WOW! New Hydroponic BVB SYSTEM. Beef Steak Tomato House, Final REVIEW!

[@johnmcneal9477]

Since you asked, I have a couple of techniques I discovered over the years in our high tunnels and I'll share what works for me. I typically grow around 10,000lb of tomatoes in three high tunnels and our northern growing season is approx 110-120 days. First off, I love the Tomahooks and plastic clips and have used them for years. Huge huge time savers. I only grow in the soil for a couple of reasons and heirlooms are the money makers in our markets and the best tasting tomatoes. I plant on 4 ft centers, single row and let the plant grow out all the suckers, or multiple leaders they can up to about 24 inches and remove all the new suckers above that height. I shoot for 4-5 leaders per plant but love it when I can get 6. Each leader will produce 10 lbs plus of fruit. I used to plant 400 tomato plants per high tunnel and now I only grow 100 plants. This alone has cut my maintenance work in half and I produce approx 800 lbs more per high tunnel. I stop dropping and dragging the tomato plants years ago. What I do now is around July 15th- 20th I top the plants at 5-51/2 ft and remove all new suckers and flowers. I do not want any nutrients going to a part of the plant that will not be producing fruit. This is another big time saver over climbing up and down ladders and damaging plants. With our short season I find that toping shocks the plants along with the shortening days and they switch into a fruiting cycle almost over night. The following week I do a hard pruning up to around 20 inches. Then a week or so later I do another hard pruning to around 30-36 inches. By now that plants are in full fruiting stage and their internal clock is tell them summer is coming to an end and they need to get going on their fruit/seed production. Another advantage of hard pruning is air flow and sunlight into the canopy. I don't know about your area, but as fall starts to approach here, the night time humidity goes up so this cuts the changes of diseases. At the time of topping I cut the watering in half in what I call water stressing. What I discovered, purely by accident, is that the plants start pushing the sugars from the roots into the fruit the the fruit doubles in size and sweetness. Stating about mid August, they get very very little water. I totally trick the plants into thinking they are dying and they go into hyper drive producing huge volumes of fruit. If they start to wilt I will give those plants maybe a quart of water at the most. I found that over watering washes out the flavor when the plants pushes the sugars down into the roots. I work with the plants natural cycle and they give amazing fruit.

[@nanacybersliver8411]

Thank you for all your valuable insight in producing better fruit. Also, streamline the work needed and cut time down. Thank you in advance. Cheers.

[@dariusbaldeo4935]

Hey out of curiosity.. what variety do you grow?

[@johnman559]

Hyperdrive it🤘🤩👍👍

[@waso778]

So little harvest? You can live from that in US? I wonder what is the average price for tomatoes? I harvest about 250.000 LB a year

[@Gradechecker1]

Thank you for years of knowledge passed on. My first round was not successful.

[@fernwoodguy]

Hi, I just wanted to send you a note to thank you and Wayne, where ever he is, for showing me how you did your hydroponic tomatoes. I've never had better or abundant crops, I basically followed everything you said except I added an auto-doser for fertilizing. five hundred plants the past couple of years, 800 lb harvest one week last summer, I have to shrink my crop next year for lack of help! Now I'm going to set up an NFT lettuce system based on yours and Waynes'. Thanks again, I hope you're doing good.

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

This is fantastic news! Wayne would be proud 👏 ❤️

[@usmanuddin1366]

my heart goes out to your family, wayne was a big part of the channel.

[@pevo5227]

I started growing hydroponically again after a 2 year hiatus and just recently found your channel the other day and it saddens me to know Wayne had passed away. From the few videos I’ve seen he has great passion and an even greater personality. You have my condolences and I hope everything works out with Spring Hill Farms.

[@3110567]

What is BVB system?

[@pevo5227]

It’s the substrate they use as a hydroponic medium

[@villanuevaruth21]

Once again it's really amazing to keep coming to your blog for you gave us so much info, thank you and God bless.

[@irenavongue1328]

Sure learn so much from your videos. Thank you.

[@geoffwalmsley3066]

You should put a aslit in the rockwool slabs between the third and 4th hole. This allows proper runoff, and stops the build up of nasty salts, do you monitor the ec,ph of the plants? Worked on tomatoes and cucumbers for over 40yrs Here in the uk. We,would never leave stubs on the tomato plants, get poor conditions, botrytis will come in on them,maybe humidities not as high as in glasshouses.

[@Gradechecker1]

Amazing. Inspiring. I can't wait to see more videos!! Just found you this morning!!

[@josiahkulwa34]

Congratulations

[@TheArtisanbard]

Wow!!!! Was wondering how it was working. Thanks so much for the update!

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

Simply Amazing my friend. Warms my heart seeing all those mass maters growing on in there! Yep mind over matter is always the block when it comes to taste from soil to hydro. My customer's tell me we have the best tasting maters in the world but little do they know they came from my hydro system. Stay safe my awesome friend and hope you folks have a great safe weekend!

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you my friend! Our customers can't tell the difference and love a the Maters we have growing! You both stay safe as well!

[@ANDYCVCC]

Love it love it love it gods bounty in man's hand. Awesome. Stay blessed

[@jtimwest]

With the grafted Big Denas I found that starting the second stem higher up on your main plant makes the main stem and off second stem stronger.

[@susanthajayawardena2161]

As you are feeding the same concentrations of the nutrient solution there won't be a difference in the taste. However as there is a difference in the rate of the nutrient uptake you will observe a lower plant growth (as well as the yield) in the soil-based system.

[@0626love]

BTW, what I have found that influences the taste of tomatoes the most is the environmental stress - the temperature primarily. When grown in constantly colder environment the taste is like 10x better for some varieties, BUT the yield is smaller of course.

[@hidrogourmet7255]

Wonderful as always !! do you reuse the slabs? how many times can they be used? Could you show the process of removing the plants after harvest? Do you do some kind of disinfection to the slabs? It would be very helpful to me! Thank you

[@karrielangston4005]

Missed you! So happy for you and your successful experiment!!! Hard for me to imagine 1 tomato plant root in that tiny block much less 2. Love that you are not having disease! So exciting!!!

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you so much! yes, this system is amazing!

[@MD-rn1mp]

Wow... all I can say is I am really impressed. You guys are doing an awesome job. I’m in central TX so heat is the greatest challenge.

[@RickMarshallMaps]

Wow, what a great system. Looks like it works well. Your tomatoes and peppers look very healthy

[@edwarddarst4358]

I have to say you're greenhouse looks perfect

[@villanuevaruth21]

Here I go again, watching you, its really amazing

[@mviswanathan]

Do you have any videos on disease and insect control for tomato plants?

[@ashleeboivin4338]

Ohhh those peppers do look like the hot cherry peppers! This is awesome. So cool seeing those big old plants growing so well in this set up!

[@bradrich6994]

Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing, explaining and teaching!

[@Mrsnufleupagus]

So happy to hear you this excited!! The results speak for themselves;))

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you buddy!

[@okupamphile6654]

During offseason tomatoes are very expensive in my country and this will be very very profitable in my country

[@billprice2409]

Love hearing about your success with this 👍

[@rodneysingh283]

hi thanks for all the help with detailed information ,question do you change the cocoa blocks after the plants are done producing

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Yes, we would change them each year.

[@robertguay3773]

you can buy nectars by general hydroponics that sweeten the bell peppers doesn't take much either and they taste a lot better

[@wraphand]

I grew tomatoes in soil ... wow are they fugly! Yours look terrific, very nice.

[@denhaagholland5406]

Super production!!!...It is a good way to go with this(cocopeat organic slabs) BVB system and thanks for the detailed explanation ..have a great week!

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you!

[@conniebradt9857]

Looks AMAZING Wayne and Patti!!! Congrats!!

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you!

[@SamSam-jr5qu]

This is really exciting. Kindly explain how you handle indoor pollination.

[@ppmtrader]

Your tomatoes ma'am Patti looks healthy with all those fruits in them. Trying to plant that same variety next month. I don't know what will be the result. I'm not good in planting tomatoes.

[@hanstakani]

Thanks for explanations. Could you share the water pump model used?

[@tulipsmoran5197]

Looks like you've found a winner in that greenhouse. Your plants look to be 18" apart but it doesn't look like you have any disease... How do you keep powdery mildew and other diseases so common in humid conditions?

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Our plants are 15" apart in this system. We have had absolutely no problem with powdery mildew or disease in this greenhouse. We do have a shade cloth, but so do our other greenhouses, which we always have a problem or two with disease or mildew. This system is just blowing us away! We absolutely love it!

[@ThinkSleepLeave]

Could you try using 5 blocks per slab vs 3 blocks right now? That way you can use one seed per block and also have no suckers. I feel 2 seeds per block may get crowded for roots. You put slabs closer as you have a bit space between them now. So you will in the end get same number of plants in greenhouse.

[@tecnohuerta3451]

Fantastic ... congratulations 👍👍👍 from Argentina

[@rsee8475]

Hiii it great to share our experiences, and im asking about treatment of tuta absoluta ?

[@jtimwest]

Have you considered grafting your tomatoes? You might find the performance might be so improved that you could grow fewer plants with the same or better results, or the same plants wth even more production. I plan on grafting most every Tomato in my two tunnels next year

[@valamaas]

2:34 red hot cherry chillies i think. Great for making fermented vinegar based sauce.

[@xingwang9671]

thank you very much of your help

[@terryramkissoon3300]

Are the slabs reusable or discarded after 1 use?

[@Juan-oz4lm]

How do your tomato, peipino and jalapeño flowers pollinate?... i love your work gays...greetings from amarillo tx

[@IkramshahbakraTVLahore]

Amazing 👍🥰

[@cynthiago1000]

Thanks for sharing! Looks wonderful.

[@mohammedali808]

You guys are amazing. I congratulate your entire team for the success and your eagerness to share your story. But, why you did not place your growing medium flay on the ground instead of on the wooden plank and on blocks. If you look at the Israeli method , they have a way of coiling the stem of the plant into a heap.

[@0626love]

Try spraying with garlic infusion (mainly in that other greenhouse) against leaf browning if it is not too time-consuming. In the spring it helps with most types of rot on leaves in young tomato plants, less on leaf browning in the autumn BUT I did it this year on Black Cherry (I have browning issue with this variety especially) and there is only very little browning if at all (maybe I should spray more often). I use 1 clove of garlic per 1.5 liter of spraying liquid (I don't add anything else to water to not mess with micro-flora, no oil, not any soap). Crushing the clove well and letting it infuse at least 6 hours, I usually let it til next day. Best to spray in the evening with a good sprayer that pulverizes to hovering mist. For prophylaxis in healthy plants and for varieties that are mostly tolerant to blight I'd spray once in 2 weeks but in diseased plants I'd spray every week, in serious disease I repeat the other day or in 3-4 days. In my experience this also works very well in pumpkin plants but not that good in cucumbers. Some plants other than tomato may not tolerate 1 clove per 1.5 liter, the more common ratio is 1 clove per 3 liters then. For tomato I have even used 1 clove/1 liter. (I have used spraying liquid infused even 3-4 days back (starts smelling) but not sure of its potential.)

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank youa

[@0626love]

The difference in leaf browning issue between the greenhouses is interesting... I wonder why is that. :) About the taste. That is interesting as well. :) I am starting to believe it. BUT I also think the taste is of less issue in varieties that are less tasty anyway. Maybe. I mean I am not familiar with this specific variety and if it has a strong taste (sweet or bits of good acidity, smth pungent) in any case (in my experience similar beef steak tomatoes don't taste of anything to me BUT I plan on trying out the same variety you have here next year, in case I get my hands on the seeds here in Europe). PS: I am spoiled with the taste of Black Cherry, Kumato and Sungold.... Thanks for the video. btw, you're looking very good.

[@redeemedforever6224]

You are so beautiful, love all your videos. I have learned so much

[@jeffaiello2168]

Quick Question: How do you handle pollination? Do you release bees indoors?

[@joslinnick]

Tomatoes are self pollinating, but simply shaking the plant gently will help accomplish this once it starts producing flowers.

[@paulbrownett3673]

Patty - that cultilene is I think Rockwool and a bit hard to dispose of - you mentioned COCO substrata towards the end - Is that CocoCoir you are using for the bags??.

[@79PoisonBreaker]

Very nice. At end of season can you cut open 1 bag to show the roots, im interested to see. Thanks

[@baazigaj9125]

Good stuff, I am curious how you provide carbon dioxide for the plants?

[@domingohilario7663]

I think you have Havanero peppers over there

[@lenastuffopoulos7410]

Nice work, guys!!! Thanks for sharing! I know that growers reuse rockwool slabs. Do you consider using the cocco bags for a second cycle?

[@p.c2750]

Hi, do you get more yield from the greenhouse compared to the open field? Thank you for your efforts!

[@dsa.pengadanghidroponikano4999]

Wo.wo.wo...,Mantap kebun tomat hidroponiknya saya suka banget bisa menambah inspirasi baru buat saya, sukses selalu.

[@CloudSpirals]

Great looking set up!

[@Dks.sahu2944]

Hello hi good evening nice job you are

[@HalimSihotang]

Can you please explain how to make plant media. Do you use cocopeat or other material? Thank you.

[@rboydsmith1]

impressive

[@susanthajayawardena2161]

From where did you purchase to plastic sheet beds and the elevated square pot placed right at the location of the plant.

[@ZrubekFamily]

Looking good!! I agree with you, two separate plants is the way to go with the lower and lean method. I've also learned the hard way not to mix varieties in the same row.

[@therain6016]

i am in love with you Technics, please tells us which nutrition formula you used from planting to harvesting. i am still finding good nutrition formula

[@jeffreyfortner1248]

How are you pollinating your plants in the house

[@АлександрБерезин-й7б]

Какие у вас красивые глаза.

[@dutchmiller7778]

If you plant two seeds per four inch block, will you plant the seeds directly in the for inch square or will you still start in thr plugs?

[@pacificoceania5828]

How do you know all plants get the water ? Because long line and covered up ?

[@gamechanger2023]

This is fantastic! I really wonder how do you guys manage pest like thrips and whiteflies? Thanks before

[@jim5148]

I love your operation and I have learned from you. When you pick them, do you wait for them to become a deep red?

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

Thank you so much! we pick at various stages. Red, and not quite red will be perfect for next day selling. Most customers, when purchasing more than one tomato, likes to have a ripe and a not quite ripe for the next day or two so it is perfect!

[@deepakredhu4089]

It's really wonderful. Can you just help me with the TDS and pH of nutrient solution for tomatoes. Happy Growing....✌️

[@sukson7776]

Hello, your works are great. I really appreciate that you share your experiences. I would to start a BVB system. Would please inform me how to get coco coir block for BVB system?

[@KansasGardenGuy]

Looks very good! Im super interested in your system....so the barrel with the pump in it, the water is not re-circutated back into it? Do you just refill the barrel with water and fertilizer you use?

[@KaLinaAgriculture]

Wow it amazing I love it

[@brandonmonroe7050]

Im wondering if you ever double planted two indeterminates instead of double steming one plant and if so how it went

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

No, we didn't try that.

[@FRENCH_KUFAR]

Bravo. Trés bon travail. Je suis impatient de voir la suite Vous utilisez quelle PPM et qu'elle EC pour vos tomates ? Bon courage 🇫🇷

[@harunrashid7218]

Can you please tell me how much nutrient water does a tomato plant need during its life cycle through hydroponic cultivation system?

[@wranther]

Any chance those peppers could be a peppadew? But what a crop of tomatoes to view on a Friday the 13th November day ... -Bob...

[@pamrakes474]

After you fill your that plastic container with water are you then adding you nutrients

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

yes

[@Toskyval]

How much lbs of tomatoes you'v harvested in total till now by using this method? (They are the "Better Boy" variant?) Great videos and infos.

[@godralha6970]

What is in the BVB bags which you guys are using in hydroponics system?

[@stephenlane1801]

sweet pepper

[@teac117]

Question regarding the emitters stuck in the distribution tube. Are they specific type of low-pressure emitters given the usage of a utility pump? I had tried my existing pressure compensating emitters and I had difficulty getting flow using a submersible pump. I've resorted to just a open microtube coupler without emitter, but I'd rather have some sort of GPH control. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[@lunkerpond9765]

Looks great

[@LivadaBio]

SUPER !!!

[@bazbaran9450]

how long must be the solution pump one service ?

[@ravikiranbadarli8318]

Was very informative thanq mam,,,,

[@edrosamond6139]

Where can i purchase the slabs, clips and tomahawks

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

You can purchase these through A.M.A PLASTICS.

[@jccanada1763]

Ma'am can i apply work to you farm? I'm very interested your farm is very amazing! And im graduate of bachelor of science in agriculture. Pls ma'am🥺

[@wiredesigner]

Hello I need to know the types of nutrients used

[@ernielok2008]

Hi is the nutrient mix for the tomatoes the same as that used for the leafy vegetables?

[@ashisdiyali7740]

Hello . It's me ASHISH from "Nepal" The Mount Everst's country. I watched the video I like the tomato farming and I like to work on the tunnel . I would like request you that I want come to your farm for work . I had three years of experience in this work . So please give me responses.

[@paulavery1626]

Did I miss the really ripe tomato taste test? I saw the taste test when they were not really ripe. Is there still very little taste difference between hydro and soil when perfectly ripe? I hope to copy your setup next spring. I have two larger high tunnels

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

We did taste testing with our customers and they chose the hydrophonic tomatoes. EVERYONE, even at the Farmers market were commenting on how tasty they were. Unfortunately, I didn't video.

[@paulavery1626]

@@Growwiththelaplantes Thanks so much for the reply! That's just the information I wanted to hear. I love what you guys are doing. I do similar but on a little smaller scale.

[@laukdaun114]

@@Growwiththelaplantes can you tell us the nutrients you use and the EC at each stage of the plant- vegetative,flowering and fruiting?

[@tonyleague4938]

Where do you purchase your bvb products?

[@Growwiththelaplantes]

I've put the link in the description

[@rainesail]

Please can you share where you get your drip spikes and spaghetti lines. Thank you!

[@nanacybersliver8411]

Hi, I have a question do you have a fish tank for fertiliser your plants. Also, can I have the name of your video when you first start the greenhouse, please? In addition, do you grow other greens besides the lectures such as watercress, parsley, garlic, and turmeric, Thank you in advance for your reply. From Australia 🇦🇺 Cheers

[@villanuevaruth21]

Hello, I am just wondering if you are reusing the blocks again and the bags also? and one thing do I really have to also used the blocks for seedling or can I used the coco fiber direct? the VBV is it a coco coir? or coco peat?

[@terryramkissoon3300]

Do you raise your own seedings? Thanks for posting,planning to do same in Guyana once I can find solutions to mitigate high humidity and heat.

[@edwarddarst4358]

And hot peppers round looks like something like ghost peppers