My fall/winter indoor garden - Page 3

OmahaJB · December 4, 2015

Pics of the tomatoes starting out. This one is Italian Heirloom. It's sitting right in the crook of the main stem and a couple large branches. Will be curious to see how it does growing there.

OmahaJB · December 4, 2015

Aunt Ruby's German Green

OmahaJB · December 4, 2015

Kellogg's Breakfast (By the way, its impossible with my cell phone to take a pic of the whole garden as I started out doing in the beginning. The phone is unable to resize the pic for me to send to my email box. So little snippets here and there will have to do.

OmahaJB · December 4, 2015

Elephant's Ear (one pepper growing and just SOME of the blossoms). Had to shrink the pic again.

OmahaJB · December 8, 2015

Noticed BER starting out on one of the Kellogg's Breakfast and one of the Italian Heirloom tomatoes. Last weekend I bought some Calcium capsules and stuck a couple in the soil in each container. I had read that capsules worked best, but maybe not. Saw a guy on Youtube dissolve calcium (tablets?) in water and use that I think he said once a week to water with, and said it stopped his problems with BER. I'll have to watch that video again.

I've tried being careful to not let the soil completely dry out and then drench it, but even careful watering didn't stop this initial problem.

Did some reading on this subject last weekend, and one of the writers mentioned it was only the early tomatoes on a plant that are affected by BER, and the ones that grow later on the same plant don't have it as often. I'm guessing he meant as long as over watering isn't occurring.

Now have to decide whether to pull the tomatoes off the plant, or let them grow and hope part of the tomato is still good. Will probably pull them and let the plant's energy focus on the other tomatoes. Does anyone here allow BER tomatoes to grow out and use the good part, or is the whole tomato considered bad? When I had a garden over at my mother's house I used to pull and trash them right away, and I'm pretty sure the whole tomato goes bad, but asking just in case. Hope beyond hope I suppose. That's me alright, the eternal optimist.

pecker88 · December 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmahaJB

Noticed BER starting out on one of the Kellogg's Breakfast and one of the Italian Heirloom tomatoes. Last weekend I bought some Calcium capsules and stuck a couple in the soil in each container. I had read that capsules worked best, but maybe not. Saw a guy on Youtube dissolve calcium (tablets?) in water and use that I think he said once a week to water with, and said it stopped his problems with BER. I'll have to watch that video again.

I've tried being careful to not let the soil completely dry out and then drench it, but even careful watering didn't stop this initial problem.

Did some reading on this subject last weekend, and one of the writers mentioned it was only the early tomatoes on a plant that are affected by BER, and the ones that grow later on the same plant don't have it as often. I'm guessing he meant as long as over watering isn't occurring.

Now have to decide whether to pull the tomatoes off the plant, or let them grow and hope part of the tomato is still good. Will probably pull them and let the plant's energy focus on the other tomatoes. Does anyone here allow BER tomatoes to grow out and use the good part, or is the whole tomato considered bad? When I had a garden over at my mother's house I used to pull and trash them right away, and I'm pretty sure the whole tomato goes bad, but asking just in case. Hope beyond hope I suppose. That's me alright, the eternal optimist.

I have an indoor bush beefsteak that has BER also. It appeared on the first tom. that set. I let the soil bag completely dry out then water thoroughly... That's not correct?

In the past I had a new big dwarf with BER...I just left the tom. On the vine. It actually seemed to improve and by the time it was ripe, there was just a small bad spot to cut out.

Running HID lights isn't cheap, I'll take any tom. That ripens. Not as plentiful as outdoor plants either.

OmahaJB · December 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by pecker88

I have an indoor bush beefsteak that has BER also. It appeared on the first tom. that set. I let the soil bag completely dry out then water thoroughly... That's not correct?

In the past I had a new big dwarf with BER...I just left the tom. On the vine. It actually seemed to improve and by the time it was ripe, there was just a small bad spot to cut out.

Running HID lights isn't cheap, I'll take any tom. That ripens. Not as plentiful as outdoor plants either.

From what I understand one of the main things that causes BER is letting soil dry out then drenching it. It needs even watering, and not to be over watered at once. The other problem is calcium deficiency. Some people use Tums or a cheaper store brand of it by putting a couple in the soil which then dissolves slowly as plant gets watered. I read somewhere that calcium capsules were better but I don't have any idea if that's true.

pecker88 · December 9, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmahaJB

From what I understand one of the main things that causes BER is letting soil dry out then drenching it. It needs even watering, and not to be over watered at once. The other problem is calcium deficiency. Some people use Tums or a cheaper store brand of it by putting a couple in the soil which then dissolves slowly as plant gets watered. I read somewhere that calcium capsules were better but I don't have any idea if that's true.

I guess I was treating my toms. like the peppers. Seems peppers like dry-wet cycles.

For calcium, I just give it a shot of cal mg+ every other watering.

Another Q: how far away do you have your 600W HPS from the canopy?

OmahaJB · December 9, 2015

Good question. I just place my hand by the top of the tallest plant and if it feels too warm I raise the light a little. My problem is since I have indeterminates I need to keep the light too high for the dwarves and pepper plants. Side lighting using a brooder lamp for a few hours per day helps with the shorter plants to some degree.

OmahaJB · December 11, 2015

A shot of Elephant's Ear with a few peppers growing on it, and Aunt Ruby's German BER, I mean Aunt Ruby's German Green with that vile BER problem. The first tomatoes on all four of the indeterminates that have set up to this point have been affected with BER.

OmahaJB · December 11, 2015

And Rosella Purple wants in on the action. This was the large top flower. I believe some people don't allow these to grow for some reason, but I wanted to see how well it would grow if left on.

pecker88 · December 11, 2015

regarding BER on indoor toms: In a few experiments I have going, I have never got BER on a single tom. when using Krakty hydroponics. A 2 to 10 gallon container, put a rooted tom. in a net cup and let it hang in the hydro. solution; no pumps, aerators, ect... Just top off the solution till the container is approx 1/2 full when it gets low.

1 month later it will be loaded with toms. and not a single 1 of them will have BER.

Soil; seems like every 3rd or so tom. will have some degree of BER.

interesting.

OmahaJB · December 11, 2015

That is interesting pecker88. Have a feeling my problem is still too much water even though I've tried being careful. Will have to see if what I read is true, that the first tomatoes are much more likely to have BER then the problem dissipates.

There's a good thread around here somewhere on BER, think it might be in the Growing in Containers forum. I read through it recently, good info.

Edit: On a sidenote, decided to try more crosses. Rosella Purple x Kellogg's Breakfast; New Big Dwarf x Italian Heirloom; ARGG x Rosella Purple; German Pink x Rosella Purple.

OmahaJB · December 21, 2015

Three pics to share. First one is of two Italian Heirloom tomatoes doing well so far. I've taken off seven or so tomatoes off the four indeterminates that have had any so far, because they had BER. Nice to see these two have escaped that problem up to this point. Also interesting to note none of my dwarf variety tomatoes have shown signs of BER yet.

OmahaJB · December 21, 2015

Pic two is of a Kellogg's Breakfast tomato just starting out. Reason for showing this is because after many tries I finally appear to have successfully made a cross, this one of KB x Rosella Purple.

December 11, 2015	#43
OmahaJB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 1,821	That is interesting pecker88. Have a feeling my problem is still too much water even though I've tried being careful. Will have to see if what I read is true, that the first tomatoes are much more likely to have BER then the problem dissipates. There's a good thread around here somewhere on BER, think it might be in the Growing in Containers forum. I read through it recently, good info. Edit: On a sidenote, decided to try more crosses. Rosella Purple x Kellogg's Breakfast; New Big Dwarf x Italian Heirloom; ARGG x Rosella Purple; German Pink x Rosella Purple. Last edited by OmahaJB; December 11, 2015 at 05:09 PM.

December 8, 2015	#35
OmahaJB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 1,821	Noticed BER starting out on one of the Kellogg's Breakfast and one of the Italian Heirloom tomatoes. Last weekend I bought some Calcium capsules and stuck a couple in the soil in each container. I had read that capsules worked best, but maybe not. Saw a guy on Youtube dissolve calcium (tablets?) in water and use that I think he said once a week to water with, and said it stopped his problems with BER. I'll have to watch that video again. I've tried being careful to not let the soil completely dry out and then drench it, but even careful watering didn't stop this initial problem. Did some reading on this subject last weekend, and one of the writers mentioned it was only the early tomatoes on a plant that are affected by BER, and the ones that grow later on the same plant don't have it as often. I'm guessing he meant as long as over watering isn't occurring. Now have to decide whether to pull the tomatoes off the plant, or let them grow and hope part of the tomato is still good. Will probably pull them and let the plant's energy focus on the other tomatoes. Does anyone here allow BER tomatoes to grow out and use the good part, or is the whole tomato considered bad? When I had a garden over at my mother's house I used to pull and trash them right away, and I'm pretty sure the whole tomato goes bad, but asking just in case. Hope beyond hope I suppose. That's me alright, the eternal optimist.

December 9, 2015	#39
OmahaJB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 1,821	Good question. I just place my hand by the top of the tallest plant and if it feels too warm I raise the light a little. My problem is since I have indeterminates I need to keep the light too high for the dwarves and pepper plants. Side lighting using a brooder lamp for a few hours per day helps with the shorter plants to some degree.

December 11, 2015	#42
pecker88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 192	regarding BER on indoor toms: In a few experiments I have going, I have never got BER on a single tom. when using Krakty hydroponics. A 2 to 10 gallon container, put a rooted tom. in a net cup and let it hang in the hydro. solution; no pumps, aerators, ect... Just top off the solution till the container is approx 1/2 full when it gets low. 1 month later it will be loaded with toms. and not a single 1 of them will have BER. Soil; seems like every 3rd or so tom. will have some degree of BER. interesting.