Growing climbing octopus tomatoes is quite simple. Just follow the guidelines from My Garden, and you will succeed. Learn more about how to plant them in the article below!
1. A Few Things to Know About Climbing Octopus Tomato Varieties
To successfully grow octopus tomatoes, you need to know some information about the growing season and the plant’s characteristics:
- Temperature: The ideal temperature is 25°C or lower.
- Octopus tomatoes prefer cool but dry weather; they do not like rainy conditions. It's best to choose a location with at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.
2. Soil and Fertilizer for Climbing Octopus Tomatoes
If you are growing regular tomatoes in your garden, it is relatively straightforward. However, when it comes to planting climbing octopus tomatoes, you need to be more meticulous with your soil and fertilizers. Here are the specifics:
- 50% Loamy Soil: (It’s best to rotate the soil, using the soil that you just used for growing vegetables to plant tomatoes.)
- 30% Aeration Material: For example, rice husk, soybean residue, oilseed cake, coconut coir, or perlite.
- 20% Fertilizer: Tomatoes prefer cow manure, earthworm castings, fish emulsion, or bat guano.
- When mixing the soil, add a little crushed eggshell to supplement calcium, which helps with flowering and fruiting.
- Note that tomatoes dislike excessive nitrogen fertilizers like goat or chicken manure.
- Mix all the soil, aeration material, and fertilizer, and add a little lime. After mixing, water the mixture thoroughly and let it sit for about 10 to 15 days to allow the fertilizers to decompose.
3. Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Climbing Octopus Tomatoes at Home
Here are the detailed steps to help you grow beautiful climbing tomatoes.
Step 1: Seedling Preparation
- Soak the tomato seeds in water at 40 degrees Celsius (2 parts boiling water to 3 parts cold water) for 3 to 4 hours. Then place them in damp paper for about 2 to 4 days until the seeds sprout, and then transfer them to seedling pots.
- When the seedlings are 15 to 20 cm tall, transplant them into larger pots.
- A pot that is 1 m wide, 2 m long, and 50 cm high can accommodate 3 plants, as shown in the picture.
Step 2: Shaping the Plant to Lie at an Angle
When planting, position the seedlings at a 45-degree angle so that the stem can spread along the ground for about 50 cm.
Step 3: Remove Side Shoots
At this stage, remove all side shoots and flowers, leaving a 1 to 2 cm stub; this will not affect the main stem.
Step 4: Bury the Stem to Promote Root Growth
- Remove the plant’s lower leaves and bury the stem to encourage the development of additional roots.
- Support the plant on the trellis while continuing to remove side shoots and flowers.
Step 5: Remove Diseased Tomato Leaves
When the plant is 50 cm away from the trellis, you can allow side shoots to grow but continue to remove flowers.
As the plant flowers, old and diseased leaves will gradually appear.
4. Some Tips for Caring for Climbing Octopus Tomatoes
- During the process from seedlings to the time they start flowering, water them sparingly, as the soil will contain enough nutrients for the plants.
- Once a week, apply cow manure, earthworm castings, or bat guano, but keep them away from the roots.
- Water with a banana, egg, and milk solution every three days. The mixing ratio is 80 liters of water to 1 liter of the banana mixture.
- Sprinkle crushed eggshells to supplement calcium, which helps prevent flower drop and fruit cracking.
- Water when the soil surface feels dry. Note that during the flowering stage, the plants need more water. It’s best to water in the morning and avoid watering in the evening.
- Regularly prune old and diseased leaves to ensure good air circulation for the plants.
- To repel pests, consider planting marigolds and water lilies around your garden to improve air quality and deter insects. This is a method many people use: intercropping flowers in vegetable gardens.
- Once the tomatoes begin to ripen, stop fertilizing.
Above is how to grow climbing octopus tomatoes, as introduced by My Garden. If you have any further questions, feel free to message us on Facebook at My Garden My Love!
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