There is a high consumption rate of tomatoes in the United States which reach up to 4.3 billion pound each year. The high demand of tomato pushes growers to keep up with their production. Hydroponic system is now highly utilized in the growing of tomato crops due to its advantages and its capability to produce and supply large quantities and high quality tomato.
Hydroponic tomatoes are not that difficult to grow. Tomatoes even taste better and yields faster if grown in a hydroponic system. Let us now go to the process of growing hydroponic tomatoes and discuss the significant factors affecting the growing of tomatoes hydroponically.
In planting hydroponic tomatoes, first thing you need to do is to allow the tomato seeds to germinate in a soilless mixture such as peat moss or rockwool blocks. Once the tomato seedling emerges, it is now ready to be transferred into larger growing cubes. When the seedlings are ready to be replanted, rinse the tomato seedlings to remove any dirt before you replant them into the growing medium of your hydroponic system. Growing mediums are available in the form of rockwool slabs, chopped rockwool slabs, cubes or blocks. The mixture of your fertilizer and water should be around pH of 5.5 to 6.5 to keep nutrients easily absorbed by the roots. After everything is already in placed, what you need to do next is to monitor regularly the water to nutrient ratio of your hydroponic system.
Temperature
Hydroponic tomatoes prefer temperatures of 70 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 10 degrees Fahrenheit lower at night. This temperature range is also good for other vegetable crops. It is vital to keep your temperatures at this safe range. If the temperature is not regulated well, it might cause your hydroponic tomatoes turn out nutritionally unbalanced or much worse dead.
Lighting
Tomatoes are long day plants in which they use more the blue part of the light spectrum. This means that a metal halide high intensity discharge lamp is the effective plant lighting system to be used. Hydroponic tomatoes prefer 18 hours of light everyday.
Humidity
A tomato plant needs plenty of water but they also have to transpire it out with the process of photosynthesis. This results in moderate humidity levels, which need to be controlled using a good ventilation and air circulating system. Mismanagement of humidity can cause inefficiency of nutrient intake of your hydroponic tomato. Too much humidity can result to calcium deficiencies which in turn has bad effects to your tomato plants. The preferred humidity in growing tomato plants is about 70% and 80% at night.
Growing hydroponic tomatoes might not be complicated but through constant practice and a great deal of experience, it will be easy as 1-2-3. For those who has no experience growing tomato plants in a hydroponics system, it would be wise to follow exactly the procedures and guidelines to ensure a successful endeavor.
Hydroponic tomatoes are not that difficult to grow. Tomatoes even taste better and yields faster if grown in a hydroponic system. Let us now go to the process of growing hydroponic tomatoes and discuss the significant factors affecting the growing of tomatoes hydroponically.
In planting hydroponic tomatoes, first thing you need to do is to allow the tomato seeds to germinate in a soilless mixture such as peat moss or rockwool blocks. Once the tomato seedling emerges, it is now ready to be transferred into larger growing cubes. When the seedlings are ready to be replanted, rinse the tomato seedlings to remove any dirt before you replant them into the growing medium of your hydroponic system. Growing mediums are available in the form of rockwool slabs, chopped rockwool slabs, cubes or blocks. The mixture of your fertilizer and water should be around pH of 5.5 to 6.5 to keep nutrients easily absorbed by the roots. After everything is already in placed, what you need to do next is to monitor regularly the water to nutrient ratio of your hydroponic system.
Temperature
Hydroponic tomatoes prefer temperatures of 70 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 10 degrees Fahrenheit lower at night. This temperature range is also good for other vegetable crops. It is vital to keep your temperatures at this safe range. If the temperature is not regulated well, it might cause your hydroponic tomatoes turn out nutritionally unbalanced or much worse dead.
Lighting
Tomatoes are long day plants in which they use more the blue part of the light spectrum. This means that a metal halide high intensity discharge lamp is the effective plant lighting system to be used. Hydroponic tomatoes prefer 18 hours of light everyday.
Humidity
A tomato plant needs plenty of water but they also have to transpire it out with the process of photosynthesis. This results in moderate humidity levels, which need to be controlled using a good ventilation and air circulating system. Mismanagement of humidity can cause inefficiency of nutrient intake of your hydroponic tomato. Too much humidity can result to calcium deficiencies which in turn has bad effects to your tomato plants. The preferred humidity in growing tomato plants is about 70% and 80% at night.
Growing hydroponic tomatoes might not be complicated but through constant practice and a great deal of experience, it will be easy as 1-2-3. For those who has no experience growing tomato plants in a hydroponics system, it would be wise to follow exactly the procedures and guidelines to ensure a successful endeavor.
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