Leaf burn and Nutes question

[cf]

This was touched upon before in another thread, but rather than hijack that thread to ask my slightly different question, I'm starting a new one. 

I did an R&R on my two Harvests on Sunday afternoon so they'd both be on the same schedule.  In Harvest #2, I have an established tomato plant that I'd moved into it from Harvest #1 and when Harvest #2 arrived, I also planted a newbie tomato to share the "tomato-dedicated" #2. 

After refilling, I added a full capful of nutes (shook the bottle first) plus just under a second capful.  All by the book. 

On the baby tomato plant, I found serious leaf burn the very next morning.  Photo #1 shows it.   I could almost hear it wailing.

Obviously the amount of nutes was too much.  Fortunately I got away with it because Nature kicked in with its "emergency high gear fight for survival" and hyper-grew some fresh green leaves to do everything green leaves somehow do to save the day in spite of its well-meaning overkiller, nute-happy host.  (I can hear it now.  "At least   the monster without a stem didn't drool out the words, 'there, there, sweet-hawrt, drink it all up good now' when she all but poisoned us."

Here's Photo #2 that I took just 3 days later, then my question follows.  (This is the fun thing about AGs.  You can see it all happening.)

So I personally find that nothing short of miraculous recovery {clapping, clapping}.  But how much nutes DO I give to my tomato plants on an R&R?  Note, there are two of them, one is a very healthy happy looking solid-as-a-rock older one, about 5" tall, who didn't seem to miss a beat from the over-nutes... and it shares the machine with this cute little baby that repaired itself and boasts about 1-1/2" above the deck.  Obviously I need to cater to the more delicate newcomer.

And then question #2, once 2 weeks goes by from that R&R and it's time to just add more nutes (meaning there's likely still some already active in the tank), how much do I add?  Given that there's an unknown amount already there.

Thanks in a advance for any help offered.  ;-)

 

[Shawn]

I am not a tomato grower so I am not of much help there.  HOWEVER, for all my plants I start off slow with nutes.  I do not use the cap for measuring either.  I use a syringe of flask for measuring as it is more accurate.  If it calls for 8ml, then I only add 4 or 6 to begin.  Then I watch and add more or less as needed.

This is just what I do, of course others can chime in as they may know more about tomatoes

[Sher]

cf, I have killed young tomatoes (or seriously injured them) using the recommended nutrient amounts on young tomatoes. As you saw, the older ones thrive on a dose that injures a baby.

I start out with 6 ml in a Bounty, then 8 at the second feeding, and very gradually work upward. If I remember correctly, a capful is 4 ml. I agree with Shawn -- you really need to buy droppers or syringes marked with mls, though.

I just wilted my Veranda Red tomatoes by giving them more because they have started flowering, so I had to dump that tank and go back to the level I was at before.

Everyone who grows tomatoes learns they don't play by the AG nutrient rules. 

But, when they actually put on fruit, they need a level of nutes that would have killed them earlier in order to produce tasty fruit. At that point they love the extra nutes.

Wishing you the best with the learning curve. Hoping your tomatoes do well. It looks like your baby tomato is a resiliant little one!

And BTW, some people report getting tasty tomatoes without upping the nutes after fruiting. I am not one of them, unfortunately!

[Sher]

cf, In answer to your question #2, the plants use up the nutes that are in the tank, which is why you can add to them in 2 weeks later without harming the plants.

However, they use more of some nutrients than others. So when you do a monthly Rinse & Refill, you dump the old water, add fresh water and new nutes, and start fresh. That keeps the nutrients balanced.

[clumsythumbs]

I feel like I have added at or around the desire dosage. I sometimes wonder with the smaller tanks, if the Harvests are more susceptible to concentration. For example, if you were starting tomatoes in the Bounty, Ultra, or Harvest they would all require the same amount (correct?). For a Harvest, I definitely would add no more than 6ml to start. 

I also notice a lot of young plants' leaves get brown and break off no matter what. Most of the initial first set of true leaves on my tomatoes and peppers seem to die off. I am glad they bounced back. It was smart to do a R&R. 

As Sher noted, I think starting low and gradually adding is often a good rule of thumb to follow. 

[cf]

Okay well then I have a quandry. The bigger tomato plant would be happy with more and the little baby needs less. They are in the same Harvest.

I was hoping to stagger my plantings of tomatoes to extend harvesting. For the time being, would it hurt the bigger tomato plant if I cater nutes amount to the smaller one?

I do actually have ml syringes somewhere, I use them in dyeing yarn or spinning fiber. I will see if I can find one that hasn't been used for dyes.

But I still don't know how much I should feed that Harvest with a sturdy 5-in plant in the same water as a 2-in tall baby. If it won't hurt or retard the bigger plant, then what, say 6 ml in two weeks after my R&R that I did on Sunday?

[Sher]

cf, the short answer is that they should not be grown together since they require different nutrient levels.

Do you have a place you could move one of the tomatoes? Maybe into a Kratky jar if you don't have Aerogarden space for it in another machine.

[cf]

Feb 1, 2021 1:05:17 GMT -5 Sher said:

cf , the short answer is that they should not be grown together since they require different nutrient levels.

Do you have a place you could move one of the tomatoes? Maybe into a Kratky jar if you don't have Aerogarden space for it in another machine.

Nope, I don't have anything like that.  But I think I got away with it.  The little tomato plant got its fingers burnt a tad, but then a whole hand grew in spite of that.  It's looking very happy.  (fingerscrossed, fingerscrossed).  ;-D

[Sher]

That's wonderful, cf! The little guy was able to adapt!

[cf]

I'm trying to think of it as a form of tough love. I'm a big fan of that.

[Sher]

Feb 2, 2021 21:04:09 GMT -5 cf said:

I'm trying to think of it as a form of tough love. I'm a big fan of that.

Whatever works!