Growing Tomatoe's under lights

[Slotty2]

Hey all,

 

Well I want to setup like a grow cupboard for tomatoe's. I have no idea where to start with them and info on the net is getting hard to find.

 

Basically thinking standard 400HPS light, soil mixture, not irrigated for now, maybe later.

 

Maybe like a perlite / soil mix. say 3 parts soil to 1 part perlite?

 

Dont know what strains to grow or what light pattern to use.

 

If anyone has any experience please help me out.

 

Thanks

[everest]

sup rufes darn't ya go the ganja this time ?

 

toms ..... should be pretty simps to do , i'd say gow em with 18 hours daylite

then indujce to flower when they are big engough :reallyexcited: 12/12

but then i wouldn't have a clue

luv toms but .

[Slotty2]

I think u just grow them on 18/4 all the time

 

and they veg, and yield constantly

 

I think somepeople even use a 12/2 lighting setup? Altho I havent really heard of this much

[jackfrost]

g'day mate,

 

At the moment ive got three hydroponic tomatos growing outside in three seperate buckets (taken from a freedom bucket grow) with recirculating nutrients - there about 2 meters high now and about the same wide. - there been growing for about 8weeks and have tomatos all over the bush.

 

I started using three tomatos about 150mm high 1x Mighty RED, and 2 X Apollo and General Hydroponics nutrients.

 

The next time I grow them I will be doing the truss method of growing where you grow them in lines about 400mm apart and you pull out all the laterial branches so the plant grows straight up to about 2.4 meter high where they are tied on to a wire between two posts as the tomatos stop forming on the bottom of the main truss you just pull the vine down 300mm and let it keep growing up to the wire. --- you keep repeating this process for allmost 10 months to get maxium yeild of a plant (30-50Kg) per plant.

 

If your growing indoors grow your bush with 18/6 light and flore with 12/12 light as this will promote more flores and less branching ----same as cannabis mate., but they can be flored under 18/6.

 

When the bush starts to grow crank up your EC to about 3.4 as tomato can handle high level of salts.

 

Dont forget to pollante your flores with small toothbrush or shake your bush everyday or your flores will fall off.

 

You think cannabis can go through the nutes, wait to you see tomato - ive never seen a plant eat as much nutrients as tomatos.

 

Jack

[jackfrost]

ps ----> by running a high EC 3.2> the tomato wont last very long off the vine (about 1 week) but will be very sweet and juicy.

 

If you run the EC 2.4< the tomato will last along time off the bush 3-4weeks but wont have that home grown taste.

 

All tomato grown for the shops are done with the above method and picked green for obvious reasons.

 

Will post some pics soon for ya.

 

Jack

[everest]

this will be one to watch , mmm luv toms .... can you get addicted ?

 

i like em in tins but ... so i must be a strange fucker

 

hydro toms though , outside mmmmm . bloody hot enough here anyways

 

look forward to the pics jack

[jackfrost]

me too bro, I eat heaps of tomatos - nothing like a home grown tomato straight off the bush for breakfast it has a taste that no amount of money can buy ya in the shop selling tomato.

 

Im also at present putting a couple of apple cucumber plants into a outddoor system as well.

 

Would like to setup a 4inch round pipe about 2meters long to keep lettice in (great lake or imperial) as well, using misters in the pipe to feed.

 

im experimenting with worm casting liquid extract to (making my self) to feed the smaller plants instead of Gen Hydro nutes. Also trying liquid compost extraction to feed the vegies.

 

Another method of feeding the plants which i want to explore more is aquaponics (fresh water fish) to make your nutes for ya, as im a aquarium nut.

 

Have also been experimenting with small solar panels to recharge a DC battery hooked upto a 100watt inverter to power one of the pumps in the tomato system.

 

My goal is to gererate my own power and create my own nutes to feed my family fresh vegies all year round ---incase the world turns to shit.

 

Jack

Edited March 24, 2005 by jackfrost

[jackfrost]

mate I worked my cunt out as a builder for 15 years 75hours + per week, I finally worked out that the only people to get rich doing this was the goverment and insurance companies,.

 

New hobbies allow ya 2 bypass above problems and spend more time with ya family.

 

Jack

[everest]

right on jack and good luck with the projects ::

[jackfrost]

hey rufes 1, sorry for hijacking your thread mate but just a quick undate on my three tomato plants.

 

Most tomato's are 3-4 inch across, still no sign of rippening and are really drinking the nutes. I have never seen anything like this. I mix up the 40L nutes res in the morning at EC 3.6 and fill the res, by nightfall the three plants have used 20litres of water and a EC 2.7. They seen to have stoped growing up and out as ive feeding a more PK mix with less N.

 

Had problems with the roots growing down the return hose causing a block and had to remove hoses and clean out.

 

Installed a water heater today as night times temps are really starting to drop below good levels.

 

On average there is 200+ tomato's on each bush with about 100+ flowers still to take on each bush.

 

Jack