Tomato Minibel variety experiment.
The are a number of lessons I’ve learned from this little experiment.
This dwarf variety grew well in a 3 inch rockwool cube with only the cheapest nutrients – namely Wilco Liquid Plant Feed.
Liquid tomato feed was added towards the end of growth, but it is likely that this wasn’t really necessary.
The calcium in the tap water was sufficient as there was no calcium in the feed.
I would have had a lot more tomatoes on this plant but poor fruit set was caused by very high temperatures in the conservatory at a crucial time.
Next time I shall feed less or at every other watering – even the lower leaves have retained their colour, unlike my soil grown Minibels.
I didn’t always measure the pH after the first few adjustments with lemon juice – I often made a guess. However, the wide swings in pH didn’t do any harm, in fact it probably provided the widest range of nutrients!
Overall, I’m very pleased with the results and next season we’ll try a tall, indeterminate plant growing in a slightly larger rockwool cube – 4 inch maybe.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned it support. The cube is quite heavy when fully saturated with water but even a small bush variety will need some support when fully laden with tomatoes!
In Conclusion
This is the end of this “Hydroponics 4 Fun” grow-along. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe learned a few tips along the way.
The Saturday Newsletter continues …
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