Help with tomatoes in Cambodia for orphanage

[andyhitomi]

I need help with a hydroponics project just getting started to grow food for a orphanage in Cambodia. I would like to correspond with anyone doing hydroponics in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, or Laos to share information about supplies, bugs, etc. You can contact me using the contact form on my website: Photosensibility | Andy Gray | Cambodia – Japan Photo, Video, Blog .

The initial hydroponics project appeared to start well. We had tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers all growing well. However, we weren't testing the water at all. The water source is a fish pond, so we probably had issues with that. But, as I said, the plants started out doing well.

After about three months, some very thin white lines appeared on the leaves. Unfortunately, a worker at the orphanage who wanted to be helpful doused them with pesticide. All the plants nearly died from the pesticide. They never fully recovered, and eventually they were pulled out to start over.

The new seedlings were coming up well in starter soil when we noticed very thin white lines (<1mm squiggly lines) on the leaves. It appears the same pest/bacteria/?? has struck them, too.

Any help would be appreciated.

Some basic questions:

1. Is it absolutely necessary to test and control the water? If so, what is the minimum testing we need to do? Do we need to test for biological agents (plant viruses and bacteria)?

2. Do we need to treat water for viruses, bacteria, etc.? If so, we need a very cheap way to do that in Cambodia.

3. As I said above, I would like to be in contact with others in Southeast Asia who can share information about common pests and problems. Any help connecting with others would be appreciated.

Thanks!