You are trying to be ironic? That's fine with me - but you know what the real irony from my end is? I was having another discussion around the the same topic, where I had to deal with a real meticulous, even obstinate guy. He ended up in calling me unprofessional and inaccurate!
Precision really seems to be a relative thing
Well, anyways - as long as all is going fine with your culture and setup, no-one is asking questions, and precision and details don't matter that much. But as soon as you run into trouble, you start asking questions and need to know even the smallest detail to make a proper diagnosis.
Not sure at all about the water quality that comes out of the softener. Acceptable Human standards and plant nutritional facts aren't exactly the same thing. The softener is actually installed to avoid build-up of minerals (Ca and Mg) in pipes and heating devices, and for some skin cosmetic reasons too, not at all to improve water quality for human "consumption". Most of the calcium and magnesium is replaced by (less) sodium chloride. And that isn't exactly the stuff plants like best! If you can avoid the softener, and using the original hard water (with the Ca and Mg) instead - I'd use that in any case.
The high PH of 8 isn't a good thing at all. I doubt your
nutrient solution to drop down to 6 point something, as described by the manufacturer. It will most probably range between 6.5 and 7. That is too high.
Now, when I tell you that having a correct PH is even more important than the right nutrient composition and concentration - will you believe that?
The actual problem is here, that the stronger your nutrient solution is, the more your PH will drop from the original 8. Stupidly enough, with only using 1/4 of the nutrient strength, it will not go down very much and will stay WAY to high.
Your tap water is problematic in every sense, if you want to accept it or not... it may very well be the cause of your "droppy" tomatoes. With your 1/4 strategy you will most probably run into more trouble. The high PH (which actually wasn't lowered enough) may cause deficiencies of other elements, while the nitrogen is absorbed without a problem. Your plants may grow higher and higher but actually get weaker and weaker.
You don't need to believe or apply any of it - and you can always try to do it your own way and see what happens.
