ruby Heirloom HELP!!

[angel5194]

My Ruby Heirlooms started off good but our starting to get brown on the bottom.  The fruit are small, maybe an inch and a half in diameter and green.  I've tried posting pictures but it's not working;  don't know why.  Has anyone had a similar problem or any suggestions to try? 
Also, should I switch to distilled water? 

One more question - does anyone have a source so I can buy my own ORGANIC nutrients? 
Thanks in advance for all the help!!

[AeroKnipp]

Lots of people are having problems with the Ruby Heirloom kit. There does not seem to be a consensus on the exact cause. Even after switching nutrients, I wasn't happy with mine.

Regarding "organic" hydroponic nutrients, this might help.

First, what is or is not "organic" is the subject of intense debate. In the United States, there are numerous definitions of "organic", many of which differ significantly. Each state has its own regulations for labeling produce as "organic". Additionally, there are 36 non-governmental organizations, which can "certify" produce as organic. Now only crops grown from unrefined minerals are recognized as "organic". The trouble is unrefined minerals do not dissolve well for hydroponic use and some of these unrefined minerals contain quantities of impurities, some of which are toxic to plants. For that reason, FloraBloom, FloraGro, and FloraMicro are made from high quality refined minerals. This ensures high quality crop production, but prevents the crop from being considered "organic".

http://genhydro.com/genhydro_US/faqnute.html

[angel5194]

Thanks so much.......have you tried any other full size tomato seeds that worked better?  The article you attached was really informative - THANKS!!

[AeroKnipp]

have you tried any other full size tomato seeds that worked better?

I have some Sub-Arctic Maxis on the go that are supposed to produce fruit within 48 days:

http://www.stokeseeds.com/product.aspx?ProductID=39772&CategoryID=140

They were just planted, so I don't know how they will work out.

[angel5194]

Keep my posted on their progress.  I don't know if I should rip these out now and just pull off the bad fruit and see what happens?  Do you use the flora series?  I really don't like the nutrients provided with the kits (the ones I have are the hard pellets).  sorry to keep bugging you! Thanks

[AeroKnipp]

Do you use the flora series?

I switched to Flora Nova Grow and Flora Nova Bloom a few weeks ago. Once the Grow is finished, I will be switching to the Flora series (and maybe experimenting with MaxiGrow and MaxiBloom). The Flora Nova Grow is incredibly thick and hard to measure in the small quantities you need for an AeroGarden.

I don't know if I should rip these out now and just pull off the bad fruit and see what happens?

Some people seem to have pulled their tomatoes through. I wasn't willing to go through all the hassle when there are so many other (easier) alternatives. I enjoy a challenge, but my husband doesn't like tomatoes and I didn't feel like pulling out the life support and calling EMS. It seems that there was a bad batch of Ruby Heirlooms sent out around Christmas time ... or maybe it was the Veggie Pro system itself (now discontinued, I hear) ... or the nutrients? ...

 

[bab43]

Welcome to the forum Angel5194!

Sorry to hear about the Ruby Heirlooms!  I haven't heard about issues with the VeggiePro itself, the company is discontinuing this model because it's streamlining its products from about 26 different machines down to 6.

A number of members have had problems with the Ruby Heirloom kit though.  From your description, it sounds like your tomatoes have blossom end rot (BER), but a picture would help confirm that.

• bottom picture shows BER on unripe fruit "http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/green/".
• second last picture shows BER on ripe fruit "http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/ripe/"

It's normally caused by a lack of calcium, which can happen for varied reasons in a hydroponic environment: uneven watering, too weak a solution, too strong a solution or an incorrect pH....

I've read that you can let BER tomatoes grow and just cut out the bad parts, but most members here take them off the plant so that all of the energy goes into growing good tomatoes.

Whether you have BER or not, members switching to liquid nutrients have had improved results.  My guess is that the AG tablets are not strong enough to properly feed these large plants.

About posting pictures, the forum instructions are at "http://www.aerogardengrowers.com/index.php/topic,34.0.html".  Most of us use an external image hosting service - I use Google Picasa - but you can also upload pictures under 'Additional Options' just below the box when you're typing a post.  If you have problems, please ask. 

Hopefully you can get your tomatoes back to health.  I currently have some buds dropping from mine and will likely be switching to the GH three-part Flora series.  It's used by a number of members on the forum and seems to be good.

[bab43]

Oh, I just realized I didn't answer the question about distilled water.  Problems are showing up for members who are using distilled water, so I don't believe that would solve the problem.

Whether you should switch depends on the mineral content in your tapwater.  If you've grown other plants in the AG that have worked, then likely your tap water is fine.  In case you don't have the info, this is the AeroGrow information on that: "http://www.aerogrow.com/community/index.php/your-plants-faq/60-water/124-water-types-good-for-aerogardening.html"

[AeroKnipp]

It's normally caused by a lack of calcium, which can happen for varied reasons in a hydroponic environment: uneven watering, too weak a solution, too strong a solution or an incorrect pH....

... maybe too many plants (2) competing for nutrients ... ?

I am only growing 1 Sub-Arctic Maxi in my new tomato setup.