Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lynndion566

dwc

lynndion566
14 years ago

HI all: Have started my 1st DWC system using styrofoam coolers, airpumps and airstones. Plants are from seed and are about 8 weeks old. One setup has Lettuce doing well but not heading(Lechuga/GreatLakes#118). Second setup has tomato plants I grew from seed in February..all three plants doing well about 1 foot tall and healthy looking. When should I expect blooms and do I have to alter nutrient solution to encourage blooming and/or fruiting? I check PH and PPM weekly. Also I have some algae growing in the pots..do I need to re-pot to get rid of? Or should I just cover them? It isn't too bad yet. I'm using perlite in the net pots. This is an outdoor setup. Should I change my nutrient solution about once a month or just add to as needed. Thanks in advance for your help...Lynn

Comment (1)

  • joe.jr317
    14 years ago

    Be sure to stake those tomato plants well. What kind of tomatoes? That matters. The plants are 8 weeks and only a foot tall? That's odd (for all the varieties I've grown, that is). Got pics? I seeded 4 varieties on 3/16 and they are all nearly a foot tall (10"). They aren't hydro exactly. They are in a medium of worm castings from my worm bins, sifted compost, perlite, and coco coir. Mortgage lifter, brandywine, zebra, and san marzano are the varieties. I will choose the strongest of each for hydro, the rest for the ground. I will say that these are the strongest and best tomato plants I've ever grown, though. It's also the first year for using fresh castings in a seedling mix. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, my hydro tomatoes have always grown even faster. I'm not bragging as I am no expert by any means. Just pointing out that it seems odd to me for two month old plants to be only a foot tall.

    Algae: I've used a few methods for preventing it's buildup, though it isn't going to significantly harm the plant if you don't have algae in the reservoir. One method was to just remove the layer with algae and wash it. Then put it back. Too much work and that was early on. I've used peroxide spray, but since reading about how peroxide breaks down root tissue, I have chosen to just cover the perlite with a pie pan with a slit in it. Be sure to make a hole big enough to go around the stem after it grows thicker. I would also put some duct tape on the edges of the slit to prevent accidentally cutting yourself or you plant as you put it on. So, you put a hole in the center. You cut a straight line from the edge to the hole. Tape the razor sharp edges. Open it and slide it on. I have also used some plastic discs I cut out of shower stall lining. Not the curtain stuff. The wall stuff that is glued on. We renovated and had some left over. It works great for this and for covering Autopots. It's more flexible and won't cut you like a pie pan can.

    I usually get blooms within the first 8 weeks. You don't have to trigger blooming, though you can with stressing. There are a variety of ways people do this. I don't force flower, though. I adjust nutes when I see flowers and the plant has a decent body to it. This varies based on the type. By adjusting nutes, I mean flush the system and use a new concoction. If you can use a different container so that you can clean out the growing one, that is better. Plus, it is just more convenient to pick up the plant and set it down in another reservoir.

    Some say not to worry about flushing too often, but I try to every two weeks or three weeks. I don't keep track like I should unless it's an experiment. I also use weaker solutions than the instructions state. I use the old solution on my flowers in the ground. Make sure it's not too acid or you'll kill your valuable worms in the soil.

0