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Old August 8, 2019   #9
Barb_FL
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Indialantic, Florida
Posts: 1,999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AKmark View Post
That is so true, and it is the biggest problem my customers run into. I always suggest a cheap drip system with a timer from Home Depot or Lowe's, they connect right to a garden hose and are very easy to assemble. Up here the cost is under 40 dollars. The problem is feeding consistently by means of the system. One will have to feed by hand and adjust the strength to meet the demand and frequency. Once this stuff is figured out and installed, it is a real joy instead of just more work. Good luck this fall
Over the years, I tried a bunch of the retail drip irrigation systems and the Mister Landscaper one (and their separate 1/4" tubing) I found to be the best. (Sold at Lowes) Some of the other vendor tubing (well all of it) is so hard to get the fittings into unless you have really strong fingers / heat it, etc.

Mark - this past season I followed you with using smaller containers - I went with 5 gallon Root Pouches for one plant and 7,10,15 gallons for 2 plants. It only got tough when it got really hot out around late May and June. I would just water / feed a couple of times a day (but I don't work either).

Since I had big monster square cages, I put 2 of the 5 gallon pouches per cage; that didn't work out so well for one of the plants. I think amount of Sun was limited to the slower grower. The majority of my season is when there is shorter light hours.

In all the years I've been gardening, I've only had BER on < 5 tomatoes.

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AKMARK - Have you ever tried the coco grow slabs? Are you using much coir at all or still just ProMix?

I grew a SunOrange (improved SunGold) in a 6" Grodan Rockwool cube set in a flimsy 1/2" tray set in a Home Depot bucket with holes so no water accumulation. (not ideal at all but still major producer)). I bought the right accommodating gear for this season coming up

Last edited by Barb_FL; August 8, 2019 at 03:07 PM.
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