blossom drop on my indoor grow-out New Big Dwarf?

[cleo88]

Hi,
I am growing two plants indoors that I started from seed in late November. The plants are 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall now. Once is a German Lineage which is a dwarf paste, and the other is New Big Dwarf.

German Lineage is doing great - I have two fruit so far (still green) and some flowers that are looking very promising (which I flick every day for pollination - I don't have a fan going). The NBD, however, has had some lame looking little flowers, perhaps even a bit deformed, and they've all fallen victim to blossom drop. Since the two plants are growing under the same conditions, it's not obvious to me what the NBD wants.

The temperature is in the low 70s during the day and probably similar at night. They are in a "grow closet" - mylar blankets on all walls and ceiling. They are in 5 gallon containers with Miracle Gro potting mix. I water from the bottom about every 4 days. The hygrometer says 29%.

Any ideas?

[tgplp]

70 degrees at night is a bit too warm, I'm guessing. At night I'd lower the temperature about 10 degrees, if possible. You could try buzzing an electric toothbrush on the flowers to help pollinate, but flicking them sounds fine. That's what I do, and it works!!

Good luck,

Taryn

[z_willus_d]

cleo-

How did your indoor plants turn out? I'm prepping for something similar for the Winter and trying to decide how best to proceed. Any tips you can provide will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Naysen

[cleo88]

Hi Naysen,
What varieties are you planning on growing? How many plants?

My experience led me to conclude that I will not do it again this winter - however, that doesn't mean it's not worth doing. Mine was very small scale - my husband build a "tomato closet" that was about 4 feet high, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I lined it with mylar "blankets" that they use for marathoners - got them on Amazon for about $4 - you DEFINITELY need reflective surfaces to capture all of the light output from your lights, and the more powerful lights the better. I just used grow lights, nothing expensive. I had room for two plants, and I think I ended up eating two tomatoes in the spring. But here's what I would do if I were doing it again:

- Start early - I started in late November, way too late, I would start in September!
- Grow more than two plants - productivity is low indoors
- Use lots of fertilizer once the plants are established in their final pots - I did not keep on top of this
- Grow in a warm room - I started out in our finished basement but had to move the whole operation to our spare room on the second floor because it was too cold in the basement
- Grow varieties that are not suceptible to BER - container plants in general are more prone to this, I think
- Grow plants that don't get that tall - I did this, but I think I would try different varieties if I did it again. Sophie's Choice might be a good one since it doesn't ever get very tall but is early and puts out a decent size tomato
- I've heard low humidity is a problem growing inside, but I'm not sure if I had that problem or not - others might be able to advise.

Good luck - post what you are planning to do!

[z_willus_d]

Hi Cleo,

Thanks for the hints! I haven't yet decided on what varieties to try and grow. I am behind though, and really should get started with sprouting soon. I'll look into Sophie's choice. I don't have much space at my small 2/1 home here, so location is going to be rough. I might be able to carve out a 2x4 space in my kitchen next to a east facing window. I might be able to find space in my small garage, but then I worry about the low temps and possible humidity control issues. I've got a new born that is eating up all other available space. I'll try and make a deal with my wife to get rid of my piano (in living room) and replace with a small grow tent.

I bought a really nice LED grow light recently (Penetrator 168x), so I hope to have enough light to grow 3 or 4 plants. in a 2x5' area. I found a thread here that was very informative:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16695

The author goes into details on his nutrient regiment, humidity and temp matters, and a lot of other details -- very well done, but also expensive I bet!

I get that indoor growing is probably a diminished or highly negative return proposition. I see it as a way to increase my experience and keep the "hobby" alive during the off months. Should be a challenge. So, right now I need to decide: where (how big), what (how many), and then determine how to handle details like temp/humidity ctrl, feeding schedule (and what to use), air circulation. So much for so little.

Thanks again,
Naysen

[cleo88]

Yeah, as long as you keep it in perspective as it seems you are, that's good. If you were going into this as, "I'll be eating fresh tomatoes all winter!", well, that's of course not realistic.

I dream of having a heated greenhouse where I can get serious some day!

[Sun City Linda]

Hey Naysen, Sounds like a full house! Babies do take up a lot of space considering how small they are. But they grow like tomato plants once they get going! LOL. I am growing Red Robin this Winter because it is so small it can fit in a small container, maybe 2 gallon and I can carry it outside in the Winter Sun, which you should get some of too I would guess. Good luck! LInda

[z_willus_d]

Cleo, a heated greenhouse would be amazing! Although, I thought the idea of a greenhouse was that sunlight did the heating (trapped within). I think you still need to deal with supplemental lighting, and other environmental control in a green house though. Yes, I can't fool myself into believing I'll be swimming in tomatoes through the cold months. For one thing, it takes quite some time before the fruit would even be ready to harvest. At best, more like trying a few toms during early/late spring while prepping for the summer.

Linda, yep the little guy is universe unto himself and he pulls with a heavy gravity -- everywhere I turn, I run into something or another related to his car or future concerns. But it's worth it. I'll definitely look into Winter -- I think any variety that might do better in cooler weather would be good as I figure my home will be less than toasty in whatever area I carve out for this mini-indoor garden. I've heard about Red Robin, but something about the way they look seems store-bought-ish like they'd be poor tasting. I'd like something more esoteric I think.

Thanks-
Naysen

[delltraveller]

Naysen,

One of the people I share my tomatoes with says Red Robin is one of her favorites. That one and Coyote are her favorite "pop in your mouth and eat" varieties. The new Dwarf Mr. Snow is her favorite slicer so far this year. My mom likes Polish Dwarf for just grabbing and eating, and Carol Knapp's Pink Tumbler is her absolute favorite cherry. I'm growing the Pink Tumbler in 12" pots and it seems quite happy with that size. My aunt likes Lime Green Salad and Hahm's Gelbe Topftomate. All the ones I've mentioned are dwarf or very determinate plants, ranging in size from about 1 ft to 4ft, except for Coyote. But I stuck an extra Coyote in a 1 gallon pot this summer and still got tomatoes from it, so it has potential, particularly if you're willing to prune it or let it gangle about.

[z_willus_d]

Thanks for the variety tips delltraveller and the vote of confidence for Red Robin. I'll add your suggestions to my research more on list.

[lakelady]

I'm also going to try growing some indoor tomatoes this year. This came upon me without a lot of planning, but I have some tiny seedlings that are about 10 days old and I'm going to grow them outdoors until it gets cooler and then bring them inside.