Tomato Update

The tomatoes are beginning to out grow the room. The tallest plants are close to 20".

We had to install more lights on the underside of the shelf for the small seedlings and clones that will later replace the larger plants when they are moved to flower.

When the plants are about a foot and a half, they are moved to the flowering room. The light cycle is cut from 20 hours of light to 12 hours; and the light source also changes to a 600w high pressure sodium grow light because it has a different color spectrum(orange/red) that helps the plant flower. These changes make the plants think it is late summer and time to start producing fruit.
After about two weeks, flowers will begin to form all over the plant. Some of the smaller container cherry varieties, such as Tumbling Tom, will become completely covered in flowers.

The plants will need to be staked after about a month because the stems cannot support the rapid growth. Tomato cages, store bought or homemade, work great for when the plants are mid-sized.

Indeterminate type, or vine tomatoes, will begin to stretch with the longer nights and more intense light. This can be a problem when growing indoors because of the confined space. Since most of the best tasting varieties are indeterminate, it is important to control the vines as they grow. The Sweet 100 hybrids that have been flowering for 2 weeks have been bent down and tied back to the cage to prevent them from growing into the ceilings. A layer of chicken wire attached to the ceiling allows the vines to continue to grow upward without taking over the whole room.