VIDEO Starting Huge Tomatoes and Growing Indoors

[deep_roots]

Overview of my favorite grow media, why I modify plant shape for LED light, reservoir tubing modifications and how I change it, dealing with high mineral water, and basic indoor grow knowledge. https://youtu.be/acBYOrhc9Es

[aclum]

Hi deep roots,

Are you Matt Garver (of Kratky fame ) or do you just follow the method shown in the video?

If you're Matt, I want to let you know I'm a fan (at least in regards to Kratky), and would like to know if you've ever grown any of the Dwarf Project varieties in Kratky. If you have, what varieties have you grown and what was the size of your container/reservoir? I know a lot of kratky people grow the micro dwarfs or "conventional" dwarfs, but don't recall reading anything re: the DP varieties.

If you're not Matt - never mind .........

Just kidding . Anyone who has who has grown the DP dwarfs in Kratky is welcome to respond )

I'm doing Dwarf Tomato Project dwarfs in ground, but have Kratky set-ups for my eggplants and peppers. I have lots of extra dwarfs and was thinking of trying one in Kratky using 2 or 3 connected 20 gallons trash cans (for the equivalent of about a 35 or 55 gallon container) . Any opinions or experiences you can share?

Thanks,
Anne

[deep_roots]

Anne, you are too kind. If there were an award for unraveling a mystery, the answer is yes. For years on the old mega-sized EarthBox forum, tomatoville forum, thehotpepper forum, and gardenweb forums, I posted under the name deep_roots.

Also, you called me out. I am the Matt Garver who after learning from Professor Bernie Kratky, has posted all over the web and done videos on the Kratky Method.

Most of my Kratky gardening has been with more mainstream varieties that everyone can grow. Note that because of the transpiration effect, that a 2 foot tall plant can easily grow to 3.5 feet in height in the Kratky method. Also, Bernie settled on a ratio of 1 lb of tomatoes taking around 4 gallons of half strength nutrient. Plants are always thirstier than hungry.

Using a gravity fed float valve idea that Bernie designed, I have grown full size cherry tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets which were fed from 32 gallon trash cans of nutrients. I have also grown tumbler hybrid in a 27 gallon tote outdoors, patio tomato in a 20 gallon trash can, and others in 5 gallon buckets and 18 gallon totes using fill and forget. The largest fill and forget was a cherry variety in a 44 gallon trash can.

Here are 3 direct video links for you.

https://youtu.be/7v26bMQH5T4

https://youtu.be/TF2FoEp6kZY

https://youtu.be/NTJLaBrPm4Q

[aclum]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the reply! I've seen a number of your videos, but not all and I learned a bit more from watching your links Interesting about the various tote/bucket sizes you've used for tomatoes. Seems like a couple of linked 20 gallon trash cans without a reservoir would be doable for the DP dwarfs.

Last year I used your excellent video on the subject to set up the reservoir and float valve systems for my 3.5 and 2 gallon eggplant and pepper buckets. By mid-summer the novelty of replenishing my 5 and 27 gallon reservoirs with meticulously weighed out Master Blend had worn off So this year (in addition to using fewer eggplants/peppers per reservoir), I'm planning to link three 20 gallon trash cans for a bush zucchini and use a 27 gallon tote for a couple of beit alpha cukes (no reservoir for either of these). And I'll use 2 or 3 linked trash cans for a dwarf. Thinking about Rosella Crimson which Victory Seed calls determinate (although I believe that's disputed) or Wild Fred. From what I can tell, both seem to be on the smaller side of the Dwarfs I'm growing. I have both varieties planted out in soil so I will be able to do a comparison of growing techniques.

I really like how you kept up a steady supply of tomatoes through the summer using Kratky cloning. For some reason it seems a lot easier than doing the same in soil. Even if the original plant still had nutrient water, I can see how it might be nice to have a new plant ready to take over if the first one just became too unwieldy (which might be a possibility given the Kraty plants apparently get so much taller). About when do you start the clone? When the original plant begins ripening fruit or ??

I hadn't seen (or don't remember) the video where you mentioned how very warm nutrient water (at least up to 111 degrees shown in the video) wouldn't hurt the plants. When you had these conditions, do you recall if the plant continued to produce fruit or did you get blossom drop? I've got my containers covered in plastic silver mulch or reflectix but the water can still get pretty warm in mid-summer. I've added ice in the past, but maybe I don't need to worry about this so much.

Thanks for any tips! Glad to see you posting here!

Anne

[deep_roots]

Anne,
Nutrient calculation is one of the biggest challenges. After a while you will learn to sum up a plant's needs easily. For dwarf tomatoes, using 10 gallon Brute trash cans connected to a 44 gallon Brute trash can reservoir would make a nice float valve setup. Less fill ups and more free summer days. I've not seen issues with heat since Kratky plants pull oxygen from moist aerated air roots. Only ambient summer air temperature outside the preferences of a plant seem to impact fruit production.

For cloning tomato plants, I prefer to cut a large sucker from a mature fruit bearing plant. The clones have the same genetic age as the mother plant. So, after growing a root system, the clones will begin the flowering and fruiting process that is around 60-70 days in my experiment.

Look me up on Facebook messenger. I will help you with your setups.