Indoor Hydroponic Garden Update - PH & EC Testing - Tomato Blossom End Rot

In this Indoor hydroponic garden update I will be showing how I have treated a blossom end rot problem with my hydroponic tomatoes. I will demonstrate how to use a TDS and PH meter for indoor hydroponics. Welcome to the Saskatchewan Prairies, Growing Zone 3 - Canada! On my channel you will learn about cold climate growing techniques, indoor gardening during long cold winters and see what's cooking in the Little Garden Kitchen!
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Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. These recommended items contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission that I can use to help make better content on my channel! Thank you!

[@RemsFamily]

Wow thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

[@LittleGardenSK]

Just learning as I go!

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

They say that you can give foliar calcium applications... But I'm not sure you'd want to do that inside unless your space is really well ventilated. In my experience if a plant gets blossom end rot, it takes a really long time and babying to fix. Your plants look way better already! I think it's amazing that you're growing those inside in an aqueous solution. Props 👏

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

There is a neat book called "Tomato Diseases, A Color Handbook" by Dominque Blanchard and it says (regarding blossom end rot) that it could be, besides a lack of calcium, "an antagonism of this element with other elements in the soil or nutrient solution" such as too high ammonium, too high nitrate or too high magnesium in proportion to calcium. And they also mention specifically as a cause "high electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution, limiting the absorption of calcium." Either way it seems like you figured it out already! 😁

[@LittleGardenSK]

I had another viewer suggest the foliar spray as well but never tried it. I've been adding some calmag to my tomatoes, closely monitoring the EC level and happy to say there are several tomatoes coming with no signs of BER! Just enjoyed a ripe tomato today with our lunch! thanks Hayley

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

EC should be 2.0 with a PH of 5.8 to 6.0 Hope this helps ya some. I posted a link on your FB page post for the BER..

[@LittleGardenSK]

Those numbers are in the lower end of the range I've been following for EC & PH so I will try adjusting down closer to those numbers. Thank you for your help!

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

Glad to be of some help. I have a lot of videos with tips and tricks if you get time to watch.

[@beesandseeds]

Oh pooo blossom end rot is so annoying. Hope you can get it figured out.

[@LittleGardenSK]

Me too! Several new tomatoes coming with no sign of BER so far. 🤞

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Wow! Sorry to see that happen! I'm curious about the taste of a tomato grown by hydroponics. Do they taste like the great outdoors or like a bland hothouse tomato. Just wondering. I've never tasted on grown that way. Thanks for how to's.Take care and stay warm!

[@LittleGardenSK]

I’ve had cherry tomatoes from aerogarden this winter that were pretty tasty. I hope I can these larger ones to ripen and test them out. Pretty hard to beat the taste of ripe tomato from the outdoor garden!

[@SharonLynnWilliams]

I use Masterblend tomatoe formula and have taken both levels of his hydroponics course. He says, and I confirmed with research, that TOMATOES want an EC OF 2-3.5 and a ph of 6-6.5, which is on your card. Peppers want EC of 2-3 He also said to change out the nutrients every month. I bought that meter set you have and mine was pretty crappy -so I bought a better ph meter that could be calibrated and that has made a huge difference. The EC monitor is pretty unpredictable as when I test, rinse and test again, the readings are different😢. I am growing Tiny Tim tomatoes in Kratky in a mason jar. My plants have tons of green tomatoes right now and they are drinking like crazy. How have you found the taste of your tomatoes grown in hydro?

[@LittleGardenSK]

I actually stopped taking readings this past indoor season. Once my plants start blooming and drinking up the water - I top up the containers with my 3 part nutrient formula whenever they get low. Don't bother with changing the water either. Still got a decent harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries all winter. Don't think the flavor is as good as a tomato or cuke grown outdoors in the dirt - but still better then store bought!

[@generalawareness101]

My first tomato has blossom end rot but yesterday was fine. I use Masterblend so this is getting out of hand as I couldn't hydroponic in the summer due to heat (I lost everything) and I can't hydro in fall/winter due to being too dry.

[@LittleGardenSK]

Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your gardening

[@CajunHydroponics]

First

[@LittleGardenSK]

Hello Cajun! Any experience with BER in your hydroponics?

[@CajunHydroponics]

@@LittleGardenSK oh yes I am trying to find the spray I use. I don't remember the name offhand. But the dude side tracked me. Let me go see again lol

[@CajunHydroponics]

@@LittleGardenSK it's by ferti-lome called yield booster its a spray on the leaves.

[@CajunHydroponics]

Sent you a picture on IG messenger. Something else that would help would be to refresh you buckets more often. Maybe once a month. The tomatoes will use up most of the nutrients in the smaller buckets fast leaving behind what they don't need. Adding fresh nutrients helps but will cause nutrients to lock out and the plants won't uptake much at all. That is probably the reason the plants started drinking so much after you refreshed the nutrients.

[@LittleGardenSK]

@@CajunHydroponics ok thank you!