Veggies in pots?

[Raisedroof!]

I like eating celantro with tomatoes and had a small area at the back of the apartment house. My problem is I have tried but still not getting a good growth of these two plants. I bought two rectangular plastic pots about a 90"x10"x8", and good soil in plastic bags at nearby Handyman store. I sprinkle some celantro seeds on one pot and tomatoes on the other. When the seeds sprouts to about a centimeter from the soil, it dies. I dont really know why but is wondering if there is anybody here who can give some advice? I'd appreciate it. tnx.

[Wildthing]

if i remember correctly my agronomy class (BS Agri ako pero I have been specializing on animals)....that sometimes it would help to sanitize/disinfect the soil.

We do this by burning some paper or dried dayami/damo on top of your soil.

This will sanitize the soil surface from mold or bacteria that can cause your seedlings to die.

Another possible thing you might want to try is to use asceptic cotton (yung nabibili na para sa sugat) as the planting media instead of soil.

Pag nagsprout na dun sa cotton (siyempre dapat diligan)...pede mo nang i-transfer sa soil after 2 weeks from the time na nag-sprout. Guntining mo yung cotton to separate the seedlings from one another (don't pull baka masira mo ang ugat and stress the plants unneccesarily).

Another possilble trick is to buy a "rooting hormone" - usually found on orchids supply stores. I babad mo for 30 mins to 1 hour yung seed sa 50:50 mix ng rooting hormone:water then plant the seeds (either sa disinfected soil or cotton).

The hormone will trigger better root formation pagtumubo ito.

hope this helps.

[tatoski]

I bought two rectangular plastic pots about a 90"x10"x8", and good soil in plastic bags at nearby Handyman store.



90" x 10" x 8"? I think this very big. Maybe units used are not correct. Anyway I'll plant cilantro and tomatoes in seedling trays using soilless medium. Cilantro seeds are better cracked (cracked not broken) by running a glass bottle to crack the seeds then sow it 3 to 4 seed diameters deep, one seed per hole (seedling tray). Tomatoes are sown directly with the same depth. Tomatoes would sprout in about7 days. Cilantro seeds if I remember correctly about 7 to 14 days. Keep the medium wet by sprinkling water once or twice a day. After sprouting and seedlings have two real leaves, transplant carefully to bigger pots. Cilantro are quite sensitive to too much rain. Keep it under cover. I believe your cilantro seedlings die because of too much watering.

[Raisedroof!]

Hi Wildthing, Tatoski, many many thanks to both of you, I bought again new packs of my favorite veggies after reading your post. I'm raring to try the new techniques you told me. your help is definitely appreciated, my your tribe increase.

[tatoski]

You are welcome raisedroof. Please post again if you have problems or better yet if you have attained success!

[nicolodeon]

nice tips guys! two thumbs up! :)

[AnuVaYan]

nakapag grow na ako ng tomatoes. pero namamatay din, kasi after sometime inaatack ng mga pests. ano po ba magandang natural na pest control? sa tomatoes ko minsan aphids, minsan meely bugs, minsan naman hindi ko kilalang black insact ang naka tira.

meron bang nabibilhan dito ng lady bugs? i've read na ito daw kumakain ng mga ibang pests e.

[2diy4]

Tomatoes are one of the most difficult vegetables to grow. I was once successful in growing cherry tomatoes, however, didn't give too much fruit. My problem was leaf miners.

Also difficult to grow are pechay and the members of the cabbage family. They are attacked by the diamond back moth or DBM in agronomists jargon. The only way to grow them is to spray and spray often, which is not a healthy thing, especially in a home environment.

Believe it or not, lettuce is easier to grow than pechay. Fewer bugs attack lettuce. I have been successful in growing arugula (rocket is the name in Yates seed packs) in square plastic pots. Few pest attack the smelly leaves. Arugula is mixed with lettuce leaves to make a nice salad.

Sweet basil is also easy to grow in pots. Again not too many pests.

[tatoski]

Yup, the easiest to grow are the lettuces. It has a natural coating on the skin that insects hate. Easy to grow too is Okra. Basil is also easy. Shy away from the pechays, tomatoes, bell peppers and other solanaceous crops if spraying is not your cup of tea. Pole bean pole (sitaw) is also relatively easy as well as cow pea (short pea in a short bush) that's very popular in Batangas.

[2diy4]

In the lowlands, I think that you can only grow leaf lettuce like the Lolo Rosso and others, but not the head forming lettuces like iceberg.
Another solanaceous plant is egglplant which is also difficult.

I like sigarilyas or wing bean. I understand that it is leguminous and a perennial, and easy to grow. Where can I buy the seeds?

[tatoski]

There are a lot of seed companies in the country and I have come across three of them. Allied Botanicals, Ramgo and Harbest. Of course there is East West but I have not dealt with them. Look them up a the yellow pages and maybe they have sigarilyas. But if this is not a popular plant then the best bet is maybe using farmers' seeds. These are open pollinated seeds and comes from farmers who plant them year in year out. Not very good seeds though. If the seed companies do not have them they may lead you to a source. They are very accomodating especially Allied.

[anski]

i see imported seed packets sold in supermarkets; very colorful flowers. will these grow here in the philippines? or waste of money?

i've been successful with growing sili. unsuccessful with tomatoes. just like the others, they begin to sprout then in a few days/weeks, they dies.

[violaine]

how did you plant your tomatoes btw?

i have been very successful growing them in pots (empty plastic 1 gallon paint containers)..not really for consumption but for trial sake...

and it also depends on the variety of tomatoes you are going to plant..some variety does not tolerate too much water and or too much rain..but all the variety loves sun!

Let's ask Rosy!

V

[violaine]

ah yes i have two pots with a month old tomato plants..

i took the time awhile ago to take a pic of the plant.

enjoy!

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/violainesweetness/tomato.jpg

[rosy]

@ violaine,

Wow v, that is some healthy tomato plant you got there, oh don't forget to put a stake or some vertical wooden or bamboo trellis beside the plant so that you can attach the branches on it since 2 more months, bubunga na yan. Tali mo mga sanga para hindi mabali pag may mga fruits na yan. You can buy the garden twine at ACE or HANDYMAN , garden section.

Congrats bro, love your healthy tomato plant !!!!

[anski]

inggit ako. how do you get rid of the white soft thing seen under tomato leaves. how do you even prevent it?

What i do is i get the seeds from a tomato i buy from the supermarket. let it dry under the sun, then just plant the seeds in a pot. they grow until they reach a height 12 inches. then they slowly wither. :(

[rosy]

@ anski, and the rest of the guys who have posted replies in this thread :


It is so nice to know that there are also a handful of DIYers here interested in gardening particularly in planting vegetables........ Mga bros, I am a gardener too who loves plants, trees birds, butterflies and other beautiful insects, I like to keep my surroundings clean and full of ornamental plants and to keep our air clean, in other words, I love nature and I can be considered too as a nature tripper. Bros, I love to plant veggies too, I have planted varieties of them and have enjoyed their fruits and blessing all year round and sometimes with over supply, I share them to my friends or neighbors.

With regards to sowing your seeds, your container must have ample of holes for drainage where excess water can pass through. Usually new growths dies due to root rot because of over watering. When watering your seedlings give some intervals of every other day or two, before watering, observe the soil if it is still damp or not. Oh live your seedlings on a shaded or filtered area and not direct with sunlight, then cover them with plastic to prevent moisture evaporation, sort of simulating a green house effect.

Hope these tips aren't too late, I have been busy with my welding table build and was not able to reply earlier.



CHEERS and good luck on your veggies !!! :goodluck: :flowerysmile: :springsmile:

[moji]

How do you guys prevent or, in my case, kill aphids, whiteflies and scale that is starting to invade my plants? My lemon tree is slowly being overrun while my basil all died because of these pests, my tomatoes also succumbed to this infestation.. Should i go chemical or do you have an organic solution?

[bigfoot2]

@Moji
You must have pretty aggressive aphids, I know they hardly attack Basil. For home remedy, try water mixed with dishwashing liquid, spray it on affected plants, do this everyday 2-3 days until they are gone. Depends on severity on infection though.

Some say water mixed with garlic and chili peppers, but I have low success rate with this. I prefer the water with dishwashing solution or soap mix.

I have low success rate with tomatoes, maybe due to over watering, what pot size is ideal for this?

[rosy]

@ moji,

Yeah aphids really will kill any ornamental and veggie plats, they multiply fast and will suck saps and fluids from stems and leaves. To control these pests and worms, I seldom use the organic or natural means because they are not really effective, more often I use Malathion insecticides, I dilute 1 table spoon of it to a 5 or 7 gallons of water in my HILLS Garden Sprayer, I spray this chemical in the early stages of growth or on the early stages of infestation, ones a month or so, really very effective.

When doing spraying, just take the necessary precautions of wearing goggles and mouth coverings, when wind is blowing on your direction, go to the other side so that the mist would go with the direction of the wind. :)

Never spray insecticides 15 days before harvest of fruits or leafy vegetables so that there will be no sort of absorbsion of the chemicals by the fruits or leaves . :eek:




@ bigfoot,

That's good to know you have success with the water/soap mixture solution for pests, but for me it is time consuming when you have plenty plants or veggies to attend to so I 'd rather switch to chemicals on the early stages of growth.

For your tomatos, possibly over watering at an early stage or maybe some stem borer that will attack the main trunk. Use a light potting mixture sine roots of tomatos doesn't go very deep, they just spreads to the sides. Why light potting mixtures ?, para yung mga maliliit na ugat ay madaling maka gapang sa ilalim ng lupa to get the necessary nutrients from the soil. Oh don't forget to fertilize your tomatos and other veggies every 15 days til harvest time. :p ;)

[bigfoot2]

The organic solution is ok for small infestation, pero kung buong garden na, it can get frustrating, I can understand the insecticide solution. If there's only source for lady bugs here sana.

For tomatoes, will a gallon size pot be enough?

[rosy]

bro bigfoot, if you can only have those clear water containers you put on a water dispenser, yung mga sira na, that would be sufficient enough for your tomatoes or if you don't have them you can use those recycled plastic drums sold for 100.00 each or less, measuring at 15" in height and 15" or less diameter of opening mouth sold in the market during tiangge days. You can even buy them for less if you buy 4 or 5 or more pieces, just have to know how to huggle para maka mura !!!

With regards to using insecticides specially malathion or folidol, hahahaha, magagalit sakin si doc violaine, galit sya sa mga chemicals na yan, LOL

[violaine]

"For tomatoes, will a gallon size pot be enough?"
-yes bro..

[moji]

I guess we tried the same type of organic mixture, it did not work. I just got some malathion, boy does that stuff stink! Will those paint facemasks work against the smell of the pesticide?

I also notice that the black ants bring the aphids all over the garden, i read somewhere that they farm the aphids for food. Will malathion work on ants as well?

Hope to try out tomatoes and pepper again this summer. I think the tomatoes i tried before developed root rot as well as being infested. doubly whammy...

[rosy]

@ moji,

I know, Malathion really stinks specially on its concentrated form, bro just be careful not to get your skin in touch with the pesticide chemical, but if it does, wash your hands well before touching and ingesting food or some drinks. And if few plants lang sprayan mo, reduce and divide your malathion solution by drops per liter of water or read the instructions well at the back of the plastic bottle.

YES BRO, Malathion insecticides will kill all ants, crawling or flying, aphids and stem borers, those tiny green worms that munch on the leaves of okras, pechays and tomatoes etc.

[moji]

Will malathion kill caterpillars? One time i saw my malunggay plants filled with them..felt itchy just by looking at them..

[rosy]

Bro moji,

Malathion is a very potent insecticide, spray it on the leaves of any leafy veggies or fruit bearing plants and let various insects, crawling or flying and worms ingest some of the leaves during the night and in no time you will see them falling off the leaves and onto the ground., Simply observe and be educated !!!