How to grow tomatoes hydroponically at home

Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops among gardeners. Thanks to its superficial root system, this vegetable is excellently cultivated in artificial soilless systems – hydroponics. This technology of growing tomatoes allows you to regulate the growth and development of plants, which in turn makes it possible to obtain high yields of environmentally friendly products. To cultivate tomatoes at home, you need to know some of the features and subtleties of the hydroponic method, which will be discussed below.

Is it possible to grow tomatoes hydroponically

Tomatoes are a relatively unpretentious culture. They lend themselves well to cultivation in soilless installations on a nutrient solution, both in a greenhouse and in a simple home windowsill. Growing red juicy tomato fruits is not an easy task, but quite interesting and quite feasible even for novice gardeners.

Hydroponically grown tomatoes are distinguished by abundant flower stalks and, accordingly, high fruiting.

The use of hydroponic plants significantly accelerates the ripening time of fruits. The method makes it possible to control all physical and biological processes of plant development:

  • maintain the required temperature and humidity of the environment;
  • determine the duration of daylight hours;
  • supply the seedlings with only the required nutrients, etc.

The essence of the method

Hydroponics is an alternative to traditional outdoor growing. It was developed by scientists with the aim of cultivating agricultural products in regions with adverse weather conditions. The technology is quite resource-intensive and costly, but it pays off quickly due to the mass of advantages.

When using the technique, the plants are completely dispensed with the soil mixture. They grow in a specially created environment that supplies the root system with the necessary micro and macro nutrients from a special solution. The latter is created for each culture individually, based on its needs.

How to grow tomatoes hydroponically at home

In the process of growing, tomatoes are placed in a special substrate, to which oxygenated feed water is supplied through a pump. All this in combination gives an excellent result, in the form of rapid development of the stem, abundant and quick harvest.

Highlights of technology

To grow tomatoes hydroponically at home, you need to take into account some of their features:

  • the root feeding area is sharply limited, as a result of which the correct selection of the container and the substrate that will be placed in it is important;
  • the illumination should optimally cover the needs of the plant – with a lack of light, it may develop incorrectly and die;
  • the nutrient solution is the basis, the choice of which must be approached with the utmost seriousness and scrupulousness.

If the green corner is part of your room, then the appearance of the hydroponic plant will also be an important aspect.

How to grow tomatoes hydroponically at home

When cultivating plants in the house, the temperature readings can be adjusted, due to which you can do without the standard method of germinating seedlings. The time of planting seeds directly depends on when the tomato harvest is planned.

Tomatoes are very sensitive to light intensity and quality.

Numerous experiments have shown that the addition of blue to the spectrum significantly increases the fruit ovary.

Containers for planting seedlings

For optimal development of the vegetative mass, pots with a substrate volume of at least 10 liters are required. The best shape of the latter will be a cone or cylinder, since in square or rectangular containers the root system of green crops will not be able to completely occupy all the free space.

How to grow tomatoes hydroponically at home

The substrate in hydroponics is not a nutrient mixture, as in traditional cultivation in soil, but the base and foundation in which the plant is held. Fillers are of natural and artificial origin. With the soilless method, expanded clay, perlite, flax fire, coconut substrate, buckwheat waste, mineral wool, vermiculite and other analogues are most often used.

Temperature conditions

It is one of the most important factors affecting the development of a plant. At the first time after sowing the seeds, the containers must be placed in a dark place, where the air temperature will be within 28-30 degrees.

Further, after the sprouts appear, they are moved to the light, with an ambient temperature of about +18 degrees.

In case the seedlings are strongly stretched upward, you need to increase the lighting. After the sprouts get stronger, for their further development they need to provide a suitable microclimate – 14-15 hour daylight hours and an air temperature in the range from +22 to +28 degrees.

Nutrient solution

The correct composition of the nutrient fluid is the key to effective growing. The concentration of useful micro and macro elements in a solution is determined by its ability to conduct small electric currents. A conductivity indicator is used for accurate measurement. Its readings should be in the range of 1,5-3,0 mS.

An important point is the daily monitoring of the concentration of nutrients in the supplied water. Over time, their number decreases and it is required to update the fluid or add individual elements to it. A complete replacement of the solution is recommended once every 20-30 days.

Ready-made mixes can be purchased at almost any plant growing store.

If you are wondering how to prepare the nutritional base yourself, then it is worth noting that the accuracy of proportions is very important in this matter. Each gram of all components of the solution must be used in strict dosage. Otherwise, an improperly made mixture can lead to detrimental consequences for the plant.

Tomato seeds

The choice of seeds depends on the individual taste preferences of the gardener. In theory, all tomato varieties are suitable for hydroponic cultivation. But you will get the highest yields from specially bred greenhouse and early maturing varieties. The following types of tomatoes are ideal for fruiting and less whimsical to care for:

Friend F1;
Beginner;
Alaska;
Svitnes F1;
Гаврош;
Florida F1;
Bon Appetis and others.

These plants rarely get sick, do not require pinching, garters and forming bushes. They have medium and large fruits, deep red in color. The time from planting to ripening is just over two months.

How to plant tomatoes

The seeds are placed in special cork briquettes, which are placed in boxes in loose rows. On the 14-19th day after sowing, the sprouts are transplanted into pots from a prepared substrate, where an ovary of new leaves appears.

An important nuance in the cultivation of tomato seedlings, which not everyone knows about, is the transfer of briquettes with seedlings to their side, after a 7-9-day germination period.

This is necessary in order for the plant to develop a powerful root system. Finding themselves in a non-standard position, the sprouts bend and form new roots. When they are transplanted into pots, they are stacked on the opposite side. This shock therapy will force the plant to form additional root branches, which will become a reliable support for its further active development.

Growing a tomato using hydroponics with your own hands is a great opportunity to get an environmentally friendly and high yield all year round.

It is especially pleasant to enjoy the harvested tomatoes when the temperature outside the window is freezing.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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