Secrets of growing tomatoes at home using hydroponics
Vegetables picked from the garden cannot be compared to those sold in stores. But what to do if you have a desire to grow plants, but don’t have a garden or a summer house? The hydroponic method will come to the rescue. Thanks to hydroponics, you can grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables at home.
In this article, you will learn everything a novice gardener needs to know: how to grow plants hydroponically, what solution to choose, what temperature to set, and how to assemble the system yourself.
What is hydroponics
Hydroponics is a technology that allows you to grow vegetables without using soil. The roots are nourished by special mixtures and solutions. With this method, plants often need water and feed.
Hydroponics is also used to grow tomatoes. These vegetables are unpretentious, so you can harvest tomatoes all year round. The technology allows you to grow plants both at industrial enterprises and at home. Even novice gardeners can master the method.
Advantage of the method
Cost-effectiveness is the main advantage of hydroponics. No need to water feed plant and weed from weeds. Optimal use of space.
Benefits also include:
- absorption of all nutrients by the plant;
- fast growth;
- control over crop growth;
- high productivity;
- environmentally friendly fruits.
Disadvantages of hydroponics
The disadvantages of the method include the costs of purchasing equipment and materials.Not all gardeners will be able to grow plants using hydroponics at home, so it is first important to study the growing technology.
The growing method does not protect plants from diseases and pests. An incorrectly selected solution can damage the roots, cause flowers to fall off and fruits to deform.
Tomato varieties for hydroponics
Experts report that almost all varieties of tomatoes can be grown hydroponically. However, experienced gardeners have found out through trial and error that greenhouse and early-ripening types of tomatoes are suitable for this system.
- Bon Appetit - a variety resistant to diseases. During growth you will need a garter. The weight of the fruit is 80-100 grams; 5 kg of tomatoes can be harvested from one bush.
- Alaska - ripens in 55-70 days. The yield from one plant is 3-3.5 kg of tomatoes.
- Buddy F1 - resistant to diseases, begins to bear fruit in 55-70 days. From one plant you can collect 3.5-4 kg of fruit.
- Gavroche — grown without pinching and staking, resistant to late blight. Ripening is 45-60 days, the weight of one fruit is about 50 g.
- Cherry tomatoes: Super Cherry and Labrador improved varieties.
What you need to grow tomatoes hydroponically
To successfully grow hydroponically, you need a substrate, pots of different sizes, an electrical conductivity indicator, and a hydroponic system.
The substrate is washed and disinfected before use. This can be fine gravel and crushed stone, slag, moss, expanded clay, mineral wool, coconut shavings, coarse sand.
For hydroponics, it is best to use pots measuring 10-12 cm. A liquid level indicator is installed on them. The pots are filled with substrate and then placed in large containers with the solution.10 liters of substrate is enough for one plant.
An electrical conductivity indicator will be needed to determine the concentration of the nutrient solution.
There are two types of hydroponic systems:
- active — pumps are used;
- passive - without mechanics.
The system may have drip irrigation, nutrient layer or periodic flooding techniques. If it does not have a pump for watering the roots, an aquarium pump will do.
How tomatoes are grown
In late spring and early summer, tomato seeds are sown for seedlings. In winter, lighting costs will increase.
When sowing seeds, follow the step-by-step instructions:
- Soak the seeds for 15 minutes in a 1% solution potassium permanganate.
- Rinse them thoroughly.
- Place the seeds in special plugs or sponges and cotton wool soaked in a nutrient mixture.
- Water once every 2-3 days.
- After a week, lay the seedlings on their sides.
- After another week, transplant into special cubes.
- After 3 weeks, the well-moistened cubes are placed in a disinfected tray.
- Plants are ready to be transplanted into a hydroponic system.
Attention! One seedling requires 0.9-1.2 m² of area.
Temperature
The temperature on sunny days should not exceed +24 °C, otherwise the flowers will fall off. An exception is the period of fruit ripening - an increase of 4 °C is allowed.
It is important to ensure that the temperature at night does not fall below +16 °C, otherwise the roots of the plant are preserved, which negatively affects growth and yield. The substrate temperature should be +20 °C.
Root system control
To get a good harvest, it is important to control the growth of plant roots. To do this, periodically remove small pots from the solution.As soon as the roots are visible from the hole in the container, it is necessary to reduce the amount of nutrient liquid until an air layer of 4-8 cm is formed.
Light
Tomatoes need good lighting. If it is difficult to provide, fluorescent or ultraviolet lamps will come to the rescue. Using only red lamps will lead to sterilization of flowers, while a combination of blue and red colors will increase the ovary and growth of fruits.
During the growth period, tomatoes require 20 hours of intense light, and during fruit ripening - up to 17 hours.
Solutions for hydroponics
Special solutions for hydroponic systems can be purchased in stores or made independently - for this, complex fertilizers are dissolved in water. However, you must remember that an incorrectly prepared solution can cause the death of the plant. Too concentrated will burn the roots, and weak will not increase the plant’s productivity.
Different stages of plant development require different solution compositions. An important condition is that the acidity should not be higher than 6.0-6.3 pH. Potassium hydroxide will help acidify the solution, and you can reduce it with phosphoric acid.
The concentration of the nutrient solution should be checked every day with a conductivity indicator. Normal values are 1.5-3.0 mS. As soon as the normal limits are reached, the solution is completely changed or nutrients are added to it.
Attention! The nutrient solution is changed once every 3-4 weeks.
Tomato garter and care
Some varieties of tomatoes need staking. This procedure is performed as soon as the plant stem has grown to 20 cm. This rule also applies to low-growing varieties.
The technology involves plant pollination.The procedure is carried out using a soft brush, transferring pollen from one flower to another. In order for the plant to grow upward, the side branches need to be cut off.
Methods for growing tomatoes hydroponically
The technology for growing tomatoes hydroponically is based on three methods: air (aeroponics), water and substrate (nutrient layer method).
Air method
The plant is fixed with clamps so that 1/3 of the roots are in the substrate. The part of the roots remaining in the air cushion area is regularly moistened with a nutrient solution. To make spraying easier, you can convert a household humidifier.
Water system
A foam tray is used, which is placed in a large container filled with water. Small holes are made across its entire surface for plant stems. Once they are placed in the tray, the stems must be secured.
A compressor can be placed in a water tank to saturate the plants with oxygen. It is not advisable to use this system for tomatoes due to high humidity.
Substrate
The root system of the plant is located in a substrate environment. This could be moss or gravel. The roots are periodically immersed in a nutrient solution. Excess liquid is drained to avoid root rotting. The method is not much different from growing vegetables in a greenhouse or garden.
How to make a system yourself
A hydroponics system for tomatoes includes pumps, systems for irrigation and oxygen supply, containers in which the plants grow, and a compressor with a timer for irrigating the top of the soil.
To assemble the system you will need:
- sewer pipe 140 cm, diameter - 10 cm;
- plugs - 2 pcs.;
- pipe connector;
- pots with a diameter of 10 cm;
- aquarium compressor;
- air spray - 2 pcs.;
- timer;
- connecting tubes.
Holes for the pots are made in the pipe, a plug is installed on one side, and a connection to the plug for the compressor is installed on the other. Linear sprayers are installed inside the pipe, which are connected through hoses to the compressor. The system is filled with water and pots are installed in it.
Conclusion
Hydroponics is very convenient in large cities. Residents of the metropolis can grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other crops at home all year round. The advantages of this method of growing plants outweigh any disadvantages.
In addition, you can save a lot if you assemble this system yourself from simple components. As a result, the whole family will be able to enjoy large, ripe tomatoes grown on the balcony or windowsill.