SPECIAL HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES 



SINCE man began domesticating plants, a few ambitious 

 souls have always made themselves happy by pampering 

 plants to a greater degree than their neighbors do. 

 Occasionally worth-while responses reward their efforts. 

 Always the gardener thinks his work is important. When 

 we find a grower who prunes, or stakes, or mulches his 

 field-grown crops, we find him convinced that his method 

 of growing them is the only correct one. For people who 

 have a discriminating market, the extra care may bring 

 more money. Whether or not the profits are higher, many 

 will continue their practices for the sheer love of doing it. 



Pruning and Staking 



Pruning practices for Tomatoes vary. Some 

 growers train them to a single stem, others to two 

 or three stems, and others allow them to branch at 

 will. Many workers top the plants after they reach 

 a certain height. 



The type of stakes used may be barrel hoops on 

 stakes surrounding a single unpruned plant, indi- 

 vidual short stakes for the main stem of an unpruned 

 plant, individual long stakes 

 for a pruned plant, posts con- 

 nected by wires for a whole 

 row of pruned plants, or 

 inverted V's made of two stakes 

 for two adjacent rows of 

 pruned plants. Almost 

 always the pruning and 

 staking is a more in- 



tensive method so 

 that plants are set 

 closer, fertilized 

 more heavily, and 

 even irrigated or 

 shaded occasion- 

 ally. 



The one result 

 this treatment 

 nearly always ac- 

 complishes is larg- 

 er fruit size. In 

 addition to this 

 the grower gets 

 more early fruit 

 per plant; that is, more 

 top-price market fruits. 

 Total yield per plant is, 

 of course, much less on 

 pruned than unpruned 

 plants, but close planting 



often makes the yield per acre much higher. Since 

 spray materials on staked plants can cover more 

 thoroughly, there is less disease to lower fruit 

 quality. Physiological factors, such as yellow 

 tops, cracking, blossom-end rot, or puff may 

 either decrease or increase, depending on weather 

 conditions and type of culture used. 



The very important [factor to remember in en- 

 gaging in these practices commercially is that 

 the extra investment involved makes necessary a 

 thorough job. If pruning and staking are worth 

 while then adequate fertilization, proper soil-prep- 

 aration and cultivation, close planting, irrigation, 

 and maybe mulching or shading are also worth while. 



For any of this intensive work, another primary 

 requisite is good seed. Be sure of your seed-source. 



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