New member pics

[guitarer]

Hi, all, I'm new to Tomatoville & am into all things tomato; particularly growing in containers & under shelters (bad blight problem here). Here's my main growing site: (12) individual pots with a communal wicking reservoir & a (redundant) drip system. A float switch & timer keep the 4-inch PVC tank full at all times; in very hot weather the timed drip system kicks in to keep the wicks from failing. I use a well-draining mix of non-soil potting mix, 1/3 perlite (& compost, of course) so over-watering is practically impossible. My Lucite roof system is removable for the off-season. The second photo is my indoor plant for this year, a Park's Whopper loaded with 'maters in my sunroom, my indoor plants usually produce into January.

[guitarer]

Photos didn't attach, I'll try again...

[icelord]

Hey Guitarer! I have lots of Those!! But you watering system seems really cool! I also am New!

Icelord!!

[amideutch]

guitarer, Welcome to Tville where the hardcore tomato enthusiasts hang out and share information. Really like your Hydro setup and very nice plants indeed.

TVillers, this is what I'm talking about putting a roof over your tomato plants head. Keeps the rain off and the disease away. Guitarer, are the chains connected to the "L" brackets holding up you cages for plant support. I'd like to see a picture without the plant showing this. What type of nutrients and concentrations you using in your solution tank? Very sanitary setup. Ami

[Barbee]

Nice setup you got there Guitarer. Welcome to T-ville

[guitarer]

Thanks for the welcome, Ami & Barbee! My setup is sorta Rube Goldberg-esque because it evolved over a couple of seasons - necessity being the mother of invention. Here are a few pics of my system w/o plants. I built the contraption around a clothesline pole (center support) w/(2) added 4"x4" posts. "L" brackets attach/support about everything, including the pots/cages. There are also fittings to individually adjust the chain length for each plant to suspend it over the water tank. The tank contains no fertilizer, the switch/timer fills it hourly, which keeps the water from becoming stagnant. Nutrients are in the planters, loosely based on Earthbox recommendations, to provide for the entire season. I use Tomatoes Alive & dolomite & occasionly add some Algoflash or Miracle Gro during the season.

[clara]

Another welcome from Germany, guitarer! Your system really looks professional! Very well done! clara

[amideutch]

Cool, so the chain attaches to the top of the tomato cage which in turn is attached to the container and holds the container over the PVC pipe which is also the tank. So are the containers 5gal? And you have the dripper lines suspended from above to each individual container which are connected to a header pipe fed by a hose from the pump which is fed by the PVC drain/resevoir pipe . So it looks like the root mass also grows into the PVC drain/reservoir pipe. Very clever setup, I like it.
Do all of the plants end up with a root mat in the drain/resevoir? Ami

[guitarer]

Hi, Clara, thanks!

Ami, you've got the hanging container scenario right, they suspend or slightly touch the tank. The containers are 3 gal.; I figured that since a good deal of the roots would grow into the tank, I wouldn't need any larger containers & wanted to keep the weight to a minimum. The drip system runs from my outside garage faucet, not from the tank, it was simpler to it that way. All but one plant this year rooted into the water tank; in fact, it's the Park's Whopper that I brought inside. I don't know why it didn't, I planted it late so maybe it just didn't have time. I'll see if it roots into the reservoir indoors.

[amideutch]

So the unit in the wooden box is a solenoid valve/timer/pump? What is the function of the PVC tank other than a place for the containers to drain into and the roots to grow in? Or is the PVC tank kept at a certain water level with a switch and pump? Sorry for the questions, just trying to figure it out. Ami

[guitarer]

Ami,
The unit in the box is an analog timer (hard to find vs. digital these days, a Rainbird model.) which is connected to a float switch in the tank. The float switch detects when the water level is low & the timer turns it on every 60 min. so the water level can be maintained & a fresh water flow is always supplied, to also keep the water from being stagnant. A digital timer couldn't be used for this application, power disruption resets them to a default.

The PVC tank is solely for the plants to wick water from; in ordinary spring/summer conditions the plants need only it for water. I've found, however, that during extreme heat, evaporation requires a redundant watering system - I lost a few plants last season due to that effect, hence the drip system (also on a timer, digital). If you have a good potting mix, the containers will drain excess water, the pots have numerous drain holes, plus the excess will drain into the PVC tank & overflow. There is very little wasted water & virtually no watering maintainance.

Don't apologize for asking questions, I'll answer any & all. As you said, this forum is for hardcore growers & I think I'm at home here!

[amideutch]

So, the root mass has to grow down into the tank before the wicking action begins which means before the drip system you manually watered the plants until the roots grew into the tank? Or do you install some type of wicking material that runs from the grow pot into the Tank? Ami

[guitarer]

Ami,
Here's a clearer photo of the bottom of a planter, with the root mass cleaned off. I've installed a type of atrium drain grate, which is packed with potting mix & serves as the wick.
-Steve

[amideutch]

Thank you, now it makes sense. Very unique type of system. It's almost like a split SWC (self watering container) like an Earthbox/tainer. Never seen anything quite like it. You could even mod it to run NFT if you wanted to. Steve, very nice, very nice indeed! BTW, do the stateside folks still have white sidewall tires on their cars? Ami

[guitarer]

Ami,
The Earthbox concept has the advantage of the reservoir being self-contained, which keeps the wicks from drying out. In that regard my system is somewhat lacking but the drip takes care of that. I already had the hanging containers basically made so I adopted the tank concept work - Earthboxes are pricey & I had no where to put them! Thanks for the questions & compliments, Ami.

As for whitewalls over here, sad to say that very old people with very big cars still have very white whitewalls. Unfortunately, some things never change!<g>