Kaiai
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Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 10:55 am
Location: Norway

Sunburn, Fert deficiancy or just stress from replanting ?

Hi,

I grow tomatoes indoor awaiting warmer weather. I have no clue on growing things above water. I have teared down my planted aquarium and my full spectrum led lamps are now hanging above the tomatoes.

All has gone well until I replanted this monday. (first replant). They where replanted into larger pots and moved abit closer to the led lights.

I see several leaves getting white spots, leaves hanging and curling.. Is this a micro nutritient deficiency, sunburns or a stressed plant after me messing with its roots ?

I run 2 led lamps. each compares to a 350 watt MH lamp. this is why I am considering sunburn as an option..

I will add some pictures once I find out how to do it..
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imafan26
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Welcome to the forum. First of all please update your profile with your zone and location. Those tomatoes should have gone outside?? Are you planning on growing them indoors the entire time??

It is not transplant shock, yellowing is probably from not getting enough fertilizer. Tomatoes are heavy feeders especially in the early growth stage. What kind of fertilizer are they getting?

Are you planning to harden them off to grow outside eventually? It is time to start.

Kaiai
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Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 10:55 am
Location: Norway

Hi,

Thank you for the feedback. we had snow yesterday. I live in norway. outdoor season starts end of may. they are going outside in approx 30 days.

I just replanted this monday into a 50/50 mix of pre fert potting soil and cow manure compost with a layer of lava rocks in the bottom. I am worried they are beeing starved due to roots not reaching into new soil but here I am with all these questions and no experience.

I will try ferts. I will also read up on hardening. thank you.

Peter1142
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They look like they are probably overwatered. They are in large pots and should not need frequent watering.

They also do not need to be staked indoors. If they are falling over, they are leggy, probably from not enough light.

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applestar
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I'm a bit concerned that the potting mix looks rather heavy -- moisture retaining and not very well draining. It's better to thoroughly blend in pumice gravel, crushed granite/sharp sand, or the smallest aquarium gravel for drainage than to put a layer of anything in the bottom. The idea is to have different sized aggregates in the mixture so that water and air will be able to slip between.

The spots may be fungal in origin, too if you have high humidity, or could have come from the composted manure and splashed up.

The plants look a little weak but the color looks good and I don't think fertility is an issue right now. Air movement would help -- an oscillating fan on a timer to go on and off or create a thermal dynamic for some air currents.

Kaiai
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Location: Norway

I initially tried keeping them in my window but when they kept on streching for the light I put them under my old aquarium plant lights and the stretching stopped.

I better fix the soil for better drainage, get a fan and hope for better luck next year with the added knowledge.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Yellowing could be from overwatering.

I have had similar problems with yellowing before, it is why I use potting mix not compost and certainly not manure in pots, it holds to much water and the manure contains too much salts and does not release nitrogen fast enough for growing plants and can actually burn the roots. I have added vermicast to my potting mix and it is the only organic that doesn't bother it.

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rainbowgardener
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I agree with the comments about overwatering and soil looking heavy.

I would also suggest your tomato seedlings are looking quite spindly and stretched. Contrary to too much light, they look like they are not getting enough light. I don't know if that is from before you put them under the lights; you didn't say when you took them off the windowsill and put them under lights.

How far away from the plants are your lights. In general the lighting needs to be quite close to the plants, just a few inches away.

Kaiai
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Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 10:55 am
Location: Norway

I keep them approx 50 cm from the light. I don't know how good tomatoes are at light this early in life. I just made sure I have more than what I have found reccommended by local people.

I run two of these led clusters https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/produc ... umination/
they are intended for advanced aquarium plants / photosyntesis in general. They are developed together with the university of biology / bioscience in german I belive. (I'm into waterplants / macrophytes with no knowledge of growing above water)

I'm attaching the PAR data for one lamp where light is measured 30 cm below the lamp in water.
Can tomtoes handle full load of my leds ? I run them at 80% 50 cm above the tips of the plant.
Screen Shot 2016-05-02 at 09.10.45.png

Kaiai
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Location: Norway

22 days later.. No ferts, just water. My soil is still too tightly packed but I am to replant again next week. I will try to make it drain better. This is a leaf from the plant in the first picture. The plant in the bottom left corner of the first picture.
Tomat.jpg



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