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Post by cheddachasa on Jul 5, 2018 19:31:36 GMT -5
75 days days in. The plant in the left was not pruned much, has a lot of tomatoes at the bottom, and is still growing and flowering. The one on the right has been pruned extensively and as a result is much smaller with a lot of fruit in various stages of ripeness. Which begs the question, when are the heirloom cherries ready to be eaten? I have a couple that look like they’re ready but I want to be sure.    |
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Kate
AGA Bounty
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Post by Kate on Jul 5, 2018 20:13:11 GMT -5
Bright red is the color you're looking for. It looks like you have some ready to go!
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Shawn
Administrator
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Post by Shawn on Jul 6, 2018 4:17:28 GMT -5
I have never grown tomatoes but it looks like there are many that will be getting red for you. Your close up pics look like you have some nice red ones  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2018 7:27:53 GMT -5
Give the tom a gentle tug. If you feel resistance it wants to cling to the plant and is not ready. A gentle tug and an easy release is a sure sign it is ready for harvest.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267
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Post by Shawn on Jul 6, 2018 7:51:31 GMT -5
Give the tom a gentle tug. If you feel resistance it wants to cling to the plant and is not ready. A gentle tug and an easy release is a sure sign it is ready for harvest.
Great info! I am going to post this tip in Growing Guide thread in this category~
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Post by cheddachasa on Jul 8, 2018 16:01:03 GMT -5
Give the tom a gentle tug. If you feel resistance it wants to cling to the plant and is not ready. A gentle tug and an easy release is a sure sign it is ready for harvest. Thanks! Two of them were indeed ready. My wife said they tasted fine so I’ll take her word for it. I did try a half. Tasted like any other tomatoes so I’ll mark that as a success! |
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MaryL
AGA Farmer
Posts: 3,532
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Post by MaryL on Jul 12, 2018 15:50:03 GMT -5
A success indeed! Congratulations!  |
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Post by drbanks on Jul 12, 2018 16:25:19 GMT -5
I read somewhere that leaves provide sugar for the fruit so the more leaves the merrier. We shall see... Yes, more or less. Photosynthesis is the main energy source for any plant to create sugars and other complex molecules. Without it, nothing much happens. Of course, growing leaves will probably inhibit some of the growth of the fruit, but I think overall, leave the darned leaves on, as long as they're still green. Exceptions are to top the plant to encourage more horizontal growth. General Hydroponics flora series nutes try to address this by directing the results of the photosynthesis. In "growth" or "vegetative" mode (using more of the green stuff), the plant's going to be concentrating on growing branches and new leaves. In blossoming/fruiting mode (using more of the red stuff), it'll try to redirect the sugars to setting and growing the fruit. Trimming leaves off the plant makes it look neater, and probably helps to direct the energies to the fruit, but I think in the long run, more leaves means more fruit, albeit at a later date. |
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Kate
AGA Bounty
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Post by Kate on Jul 13, 2018 6:29:37 GMT -5
Trimming leaves off the plant makes it look neater, and probably helps to direct the energies to the fruit, but I think in the long run, more leaves means more fruit, albeit at a later date. That's why I decided after the first crop to let mine do their thing. Every time they shoot new branches, they immediately top them with bud clusters. I couldn't bring myself to whack them off. I'm sure it was deliberate by the plants, sensing my sappy, tree-hugging, sucker-for-a-pretty-tomato personality. Unfortunately, my lights are approaching fully extended now, and it apparently still wants to grow taller. Some people don't get much of a second crop, others have their plants more than a year. I got more, larger, faster growing and ripening than the first crop. I'm guessing it's the food. I'm going to cut back the branches I'm removing this crop off of, once all the fruit is picked. I'll show them. |
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Post by cheddachasa on Jul 16, 2018 19:41:52 GMT -5
My first sizable harvest! The cherries from the plant I didn’t prune as much are so much bigger than the ones from the plant I trimmed to death. My wife took a bite from one of the large ones and gave me the thumbs up! Now might be the time to let my friends and family know what I’ve been up to. LOL  |
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Kate
AGA Bounty
Posts: 953
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Post by Kate on Jul 16, 2018 20:01:01 GMT -5
There's something to be said for letting nature do it's thing. Nice tomatoes!
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Shawn
Administrator
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Post by Shawn on Jul 17, 2018 5:21:57 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2018 9:34:41 GMT -5
Oooo's & Aaahhhh's!  Burst- in -your- mouth juicy toms!
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MaryL
AGA Farmer
Posts: 3,532
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Post by MaryL on Jul 18, 2018 18:48:10 GMT -5
Fantastic! And a beautiful pic at that!!! |
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Post by drbanks on Jul 19, 2018 3:39:58 GMT -5
Those look so nice! It's great having your efforts pay off!
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Post by cheddachasa on Aug 25, 2018 10:17:57 GMT -5
I haven’t updated this thread in a while! At day 125, the plants are still going strong and are about to start their second crop. I’m surprised by how much water they drink. It seems like I’m refilling the aerovoir every few days!  |
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267
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Post by Shawn on Aug 25, 2018 11:30:19 GMT -5
Looks really good. Congrats on the 2nd harvest too!
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Post by orangetabbys on Nov 18, 2018 17:42:13 GMT -5
I’m growing them for my wife so she won’t mind if I get extra machines. “I can only grow two pods of tomatoes in the Bounty so I’m buying the Harvest for lettuce and will have to buy another Bounty soon so I can grow peppers, honey!” I'm doin this same thing with my hubby lol. |
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Post by cheddachasa on Dec 2, 2018 14:26:05 GMT -5
My plants are covered in white flies! They are over 200 days so I don’t mind terminating them but are there other solutions? How can I protect my pepper plant which is right next to the tomatoes?
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MaryL
AGA Farmer
Posts: 3,532
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Post by MaryL on Dec 2, 2018 16:06:02 GMT -5
Oh dear, I hope someone here has some knowledge on the subject, because I don’t. I’m just guessing but I’m cautiously optimistic that this is an easier problem to eradicate than other types of infestations that are actually on the leaves, and feeding off the leaves. Like aphids and spider mites.
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Burst- in -your- mouth juicy toms!