VEGETABLES
The Difference Among Determinate, Semi-Determinate and Indeterminate
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are often classified as determinate, semi-determinate or
indeterminate. Determinate plants produce one large crop and then
virtually nothing thereafter. They are favored by commercial growers
that want to harvest most of the fruit from one picking. They then use
succession plantings where a new crop is planted on a set schedule to
have fruit production throughout the season. Mature plants are smaller
than other types and can be planted closer together to get the most
tomatoes from a set space. Primo Red is a variety that is strongly
determinate.
Indeterminate plants are the traditional tomatoes that never stop
growing. They are capable of producing fruit throughout the season
unless disease stops production or until frost kills the plant. They do
best with support as they can reach six feet tall when staked or caged.
Semi-determinate plants are more compact than inderminate types but
are also capable of producing fruit throughout the season.
Most of the varieties available to home gardeners are either
indeterminate or semi-determinate. Though both are capable of producing
fruit throughout the season, our hot Kansas summers often cause a dry
spell in production of both types. Tomatoes are less likely to set
fruit when night temperatures remain above 75 degrees and day
temperatures are above 95. Hot, dry winds make the situation worse.
Gardeners with limited space will likely prefer indeterminate or
semi-determinate types to stretch out the harvest season. If there is
space, you may want to grow a combination of all three with the
determinates used to produce a large harvest for canning or tomato juice
and the remainder for fresh eating. (Ward Upham)
Tomato Trials
Each year we have our Master Gardeners plant and rate a number of
tomato varieties. We also give a set to Tom Fowler with the University
of Missouri Extension Service.
We include this article early in the year so that those who grow
tomatoes from seed have time to receive their order before it is time to
plant.
The results below are from 4 different locations in Kansas as well
as the Missouri location near St. Jo. Our most western location was
near Hays. We list the top 10 slicers by yield (lbs) and by average
fruit size (oz).
Variety Lbs/Plant
Summerpick 11.47
Jet Star 10.98
Ultrasonic 9.76
Mt. Gem 9.56
Beef Master 9.35
Damsel 8.54
Resolute 8.45
Mt. Merit 7.66
Caiman 6.97
Pink-A-Licious 5.93
Variety Oz/Fruit
Beef Master 10.32
Mt. Gem 7.21
Summerpick 7.11
Resolute 6.78
Damsel 6.03
Jet Star 5.91
Mt. Merit 5.79
Ultrasonic 5.70
Pink-A-Licious 5.33
Caiman 5.31
If you want large tomato with good yield, then BeefMaster should be
considered. However, fruits can be fluted. If total yield is
important, Summerpick and Jet Star were the best performers. Of these
two, Summerpik had a bit better yield as well as larger fruit.
We would suggest you continue to grow varieties that have done well
for you in the past but consider including one or more of these on a
trial basis. (Ward Upham)
PESTS
Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats are small insects (1/8 to 1/10 inch long) that are
common in high-organic-matter houseplant soils that are kept moist.
Though adults are mosquito-like in appearance, they do not bother humans
or pets. It is actually the larvae or maggots that can injure plants by
feeding on the roots. Symptoms include sudden wilting, loss of vigor,
poor growth and yellowing leaves. Use of sterile media and avoiding
overwatering can help prevent infestations. Existing infestations can be
controlled Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis which is sold under the
names of Gnatrol and Knock-Out Gnats. (Ward Upham)
MISCELLANEOUS
Bringing Houseplants Down to Size
We sometimes receive calls from gardeners who wish to donate
houseplants that have outgrown their location. In most cases, we don’t
have room to accept plants and suggest that people bring them down to
size by air-layering. Air-layering is a process where a branch or the
main stem is encouraged to form roots while still attached to the parent
plant. After rooting, the original plant is discarded and the newly
rooted one is potted as a replacement. Though this propagation technique
cannot be used on all houseplants, it does work well on many that tend
to outgrow their boundaries including croton, dracaena, dieffenbachia,
Norfolk Island pine, rubber plant and schefflera.
It is best to choose wood that is about 1 year old. Older or more
immature wood often roots poorly, if at all. Any place on the stem that
is of the proper maturity can be used, but a convenient location is
often about 12 inches from the tip. Following are the steps required for
air-layering:
* Leaves should be removed around the area to be air-layered.
* Wound the stem. This can be done by making a slanting cut upward,
an inch or more in length and halfway through the stem. Place a portion
of a toothpick in the cut so it cannot close and heal. If the stem is
seriously weakened, use a stick or dowel “splint” to prevent breakage.
Another method that works well is to strip the bark completely
around the stem in a band one-half to one inch wide.
* Apply rooting hormone to the wounded surface of the cut or the
stripped portion of the branch.
* Pack a baseball-sized wad of moist, unmilled sphagnum peat moss
around the wounded area so it forms a ball. This is where new roots will
form. It is important to use the long, stringy unmilled peat moss rather
than the more common milled material so peat moss does not fall away
from the stem when released. Even unmilled peat moss may need to be
secured with string to keep it in place.
* Wrap the ball of sphagnum peat moss with clear plastic wrap. Be
sure to use enough wrap so that the plastic overlaps and prevents the
ball from drying out. Secure the top and bottom edges of the wrap closed
with electrical tape, string or other convenient fastener.
Roots may appear in as little as a month though it may take much
longer for the plant to be ready for transplanting. Check periodically
to be sure peat moss remains moist. Water if needed. When roots have
filled the peat moss, the plant is ready to be severed from the parent
and transplanted. (Ward Upham)
Plants Recommended for Kansas
If you have had trouble finding a listing of plants recommended for
Kansas, visit our web page devoted to this topic. We have links to a
wide variety of plants including iris, daylilies), fruit, vegetables,
turfgrass, low-maintenance roses and tree recommendations. The tree
recommendations are broken out by areas of the state. We also list
recommended low water use plants. You can find this page at
http://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/recommended-plants/
We also have images of hundreds of the following:
– Varieties of iris, daylilies, roses and peonies found in the
University Gardens Collection Gardens at
http://www.k-state.edu/gardens/gardens/collections/ (Ward Upham)
Poisonous Plants
Some of the plants we commonly use in our homes, gardens and
landscapes are poisonous. We often have requests from parents who want
to make sure their plants are safe for young children.
The following poisonous plant list came from various University
websites.
Flowers
caladium (all parts)
cardinal flower (all parts)
castor bean (seeds and leaves)
daffodil (all parts)
flowering tobacco {Nicotiana} (leaves and flowers)
four-o-clock (roots and seeds)
foxglove (all parts)
hellebore (all parts)
iris (all parts)
lantana (unripe fruits and leaves)
larkspur {Delpinium} (all parts)
lily of the valley (all parts)
lupine (all parts)
monkshood(all parts)
poppy (all parts except ripe seeds)
snowdrop (bulb)
spurge (milky sap)
star-of-Bethlehem (all parts)
sweet pea (seeds, seedlings, and pods)
tulip (bulbs)
Houseplants
Chinese Evergreen
anthurium (all parts)
aloe (sap if ingested)
calla lily (all parts)
croton (seeds, leaves, and stems)
crown-of-thorns (milky sap)
dieffenbachia (all parts)
elephant ear (all fig (leaves, fruits, and sap)
Jerusalem Cherry (all parts)
mistletoe (all parts)
Philodendron (all parts)
Fruits
apple (bark, leaves, seeds)
pear (bark, leaves, seeds)
apricot (bark, leaves, seeds, pits)
peach (bark, leaves, seeds, pits)
nectarine (bark, leaves, seeds, pits)
plum (bark, leaves, seeds, pits)
cherry (bark, leaves, seeds, pits)
avocado (leaves, unripe fruit, bark, and seeds)
Landscape plants
azalea (leaves and flowers)
black locust (all parts)
Boston ivy (berries)
boxwood (leaves and twigs)
buckeye (leaves, shoots, bark, flowers, and seeds)
burning bush (all parts)
cherry (leaves, twigs, bark, and seeds)
clematis (leaves)
elderberry (roots, stems, bark, leaves, and unripe fruits)
English ivy (all parts)
golden chaintree {Laburnum} (all parts)
holly (berries and leaves)
horsechestnut (all parts)
hydrangea (leaves and buds of some species)
Kentucky coffee tree (seeds, fruit pulp, leaves, twigs)
oak (acorns, leaves, and young shoots of some species)
poison sumac (all parts)
privet (all parts)
rhododendron (leaves and flowers)
Virginia creeper or woodbine (berries)
yew {Taxus} (all parts except the fleshy red cover on the seed)
wisteria (all parts)
Vegetables
potato (green skin, buds, and sprouts on tubers, also fruits and foliage)
rhubarb (leafy blade, not the leaf stalk)
For more information, consult the following references.
Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America, Turner and
Szcawinski, Timber Press, Inc. ISBN 0-88192-179-3
Potentially Poisonous Plants in the House and Garden,
http://www.northcarolinahealth.com/poisonous-house-plants-and-vegetables.php
(Ward Upham)
Contriubtors: Ward Upham, Extension Associate
Division of Horticulture
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-6173
For questions or further information, contact: [email protected] OR
[email protected]
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