Layering Cradles
Layering Cradles are used to support the layered stems of vegetable crops such as tomatoes.
An indeterminate tomato plant will continue to grow vertically up a support twine and produce fruit as long as a favourable environment is provided for it.
Once a plant reaches the rafters of a greenhouse it is unable to be supported any further as the support twine terminates at the point where the Free Fall hook is suspended from.
The plant must then be layered to give it room to continue growing and also to have the growth supported and managed.
The Layering Process
The Layering process involves releasing more twine from the Free Fall hook and moving the hook sideways along the overhead horizontal support wires, which are part of the greenhouse crop support system.
This has the effect of dropping the middle of the long plant stem closer to the greenhouse floor. The Layering Cradles are placed next to the base of each plant so that as the plant stem is lowered towards the ground the stem can be supported by the Cradle so that it doesn’t touch the greenhouse floor.
The plants that are growing on either side of the layered plant will also have their stems layered and moved sideways by the same distance. Throughout this process the base of the plants remain continually fixed in position, in the cocoslab or pot where they were originally planted.
The newly layered plants will then continue to grow up the new area of twine that has been made available to it until it once again reaches the Free Fall hook.
When this happens more twine is released from the Freefall hook and the hook is once again moved sideways along the overhead crosswire so it is even further away from where the plant is anchored to the ground.
More Layering cradles become occupied by the longer stem as the plant continues to grow up the newly exposed twine and produce more fruit.
The stem of the tomato plant eventually grows to over 10 metres in length and becomes supported by many Layering Cradles.
Pure Hydroponics supplies three sizes of Layering Cradles to suit plants grown in either single rows or double rows.
- 2 x 870mm long legs with a 270mm wide cross member – Suited for plants in single rows.
- 2 x 650mm long legs with a 600mm wide cross member – Suited for plants in single or double rows.
- 2 x 600mm long legs with a 700mm wide cross member – Suited for plants in double, side by side rows.
Please contact Pure Hydroponics for pricing.
