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Location

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Date Posted

Oak Grove, Mn

I am liking the potential that flower is showing. It is looking like it has a ribbon to the blossom too. Good luck with it....grow it big.

7/1/2017 6:34:34 AM

Central NY

I would snip it...I cant see that one goin more than 8 or 9 lbs...

7/1/2017 7:29:09 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Like last year I can't get too excited because we aren't weighing flowers. I am dependent on the weather which looks good with dry and '80s/mid 50's for the next week. Last year it was cold and damp when I had my big flowers. I had a similar sized one starting on the 6.23 Megazac before my trip but a friggen deer got it along with some good trimming on other plants. Putting up the fence today.

7/1/2017 2:54:48 PM

Bloomington Indiana

Good luck Rebel

7/1/2017 3:02:42 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

A generation out of the 7.05 Porkchop BZ from my 4.69 is putting out slightly smaller ribbons on two plants with impressive flowers. The 5.55 Caleb White has a nice one a week out. It's hit and miss with these ribbons and seems to be just a BZ trait. I have them on 5-6 plants from from 42 plants so do the math. I have only seen Wixom Chris grow a real nice one from a ribbon vine so I don't think a ribbon is necessarily what we are looking for when trying to grow big ones. Well, I look for them since they are impressive to look at.

7/1/2017 3:09:02 PM

Wixom MI.

My plant are just now producing megablooms. I should be posting in the next two days. I think about 75% of them have a nice megabloom going. No real ribbon vine buds but still large buds on them.

7/1/2017 6:35:12 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I posted a couple of photos in my diary yesterday of the 6.23 Wixom.
Not sure if it's a ribbon vine.
Might be able to get an idea of what that single MB looks like tomorrow.
The 6.13 and the 4.80 are only knee high right now.

7/1/2017 8:40:21 PM

Wixom MI.

Garden Rebel you get some wild crazy ribbon vinning on your plants. Impressive. I have 5 megazac growing and all 5 have nice stable megablooms. It seems to me that the bigzac megablooms get a little more wild looking than the megazac blooms.what I mean is the bigzac megablooms tend to bloom or develope on one side more than the other side making them harder to pollinate. The megazac seems to be a more balanced megabloom. I will post my pictures later today.

7/7/2017 7:57:53 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Yes, I think you are right. I have two of your 6.23's going. I had an impressive flower right in the middle like yours and a deer chomped it. The other has one forming and should be ready in a week or so.

7/7/2017 12:22:01 PM

Wixom MI.

Garden Rebel I agree that you don't need a ribbon vine megabloom. I think you need a well balanced megabloom where a tomato grows evenly all the way around. Evenly balanced.

7/7/2017 3:15:58 PM

Wixom MI.

Esheel31 that is just a normal stem.you will have a hard time to get a large megabloom so high on a plant. You may get one but the biggest ones are usually the first flower truss on the main stem or branches.after that they are hard to come by.you will need to just pick the largest flower that comes along and go with it. Good luck.

7/7/2017 3:25:25 PM

Walla Walla Wa.

I have lots of mega blooms all the way up the plant,the 8.61 was on the upper portion of the plant.

7/7/2017 4:15:30 PM

Walla Walla Wa.

I'm sorry, that sounds like I'm bragging, I have no intention of bragging,just meant to state the facts,

7/7/2017 5:43:11 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Out of the first truss ?
Not a very big plant is it ?
I'll try that on one of my later plants then.
So much to learn !

7/7/2017 6:18:04 PM

Wixom MI.

You world record growers are all alike brag, brag, brag !!! LOL...(0:

Their are good megablooms to work with higher up and many growers feel that a plant needs to be much larger to support a gaint tomato, I think most people are growing that way but I like the meathod that Dan MacCoy started and I find that the first set on a smaller plant tend to get the largest fog me. Both meathods work well, only time will tell if one meathod will do better than the other. Still to early to say !

7/7/2017 6:20:06 PM

Wixom MI.

Esheel31 to make a first truss set to work, you need to plans plant your plants when they are 3"-4" tall and let the plant develope a root system in the ground for it to work right. If your plant is 6"-8" with buds on the plant while still in the pot, it probably won't work to well.

7/7/2017 6:26:30 PM

Wixom MI.

That is trans plant not plans plant. My phone sucks sometimes.

7/7/2017 6:29:39 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Chris, one of the 6.23's I'm growing is throwing singles after a missed opportunity when the first flower was munched on. It was straight like a rose in the middle. The other one about a week away is the exact same as the first. Straight stem, up the middle and three equal flowers in a triangle. Should be real nice when it takes off.

Dan, that is interesting about your 8.61. I have one plant growing. Was your tomato on the main or off on a side vine?

7/7/2017 8:15:03 PM

Walla Walla Wa.

Always on the main,also my 6.23 is only throwing big single,even on the first truss,it's the only plant that I have that's doing that,must be a throwback or something.

7/7/2017 8:20:16 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I've got a MB that's starting on the 4.80 Wixom now.
It's early,everything is still green,but it struck me how big this one was.
Plant is only 2 feet tall maybe.
Will post a couple of photos a little later.
Wixom,your suggesting to set the plants out when they are 6-8 inches tall ?
All of mine were in 2 gallon pots when they were set out,and I always plant deeper when I repot or plant out.
That's out of necessity here.
I live near the water,there is always a strong breeze or nor'easter blowing here.

7/7/2017 8:37:10 PM

Wixom MI.

I noticed that all 5 of my megazac's have a good first truss megabloom and all singles on the second truss. I'm hoping that all my first ones take !!! Hope to know in the next few days.

7/7/2017 8:39:03 PM

Wixom MI.

My plants last year that grew the 6 pounders were only two feet tall maybe 30" after I topped them.

7/7/2017 8:43:11 PM

Wixom MI.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=262767

Esheel31 here is a picture of them while they where growing last year.

7/7/2017 8:47:52 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

How does such a small plant feed something like that ?
Did you prune them to that size ?

7/7/2017 9:41:31 PM

Wixom MI.

You prune off all the branches first, then you try to get that first truss megabloom like the one on your 4.80 wixom slammer to set, and if it takes and becomes a tomato, then you cut off the main stem about 3-4 leaves after the tomato set and continue to prune off all branches after that. This will force all the energy to go to the tomato.good luck. Buy the way the 6.13 is a megazac not a BZ.

7/7/2017 11:09:45 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

ESheel, that's a nice flower on your Slammer. You will be really impressed in a week or so! Just watch. Most of my 2nd generation Slammers are putting out nice megablooms.
I'm learning this year, but when a small plant is put into the garden and the roots reach out without hitting the edge of a pot they keep going, gathering nutrients. If in a pot, they hit the inside and go in a circle. When put into a garden after that the roots take a while to straighten out and reach out. By then the first truss is come and gone and you are left with singles. Or, the plant will ignore the first truss, move on and make tomatoes when the roots are ready. Does this sound correct Chris? I remember one photo you had a couple of years back with the tomato root being like 20' long after you pulled the plant.

7/7/2017 11:14:29 PM

Wixom MI.

Warning don't top off the plant untill you get a tomato to set !!! (0:
This is why you plant a small plant so that it will have a good root system by the time the first truss megabloom appears.. my thought is if you can't get the first truss to take then you can always grow the plant out like you did untill you get the flower to you like.

7/7/2017 11:19:23 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

I didn't plant deep this year just to plant in upper layer warmer soil. Included a green plastic mulch to heat soil but suppress weeds. We will see. I have a bunch of takers on first mega flowers including McCoys, LaRues and Whites but won't post pic's until I get some size. This is the result of planting small plants in the garden with warm soil. Also, I finally crossed varieties! The 7.15 White (BZ) with the 4.66 Spaziani (Oxheart). I took photo's of the steps I took and will post later. It was easy to do. Reading glasses and tweezers! Stir up that cesspool of stale genetics...the only way to get to 10 lbs!

7/7/2017 11:29:25 PM

Wixom MI.

Prety much like you said Rick. I think I exposed about 10 feet on that root but it was as thick as a pencil when they broke on me 10 feet out.

7/7/2017 11:32:30 PM

Wixom MI.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=248490

Rick Here is a picture of that root I exposed on my tomato plant two years ago like you said.

7/7/2017 11:38:19 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Thanks guys.
My second year growing,so I know I have a lot to learn.
I was going to pinch those blossoms off of the 4.80 because I thought the plant was to small.
Will now let it ride if it looks promising.
Can you produce more off of one plant after you cut the first finished mater off,or would that plant be finished for the year ?
Wixom, thanks for all the tips !
Garden Rebel,didn't mean to hijack your thread !
Hope you all have a great growing season !

7/8/2017 12:23:28 AM

Wixom MI.

The plant is pretty much done after the tomato is ready. It will be turning the end of August or early September and by that time their we won't be enough time to grow another on it anyway.
Definitely try this meathod on the 4.80 and then you can compare it to your other plants. It took me two years to give in and do it this way. I couldn't even prune off a single branch before that always wondering if I was cutting off the big ones.good luck

7/8/2017 7:12:44 AM

Wixom MI.

Esheel31 check out the first 12 posts in my diary, it is a review of last year's tomatoes.

7/8/2017 7:22:37 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Awesome guys.
Really appreciate all the tips and advice.

7/8/2017 7:39:40 AM