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gardengalrn6

Tomato trays?

10 years ago

I wanted to give those red plastic tomato trays (has a slit which you position around the base of the plant, purpose is to deter cutworms, conserve water and serve as a local mulch and also the red color is supposed to encourage/promote more fruit set). They seem kinda expensive to me and I was wondering if anyone here had attempted to replicate the idea? I could see that it would be the shiny red color that would be the problem since I suppose it wouldn't be recommended to use some sort of paint? Lori

Comments (9)

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Sorry , but I did not understand your description .can you post a picture ?

    But to prevent cutworms there are several simple ways :

    -- stick couple of tooth picks next to the stem of the plant

    -- stick a nail next to the stem.

    Sey

  • 10 years ago

    My wife bought me some. They say you can use them year after year. They are very thin and they were trashed after one use. Not worth it.

  • 10 years ago

    Plus the sharp edges of the center holes easily damage the stems - even after you are able to get them around the plant without cutting the stem. They have been around for many years and the claims of preventing cutworms and conserving water seldom seem to hold up in practice.

    Don't know if they still make this claim but they used to claim you could also feed your plant throughout the season by packing fertilizer into the 4 drain holes. Rrriggght. :)

    Dave

  • 10 years ago

    LOL, well I guess there is no sense in pursuing that avenue of thought. We go through periods of high temps/drought so I mostly thought they would serve as a collection device for water with the other added benefits that I mentioned originally. I'm hoping to get a drip irrigation system at some point and maybe that will help with some of the biggest problems I have had. The only time I've had cutworm problems was the year before last and did research them a bit. I have had such problems (all different) with my gardens in the past years that I was grasping at straws to find a way to ensure a great garden and good crops. Oh well ;) Lori

  • 10 years ago

    Cutworms - popsickle sticks, plastic straws, nails, piece of tree branch stick, etc.

    Drought/water conservation - layers of straw, hay mulch, pine straw, grass clippings, compost, newspaper/cardboard, even landscape fabric.

    Water supply - soaker hose or milk or pop bottles with bottoms partly cut open 1/2 buried next to each plant are just a couple of the many options available.

    And all much more effective. :)

    Dave


  • 10 years ago

    BTW, I came home from work and the trays had flipped in the wind and flattened my little tomatoes. Luckily they recovered and I put some rocks in the trays.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Woodchips and straws mulch doesn't flip in the wind.

  • 10 years ago

    I purchased these this year. They are very sturdy and I am only going to grow 3 tomatoes so it was not too expensive... $23 for three. They look like they will last for 20 years... And you bury them up to the lip in the dirt so they won't flip in the wind, but the rocks are a great idea that I will use just to make sure. The one thing I plan to do is make sure they have loose soil under them so the water can drain into the dirt.

    https://www.jungseed.com/Search

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