Hydroponic tomato fertilizer and flower pollination

Icefisher · April 28, 2015

Hello all,

My first attempt at growing tomato's hydroponically is going well! I am using a DWC system growing both a "fourth of July" and "Sugar sun" variety.

Can anyone tell me when in the vegetative growth stage is it time to switch to a higher potassium nutrient level?

Also, as the plants flower, when is the best time to attempt the work of pollination?

Thanks
Icefisher

Elagrow · April 28, 2015

Your plants will actually tell you when they are ready, you will see pods start for flowers, alternatively, you can also force them into flowering by upping the P and K, and lowering the N. as well as changing lights out.

You will also bump the PPM of the solution up to around 800-1k for bloom.

I just pollinate by thumping the stems that have the flowers on them, they pollinate fairly easy, but if you are growing a large scale like a green house, I would invest in a electric toothbush, or in bee's.

Icefisher · April 29, 2015

Elagrow thanks so much for your response to my questions. I do have one other that maybe you can help with.

I am currently using sunsystem lighting with a 1000 watt MH lamp.

I do have the sodium vapor lamp used for the flowering and fruiting stages of growth.

Because the MH lamp has provided enough energy to get my tomato plants to the flowering stage of growth, is there a reason why I have to change out lamps?

Thanks
Icefisher

Icefisher · April 29, 2015

Elagrow, I want to make a change to my question.

I stated that the grow light was able to get my tomato plants to the flowering and fruiting stage of growth. This may be a little premature as the plants currently are only to the budding stage of flower development!

Icefisher

Mike723 · April 29, 2015

Ice,

The reason for changing out lights relates to the correct spectrum.. Without going into much detail: while in the vegetative stage, plants will achieve optimum growth with blue spectrum lighting (MH, CFL, LED), while in flowering a red spectrum (HPS, CFL,LED) is necessary for optimum yields etc..

The time to switch your nutrient solution is based on what your plant is showing you now - flowers.. Apart from misinformation on the internet - Tomatoes cannot be forced into flowering by light period like some other plants, it's age related.. When the plant begins to exhibit buds - its in the early stages of it's flowering cycle.. Now'd be the time to switch over to your bloom nutrients.. It's also a good time to flush your reservoir with something like Florakleen or a comparable flushing solution.. Good luck!

Mike

Edit: While I included CFL's and LED's under both stages of growth, I should mention not to confuse you - There are both grow and bloom spectrum CFL/Flouros, and many LED's can be adjusted to desired wavelengths

Elagrow · April 29, 2015

You do want to go to the HPS to promote more flowering, as Mike said, now is the time. and like mike said, change to a bloom formula, if you are using General hydro, I would recommend the Flora-Bloom and Micro, over the 2 parts (the flora nova and duo we found have a tendency to discolor the roots, making it more difficult to spot root problems early on, although they are good nutrients, the non concentrates do not discolor the roots) or Dynagro Bloom is also a good bloom formula. Also, FoxFarm's bloom formula is really good, with something like beasty bloomz.

another thing alot of people dont think about also, is once you have some tomatoes (or fruit of any kind) you can start adding molasses to your solution, and it will sweeten up your fruits. HiBrix makes a good hydroponic molasses dilute.

im not really sure about using a flush at this stage, I havent used a flush on any of my tomato plants during flower, or before harvesting, and the tomatoes taste very good. Maybe we can get Mike to elaborate more on the flushing... and Florakleen is a good flush.

Mike723 · April 29, 2015

hello again lol,

Yes, flushing is a great practice to remove accumulated salts in the root zone which can restrict nutrient/water uptake, and it's just a good habit in between cycles to ensure you're starting with a clean slate.. I too use GH Micro/Flora aka Lucas Formula .. I go back and forth between 5-10 and 8-16 (ml/gal), depending on the particular plant's response.. If you notice a sudden drop (24 hours) in ph and raise in TDS (more than 50 points) your solution is too strong... While a raise in ph and drop in TDS indicates the plant is taking up more nutrients than water and the solution is too weak.

Mike723 · April 29, 2015

...Your goal is a slow rise in ph, and a relatively stable ec/tds.. That's called the plant's "sweet spot." Although this will change as you get into the heart of flowering . .You'll be observing the opposite - dropping ph. I personally top off with nutrient solution as I've gotten to know my plants, while others will change out the reservoir weekly with fresh nutrients. If experiencing deficiencies, or in doubt - don't try fixing one single deficiency by dosing with nutrient specific additives; just drain res and fill with a fresh batch of properly ph'd solution.

Cole_Robbie · April 29, 2015

Your HPS light is also 1000 watts, right? If so, there is no reason not to switch bulbs. However, having said that, the MH bulb will still work fine. But it won't yield as much as using a 1000watt HPS.

AKmark · April 29, 2015

Just go with the HPS, no need to do anything but plug it in and watch the plants grow.

I used Flora Nova for three years, it works just fine, bump it to full strength during rapid growth stages, and supplement with Cal Mag at 5ml per gallon of water, you should have trees.

A better choice is Hydro Gardens tomato blend, but you also have to supplement Calcium and Magnesium.

April 28, 2015	#1
Icefisher Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 28	Hydroponic tomato fertilizer and flower pollination Hello all, My first attempt at growing tomato's hydroponically is going well! I am using a DWC system growing both a "fourth of July" and "Sugar sun" variety. Can anyone tell me when in the vegetative growth stage is it time to switch to a higher potassium nutrient level? Also, as the plants flower, when is the best time to attempt the work of pollination? Thanks Icefisher

April 28, 2015	#2
Elagrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: West KY Zone 6b Posts: 92	Your plants will actually tell you when they are ready, you will see pods start for flowers, alternatively, you can also force them into flowering by upping the P and K, and lowering the N. as well as changing lights out. You will also bump the PPM of the solution up to around 800-1k for bloom. I just pollinate by thumping the stems that have the flowers on them, they pollinate fairly easy, but if you are growing a large scale like a green house, I would invest in a electric toothbush, or in bee's. __________________ WAY TO GRO!

April 29, 2015	#5
Mike723 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: CT Posts: 290	Ice, The reason for changing out lights relates to the correct spectrum.. Without going into much detail: while in the vegetative stage, plants will achieve optimum growth with blue spectrum lighting (MH, CFL, LED), while in flowering a red spectrum (HPS, CFL,LED) is necessary for optimum yields etc.. The time to switch your nutrient solution is based on what your plant is showing you now - flowers.. Apart from misinformation on the internet - Tomatoes cannot be forced into flowering by light period like some other plants, it's age related.. When the plant begins to exhibit buds - its in the early stages of it's flowering cycle.. Now'd be the time to switch over to your bloom nutrients.. It's also a good time to flush your reservoir with something like Florakleen or a comparable flushing solution.. Good luck! Mike Edit: While I included CFL's and LED's under both stages of growth, I should mention not to confuse you - There are both grow and bloom spectrum CFL/Flouros, and many LED's can be adjusted to desired wavelengths Last edited by Mike723; April 29, 2015 at 11:07 AM.

April 29, 2015	#6
Elagrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: West KY Zone 6b Posts: 92	You do want to go to the HPS to promote more flowering, as Mike said, now is the time. and like mike said, change to a bloom formula, if you are using General hydro, I would recommend the Flora-Bloom and Micro, over the 2 parts (the flora nova and duo we found have a tendency to discolor the roots, making it more difficult to spot root problems early on, although they are good nutrients, the non concentrates do not discolor the roots) or Dynagro Bloom is also a good bloom formula. Also, FoxFarm's bloom formula is really good, with something like beasty bloomz. another thing alot of people dont think about also, is once you have some tomatoes (or fruit of any kind) you can start adding molasses to your solution, and it will sweeten up your fruits. HiBrix makes a good hydroponic molasses dilute. im not really sure about using a flush at this stage, I havent used a flush on any of my tomato plants during flower, or before harvesting, and the tomatoes taste very good. Maybe we can get Mike to elaborate more on the flushing... and Florakleen is a good flush. __________________ WAY TO GRO!

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April 29, 2015	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Your HPS light is also 1000 watts, right? If so, there is no reason not to switch bulbs. However, having said that, the MH bulb will still work fine. But it won't yield as much as using a 1000watt HPS.

April 29, 2015	#10
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Just go with the HPS, no need to do anything but plug it in and watch the plants grow. I used Flora Nova for three years, it works just fine, bump it to full strength during rapid growth stages, and supplement with Cal Mag at 5ml per gallon of water, you should have trees. A better choice is Hydro Gardens tomato blend, but you also have to supplement Calcium and Magnesium.