Mr. tomato:

I have made a microscopic cut through a leaf of the mother plant and the compost cutting. Unlike in the brassicas and lettuces there were no anatomical changes as one or two additional layer of palisade parenchyma. Just standard anatomy – but what was striking was that esp the Johnson Su plant was crammed full with chloroplasts. I mean FULL. There was hardly any free cytoplasm. This may explain the refractometer picture – just chloroplasts, hardly any free sap!

I think that there is still one element missing, and my gut feeling is that we probably look at the silicon system. Either clay, or silt, maybe could be substituted in part by biochar.

I have been thinking a bit about the health pyramid. I see the surface wax layer a bit like a wealth “belly”. You know like these glossy horses at the peak of the best grass season. Glowing fur and evenly distributed body fat. So, how much reduction power/energy is stored on the surface instead of being transformed into immediate growth?

I see not much surface wax in Mr. Tomato , I do not see extra large leaves – the plant just looks harmonious and “normal”. It is solar tracking, it is fast growing, no signs of hidden hunger, simultaneous flowering in the truss. So I am really curious to see the plant sap.

Phyllosphere:

I have been thinking about your idea of culturing phyllosphere. One thing that I was not aware of and I have recently researched is that growing leaves breathe out methanol. This methanol comes from cell wall remodelling (pectin) in growth (and stress adaption) and is consumed by methylotrophic yeasts. Like the good old Aureobasidium pullulans or Kloeckera boidinii and suchlike. So even if we culture microflora from a healthy leaf and we transfer it on a sad plant, it will be an entirely different niche and probably a reason why Aureobasidium has to be replenished if you buy it as a biocontrol agent!

best H