Dalen Gardeneer Tomato Tray Super Boost – Increases Tomato Plant Yield up to 40% – Easy to Install – 12" x 12" x 3.5" – Pack of 3

Looks great should work just not in the snow right now

So far so good. I bought these to keep late blight away from the tomatoes. It is working so far. The season is just beginning so will need to wait for final thoughts. Makes it easier to water the plants and know how much water given to each plant. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]

These do work very well However, have a few flaws giving them 4 stars instead of the five I would have giving them. On the Positive side, we live where they limit watering; the trays help target the water to the plants roots where it was needed. I place fertilizer in the cones, bringing the plant, both food and water to the roots. The plastic around the hole that you place your plant through is sharp, however, I had no problems planting my plants though it. The trays also helped in keeping the area around my plants weed free. This season I had my best yield of tomatoes to date in one season. On the negative side the drain cones could be bigger, to put more fertilizer in them. The plastic to me was very thin and could be heavier. They are very rigid from trays outer edge down the slot going to the hole you plant your plants through. Making it difficult planting your plant. If holes were slightly larger, I feel the plastic would be more flexible. l will continue to use them and do recommend this product.

This is a great product, but I have to agree with others that the sharp edge can damage your tomato's stem. I read the reviews and trimmed the hole away before I set my plants. I also set the trays well down in the soil. We have had some very strong winds and no damaged stems. I'd give 5 stars if it were not for the fact I had to trim the hole out.

I was skeptical about these.. but they actually work. I planted tomato and pepper plants with them verses without them to compare the results. All the plants with the trays grew faster and produces more fruit than those without. Personally I'm still skeptical if the results has as much to do with the red color as it does from preventing the soil from drying out and offering weed control.. but as long as it works I don't care if they're pink and purple :-) One thing to note is that they fit PERFECTLY inside the burpee square collapsable tomato cages (which are an excellent high quality product.. get rid of the cheap round ones from your local hardware / garden store). These red trays are reusable. I'm on my 3rd year with several but they do eventually crack and will probably have to be replaced after the 3 or 4th year. However, still a great value and more than make up the cost from the 'extra' harvest.

I haven't yet seen the harvest from these trays and I do love how they conserve water and easily fertilize BUT they are horrible to get onto the plants since the slit is so tight and can easily slice right through your plant stem... would a design giving 1 cm have ruined the whole thing? I think not, but would have greatly increased my review of the product.

I really can't say that my tomatoes with the Automator did any better than those without them. I found that I had to put rocks on them so the wind would not take them away, which is what happened when we had high winds. And I wasn't able to use my square tomato cages with them. I probably would not buy more. I did like the fact that when I watered into the hole I felt like it went right to the plants roots.

The holes clogged and water could not pass through. The trays did keep weeds from growing around the plants. However, these plants were not a productive or as vibrant as those plants without the trays. I used them I. Our veggie plot at the community garden.

I liked the idea that these trays provide better light and more direct water for the plants, but they didn't work in my garden this year. The problem is that my tomato plants were too big, so sunlight rarely reached the plastic tray, and the stems grew too big for the small-ish stem hole. I did like that the water could quickly get down to the roots, but that was the only pro that I found with this product. Mine also got all ripped up when I took my tomato plants out of the ground at the end of the season, so if I wanted to use them again, I would have to buy new ones.

To be fair, I waited until growing season was over. I planted 34 tomato plants, 12 had the automator and the rest did not. The plants that had the automator actually grew smaller and slower. The watering holes kept getting plugged with dirt. The plant holes were to small for the stalk. I could not steak the plants either. The plants with the automator did have the first ripe fruit. It is a good thought, but needs tweeking. I threw them away when I cleaned the garden.