Tomato Plants are not producing....

[T'Mater]

Ya, only problem is keeping it covered, algae would thank you tho.

[jamromhem]

When I was looking at it I was thinking a wooden top with a hinged door to let you have access to the inside of the res. I had no intent of leaving an explosed res :P

But yes a lid would be the first priority with it. A painted sheet of plywood or OSB with perhaps a 2x3 runner or two along the top to prevent drooping would be more than adiquate for it. A couple hinges and a handle and you are set :P

[Freshwater]

Originally Posted by T'Mater

Harvest is dead i'm pretty sure anyway's

Aww, man.... I must have missed that... though yes you are right. You learned a TON this season. I too would have pulled a plant to check out the roots.

I'll see if I can answer these, or at least what I would do. Remember that I live in Zone 10, mother nature is very kind to me and my garden.

Originally Posted by T'Mater

1. Do you go by the back of a tomato seed package to determine when you should start getting mater's? Like the plant's i planted said around 80day's, or do hydroponicly grown(if done right) seem to start producing sooner?

This is a tough one and not surprising I have a point of view on it! I do not go off the back of the seed pack for much other than is it determinate or indeterminate. The plant will blossom, when it blossoms.

AND...IMO... Hydroponically grown plants will not grow any faster/better/bigger than a perfectly balanced garden...period. Although it is much easier to perfectly balance a hydroponic nutrient system than a soil garden ;-)

Originally Posted by T'Mater

How do you know what phase your plants are in?

With Tomatoes it's easy for veg. vs. flower. Are there flowers on it? No...it's in Veg. now there are flowers?...it's flowering...lol Remember you can also control when the plant does what with the use of different levels of nutrient and light. You effectively vegged your plants for 100 days primarily through light control in your garage.

Originally Posted by T'Mater

Our goal is to try to have the plant's set up so that they start producing late March/early April.

Plant your seeds mid-January indoors, under all those florescent lights you have. Build a little greenhouse in your garage, like 4 ft x 2 ft (you have 4 ft lights right?) by maybe 4 ft tall. Get a couple warming mats for seed trays, or even better yet run them in a DWC system once the seeds have roots and throw a fish tank heater or 2 in. and you should have a huge jump on everyone else. Just keep your lights really close to the tops of the seedlings. Remember we both learned that one this year.

Todd

[jamromhem]

I just wanted to add one thing :P The keep the lights close to the seedlings part :P I learned that there is such thing as too close to the seedlings lol.. I have been keeping mine about 1 ft away from the plant though tomatoes can probably handle a little closer, i scalded a few of my other plants when I did try closer.

I am not sure just how close the plants can handle the lights, and the difference based on how your lights are set up. My lights are 128W in about 4sqft (4 32W 4 ft tubes all next to eachother) so it is a lot of light in a small area. That probably contributed to the scaled I recieved.

[T'Mater]

Well when i mean phase, what i ment was, how do i know when to up the strength of my nutes. That's what i was alway's scared about. Do you just start with week 1 and give them 1/4 nutes XXXPPM and then week 2 goin up to the next level?

For the most part i stay'd waaay low i think for too long if that's possible.

[jamromhem]

My trick so far is to take a step up in the nutes and if they show signs of curl under (some tomatoes curl their leaves under change so you need to be able to tell the difference). If the edges all the way around curl it is too strong. If it is the leave making a curl from tip in (like if you rolled a pencil ender the leaf from the tip) it is a normal stress reaction that some (like brandywine) do. The second has no effect on the plant over all from what I have been able to find on it. The first will kill it :P

Any way. After I up it and look for a reaction, I dilute it back to the previous strength if I get a reaction. If I don't I top off the res with the current new strength. (I run at about 1/2 res when testing so I can dilute back without dumping.)