Tomato root ball

[G Mo]

I have a flood and drain bed where I planted 6 tomatoes (too many, I've found).  They are huuuge and the rootballs are growing on top of the media now.  They've just started fruiting so I had to take them out, but I'm afraid the roots are causing drainage problems. 

Suggestions?

[Chris Carr]

You have any pictures? What are the dimensions of the grow bed? Did you have any drainage problems? If you took them out already didn't that kill them?

[TCLynx]

hand trowel,

poke it with a stick,

add some worms

[Chris Carr]

LOL yeah do that.

I was trying to rule out all the things that make people go "wow, you really thought that would work?" I have been supporting customers for too long to assume that isn't the normal :)

[RupertofOZ]

Yep... how big, and deep are the grow beds.... and exactly what sort of "drainage" problems are you having...

 

I've had/seen the root balls of tomatoes right to the top of the media... but usually only when long term... well and truely into, or near then end of fruiting...

 

Half a dozen tomatoes in a grow bed isn't too many... these beds are 2mx1mx300mm....

 

[Pices]

Rupert, that what I call a dense planting of tomatoes!! What is the spacing of those vines, about 15 cm?

[Patrick Seely]

Nice work for sure!

[G Mo]

So one month later, the bed with the tomato root blocks has become a smelly brown mess and I have my first fatality in the fish tank.  I'm pulling everything out of that bed and cleaning the hydroton to begin again (as well as replacing 1/3 of the water tonight and aerating to the max).  For future reference, when things grow too well, how do you prevent  root masses? 

[TCLynx]

Uh, Pull out some of the over exuberant plants to make more space for a few you can handle.  Then add a bunch of composting worms from a reputable source.

Making sure your system is designed with enough and deep enough grow beds for the fish load and the plants you are growing can help since too much fish poo into too few beds can promote issues with stinky mess.

Flooding and draining seems to help to an extent depending on the plants in question. 

In my beds with Lufa last summer, it meant that a 100 gallon stock tank had only one plant because the roots totally filled the bed and trying to plant much else didn't work very well.  After we cut the lufa vine, I left those beds fallow (no plants but still flooding and draining) for a time to let the worms and their bacteria allies work on breaking down the roots before I re-planted them.

[RupertofOZ]

TCLynx said:

I left those beds fallow (no plants but still flooding and draining) for a time to let the worms and their bacteria allies work on breaking down the roots before I re-planted them.

 

A technique that I've always used as well TCL... especially after large root mass plants...

[George]

Fine looking tomato plants too.

RupertofOZ said:

Half a dozen tomatoes in a grow bed isn't too many... these beds are 2mx1mx300mm....