Re: greenhouse-tomatoes: Questions.

[Glen Kaufman <glenkaufman@juno.com>]

greenhouse-tomatoes - an email list for growers of greenhouse tomatoes.
Sent by Glen Kaufman <glenkaufman@juno.com>.
-

Rick, Michael,

        How does this change with weather and light conditions?  I've
been told and tend to believe that it can be helpful to leave a leaf
below the bottom cluster in hot, high light conditions and that you can
remove 1 leaf above the bottom cluster in cool, low light conditions.  

        Leaving the extra leaf below the cluster in the summer reduces
reflection from the floor of the house and adds a little extra
transpiration for cooling the plants.  Removing the extra leaf in
December/January gets more light to the most nearly mature fruit and can
be especially helpful for turning the fruit red and accelerating
maturity.  Any other views on this?

Regards,
Glen Kaufman
Paramount Seeds
Palm City, FL
glenkaufman@juno.com


On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 09:23:31 -0600 "Rick Snyder" <RickS@ra.msstate.edu>
writes:
> Michael:
> 
> There's nothing magic about 3 leaves for removal.  
> 
> If the lower leaves under the first cluster have already been 
> removed, then there is about a 95% chance that there are 3 leaves 
> between each cluster and the next cluster higher up (I know - I 
> counted the leaves on several hundred plants once). So, in this 
> case, 
> you remove 3 leaves between an picked cluster and the next lowest 
> cluster still with fruit. Next time, remove the next 3 leaves, etc.
> But, if you have not removed the lowest leaves on the plants yet, go 
> ahead and take them all off up to the lowest cluster.
> a side note: if you are using fungicide, the best time to apply it 
> is 
> right after leaf pruning.
> 
> Rick 
> 
>  On 3 Nov 2004 at 9:08, Michael Pierce wrote about 
> "greenhouse-tomatoes: Questions.":
> > 
> > I have a couple of questions that requires expert input.
> > I™ve always heard that, when pruning lower leaves, one should 
> remove 
> > no more then three leaves at a time to reduce stress on the 
> plant.
> > My question about this is; who says? Some of these lower leaves, 
> > although still green, look like they are adding stress to the 
> plant. 
> > I would like to remove leaves up to the first cluster with 
> tomatoes 
> > on it. This may require the removal of 6 to 8 leaves. Has anyone 
> > tried this procedure and if so, what were the results? What 
> negative 
> > affects should I expect by doing this?
> > Next question has to do with temperature. I believe 64 degrees F 
> is 
> > the magic low number. I have a hydronic heating system so the heat 
> is 
> > pretty uniform throughout the greenhouse. In the past I™ve gone as 
> > low as 55 degrees F with no negative effect on fruit set but the 
> hot 
> > water pipes are within inches of the root ball/buckets. I™ve 
> recently 
> > learned that lettuce can be better controlled by monitoring 
> nutrient 
> > temperatures and not so much ambient temps. Given that lettuce is 
> all 
> > leaf, I realize that this practice can not be strictly applied to 
> > tomatoes. I™m wondering to what extent it can be applied. In other 
> > words, if we heat the solution and or the root ball to a suitable 
> > temp, how low can the ambient temps go? Then, what is a suitable 
> root 
> > temp? Another question is why 64 degrees? Is it for the benefit of 
> > the flower, stem, or leaves? 
> > Perhaps the researcher that came up with that number was basing it 
> on 
> > what he thought was a comfortable temp for him to be working in 
> the greenhouse!!
> > 
> > Any input would be great.
> > 
> > Michael Pierce
> > M & R Hydroponic Farms
> 
> Rick
> --
> http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/ghsc.htm (GH Tomato Short Course)
> http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/fallgardenday.htm (Fall Garden 
> Fest)
> http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec (Central Research & Extension 
> Ctr.)
> http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/truckcrops.htm (Expt. Station)
> http://www.msucares.com/crops/comhort/greenhouse.html (GH Tomato 
> FAQ)
> http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/organic (Organic Fruits & 
> Vegetables)
> http://www.msucares.com/newsletters/vegpress (Veg Press Newsletter)
> 
> --
> Dr. Richard G. Snyder, Professor & Vegetable Specialist
> Mississippi State University
> Truck Crops Experiment Station
> 2024 Experiment Station Road
> P.O. Box 231
> Crystal Springs, MS   39059
> (601) 892-3731   fax (601) 892-2056
> email: RickS@ra.msstate.edu