomahook and then lean the string & plant to the side. This does require constant pruning & management. If you tend to be hands-off, this is not going to work as it should.
One of the most important things is to identify & prune suckers. In every armpit or crotch, you'll see a new branch coming out at a diagonal angle - this is a sucker. Those can eventually produce some fruit, but they pull a lot more energy than they will produce. Instead of letting it grow, give it a snip. You can even put larger suckers in water & grow a new plant. By pruning down low, you'll force the energy & nutrients to go into your fruit. All of this puts you in control of the plant and where it is growing.
Along with the Tomahooks, we use compostable plant clips. They're great because they're plastic-free, and don't need to worry if you drop one in the garden. Use these to keep your plant tight to the string and guide your plant upward. This is the same way that professional growers use, and we're excited to share this method with you!
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#Gardening #Tomatoes - Навчання та стиль
*You are a great guy my friend SAN DIEGO SEED COMPANY, but most of all a good teacher. You also came across as very genuine and willing to share all that you know. May you grow in wisdom, I wish you abundant crops, happy gardeniiiiiiiiiing!!!*
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Thank you for being so informative. I've been watching a million videos getting this piece of info and that piece of info. I got all of what I needed to know from your video. Thank you so much!
Thx for giving some specific guidance for Florida's wetter climate! You've been my best resource!
Oh really?!?? That makes me so happy 💚
The lower and lean method made a huge difference in my garden last year and we got many more tomatoes. I had previously been tying the plants to tall stakes. The plants get much taller than that and flop over, which leads to the end of the plant.
That was extremely informative. I like the details to your explanations.
I have a large system and all setup (for the first time) and this video was like a pep-rally for me. Thanks!
Prep talk! Let’s go tomato season!
Where do you go with the hook after you lean past the end of your support structure?
You lean it one way or the other.
@@SanDiegoSeedCompany if it's the end of the row, aren't the other vines in the other direction?
Love the video! Thank you.
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Great video thanks for sharing
Happy too
Going to give this system a try this season. We’re in SoCal, zone 10a. Question: what spacing are you using with the system, I.e. how far apart do you plant your tomatoes? Thanks! Loving your videos and seed packs!
I got garlic California early but they have green tops on them so I plant them up to green part or plant them around four inches in dirt thank you for your help 😃
I saved your California garlic video I forgot I had it thank you anyway 😀
I read something about tomatoes "recycling" dying limbs/branches and converting the energy to go toward other parts of the plants. Is it better just to break off and remove the yellowing tomato branches? Btw, my SDSC watermelon radishes sprouted over winter and boy are they tasty!!! A very strong peppery flavor but amazing !
Limbs that are touching the ground and yellowing can transfer mold and bacterial diseases from the ground to the top of the tomato plants. You want to remove them to prevent that and allow for good airflow.
Do the stem on the bottom split or kink when you first drop and lean them? Mine slightly did, will it heal itself?
It can, you want to be careful:
I couldn’t see how the hook attaches at the top.
This is what we use, but anything similar will do the trick
sandiegoseedcompany.com/product/tools-and-merchandise/crop-supports/tomahook-loaded-with-40-feet-of-string/
Could you grow perennial toms like peppers or only annual ?
You can in zone 10/9 but production severely drops off.
What would you say is the minimum amount of space (or maybe the minimum number of tomato plants) you need to be able to use this system and for it not to be overkill? In other words, what's the smallest scale you could/would build this on?
You could do this easily in a small birdies bed. You need atoraste 8-12” between plants
This Aunty is so cute. But video is like infomercial. Feels like she try to make me buy something.
We love this method of growing and hope it helps others in small spaces.