Cherry Tomato: Super Sweet 100
-
Day 6
I noticed that the seeds sprouted yesterday. I must have dropped several seeds into the whole; I pinched off all but two seedlings, and will pluck one more in a few days.
-
@JK Thank you for sharing this technique! You should be able to keep this plant growing in the BLOOM for quite some time!
-
I want to see how long I can keep the vine growing. So I've trellised it in a spiral growing up through the cabinet. Of course the vine reaches the top periodically:
When this happens I trim off all the leaves from the bottom of the vine:
And then I I remove the lowest suction cup, and lower all the rest.
This creates more room at the top for the vine to continue to grow. It seems to be working well, so I am hopeful that I can continue eating tomatoes for a while. I'm 117 days since planting the seed now. That is roughly equivalent to the number of frost free days I get in a year outside here.
-
@gr0w3r Thank you.
-
I had missed at least one water change, so I changed the water yesterday.
-
Nutrients are set to 1500 ppm with a ratio of 1:2:3. (I have not adjusted the nutrients from the pre-made recipe.)
-
I turned the temperature down.
Thank you again.
-
-
@jk that is blossom drop. It is often caused by 1) water quality issues (when was your last full water change?) 2) inadequate light (not an issue), 3) not enough calcium (what is your nutrient ratio in this stage?)(adding “CalMag” can help, or 4) too much heat (adjust your target temp down to 70?).
-
@jk I love super sweet 100. Those look like they are growing to a good size too!
-
Some of the flowers have been disappearing. I though I might have a caterpillar, but I've searched high and low for it without finding any evidence of insects. Does anyone know what might be causing this:
-
I continue to prune the vine heavily and pull it down as it reaches the top. I have not been fertilizing the flowers with a paint brush for several weeks. Some of the flowers continue to set fruit, but I think hand fertilizing is necessary, so I'll go back to doing that regularly.
Here is the vine at 110 day:
I'll need to pull it down again in the next couple of days. The bottom is coiled densely, and the top has more leaves and room.
-
@bloomcs Thank you! I will continue to clip the suckers. It is growing beautifully. And the tomatoes are fantastic in flavor.
-
Hi @JK, this is awesome, those tomatoes look delicious. I would avoid letting any new suckers grow. I think you've done a great job at making the most of the space within the BLOOM. if the plant mass takes over the cabinet, you could see some condensation and humidity issues. We're working on improving this as we speak, but for now, I would enjoy your healthy plant and it's bountiful harvest!
-
I've been pruning all the leaves off the lower part of the vine and using the suction cups to pull the vine down, coiling the fruit along the floor of the unit. That way I still have room at the top of the unit for the vine to continue to grow.
I've been plucking all the suckers. I am considering letting one of them grow. I think there is enough space in the unit for a second vine. Any thoughts?
Every morning, while I tend the plant, I eat a few tomatoes. I harvested just over a pound one day this week. The flavor is perfect: sweet, rich and bright.
-
@jk Looks delicious and the plant looks very healthy. Love the creativity with the bungee cords and suction cups. Great job!
I don't see a problem with topping the main vine at this point.
-
83 Days after planting the seed, here is the vine:
I had trouble photographing the way I trained the vine, but perhaps this will make sense. I used suction cups along the walls and little bungee cords to hold a string in a spiral and then trained the vine along the string.
I had hoped that when the vine filled the cabinet, I would be able to trim the bottom branches, move each bungee cord down one suction cup and coil the vine at the base of the cabinet. (This is similar to what I have done when growing this plant in the greenhouse.)
However, this vine doesn't actually need the supports. It is able to support itself. I am not sure that I will be able to coil it without snapping the vine. And it has nearly filled the Bloom.
I am considering transplanting the whole plant into the greenhouse.
Or topping the main vine and letting a sucker from somewhere low on the plant grow.
Or just trying to coil it and risking a snap.
Any suggestions for how I might be able to lengthen the grow time?
-
11 days ago (I'm late posting) and 72 days after planting the seeds, I ate my first tomatoes.
The chives were poking up through the snow in the outside garden, so I made an omelet and homemade bread to celebrate the fresh tomatoes.
There flavor of the tomatoes was better than when I have grown this variety in the greenhouse. They were not as sweet, or as acidic. But they had a rich deep and complex flavor. It really was fun.
-
Looking good! Every water change I push the roots back over to the right side of the root blockers (under the root view panel on the left) to keep them from growing down into the reservoir. Other than that, you can let the root mass get as big as you'd like. Bloom comes with a trellis system (inside the accessories box), and I think you are ready to install it and let the plant start growing through. Let us know if you need some direction there.
-
56 days since planting, at it is has an unbelievable number of tomatoes!
I've been pruning it to a single vine and training it in a spiral along a piece of string... I think it is working. Last week I dimmed the lights to 95% and tightened the spiral so the vine is a little further away from the wall lights. There is still some leaf curl, but not as much as last week.
No color yet, but I think they will start to ripen any day now.
Does the root mass every become a problem? Should we ever trim the roots?
-
@bloomcs I changed water today without spilling water everywhere for the first time. The video showing how to avoid the leak in the quick connect was very helpful. Thank you.
-
@JK -- tomatoes are funny looking plants :). The leaf curl can be reduced by dimming your lights. I'd start with going to 90%. I'd also just cut off any like in the second photo, that are just looking like "dead weight" to the plant. You can take a LOT of leaves out of there and still be growing well.
-
I am having a lot of fun watching the tomato grow. @JT I had no idea that it would try to produce suckers off the main vine. It is just wonderful to watch. Here are some pictures for day 49:
The tomatoes are looking promising:
I am a little concerned about the new growth, the branches are curling a lot. Should I decrees the intensity of the light? Or maybe increase the frequency the roots get flooded?
I am also wondering about trimming some of the old branches:
Thank you for all the help!
-
Tomatoes will put off suckers between every set of leaves, pretty much, and when you pinch those off they can try again. You definitely have to stay on them!