WEEK 14

Going into week 14.

Nothing new is happening as to ripening.
New Toms are forming,Small tomatoes aregrowing, and Big ones are getting bigger.

that's all she wrote

WEEK 12

The plants are doing just fine:
Photo 1 is the overall look of the AG with the hood still at notch #3.
Most of the tomatoes are hiding in the thickness underneath.
Last week I had added a weak solution of liquid nutrients for blooming since the tomato plants seemed not to be producing flowers.
The mix made the plants curl up and appear dry and sickly. I drew out all the water and added pure distilled for a detox. Topping off the reservoir with straight distilled water seemed to bring the plants back to serenity and contentment! There is one sizable cluster on the far left plant(not seen in the photo) but the other buds that were forming seemed to have dried up or are there still in the bud stage. I tucked the bottle of liquid nutes far back under the sink and have ordered the extended solid nutes from AG.

This photo is of the very first tomato to form on the plant..I wish it would ripen soon!

And the next 2 are photos of the several clusters of maturing tomatoes.

Week 11

The hood remains at the 3rd notch.
The plants are yielding many tomatoes..all 3 plants, and the leaves look healthy and hearty!
This evening I added a solution of liquid nutrients for the blooming stage since the plants have stopped producing flowers. Whenever the reservoir needs topping off, however, I will add plain distilled for fear of over fertilizing . I am still awaiting the arrival of my nutrients/ph test meter.
Here are some photos of the tomatoes which LOVE to hide way under the leaves. I had to use a knitting needle to part the leaves to take photos! Each morning I find teeny weeny new tomatoes hiding under leaves where the flowers had fallen off.(see 3rd photo down)

Week 10

Here are some photos of the plants in week 10.
First, I moved the AG into the kitchen and now they should be getting more light.
I also had to raise the hood a notch today.(3rd)

Here are some photos of the tomatoes on the vines. Two of the plants, especially the Yellow Tom have about 4-5 tomatoes growing and the largest is a little less than dime sized(keep in mind they are cherry toms).

The third plant is weak in the budding/flowering stage. It is still developing new leaves each p.m. The clusters of buds that are there are not full and bushy like the others.
However, it does have a few tomatoes on it.

I have ordered a nutrient.ph meter- wand and am going to add liquid nutes for the blooming stage as soon as I can test the water for the balance that is already in the reservoir. Perhaps I will have to drain to get the proper balance. The wand will tell when it arrives.
OK..here are the photos.

Stinky

Tomato leaves stink!
I was just rustling through the leaves to pollinate and almost choked and gagged from the strong , pungent smell from the disturbed foliage.

Turns out that the plants have something called GLANDULAR trichomes.
Somehow that sounds ...well...just plain wrong ..'glandular'. But..I am no botanist and it is a common part of plant life.

There are hair trichomes and then there are the glandular trichomes which give off scents when disturbed.

Pardon me , but I prefer the perfume-y kind anyday.

This new fact of life about glandular 'stuff' on my tomato plants just rained on my parade! Right now I am not in the mood for tomatoes on a salad.

Here is a picture of GLANDULAR trichomes on tomato plants:

Week 9 ending

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The plants are producing lots of flowers & buds and tomatoes are hidden and tiny, but THERE!
All 3 plants now have tomatoes, and they are drinking more water than ever. Here is a photo of the reservoir before I top off the tank....looks like angel hair pasta.


I ordered some liquid nutrients which are reported to be great for the flowering stage of growth, and also ordered a nutrients e.c. wand/tester for the water.
I will add those nutrients when the tester arrives.

The hood is only raised to the second notch after 9 weeks' growth..pruning does make the plant fuller rather than tall. However, the density is enormous and it is difficult for light in the Classic AG machine to get throught to the undergrowth. There ARE tiny tomatoes hiding under there though, and more flowers/buds.