Any advice? The big tomatoes are ready to transition to pots and need a light plan ... peppers are barely just coming up, though.

Hi

Here when it's cloudy I use 4 50W blue lights but it's not working properly. I read that LED lights are better but I found different advice regarding the colour of those lights. Still searching.

The Aerogarden has a combo of red and blue in its light.

Yes I saw that on the web. How many of those red and blue lights do you have in this lamp? I want to purchase bulbs with this combo because I already have the fixtures.

you should spray a fungicide on them. there is nothing much to do other than planting the whole plug with it. just try to dig a hole deep enough so the roots go straight down.

in the future, i recommend just skipping the whole aero garden and planting them in some growing media.. leave the aero garden for herbs and leafy greens.

I've never used fungicide on any plant before, and I certainly wouldn't want to be spraying anything in a bedroom. Why do you think I need fungicide?

Previously we've used peat pots and the like, but we figured we'd try this this year. The tomatoes and herbs came up nicely and look pretty good. Peppers are slow, but they were old seeds, peering in, others are ready to emerge shortly. Are these plants going to be weaker or struggle through transition?

I do normally grow lettuce in the regular (three slot) tray.

Thank you Blueberry for those pictures up here.

> I've never used fungicide on any plant before, and I certainly wouldn't want to be spraying anything in a bedroom. Why do you think I need fungicide?

At one point or another, you're going to have to.. at least once they go outside or risk getting diseases which tomatoes are highly susceptible of. treat them before, not after they get sick.. there are plenty of safe organic options out there.

Weve grown tomatoes in pots outside for years without fungicide. We're not into preventative sprays and junk ... Okay, we totally spray the daylilies and hostas with a diluted hot sauce and soap mixture to make them unpalatable to deer and rabbits, but different issue there.

Well, maybe not that different, the tomatoes seem to suffer most greatly from munkchipia; symptoms include: tooth-marked or missing fruit, skins of fruit scattered in surrounding area, generally unscathed stems and foliage, and holes in the ground with striped furry things that transverse between said holes and plants. There are many folk remedies to munkchipia, but none are very effective long term, or short term really. Contrary to popular belief, munkchipia is not overly polite, but it will decimate a garden, so media does have that part correct.

the darkening and the wilting lower leaves is why i suggested one.

so you grow them in pots.. with organic fertilizers? what fertilizer are you feeding them in that areo garden? cause the only type of fertilizers i'm aware that comes with it are synthetic chemical based ;-p

And, i don't spray my tomatoes with junk - i use an organic fungicide (potassium bicarbonate) which is safe for human consumption. to each their own i guess :-)

The seedling with the off leaves is gone ... I just didn't take a second picture.

Normal plants just get potting mix in a pot and water regularly. The Aerogarden get the Aerogarden nutrients that came with the various seed pods on almost whatever interval it says to do it - I'm terrible at feeding on time (I was supposed to feed Sunday night according to the Aerogarden ... still haven't gotten around to it.) Aerogarden is certainly the most chemical growing we've ever done, but just water probably isn't going to grow much. I do detest the nutrients ... they stink, and I treat them as chemicals, rinsing the bottle after every pour and scrubbing my hands in case I got any on them. I did buy a regular grow light off Amazon (cheap $20 one with no special features, timers, etc.) it won't be here for a week though. If we can figure out a good place for it, it might eventually totally replace the Aerogarden.

Secondary thought ... maybe I'll ditch the grow bowl on the garden and just put some little pots instead for lettuce. I hadn't thought of that before.

So All the Sun Peach tomatoes seem to be suffering. We're transplanting them now into small pots in hope they come back. I'm thinking that maybe that variety doesn't do well with hydroponic. They're not acting like a blight, they're just kind-of wilting and not doing well. The big plants are Chocolate Cherry tomatoes; they seem very happy.

Anyone have some plants that just hate hydroponics?

Update: Sun Peach plants moved into little pot; it seems like they were just getting into the water with their roots. I'm thinking they hate wet feet. I did always wonder why that wasn't an issue with hydroponics ... must be plant dependent.

Further update on Sun Peach. It recovered well once in dirt. We picked a regular pot for it rather than a self-watering planter due to its reaction to wet feet, and it is thriving.

Though not quite as much as Chocolate Cherry ...

(Pineapple sage in the pot on the right for those curious.)