An experiment using two plants in one space

[QAGUY]

I had a tomato buddy give me some starts. One of them has two plants in one cell of a six pack. Now normally, I'd sacrifice one of them (usually the weaker plant). They're both the same variety.

Both of them are growing nicely and I wondered what would happen if I planted both of them in one spot in very strong cage.

My cages have four uprights and I normally have 4 main leaders tied to each upright.

If I plant both plants, I'd only have two leaders for each plant.

Anybody tried this?

Your thoughts both pro and con would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Rockoe10]

I have, typically in a pot over winter. I haven't had too much issue. The most obvious is that they will each be stunted.

The pro is that you'll have more "stem space". You can potentially have more fruit, faster. Though, they may also lack size.

I usually end up with only one plant by the end. I may get some fruit set on both for a time, but the weaker plant inevitably gets crowded out.

[worth1]

I always split them up and grow both separately.
Nothing good comes out of two plants growing that close to each other.

[QAGUY]

I always split them up and grow both separately.
Nothing good comes out of two plants growing that close to each other.

Unfortunately, can't grow them separately, not enough garden space. I agree with you that they're too close together, just thought I'd throw the idea out there. Thanks.

[Tormato]

I often grow two plants "together". This means planting over a foot apart so that each set of roots will have half-way decent room. The 2 plants then get loosely twined to a single stake. More stakes are added as needed. Two plant will end up occupying an area about 2 1/2 to 3 feet square. Success is highly dependent upon the weather. Bad weather magnifies problems. Extremely good weather makes the risk worth it. I will mention that I basically starve plants for water, enough to keep them alive with a bit of stress, but having the best tasting tomatoes. Whether it's a single plant, or 2 doubled up, I'm not going to have huge healthy looking plants unless rain provides the right amount for those kind of plants.

[karstopography]

Interesting ideas. I have my final row of tomatoes not much more than a foot apart. Some are on the outside of the box, the others in front of a patch of pole lima beans. Nothing tall, all shorter peppers, is in front of them or particularily close. A single row of plants maybe 15” apart and in my driest, fasting draining bed, the one with the most sand. I do have stakes for each plant.

[JRinPA]

You can grow them in the same cage, I do that- you get more fruit, sooner. But I separate plants a foot so they are not fighting for the same nutrients. Not twins from the same inch or two. Just separate them now and re-pot a while.

If you have a good system already, I say stick with that, grow just the stronger one, less chance of disease.

But if you really want to make a sacrifice and invite divine favor, you need to give them the stronger one...Otherwise, there is no sacrifice...

[Mark_Thompson]

Just grew two Big Zacs in a five gallon grow bag, maybe 8” apart. Pruned to one stem each, plants were healthy and happy, fruits up to a pound on both plants, which might be a little small for BZ. I say go for it and see.

[Whwoz]

Plant them deep and lay stems out in opposite directions before allowing them to rise vertically, pruning to two leaders. Cover stems as much as you can to allow root formation along covered stem length. Probably need to feed a bit more than normal.

[slugworth]

I always split them up and grow both separately.
Nothing good comes out of two plants growing that close to each other.

I used to plant in clumps,just like in nature.
I would throw an entire tray of plants down when I ran out of space.
Survival of the fittest mode.
As the plants get bigger,they shade the ground and are a variation of my living mulch method.
For me,2 plants together would be considered a treat.
My garden is only 10x20 with usually 30 different varieties.

[Setec Astronomy]

I also say go for it, I planted a lot of double and I think some triple plants last year, because I had a lot of seedling troubles, and they were so weak and scrawny I didn't want to thin them. I usually prune to double leader, in some cases last year I pruned them to single leader if they looked too crowded.

[Shule]

I've tried it without the pruning, multiple times. I'm curious how the pruning would affect it.

*Generally* what happens (without pruning) is this:
- One plant grows bigger than the other, but both are smaller than one plant by itself.
- The other plant is kind of stunted.
- Both combined don't produce as much as a single plant by itself, but they generally each produce something.
- In containers (probably also in the ground), including post-transplant, they use a lot more nutrients from the soil than a single plant would, and are more likely to get deficiency symptoms.
- Plant-snipping pests don't seem to bother them as much. I think they get overwhelmed with the possibilities when they don't have just one plant in a planting site to focus on.

[worth1]

Sometimes to get a conversation rolling one must say something no one agrees with.

[worth1]

These two pepper plants were in the small container right next to each other.
I separated them by knocking the soil off and gently pulling them apart.
It was done in bright daylight temperatures in the 80's.
Right after doing this I watered them.
I fully expected them to go into shock today but they didn't.
This is a few hours after the planting.

20220326_173449.jpg

[Tormato]

Plant them deep and lay stems out in opposite directions before allowing them to rise vertically, pruning to two leaders. Cover stems as much as you can to allow root formation along covered stem length. Probably need to feed a bit more than normal.

Over the years, I've given up on horizontal planting. I've found that in some seasons, if there is quite a bit of rain, a horizontal plant (with a root area covering a larger land area) can soak up too much rain, and I then get bland tomatoes. The same variety planted vertical soaks up less rain and can still have great flavored tomatoes. Maybe it's only about 1 in 5 years I get such rainy conditions, but there's never knowing what each year will bring.

I learned that lesson years ago, when I had a dry year, planted horizontal, and couldn't figure out why 1 of 100 plants was a total dud for flavor. At the end of the season when I was pulling plants, this one plant had a tap root that stretched two beds over, beds that were frequently watered (it had watermelon). That close to 12 foot tap root was sucking up 3 beds worth of watering.

[JRinPA]

I do opposed trenching in some cages. I think it works great. I admit I never thought about trenching causing over watered conditions. Not even once every 5 years. I don't think that's the way it works for me, here. But, no way a tomato could root 12 ft away through the soil here, either. They are usually about 1 ft, sometimes up to 2 ft long on a trenched plant for me. Big root ball at the end, and another at the bend right under the plant, with plenty in between.

Did the 12 ft root ranger throw up any stems along the way?

[slugworth]

or serpentine if you wait til you have very tall plants.
I have a clone from last sept in the house I did that to.
The plant was falling over and I took advantage to start a second batch of roots.

[indysun]

Last year did the experiment with 2 sometimes 3 in 1 spot/cage in and out of raised bed so at least 2 X 40 = 80 plants
All did well.Watered and fed a bit more than normal. Don't know if i will repeat this year??

[slugworth]

with 2 plants close together you can also experiment with grafting 2 entire plants together.
I never had luck with grafting,so I just stick with cloning.

[Tormato]

I do opposed trenching in some cages. I think it works great. I admit I never thought about trenching causing over watered conditions. Not even once every 5 years. I don't think that's the way it works for me, here. But, no way a tomato could root 12 ft away through the soil here, either. They are usually about 1 ft, sometimes up to 2 ft long on a trenched plant for me. Big root ball at the end, and another at the bend right under the plant, with plenty in between.

Did the 12 ft root ranger throw up any stems along the way?

Out of the thousands of tomato plants that I've had over the years, that was the only super rooter that I've ever had. A 16 to 18 inch long tap root and feeder roots spreading out about 10 inches each direction is about all that I get, and that's all that I want (or less).

This one tomato plant was put in the middle of a square of 4 melon plants, each of those in the corner of a 5' X 5' black plastic mulched bed that received little watering. I look back, and I guess I really forced that tomato plant to seek moisture. The tap root though, was massive. About six feet down its length, it was still about 3/4 of an inch thick. I wonder if I had a genetic oddity, and wonder if I still have saved seed. It was supposed to be Bear Claw, but all fruit were very smooth for a beefsteak. With the bland flavor, I named it Ursa Major Disappointment. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.