my tomatoes prob. help?

[wpuckw]

I know this is for herb, however I hear tomatoes and herb are close... and I am just starting and didn't want to start with herb till I got the hang of what I was doing. So to my question... whats going on here?
I know the pictures are poor. Sorry... but the tips of some of the leaves (mostly the older ones) are white... turning brown. and curling under....

 

[Jonus]

Looks like overwatering and low light.

 

[pinxpointxpupil]

grow those outside man you've got nothing to hide and they aren't gonna grow very well inside

 

[pinxpointxpupil]

lol did someone give me negitive rep for that?

idk it's on my rep thing but instead of a lil green square next to it like there usually is, it's a grey one lol

 

[wpuckw]

nope not me so new to this whole thing i don't even know much about rep.. is it kinda like ebay?

 

[HomeGrown&Smoked]

lol did someone give me negitive rep for that?

idk it's on my rep thing but instead of a lil green square next to it like there usually is, it's a grey one lol

Neg rep can only be given by those authorized by the admins. The grey square is from a member that hasn't earned enough rep or doesn't have a high enough post count to affect your rep total. It shows up as rep, but has no point value assigned to it so it won't negatively affect your rep, but it won't help it either.

wpuckw- to add rep click on the sherrif's badge at the bottom of the post you like, on the left hand side, type in a message and click 'Add to Reputation'

If anyone wants to practice feel free to use mine as a test


wpuckw- what kind of media are you using? if hydro, what ppms are you running, and what is your ph?

 

[wpuckw]

using rock wool and hydroton, running around 600 right now but thats with a starting of... 250 ppm in the water then add nutes and it goes to around 600 and i am using ph test strips (cheap) and unfortunately they test from 1 to 6 and it seems like the water is almost always between 5 and 6 I think maybe I should invest in a better ph meter.. although I also think .. cold weather is beginning to set in here and maybe its getting too cold for them going to check into a heater for the water today.. like an aquarium heater for fish or turtles to heat the nute solution they are drinking.... the roots aren't looking the most developed either... wondering if maybe a rooting hormone might work for me... or is it too late to add that?

 

[HomeGrown&Smoked]

They are usually used in the cloning process, but they might help on mature plants- I just don't know, but I don't think it would hurt. It looks like nute burn and that can inhibit root growth. I don't know what kind of ppms a tomato plant will use, but if it is still a small plant you will want to keep the ppms lower until it gets a little bigger. You might want to look into an RO filter for the water, with a ppm of 250 for tap water there is no telling what exactly is in there. pH meters are a good investment, along with a calibration solution.

 

[wpuckw]

so i should back off on the feeding feed a little less? and if I do get some rooting gel or solution I am guessing I apply it to the roots?

 

[HomeGrown&Smoked]

Well, you are probably feeding the plant enough, but with the water being 250 ppm before you add nutes that could be pushing you over the edge. And if it is water straight out of the tap it probably has a goot bit of chlorine in it. Try switching to distilled or RO water with the same feeding regiment that you are using and that should get it where it needs to be; if that isn't possible you will need to put less nutes in the mix. But you might want to do a search for tomato ppm levels just to have an idea of what it will need and when it needs it. If you end up getting rooting get, the roots would be where you want to put it, but I need to stress that if they are stunted, it is more than likely a nutrient issue.

 

[wpuckw]

well the water is not straight out of the tap I do let it set for a week before using it... I change the water in the system every fri. morning and start off fresh with new water and what not.... when I do that before I put everything away I pour the water for next fri. and let it set all week not totally uncovered but I put a lid on it loosely ... however those ppms are after a week of just setting around... so, I guess I should get to getting that distilled water huh? I have hear that honey can be used instead of cloning gel have you heard anything on that? when applying to the roots keep them in the system? I guess I would just have to check on the sprayers as much as usual (hoping the gel doesn't clog them)

 

[HomeGrown&Smoked]

I have heard honey works, but I haven't used it personally. When it comes to cloning I stick with Conex rooting gel, but you wouldn't want to put it through an aeroponic system because it will probably clog the sprayers. When I have reapplied rooting gel to clones that were falling behind I would take a q-tip and apply the gel directly to the roots.
Water- chlorine isn't the problem, but what you have in there is probably some calcium, lime, and rust, plus whatever else will show up in a city water system. By going with 0 ppm water you know exactly what is in the water when you start out (nothing) so you know exactly what the roots are getting and can adjust your nutes accordingly- kinda like starting a new painting on a blank canvas.

You might also want to start a journal and keep a log of how much and what kind of nutes you are feeding it- with everything that goes on it life it will be pretty easy to forget the exact formula you fed it last.

RO filters can get it down to 0 ppm, and distilled water from the store will cost you around 89 cents a gallon. I got one of these -> http://www.zerowater.com/ and have been pretty satisified with it.

 

[Serapis]

Get a small bottle of SuperThrive hormone available at Wal-Mart. It is strong shit, so only use it sparingly. I suggest misting the plants with some mixed in.

 

[wpuckw]

think I will buy the water till I can get a filter hooked up.... ya think brita is reputable I almost bought one before... thnx for all the help and insight

 

[HomeGrown&Smoked]

Not a problem at all- brita is a pretty good filter to use, it won't get the water down to 0 ppm put it should put it in the 50-90 range and that will give you a much lower ppm baseline than you are working with now.

 

[wpuckw]

I bought distilled water and tested it before I put in into the system. The ppm measured 0. I left just the water in for about 3 days before I checked it again to add the nutes then. I have read somewhere that when changing out the nutes, it is a good idea to run just straight water for a day or two to "wash" everything out. Well when I came back to add the nutes the ppms went from 0 - 63 now thats just crap that happens to fall into the system... such as maybe particles of the hydroton? dust from inside the house? however the ppms are much much lower than when I was using the tap water. So this is an improvement, now will the yellow tips get their color back or are they going to be like that from now on? (assuming I have fixed the prob.)