Ended 07/13/19 Farm Plus 01/20/19 Lettuce & Tomatoes

[Shawn]

Still going strong Fizzle.

[fizzle1979]

Mar 2, 2019 4:30:08 GMT -5 Shawn said:

Still going strong Fizzle.

The tomatoes look sad or droopy in some plants/spots.  I think I need to trim some of the width out of them.  Thoughts?  

[Shawn]

I know with my peppers, I always thin out old looking leaves.  It gives some air between plants.

[fizzle1979]

03/02/19 - Day 42

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Any idea why the tomatoes look sad? Or is this normal?

[fizzle1979]

Mar 2, 2019 13:33:52 GMT -5 Shawn said:

I know with my peppers, I always thin out old looking leaves.  It gives some air between plants.

I have a fan blowing on the tomatoes 24/7 but will do some trimming tomorrow.

[Shawn]

I know NOTHING about tomatoes so  let me out that out there (like I do not say that enough LOL)

So let me ask you this.  Have you done a complete dump and refill on the tomato side?  If not I would suggest to try that.  Are you adding a Calcium Supplement?  This can also be a cause.  Are you over or under feeding the plants?

Also check to make sure the root system is not so dense that it is overpowering the bowl.  If the roots are so heavy, dense and thick, then the root to water ratio may be off.

Try trimming out the old looking leaves and the yellow ones to give air flow.

That is all I have for you (I will let you know if I see any other causes)

Edited to add:  I need to say I have not read thru this thread in along time but glancing thru it fast, it may be something to check.

[serri588]

Not sure if it applies to tomatoes, but I always end up feeding my cucumbers a lot more than the standard AG nutes or they start to look like that. I know others have had success with cucumbers on a standard feeding schedule, but I think it might be because the plants just get so much bigger in the farms.

A dump and refill is also a great idea- over time the nutrient or ph balance can get off and then the plants aren't able to extract nutrients from the water.

[fizzle1979]

Mar 3, 2019 5:01:24 GMT -5 Shawn said:

I know NOTHING about tomatoes so  let me out that out there (like I do not say that enough LOL)

So let me ask you this.  Have you done a complete dump and refill on the tomato side?  If not I would suggest to try that.  Are you adding a Calcium Supplement?  This can also be a cause.  Are you over or under feeding the plants?

Also check to make sure the root system is not so dense that it is overpowering the bowl.  If the roots are so heavy, dense and thick, then the root to water ratio may be off.

Try trimming out the old looking leaves and the yellow ones to give air flow.

That is all I have for you (I will let you know if I see any other causes)

Edited to add:  I need to say I have not read thru this thread in along time but glancing thru it fast, it may be something to check.

Did the dump and refill today and trimmed a ton. Probably too much. Haven’t added anything but AG nutrients.

[fizzle1979]

03/03/19 - Day 43

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What is this little green thing I found?

[serri588]

I hope this works out for you! Hacking back plants a lot like that does slow them down, but I haven't killed one that way yet.

[fizzle1979]

Mar 3, 2019 21:16:23 GMT -5 serri588 said:

I hope this works out for you! Hacking back plants a lot like that does slow them down, but I haven't killed one that way yet.

Immediately after cutting back so much, I remembered reading something that said only cut back 1/3 of the plant.  

[ASFx]

Just finished reading your whole log. Here are a few recommendations I have for you:

• Remove the fan you're using now and replace it with an oscillating fan. If you use a fan like you are now which is blowing on the plants 24/7 without oscillating, you can end up causing wind burn on the leaves. It's caused when the fan blows the humidity away from the leaves too fast and the ends of the leaves turn white or brown and dry out. Another benefit of an oscillating fan is helping to increase the stems and branches of your plants. When the air blows at them, it lightly bends the stems and branches, then allows them to relax a bit as the fan blows in another direction. This helps increase their strength over time. Think of it as constant exercise for the plants. 
• Unless you're growing a tiny dwarf variety of tomato like tiny tim or red robin, etc.. I highly recommend thinning it to 2-4 tomato plants ASAP while you still have time (before the root mass gets all tangled with the others). They are going to overcrowd each other very soon, and the roots will fill up the reservoir so much that there will no longer be room for water. They'll also be fighting for nutrients once the roots overtake the reservoir.
• With lettuce you can reduce the light cycle to 10-14 hours. if you do a full 18 hour cycle and if you keep the lights too close to the lettuce, it will cause white spots and crispy leaf edges. 
• You don't need to use much nutrients for lettuce at all. You can reduce your nutrients and watch for a few days to check for the reaction your lettuce has. If you start getting little craters in your leaves, that's a sign of calcium deficiency, then you know you've reduced the nutes too far and you can re-adjust from there. 

[fizzle1979]

03/04/19 - Day 44

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[fizzle1979]

03/05/19 - Day 45

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Do we think this is a tomato plant?

[fizzle1979]

03/06/19 - Day 46

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[Shawn]

I have no idea if that is a tomato plant or not, sorry.

How are you enjoying the fresh lettuce?

[fizzle1979]

03/07/19 - Day 47

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[fizzle1979]

03/08/19 - Day 48

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[fizzle1979]

03/09/19 - Day 49

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Three golden harvest tomatoes growing.

[fizzle1979]

03/10/19 - Day 50

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