"Ooze Tube" Boosts Tomato Harvest

Ooze Tube Boosts Tomato Harvest CROPS Miscellaneous Tomatoes thrive when irrigated with a steady drip of water says Darrell Downey whose 40-gal “Ooze Tube” delivers a steady drip of water at the rate of about a gallon/day to each plant Downey first developed the Ooze Tube to wrap around trees He adapted it for tomatoes and other crops such as pumpkins and squash when he started traveling for his job and wasn’t able to water his garden regularly The 8-ft Ooze Tube is held in place with stakes at each end and has a hole at the top to fill with a water hose Line up the 4 drip lines at the base of 4 tomato plants The tube holds enough water for about 10 days but as plants grow Downey recommends adding water more regularly - every 7 days then every 3 or 4 days - to increase the amount of pressure and water delivered to the plants “Use a heavy tomato staking system and not cheap tomato cages ” he emphasizes “The plants will grow 4 to 5 times more tomatoes than when watered by hand ” Fertilizer can also be added to the water and he recommends adding calcium to the soil around the plants to prevent blossom-end rot The UV-resistant Ooze Tubes will last several seasons and can be repaired with Duct tape or plastic patches The tomato watering kits are available for about $24 through Downey’s website or through many local garden equipment supply catalogs Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Engineered Watering Solutions 71 Confederate Ave Jasper Ga 30143 ph 800 951-8123; www oozetube com

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