Yesterday’s post was an overview of 4 different ways to support tomato plants.
Out of the 4, I’m going to use staking with bamboo canes.
Which is lucky as comments on yesterday’s post were both from staking fans !
So what have I found out about how I need to do this? Below are the questions I had and the answers I found.
When do tomato plants need stakes?
Canes and tomato plants go in the ground at the same time. So when it’s time to put the tomato plant in its final summer growing position that’s also when it’s time to put the stake in.
Put the stake in the ground about 2” to 4” inches away from where you are planting the tomato plant.
Which stakes to use?
Strong. Either bamboo or plastic. ( See yesterdays’ comments for further recommendations.)
Tall enough to support a full size tomato plant.
So depending how tall the varieties – 5ft, 6ft or 8ft canes.
How many canes are needed?
One per tomato plant to begin with but more canes may be needed as the plant grows. Up to 3 stakes around each plant might be needed in time.
How far into the ground do the canes need to go?
Dependent on the height of the cane but about 1ft.
What to use to tie the tomato plant to the cane with?
Pick from: soft string, special twist ties, flexible soft ties, horticultural twine, raffia, plastic cable ties, cloth strips, rags, old hosiery, twine or Velcro ties.(Raffia got a strong endorsement in yesterday’s comments.)
How to tie the tomato plant to the cane ?
Wrap the twine round the cane – twice. Then loop it round the stem.Then tie a knot.
Or tie in a figure of 8.
But don’t tie it too tight, tying it too tight will damage the stem. Leave room for the stem to grow.
If using canes, looping the tie and knotting it just above the nodules on the cane will act as a stop to prevent the tie from sliding down.
What happens as the tomato plants grows?
As it grows it will need further tying.
Advice seems to vary on this. Between adding another tie every several inches to adding every 4 to 12 inches.
Also check the previous ties you made to make sure they aren’t digging in as the plant grows.
There seems to big variation on tying distance . What have you found the best intervals between ties to be?
Photos of Carbon Tomatoes 6 weeks after sowing.
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