Willus' Indoor Fall-Winter-Spring Grow Log (Season 2012-13)

[rwsacto]

Hi Naysen, Thanks for the update.

"That last pic shows the little buggers that are collecting in droves on my yellow sticky traps. I'm not sure what they are or what they portend."

I am pretty sure you are collecting thrips, lots and lots of thrips.

Rick

[z_willus_d]

Hi Rick, glad to share and post the pics. Thanks for looking. My first thought was thrips also, having had experience dealing with them aplenty last season. They do look a bit different from what I had to deal with last year, in that they don't to have expressed wings yet. So perhaps these are nymphs are in an earlier stage of the Thrip life-cycle. Or maybe they're something else entirely, hence the "what they portend."-
Best, Naysen

[z_willus_d]

When I got home from work today, I checked the InnGarden, as I'm accustomed to do. I noticed the first, foremost, and largest tomato had dropped from the truss of my largest Perth's Pride vine. At first I thought my toddler son must have gotten a hand on it, but I realized after inspection that the dark striping I noticed earlier in the week and attributed to first blush was actually rotting from within the fruit.

I've posted some close-ups. This looks like what I've seen on BER fruit I've cut open, but in this case the rotting didn't start from the blossom end. Can anyone identify that as positive BER syndrome, or should I be worried about other diseases/conditions at play.

Thanks,
Naysen

[amideutch]

Naysen, I had one variety this year that had BER mainly caused by heat stress. Got some good photo's inside and out. I don't believe what your plants are showing is BER. Ami

[z_willus_d]

Ami, I was afraid of that. I'd have to agree based on my own experience with BER in the past. I'm hoping the fruit somehow levered itself off its stem just enough to hang on and not fall off (pinched in a tight spot), and then over time slowly rotted out. I can't figure what else it could be. These green fruits have set around at about the same size for near on a month now. I also wonder why they're not blushing (or better yet growing bigger and blushing).

Thanks for the post.
-naysen

[Crandrew]

Originally Posted by z_willus_d

Ami, I was afraid of that. I'd have to agree based on my own experience with BER in the past. I'm hoping the fruit somehow levered itself off its stem just enough to hang on and not fall off (pinched in a tight spot), and then over time slowly rotted out. I can't figure what else it could be. These green fruits have set around at about the same size for near on a month now. I also wonder why they're not blushing (or better yet growing bigger and blushing).

Thanks for the post.
-naysen

how many lumens are you using on your indoor setup? What light cycle of L vs D? Are you applying any nutrients to stimulate Fruiting? What is the Temperature?

[z_willus_d]

Hi,

I'm using 8 VHO 4' fluorescent bulbs. Half are the warmer ~3000K type for flowering. I turn the light on in the morning around 8am before leaving for work, and I turn it off around 6-8pm in the evening. So roughly 50/50 L/D. I also open the adjacent west facing window on sunny days for additional sunlight exposure.

I used Raybo's InnTainer ingredients for planting medium, which include perlite, decorative chip bark, Sunshine #4 Advanced peat based mix, some TomatoTone delayed release fertilizer (w/ micro-nutrients), a bit of DolLime, a bit of Epsom salt. I also added a little Fox Farms Tiger Bloom with the watering a couple times now. Something around 1/2 strength.

The temperatures ranges from ~60-65 at night to 70-80 in the daytime. Humidity is ranging 50-68%.

What are you thinking might be missing?

Thanks for posting.
-naysen

[Crandrew]

Originally Posted by z_willus_d

Hi,

I'm using 8 VHO 4' fluorescent bulbs. Half are the warmer ~3000K type for flowering. I turn the light on in the morning around 8am before leaving for work, and I turn it off around 6-8pm in the evening. So roughly 50/50 L/D. I also open the adjacent west facing window on sunny days for additional sunlight exposure.

I used Raybo's InnTainer ingredients for planting medium, which include perlite, decorative chip bark, Sunshine #4 Advanced peat based mix, some TomatoTone delayed release fertilizer (w/ micro-nutrients), a bit of DolLime, a bit of Epsom salt. I also added a little Fox Farms Tiger Bloom with the watering a couple times now. Something around 1/2 strength.

The temperatures ranges from ~60-65 at night to 70-80 in the daytime. Humidity is ranging 50-68%.

What are you thinking might be missing?

Thanks for posting.
-naysen

Hey Naysen!
So far from what I can read you seem to be doing it well. I know you understand all the feeding and soil mixtures so thats good to go. The temps and humidity seem within range. Perhaps the plants have been infected or are experiencing some form of stunted growth. Was there any recent shock to the plants? (lights go out, fan shut off, huge temp/hum swings, etc)

[z_willus_d]

Hi C, the plants certainly are not stunted (see the earlier pics). They're dwarfs on mainly maxifort rootstock. I wonder if they're really any longer dwarfs. There certainly could be some kind of infection I have yet to ID. No shocks, just the same day to day routine for them. I'm going to monitor for more rotting on the fruit that's hanging from the same cluster 's that first tomato. I wish they'd start to blushing already.

It's funny... I'm finishing up Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath novel, and I can't help but find myself typing out phrases like the Joad's might of said it. He really nailed that dialect.

Thanks,
Naysen

[Dutch]

Naysen,
First of all, thank you for sharing your excellent tomato projects and your fine documentation with us. In your own right you are a true pioneer.
Now to the problem at hand, I’ve seen frost cause similar damage to tomatoes in my garden, but how likely could that be in your case?
Dutch

[Dutch]

Naysen,
Is it possible that someone has released pressurizes CO2 gas in the vicinity of these plants. Pressurized CO2 (liquid from) when rapidly released turn to “dry ice” which is CO2 (solid form) before turning to the CO2 (gas form) that is in our atmosphere.
Dutch

[z_willus_d]

Hi Dutch, I don't feel like much of a pioneer, more often just a blundering fool; but I appreciate the kind words. These vines, unlike last year's project, are true indoor inhabitants. They really never get down to anything near freezing temperatures. Maybe 55F once or twice, but generally much warmer. I have to agree with your experience though, as even now with our first frosts coming on, I have a few straggler vines outdoors that have dropped fruit looking a bit like this (not quite as rotten). I think it's a results of the water freezing inside the fruit, cell walls burst and you get one mush of a dead fruit.

I hope you continue follow the thread, and thanks for the thoughts.
Happy holidays!
-naysen

[Mlm1]

Naysen,
I have been thinking about your new problem and searching for causes of stem-end and center rot. This paper was interesting.
http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43967166/PDF
It found that many different bacteria and fungi can cause the stem-end and center rot especially in warm moist conditions.
Have you had any more green tomatoes rot since you posted? I'm hoping not-I'm hoping it was just a fluke.
Marla

[Dutch]

Marla,
Thanks for the link. Great info.
Dutch

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Hello from NJ
I was planting marigolds alongside of my tomatoes because gnats do not like them (gnats eat roots as you know probably). I mulched the entire plants into the soil. I wonder if making tea with marigold and watering infected plant would help. Other way to deal with gnats is to water somewhat dry soil (top 2 inches where the gnats are) with mixture of 1 part peroxide (regular 3%) with 4 parts water. It does not harm the plant. I used it on my infected home plants and saved them from the gnats. I hope it is not gnats and something less invasive or just deficiency of calcium or something like that. Good luck.
Ella

Doesn't the BT used for mosquitoes also kill gnats?