FIRST AID FOR VEGGIE PLANTS HERE

[carolg]

Solution is in message:

Two days of strong winds and my beautiful seedings are suffering. I lost already one beautiful tomato as the stem broke off, holding up by threads, another was also close to its last leg too, so here's what I have done in the past and hoping these work for the ones that are in bad, almost hopeless condition. I'm believing for their survival however and speak life to them:

SOLUTION:
I use the grey yucky masking tape for boxes that Home Depot sells and tape it around the step where it is broken off. It has always worked, but these two plants are really going to be miracles coming out.

I prefer the wider width tape, but righ now I only have the slender, scotch tape size and I cut off with scissor what needs be done and do it.

Just had to share and hoping you don't need this ever.

I have also used some sort of webbing, yellow that may be for lawn chairs or something else I don't know what it is for, to hold up the stems of many of the other plants. I can't believe these winds. Yesterday was freezing, today not bad...........tomorrow garage sale so hoping for no wind...no thiefs and see everyone's actions before my eyes....

carolg z5 co

[windsng225]

I would never thought about doing that! Tape? I have broken stems and just threw out the whole plant, but to me it didn't make any sence to do that, only because all the roots are there. So why wouldn't it grow more leaves? But I guess I just figured that it would be in shock and it would take too long to recover.
With all the tomatoe plants I planted, I just found another 12 on the side of the house that I gave up on (they had that fungus or whatever it was). All of a sudden they just recovered and grew a bunch of leaves and are doing just great. Now the problem is, where the heck can I plant these? I just can't squish any more into any of the trelliss rows, their just too crowded already. Going to have to make room for 12 more tomatoe plants! LOL
joyce

[carolg]

Joyce,
Man alive...what a problem...hunting for more planting room. Good luck.

I am still fighting a cold so not present like I would love to be. Garage sale a flop at $16 for the entire two days...it was a week of preparation and hauled tons to thrift store and more to go as I get rid of things that are not moving me forward with my speaking seminar goals.

carolg z5 colorado

[windsng225]

Carol, sorry to hear about the cold and your Garage sale. I was thinking about you this weekend, hoping that you didn't get rained out. I went to one on Saturday and of course it was raining. But love tag sales, they are so much fun to poke around in. Hope you feel better.

Today, I will try to find room for those tomatoe's and eggplant, accorn squash, and plant more beans. The beans and peas that are growing up the trelliss almost reached the top of it already, with flowers all over it.
joyce

[Thumper/inOkla.]

I had a bell pepper get broken just above the seed leaves it was very close to the leaf axis but I had to try saving it as it as intended for a frend that had not had time to start plants or a garden as of May this year. So I took the top and scratched a mark along the stem to "open the skin" so to speak, trimmed away all but the top 3 leaves, cut those in 1/2 cross wize and treated it with rooting powder and eventually it grew into a very nice plant, the root ball with just the seed leaves also grew out after a few good nitrogen feedings with fish emulsion. The rooted top is in my friends new garden and the root ball with it's new top are in mine !

I did not check to see if the scratch down the side of the stem helped roots start but the rooting powder did stick to the cut better than in past (unscratched stem) attempts to root pepper cuttings. I will do this again and check the root formation next time.

[carolg]

Joyce,
Thanks for the weekend thoughts. The garage sale went on, but the people hardly showed for the two days, but about 15 hours or so out there plus the tons of hours for prep. It was a fruitLESS experience.

I'm fighting aphids on tomatoes.

Hope you are now planted in as I have not put any seeds, as planned, in ground yet.

Thumper:
Never heard of root powder. Thanks.
Living and learning,
carolg colorado z5

[windsng225]

Carol, I use Cinnimon (shaker top) to battle ants in the house, and it works they won't walk through it. TOH said she had aphids so she shaked some connimon all over the plant and got rid of most of them except the ones on top (maybe she missed them). But give it a shot (I didn't know it did that).

The weather has been crappy, rain, all clouds then more rain. So haven't be out too much to plant or do any garden work all week. But it's supposed to clear up today, I have so much to do, especially weeding.
joyce

[carolg]

Joyce,
I am loaded with aphids and maybe finding another excuse to hit the garden center again for ladybugs. Thanks for cinnamon wisdom, but at this point think I need to get some hungry ladybugs and feed them well: aphids DELUXE.

Thanks for sharing always Joyce. You are a sweetheard.
carolg colorado

[strong eagle]

Try finding and using Neem Seed oil for the Aphids and white flys on the tomatoes, it's primary use is for a funguside against the leaf diseases but this past two weeks of heavy rain has the insects all over my tomatoes until I sprayed with Neem. All gone in just 24 hrs. Strong

[carolg]

Strong,
Thanks.

I can say ladybugs just visited for a few hours so no more of them.

Where are you buying neem oil? How are you applying?

I used lots of water for aphids and here and there find a few I squish.

carolg colorado

[tuk50]

carolg, I was just reading the post on broken tomato seedlings. If you just fill the cup it is in, with potting soil above the break it will never know it was broken. I have actually taken the top broken seedling and just stuck it back in the ground up to the leaves and sometimes it will even form new roots on the stem. And yes it does make fruit as I have done it and was suprised that it does work. I am growing tomato seedlings now for a second crop this fall and I have trouble with birds breaking them on occasion. :cool:

[Sandbar]

Tomatoes root very easily in water. Just stick them in a small vase/jar and they'll root right up rather quickly.

Strong: Neem oil. Is that an organic answer to aphids? I've never really treated for them before, but I am interested in how you used it. Dilituted somehow? Thanks.

[carolg]

Tuk and Sandbar,
Right now no broken tomatoes or maybe I got rid of one earlier. Thanks and will use this suggestion for future.

carolg

[dandelion meadow]

I found Neem oil at a local feed store here in SW Missouri. (Nixa Hardware and Seed). It is also available online.

Tomatoes will regrow from just about any amount of stem, if the roots are intact. It takes them awhile to catch up with undamaged plants, but is still faster than starting all over with seed. Seems like one can also root cuttings...like the story of the pepper plants above. Since tomato plants like to root from the stems, anyway, it should be fairly easy.

[Brenda]

Tomato stems root very easily in water, just like Sandbar said. When I have a plant that is doing great and producing really well, I will pinch out the "sucker" limbs (the one that grows out where the limb meets the stalk) and put them in a quart jar of water and in a dew days, I have rooted plants. I plant them in pots, first, and watch them grow. In only a little while, they are ready for the garden. I have been doing this for many years now, and have had no problem.

[carolg]

Brenda,
Awesome. Thanks.
carolg