Holiday plant fears
Post categories: tomato
| 11:38 UK time, Wednesday, 19 August 2009
I have beaten the blight!Ìý I have red tomatoes!Ìý All that time cutting away every speck of blight and ever so carefully wateringÌýat the base to stop evil blight spores splashing around has paid off.Ìý Yesterday I got my reward - a delicious Gardener's Delight tomato, sun-warmed from the vine - yum yum.
I've only slowedÌýthe diseaseÌýthough - it'll be back to full speed the moment I take my eyes off it.Ìý Knowing that, and reading the horror stories some of you have related in your comments, makes me a bit nervy of leaving my plants to go on holiday.Ìý
Spraying may be my only answer -Ìýprobably withÌýtraditional copper-based Bordeaux mixture, because it's OK for organic gardening. Anyone got any experience of how well it works? Do leave comments.Ìý
Tomatoes aside, the big worry during holidays is the watering.Ìý I'm very lucky with the neighbours on my allotment who'll step in when I'm not around.Ìý In fact, I suspect that sometimes they water when I am around, obviously they think I mistreat my plants!ÌýÌý
But if you haven't got nice neighbours, there's still a lot of tricks you can use.
- First off, give everything a really good soak.Ìý
Drench the ground.ÌýÌýThen, to get even more water onto your plants, cover the soil around them with a thick mulch, and drench that too.Ìý A mulch - basically just a layer of something on the soil - will not only soak up and hold water itself, but it also stops water in the soil evaporating away.Ìý Good mulch materials are woodchips, compost, hay, or even shedded cardboard.Ìý Use on pots too.
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Keep the water coming.
If you're really into your gardening, and don't mind spending a few bob, there'sÌýseveral automatic watering systems on the market.Ìý The ones that use "trickle irrigation", where the water seeps out of holes in pipesÌýon the ground,Ìýare most efficient, because the water goes to where it's needed.ÌýSome systemsÌýneed mains water - you just connect them to a house or outdoor tap, others can use water stored in waterbutts.Ìý You can't mix or swap the two, so it's the main thing to be aware of when you're choosing one.
Or, you can save money by rigging something up out of junk. An empty pop bottle can be turned into a waterer by piercing a couple of very small holes in the cap (left), then filling it up andÌýscrewing the cap back on.
Stick it into the earth or compost next to your plant (below), and the water will slowly dribble out (try a few experiments with different size holes for different speeds of dribble). Perfect for pots!
Another good trick with pots is the "wick" method. Put a container full of water next to a potted plant, and run an old teatowel or other strip of cloth between them. It'll act like the wick of a candle, soaking water up itself and into the plant pot. Works best if you put a tray under both of them to catch any drips.ÌýÌý
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Don't let the water get away.
Hot sun will soon evaporate away all the water you've painstakingly put on your plants, then wilt them,Ìýespecially if they're under glass.Ìý So moving them into the shade, just while you're away, will help conserve moisture.Ìý Greenhouses can be dimmed with shades, or just by taping paper to the inside of the windows.
Mulch, as mentioned earlier, will help to keep hold of water, and you can also stop it dribbling uselessly away out of plant pots by bunging a folded newspaper beneath.Ìý
Finally, a lot of the water the plant uses is just lost from the leaves by evaporation - the plant uses it to carry nutrients from its roots to the leaves, then just abandons it.Ìý You can stop that water escaping by putting a clear plastic bag over the plant - you'll see condensation form on the inside, which is the water the plantÌýwould otherwiseÌý"transpiring" away.ÌýÌýUsing this method, water will runÌýdownÌýthe bag back onto the soil, andÌýthe plant can use it again.Ìý
By the way, a great site to get ideas and step by step instructions of how to make watering systems, as well as composters, planters and all sorts of other outdoor items is .
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