1. What are the minimum dutch bucket specs to put 2 tomatoes in?
2. What is the best media and/or mix used instead of clay, perlite, or vermiculite?
Barry, You have a unique system full of surprises. Let me reply with my plan tomorrow morning and discuss the weak points. Thanks and again your system is awesome.
Very nice Can i plz have some closer and more photos of your tomatoe system it looks really like the way togo if you want to go commercial
It would be very nice thy On tomatoes what are you running youe CF (ppm) value Just want to learn
I'm still using EC 2.65 pH 6.2
I only plant one plant per grow bag. I don't use buckets, cost, cleaning and substrate use and reuse add to labor and matrerial costs. I use 3 gallon poly growbags filled with coir. The coir is reusable, after composting, sustainable and holds moisture better than other substrates. The 3 gallon bags are reusable are are easy to sterilize and very inexpensive. When training tomatoes on a string having two plants too close together tend to get too thick of foliage and I have not seen the benefit in production that would justify the extra labor. The layflat system I use to tie each row together is pretty simple. It does not incorporate a return system though it could. The grow bags are placed on a piece of black/white poly that is then pulled up and secured over the tops of the bags with just the plant sticking out the top.
This collects any excess nutrient into the "layflat" and is available for any other plant in the row. The watering system is metered to 1 minute an hour during daylight and 1 minute ever three at night. Part of the reason for no return is due to the watering system is precise enough that very little waste water is produced. About 2 gallons per week per row. The system is efficient enough that it only uses 1000 gallons per week of water/nutrient for 300 plants.
2 feetin row 3 feet apart for determinate varieties and some indeterminates...the bushier the plant the farther apart... also determined by the number of stems u plan to leave per plant...
Apart from those u can use decorative stones marbles bottle caps wood chips (not saw dust) rice husk raw coconut shell husk...etc
1 Tom per bucket, train them to go upwards, 10lt buckets are just fine, space around 1+ feet. Media- cocohusk ( not to be confused with cocopeat) or river pebbles will do the job
Thanks Sanjay, as usual you have a different approach. I am planning for commercial farming, so 2 in a bucket is a must. Tell me how to do this.
Good morning everyone. After studying your comments and discussions with the consultant, here is the plan.
It's going to be a circulating dutch bucket system, 160 buckets in a 0.6x40 meter row in a zigzag format, 2 plants single stem each per bucket, 1.5 meters between row centers.
Each 12.5 litre bucket will contain 3 litres of natural stones in bottom and 9 litres of coco peat on top.
Each row will have 1000 litre ibc tank with its air pump and air stone/defuser.
Each one of the 2 plants will be in a 5 cm rickwool cube, 0.35 meter apart in the same bucket.
The greenhouse is 9x42 meters covered with 200 micron UV treated PE sheet, and will be covered by black 60% shade net during the summer.
This is the plan for tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper.
All comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.
