Is 7 gallon Smart Pot good for Rosella Purple/ Dwarf Champion?

[object16]

Hi, I am starting out an indoor grow of Rosella Purple and Dwarf Champion Improved. I am thinking that for a 4 x 9 foot area, I can have 6 each of Rosella Purple and Dwarf Champion Improved, one plant per 7 gallon Smart Pot - area of 3 square foot per plant - My grow mix consists of composted shredded Christmas tree 3 parts, peat moss 1 part, plus large cup of lime and small cup of Milorganite. Lime is to balance the pH and provide calcium. Does this sound good? Is the 7 gallon pot o.k., and will I get blossom end rot?
I am planning to grow for 9 months in the pots, and then next spring when warms up transfer to in-soil outdoor garden - it this a good idea? will the plants keep producing for the full 12 month period? thanks, paul m.

[Doug9345]

I see no one answered you question. Keep in mine that I'm not a container grower so hopefully some one else will put their thoughts in.

I question if the composted Christmas tree will have enough NPK to keep you tomatoes happy in a small container of just 7 gallons.

I think they should keep going for a year if they don't come down with a disease.

I think you are going to have light problems in the winter if you don't use artificial light.

[object16]

Hi, I am using high intensity discharge lamps, either 32W/ square foot of HPS or even 50W/ square foot of pulse start metal halide, similar to what is used for street light and sports stadium. The light is totally adequate, and I keep an eye on it with a PAR meter. I supplement the Christmas tree with lime and Milorganite, organic fertilizer from Milwaukee sewage treatment.

[Stowaway]

I'm in the middle of putting together a similar setup in a space almost exactly the same size. I'm confident that seven gallons is plenty. Take a look at this thread to see what one Tomatovillan accomplished in four-gallon pots in a a greenhouse: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=18309. As long as the soil has calcium, BER won't be a long-term problem; but there's no way to guarantee that the first tomatoes the plants produce won't have it.

Keep in mind that even dwarf plants will burn through the nutrients in a container pretty quickly. Regular feeding will be a must.

[JamesL]

I would agree tha 7 gal pots are fine.
As to BER, consistent watering and feeding should help.
I won't tell you not to use it, but labeling Milorganite or any sewer sludge product,
"organic" does not make it a great choice for food crops. No judgment here, just like to see people make informed decisions, and not ones based on marketing.
For consideration:
http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/milorganite.pdf

[object16]

Thanks for the tip. The Cornell site shows that PCB's etc are quite low, due to being driven off by the heating, and that metals are well below the cutoff. What I like about Milorganite is the slow release of nutrient. Milorganite was tested on tomato crops on the internet, and the tomatoes like it, apparently - even without any potassium - paul m.

[JamesL]

No potassium? You are planning on adding I assume?

[object16]

I have some potash - probably I can work that into the surface of the potting mix to supply the potassium -

[mdvpc]

I got a great harvest with my dwarfs in 5 gallon smart pots this summer only using GH Floranova Grow and then switching to FloraNova Bloom. I did use a myco also. So its possible growing these dwarves in 5-7 gallon pots, one plant to a pot and using only liquid ferts. These ferts are complete-both micro and macro.

[object16]

That is good to know - I have a good stock of Miracle Grow which is also micro/macro.

[mdvpc]

Miracle Grow here in the US doesnt have calcium.

[object16]

- i also ordered a bag of calcium nitrate -

[mdvpc]

Good thinking. You should do fine.