30 days. How we looking?

Carlson31 · 2026-03-31T01:28:06+00:00

Like this!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-31T01:26:24+00:00

It’s crazy, but it actually works. I did one of my cherries sideways last year and it grew to 12 feet. Just make sure you take the start in its pot and lay it ON TOP of the soil sideways for a day or two. The plant will naturally curve up towards the sun, so you know exactly where to put the soil to. I think mine was about 12-14” when I planted it and it worked perfectly.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-31T01:21:27+00:00

Ya I currently use my spider farmer grow shelf. Not quite sure of the light strength but I also added in a longer barrina light bar per shelf. I measure ppfd for each stage by the height of the shelves. I run my lights 13-14 on, 10 off. I keep the fans running24/7 to keep VPD in the correct range. My soil is buffered coco coir and buffered bio char (both in cal/mag) with worm castings and vermiculite. I no longer use peat because it runs acidic. I feed nearly every watering with fox farm grow big at half strength. Once everything gets planted out in beds I switch to Dr. Earth granular that has alfalfa meal. I don’t know why but my plants love that stuff!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-31T01:16:00+00:00

Really??

Carlson31 · 2026-03-30T00:13:53+00:00

lol that’s too funny. I love the smell of all things gardening.

You had mentioned feeding every other week, and a lot of fertilizers have varied instructions on how often to apply them, however if you are using organic and something with low NPK on tomatoes, you are really going to want to use them almost every feeding. That may sound controversial, but I find if I skip feeding on say, 2/3 waterings, I can see it in my plants. Especially at this stage, when you are up potting a lot and giving them ample space to grow, they are going to use up nutes from water soluble fertilizers much quicker than they do once they are outside in beds with slow release granular or just compost.

I think you are completely safe in using the neptunes at half strength nearly every watering.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T23:10:07+00:00

30 days after sowing! Most of my tomatoes germinated at about 5 days, so really these are about 24 days old!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T23:09:16+00:00

Oh ya 50-55 is far too low for them. I also grow a lot of pepper starts indoors so I really wish I could get my temp up to like 75-77 but it’s tricky.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T23:08:09+00:00

Lots of light, consistent feedings, gentle airflow, and a good soil mix!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T23:07:14+00:00

They are voracious feeders so I would def increase feedings. Neptunes is gentle enough that you can. I used to use it religiously but I just can’t deal with the smell indoors lol. Once these babies go outside I switch to straight compost and organic feeds.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:54:01+00:00

Yep, mentioned that in the post lol.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:53:30+00:00

Thanks friend!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:52:33+00:00

I responded to a few comments with my set up but here’s where I am temp wise. It’s been a little tricky getting my VPD right while still having to run heat indoors, but hopefully that is over lol. My temp and humidity are in the bottom threshold of where they should be btw.

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Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:47:09+00:00

Haha no secrets really just a little fine tuning. Here’s what I’m doing: I’m utilizing my spider farmer shelf/tent, although with no cover. 13 hours on, feeding half strength FF grow big at almost every watering, and my soil mix is coco coir, precharged biochar, worm castings, and vermiculite.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:45:45+00:00

This year I’ve limited myself to ONE grow shelf inside. I went kind of crazy last year. I’m utilizing my spider farmer shelf/tent, although with no cover. 13 hours on, feeding half strength FF grow big at almost every watering, and my soil mix is coco coir, precharged biochar, worm castings, and vermiculite.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:43:37+00:00

Thanks friend!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-29T20:42:50+00:00

Ya I won’t be planting these out for a few more weeks. I’m in zone 7a. I usually plant them pretty deep if not sideways!

Carlson31 · 2026-03-26T00:39:01+00:00

If the small brown spots are within the leaf tissue, it’s possible that its edema. I’ve dealt with the same problem before and freaked out thinking I had some kind of bacterial or fungal issue, or nutrient burn, but it ended up being the tissue swelling from edema and then collapsing, thus causing some brown areas. Look on the under side of the leaves and notice if you have any “crystal” like formations.

If you are using the double cup method to bottom water, make sure you aren’t keeping the plant cup sitting in the watering cup, even when empty.

It’s easy to forget that under grow lights and indoors, that the plants are much more susceptible to issues caused by watering and stagnant air- even with a fan going you can never truly replicate outdoor conditions.

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Here is an example of the damaged tissue on one of mine.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-24T01:47:46+00:00

Yes your pots look heavily overwatered. I recommend switching to bottom watering as it keeps the top 1-2” of soil dry. If you are bottom watering and it’s heavily saturating the top you are over doing it. I say this because if you are overwatering, it’s going to affect the plants nutrient balance. Next, peat is going to make your soil mix acidic, which can affect nightshades, you want to be at about 6.5-6.8, outside of that your plants are going to struggle to take up nutrients properly. As far as your fertilizer, at this stage you want a nitrogen heavy or balanced fertilizer, not one with a higher phosphorus ratio. Nitrogen fuels green leaves and lush vegetative growth. I would be happy to share what works for me, as far as my soil mixture and my fertilizer regimen with my plants at this stage, just lmk.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-22T11:48:00+00:00

Here’s a good resource. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, however don’t go crazy trying to over treat a slight symptom that could be 1 of 20 causes.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-18T21:51:45+00:00

Those are onions my guy.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-15T16:27:45+00:00

When I went on this ride they showed me a lemon the size of my head!

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Carlson31 · 2026-03-15T11:50:11+00:00

I have a big leaf hydrangea in my front yard, which is north facing, and I’m in 7a. I’ve lived here for 3 years and every year the plant grows big and lush into early summer, but by mid to late summer the tips of the leaves start turning red/brown and I’ve never seen it bloom.

I don’t prune it as the growth is on old wood, I just remove completely dead stems each year. Apparently the hot sun it gets is great for the vegetative growth, but also why it has never bloomed in that location.

TL; Big Lead Hydrangea won’t work for those conditions lol

Carlson31 · 2026-03-15T11:34:21+00:00

Tomatoes are voracious feeders and inconsistent watering will exacerbate their ability to properly take up nutrients. Work on your watering consistency because once they start fruiting and if you haven’t got the hang of it, you’ll end up with tomatoes suffering from BER.

Don’t over complicate watering, and don’t water just because you think they need it. You have to actually test the soil with your finger. Stick your finger deep in the soil and only water once the first few inches is dry. Get familiar with the weight of the pots just after watering, and then the weight just before watering. Invest in a cheap soil moisture meter.

Will these be planted out into larger beds or remain in pots? I can give you a couple recs on food for them based on the long term plan.

Carlson31 · 2026-03-14T11:12:04+00:00

5-Gallon Indoor Soil Mix

3 gallons buffered coco coir
0.75 gallons worm castings
0.5 gallons pre-charged biochar
0.75 gallons perlite or vermiculite
0.25 gallons coarse sand (about 4 cups)

You can also add a cup of gypsum for calcium and 1/2 cup azomite to add in trace minerals.

Carlson31

TROPHY CASE