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

I've been using these at least since the 80s - back when basic black was the only color they came in, and I still love them. It makes watering tomatoes easy. Although I never had a problem with the watering spikes becoming "clogged", one way to prevent that would be to put a piece of coffee filter around the bottom of each spike to keep soil from floating up through the hole. I will probably need to do that in my new location, as a matter of fact, due to its very sandy soil. The older ones did not have any sharp edges to damage stems. I will inspect the new ones for this reported problem and take steps accordingly, if necessary. I usually drip irrigate these days, but even so, these are still on my list of garden helpers. They make it easy to water and effectively mulch up to the stem - at the place where I would normally need to leave open through the cardboard underlayer I use as weedblocker (and then mulch on top). Makes things easier and neater. I used to use these for my peppers and eggplants as well, but I don't know how that would work with the red color now. Wish I could still get them in basic black!

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.]

For the most part I really like these. They definitely help target water, make applying fertilizer easier, and keep away the weeds. They are a little tricky to put around the plants but I've never broken a plant. I do wish they were made of heavier plastic, although I have had mine for about four years and there's a few cracks in them but they are still very functional. As for taking them out of the garden in the fall I just cut off the stem right above it and pick up.

I used these last year for my tomatoes. I can't say I saw a real difference in production of tomatoes or peppers. It did help keep the moisture in and directing it to the roots. I have raised beds, so this isn't that big of an issue. I probably won't order again.

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.

I purchased these trays last year 2012. They look like a great idea, but more work needs to be done to have a good product! While the tomato plants were small, things were good. My plants grew to approx. 6 feet tall. Meanwhile the stems out grew the hole in the automator. This caused the automators to cut into the stems. This caused me to loss a plant before I figured out why the plant was wilting. Bottom line is the hole is too small and way to sharp. Until the hole is made a lot bigger, I suggest that before using make the hole as big as you can.

I cannot see any difference in the performance between plants growing with the tray and those growing without the tray. Both plants are growing tall, full, and seem to be heavy with tomatoes. Perhaps weeds around the stem is the only difference since weeds cannot grow through the plastic.

Go back to the drawing board. I lost 3 plants with a brisk wind which caused the stems to get cut at the opening. The hole has very sharp edges. If you manage to install without hurting your stem, better check the weather report. I am going to try taping around the hole edges to buffer the sharp edge since I invested so much in multiple trays.