Quest For The World's Largest Hydroponic Tomato: How To Clone Tomato Plants

I had my hopes on producing a huge tomato outdoors this year but the weather has not been the best for tomatoes where I live. High temps, high humidity, and too much rain. I decided to go for the gold indoors with ideal conditions. This is the first video in a series which I will record my progress and give tips along the way.


Stuff I used:

Takeroot: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NEBR1U/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=tomosgard-20&cam...

Rockwool Cubes: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FH49P0/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=tomosgard-20&cam...

Hydroton pebbles: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043DJZMY/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=tomosgard-20&cam...

Net Pots: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RUJCM4/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=tomosgard-20&cam...

Big Zac & Red Robin Tomato seeds: http://www.totallytomato.com/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Hydroponics
• Hydroponic
• Tomatoes
• World
• Record
• Tomato
• Big
• Zac
• Wisconsin
• 55
• Hydroton
• Rockwool
• Indoor
• Garden
• How
• To
• Clone
• Red
• Robin
• Aerogarden
• Plants

[grandwheatgrass]

I have started tomatoes and the buds are just forming. I am using a dwc 20 Gallon tote with the GH Flora series for nutes. I have read that you should use R/O water if you have hard water. I have been filling up 5 g jugs at the store. Someone told me that for tomatoes they need a good amount of calcium and the hard water won't be bad for them as long as you keep the pH between 5.7 - 6ish.

Do you use tap water or R/O water/What nutes? If possible I don't want to spend the money on the R/O water.

[SleestaksRule]

@grandwheatgrass Just using tap water but I bubble it out for 24 hours. I've been adding Cal Mag Plus to the nutrients. Nutrients I use are Maxigrow till the first flowers and then Maxibloom. I was using Floramato but they discontinued it. Don't spend the money on R/O unless it's an emergency and you have no water ready.

[gardenvespers777]

Thanks so much for showing how to clone. I tried to do it to make fall tomatoes. Everyone's videos showed how easy it was, but mine didn't want to work.

I'm going to try your method.... with that take root etc.

umm hmm... a blue kids pail.. umm what kind of designs were on that pail again? :-P lolll You didn't post the link for that! lol

[SleestaksRule]

@gardenvespers777 The pail had Easter cookies that I bought after Easter on clearance. They still tasted like cookies even though Easter had passed and I got me a genuine cloning bucket!

[19Photographer76]

I probably doesn't matter in hydro but a plant from seed has a primary or tap root, a clone only has secondary or laterals. I think you've done both, any difference in production?

Watching this is a little sad, for me it means winter is coming and we haven't had summer yet in the PNW. The only tomatoes we've had get rip are the Early Girl variety. At least I planted a couple. My Beefmaster and Big Beef varieties didn't make it through our extended wet spring. Will you stay with the 400W?

[SleestaksRule]

@19Photographer76 Yup, keeping them under the 400watt but will add a second 400watt once I split them between 2 tubs. As for the roots it seems that there are way more with a clone than a new plant. The clone is also growing much faster than a new plant. I noticed today that the larger plant is getting flowers. Amazing. I should do time lapse just to see.

[grandwheatgrass]

I recently had someone at a hydro store try to steer me away from dry nutrients because, as she said, "You never know if everything will mix well, but with liquid you know what you're getting." I have been using liquid nutes but want to switch to something like maxigrow and maxibloom because of cost (I buy them online because it's cheaper than locally). When you bubble your tap water do you do it with or without nutes? Do you ever have problems with burns from nutes not mixing well? Thanks!

[creamynessification]

Been wanting to know how to clone correctly. Awesome stuff, thanks for sharing, man! Also, the CFL idea at the end of this vid is brilliant.

[Teddybearcop48]

Good idea keep me informed... Thanks

[plain2growJim]

Excellent video and info!