Hydroponic Tomato

Supermarkets carry tomatoes that are grown by hydroponics and most shoppers do not even know this when they buy them. It has become the most efficient way to produce tomatoes all year long in the US, and the hydroponic methods are used in greenhouses in many areas of the country. For these large Controlled Environment Agriculture greenhouses, it is the blemish-free fruits, year long production capabilities and a very high density/high yield matrix that make such an operation profitable.

With hydroponic growing, tomatoes do not require pesticides or chemicals to control diseases. Since there is no soil, there are no soil-borne diseases. Some operations have used purely liquid hydroponics, where the water carries optimum fertilizer required at each stage of growth for best fruit production. Other growing operations use perlite or similar anchoring medium to support heavy tomato plants. Some recirculate the liquid for reuse after it has been corrected for nutrients and others do not reuse it at all.

What does this mean for the home gardener? The technology is expensive on a large scale, but the principles are the same for only a few plants in your home indoor garden. Hydroponics is a very clean way to grow tomatoes. You should start your plants from seed; bringing in plants from outside sources is inviting disease and pests to be carried in, too.

Start your seeds in standard hydroponic rockwool cubes (soaked in water) in a standard tray with a dome lid. As soon as they sprout, move them to a bright light source, supplementing window light with artificial if necessary. After a few days, true leaves will appear and roots will be growing from the bottom of the starter cubes. It is time to move your seedlings to their hydroponic home.