Plant management - Page 7

BigVanVader · June 12, 2016

Thanks for the info on pruning Mark, I have covered some with ripped up white t-shirts. Some of my Orange Jazz are huge! I am definitely going to try CY next year and I would love to try your cross if possible. As always awesome work.

sjamesNorway · June 13, 2016

Mark's Mystery Mater, Wasilla Wonder, Mark's Marvel...

AKmark · June 13, 2016

Steve, I was thinking Mark's Wasilla Wonder

LOL
I'm not exaggerating about the taste, they are very complex, a real tomato zinger, they also have a perfect shape. I'm not going to say much more, I want to hear what others think, I am a good listener.

sjamesNorway · June 13, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

Steve, I was thinking Mark's Wasilla Wonder

LOL
I'm not exaggerating about the taste, they are very complex, a real tomato zinger, they also have a perfect shape. I'm not going to say much more, I want to hear what others think, I am a good listener.

Sounds good to me!

mashermike · June 13, 2016

Wasilla's-Mark

Nematode · June 13, 2016

Are you chem gro guys adjusting ph or going with what you get?
Seemed odd, my tap water is high 7's, when I add the hydro salts, it drops to 5.8.

With the old mix I had to add some acid to lower the ph.

Might have to ph up this mix.

PureHarvest · June 14, 2016

My tap is about 5.5
After I add the 3 ferts my ph drops to about 4.8
I add potassium hydroxide to bump it up.
I do go up to 6.5 from germination to about the first set of blooms. Note that the seedling formula calls for less CaNo3 and so you have less calcium and there I will see my mix go to 4.5
Eventually I switch to their 2nd program where the cano3 is higher and the pH goes to 6.2 for the rest of the season.

I know you know, but it bears repeating for other that may be following along: mix the ferts in the correct order and completely dissolve 1 fert before you add the next. Then mix all 3 well and then add your pH adjuster. Use a paddle on a drill, a sump pump, air line, broom handle, etc
I definitely experienced lock out by dumping the ferts too quickly, one after the other and then dosing the pH up too quick after that. Although, you are doing an injector from a concentrate tank. If so, I'm sure you read, don't mix the Chemgro and cano3 into one concentrate tank.
I'm doing 250 gallon tanks, so I got impatient waiting for my submersible pump to mix everything well.
Next year I must step up to concentrate tanks and an injector system.

Nematode · June 14, 2016

Thanks PH. City water changed and it threw me. Usually 7.8, reading 7.0 now.
Have to keep an eye on that.
Ph up to 6.2 after nutes, hoping for some great looking plants.
Thanks

AKmark · June 14, 2016

I use phosphoric acid to drop my pH to 6.2

Ricky Shaw · June 14, 2016

city water for me comes in ~7.5 and after ferts a very nice, 6.2 - 6.5 pH

dissolved solids are running right around 120 uS/cm

AKmark · June 17, 2016

We picked these and more today for the markets from one greenhouse, and are probably getting 400+ pounds per week now. The other greenhouses will be producing soon, but this one, "the tomato fort" is always first out of the gate.
These are a mix of Yellow BW, Crnkovic Yugoslavian, and Sherry and I's Mat-Su Express, the red cute tomatoes, some are BB X Dester, which will be called Mat-Su Delight after a few more generations of stabilizing the cross.
Prune, water, prune, water, lower plants, water, etc, etc, producing tomatoes to sell is a lot of work, but rewarding if you put the time in.
I threw in a couple of pics of my tomato forts too, and a pic of my old greenhouse where I started learning how to grow a tomato. LOL

Ricky Shaw · June 17, 2016

Wowser!

clkeiper · June 17, 2016

Heaven's to Betsy! That is a beautiful haul... and a fabulous amount of work. impressive.

BigVanVader · June 17, 2016

Mark, amazing as always! How big are your tunnels? Do you think it would be possible to get that much production growing in ground under cover? How did you get your first high tunnel? I'm trying to get a grant atm. I guess what I really want to know is what made you decide to all-in on tomato growing? I gotta admit it is a crap-ton of work, especially when its 100 degrees everyday and I ask myself "Why do I love this s much?" but I do so I keep chugging along.

AKmark · June 17, 2016

BigVanVader, I got the best of wall street twice, buy low sell high, or buy when the whole country is going to cave. They are from 30 x 70 to 30 x 96, putting up a couple more this year.
To make everything work in the greenhouse business you must have several angles. Early spring we sell flowers, plant starts, etc, that makes it possible for me to start tomatoes very early since I have to fire up greenhouses early to grow flower baskets. As soon as the flowers are gone, I fill all of the greenhouses up with produce, tomatoes cucumbers, peppers, and green beans.
The expensive stuff is what goes in them, fans vents, exhaust, heaters, watering systems, on and on.

June 17, 2016	#103
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Heaven's to Betsy! That is a beautiful haul... and a fabulous amount of work. impressive. __________________ carolyn k

June 12, 2016	#91
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Thanks for the info on pruning Mark, I have covered some with ripped up white t-shirts. Some of my Orange Jazz are huge! I am definitely going to try CY next year and I would love to try your cross if possible. As always awesome work.

June 13, 2016	#92
sjamesNorway Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Norway Posts: 1,049	Mark's Mystery Mater, Wasilla Wonder, Mark's Marvel...

June 13, 2016	#93
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Steve, I was thinking Mark's Wasilla Wonder LOL I'm not exaggerating about the taste, they are very complex, a real tomato zinger, they also have a perfect shape. I'm not going to say much more, I want to hear what others think, I am a good listener.

June 13, 2016	#95
mashermike Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: GA Posts: 55	Wasilla's-Mark

June 13, 2016	#96
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	Are you chem gro guys adjusting ph or going with what you get? Seemed odd, my tap water is high 7's, when I add the hydro salts, it drops to 5.8. With the old mix I had to add some acid to lower the ph. Might have to ph up this mix.

June 14, 2016	#97
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	My tap is about 5.5 After I add the 3 ferts my ph drops to about 4.8 I add potassium hydroxide to bump it up. I do go up to 6.5 from germination to about the first set of blooms. Note that the seedling formula calls for less CaNo3 and so you have less calcium and there I will see my mix go to 4.5 Eventually I switch to their 2nd program where the cano3 is higher and the pH goes to 6.2 for the rest of the season. I know you know, but it bears repeating for other that may be following along: mix the ferts in the correct order and completely dissolve 1 fert before you add the next. Then mix all 3 well and then add your pH adjuster. Use a paddle on a drill, a sump pump, air line, broom handle, etc I definitely experienced lock out by dumping the ferts too quickly, one after the other and then dosing the pH up too quick after that. Although, you are doing an injector from a concentrate tank. If so, I'm sure you read, don't mix the Chemgro and cano3 into one concentrate tank. I'm doing 250 gallon tanks, so I got impatient waiting for my submersible pump to mix everything well. Next year I must step up to concentrate tanks and an injector system.

June 14, 2016	#100
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	city water for me comes in ~7.5 and after ferts a very nice, 6.2 - 6.5 pH dissolved solids are running right around 120 uS/cm

June 17, 2016	#102
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	Wowser!

June 17, 2016	#104
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Mark, amazing as always! How big are your tunnels? Do you think it would be possible to get that much production growing in ground under cover? How did you get your first high tunnel? I'm trying to get a grant atm. I guess what I really want to know is what made you decide to all-in on tomato growing? I gotta admit it is a crap-ton of work, especially when its 100 degrees everyday and I ask myself "Why do I love this s much?" but I do so I keep chugging along.

June 17, 2016	#105
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	BigVanVader, I got the best of wall street twice, buy low sell high, or buy when the whole country is going to cave. They are from 30 x 70 to 30 x 96, putting up a couple more this year. To make everything work in the greenhouse business you must have several angles. Early spring we sell flowers, plant starts, etc, that makes it possible for me to start tomatoes very early since I have to fire up greenhouses early to grow flower baskets. As soon as the flowers are gone, I fill all of the greenhouses up with produce, tomatoes cucumbers, peppers, and green beans. The expensive stuff is what goes in them, fans vents, exhaust, heaters, watering systems, on and on.