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Old November 16, 2016   #40
BajaMitch
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: California
Posts: 84
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Cole Robbie, the answer is no. The mix recipes I developed were used where the temps were warm here in southern California. I planted on May 1st and temps never went below high 40's Fahrenheit. I am growing tomato plant cuttings during the coming winter that I planted about 1 month ago. The temps here will drop to an occasional low of 35 F but the vast majority of overnight and daytime lows rarely go there, but they do certainly go there for at least a few days during winter. I will be watching for root rot based on your words; thanks for the heads up.

AKmark, I am glad that you chimed in. Always great to hear from a hands on expert; much appreciated and you are very generous with us with your time.

I would like to hear from you on what I am about to write. I understand that in strict hydroponics, there are no microbes as the grow media is completely devoid of any, such as the sterile perlite. The Hydro-Gardens Tomato ChemGro formula introduces no microbes. From that I surmise that microbes may not be specifically necessary. Having said that, mycorrhizae is actually a fungus specifically, and its utility is to attach to the roots, form fungal colonies that function like extended root, thereby enhancing/augmenting root function. Microbes, on the other hand, are for chemical action on fertilizer nutrients that need chemical processing to convert non-root ready fertilizers into the root-ready fertilizers. Many NPKCaMgS ferts are not in the correct ionic chemical form that can be uptaken by plant roots. It is necessary for the microbes to ingest those chemical forms, their gut processes that chemical nutrient and then the microbe excretes the chemical nutrient in a different ionic form that is readily uptaken and immediately usable by the tomato plant. But, the Hydro-Gardens ChemGro fertilizers are chemicals that are all water soluble and already in the correct ionic form that the tomato plant can readily absorb and readily used. That is why you are not supposed to mix those dry chemical nutrients in the soil all at once, but "fertigate" with those dissolved chemicals on a strict regimen a little at a time. Optimal Plant metabolism requires getting plant ready ferts at the right time and in the exact right amounts in the exact right proportions to each other. It is what chemists call an "unstable equilibrium".

Pro mix having mycorrhizae is great, especially since it comes with peat and other materials where fungal colonies have a type of grow media where it can grow itself, but with the Hydro-Gardens ChemGro hydroponic ferts administered thru a regimen of daily fertigation, I am not so sure that the mycorrhizae is actually necessary.

What say you, AKmark? I remain humble and have always believed that hands on experience is better than theory any day. You have grown hundreds of plants for many years with monumentally fantastic results. I have grown 19 plants for 2 years.
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