Slide 2. Slide 1. Slide 4. Slide 3. Slide 5 Slide 6. Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes & Greenhouse Cucumbers in Containers

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1 Slide 1 Grwing Greenhuse Tmates & Greenhuse Cucumbers in Cntainers Slide 2 Trends in Greenhuse Tmat Yields: Richard McAvy Prfessr & Extensin Specialist Greenhuse Crps University f Cnnecticut ~1975 tp cmmercial yields abut 1 tns per acre per year (2 #/plant*) ~199 tp cmmercial yields abut 2 tns per acre per year (4 #/plant*) ~25 tp cmmercial yields abut tns per acre per year (66 #/plant*) richard.mcavy@ucnn.edu *Based n 1, plants per acre Achieved thrugh intense envirnmental & crp management techniques t maximize the prductive ptential f the plant Slide Envirnmental & Cultural Factrs that are Critical t Crp Prductin Slide 4 Light quantity, phtperid, quality Temperature Water Fertility VPD r humidity (t cntrl disease & water use) Plant care Interactin f all abve = crp management Slide 5 Slide 6

2 Slide 7 The High Pruning system Slide 8 The Umbrella Renewal System Slide 9 Rule f Thumb: 1% Increase in Light = 1% Increase in Yield Slide 1 Supplemental Lighting Can Bst Yields If yu can't alter the light, then yu have t adjust yur management t ptimize the light that is available Supplemental CO 2 can als bst yields and cmpensate fr limited light Slide 11 Rule One: Optimize Available Light Slide 12

3 Slide 1 If yu can't alter the light, then yu have t adjust yur management t ptimize the light that is available Slide 14 Plant Spacing: Prvide Mre space in Light Limited Mnths Adjusting t the Light Envirnment: Example The Case f Limited Light Plant Density mre area per plant Fruit Lad carry fewer fruit Temperature run cler temperatures Irrigatin reduce quantity Fertility higher EC VPD maintain VPD abve. psi t prevent disease (see fr fact sheet n VPD) Adjust Plant Density t Optimize Fruit Quality (sq.ft./plant) Seasn Tmat Cucumber Light-limited Light-abundant Slide 15 Rule Tw: Match Temperature t the Prevailing Light Envirnment Slide 16 The Shrt-Term Temperature Envirnment Temperature Cntrls The Rate f Plant Metablism & Grwth Ttal PAR (ml/m2/day) atural daily PAR available in the greenhuse v 15 Dec 1 Dec 15 Jan 1 Jan 15 Jan Time Adjust night temperature t the light cnditin f the preceding day Tmat During light-limited seasns: Run 6F fllwing dark days Run 6F fllwing bright days During light-abundant seasns: Run 62F fllwing dark days Run 65F fllwing bright days Slide 17 The Shrt-Term Temperature Envirnment Adjust night temperature t the light cnditin f the preceding day Slide 18 Grw-Tubes Bst Temperature In Lcalized Parts f the Plant t Bst Grwth & Manage Disease Cucumber During light-limited seasns: Run 62F fllwing dark days Run 64F fllwing bright days During light-abundant seasns: Run 66F fllwing dark days Run 7F fllwing bright days

4 Slide 19 Excessive Heat during the Day will Stress the Plant Slide 2 Shade in the Brightest Part f the day can Limit Plant Water Stress Fan & Pad System has the Ptential t Lwer Air Temperature t the Dew Pint Slide 21 Rule Three: Match Fruit Lad t Carrying Capacity & Desired Size* Slide 22 * Fr tmat it all starts with pllinatin umber f seed per fruit is highly crrelated with final fruit size Each pllen grain prduces a single seed Cukes can be gynecius parthencarpic (all female flwers that d nt need pllenatin Slide 2 Manage Fruit Lad t Match Seasnal Light Levels Slide 24 Cucumber Planting Leaves Fruit n Seasn t 1 st fruit main stem Winter planting (Dec, Jan, Feb) Yu can prune clusters r fruit (n cukes) t manage lad, quality & size (n tmat) Spring/Summer (Apr. May, Jun) Late fall (Oct, v.)

5 Slide 25 Slide 26 May-Check in Tmat Fruit Set Start by getting rid f the junk & d it early in develpment A drp in fruit set fllwing heavy flwering & fruit set in March & April Aviding r reducing a drp ff in prductin requires a ttal management apprach: temperature, fruit lad, fertility & water management Slide 27 Slide 28 The Irrigatin Balancing Act Bth Water & Fertility Reprductive Grwth Stress Vegetative Grwth Can Influence the Tendency Tward Either Increased Stress Reduced Stress Vegetative Grwth r Reprductive (Flwering & Fruiting) BER High Quality Fruit Water Quantity & Frequency Cracking T Little T Much Slide 29 Irrigatin: rules f thumb Slide 8-1% dry dwn = Vegetative Grwth 17% dry dwn = reprductive grwth Adjust water stress thrughut the day (wetter early, drier later) Adjust water frequency t weather cnditins & plant size Frequent light irrigatins are best Avid chrnic ver r under watering Avid daily extremes Cucumber under stress: similar symptms can ccur frm water stress, stem rt, r excessive fruit lad

6 Slide 1 utrient requirements are related t the stage f plant develpment & seasnal cnditins Slide 2 Cucumber Prir t first flwer: run K: rati f 1:1 t build the vegetative plant structure Similar t tmat, fertilizer prgram is adjusted fr three stages in prductin: 1 st cluster t 4 th : run K: rati f 1.5:1 Transplant t 4-6 leaf stage rmal feed Mature fruit t ripening: run K: rati f 1.7:1 Heavy fruiting T bst vegetative grwth at any time: increase nitrgen prprtin especially ammnium (H 4 ) frm Slide Cucumber cmpared t Tmat Very high ptassium requirement Very high magnesium requirement Slide 4 itrgen frm: H 4 :O rati T bst vegetative grwth at any time: increase nitrgen prprtin especially ammnium (H 4 ) frm Typically keep H 4 t 1% f ttal r less but can increase it mre in the shrt term High calcium requirement Typically use a base frmula supplemented with K 2 SO 4, MKP (KH 2 PO 4 ), calcium nitrate, ptassium nitrate and ammnium nitrate. Ttal fertility level In early Spring & Fall, higher EC (2.5-.5) In Summer, lwer EC ( ) Slide 5 Matching Irrigatin & Slide 6 Rule Fur: Match Irrigatin & Fertility t Prevailing Light Envirnment Fertility with Envirnment 25 atural daily PAR available in the greenhuse As light (& temperature) increase, water uptake als increases Ttal PAR (ml/m2/day) Irrigatin frequency shuld increase utrient slutin cncentratin shuld decrease Feb 1 Feb 15 Mar 1 Mar 15 Apr 1 Time Irrigatin=daily adjustment Fertilizatin=seasnal r stage f develpment adjustment

7 Slide 7 Slide 8 Sme General Rules Smaller the Rt vlume the Less Buffered the system is t Changes in bth utrient status & Water Status S chse yur system wisely (e.g. t fit yur management ability & time cnstraints) Smaller the rt vlume the less buffered it is t change (ph, EC) Inert media are less buffered against change than Peat-lite & sil-based media As buffering decreases, the need t mre clsely mnitr & manage nutritin increases Small rt vlumes, allw fr better cntrl f crp grwth & develpment BUT nly if yu are able t mnitr and manage clsely Slide 9 Mnitr utritinal & Water Status Regularly Slide 4 Use f Grafted Rtstck t Cntrl Plant Vigr. Grafted rtstck increases the POTETIAL fr Cnsistently Big Yields. With Use f Rtstck like Maxifrt, grwers can find the Challenge f Reining in Excessive Vigr mre f a Management issue than Aviding Lss f Vigr Slide 41 Cucumbers are als grafted but fr disease resistence Slide 42 Use Superir Rt-Stck fr Increased Vigr

8 Slide 4 The mst imprtant factr f all is Grwer Experience: Slide 44 uts & blts f building a fertilizer prgram Learning t Read the Plant Identify prblems early and make the Prper adjustments quickly Selecting fertilizers Determining cncentratins Leaves appear bright under lw water stress & duller under mderate water stress Thick stem (1/2 at 6 frm the tp; thicker = t vegetative, thinner= t much stress) Adjusting cncentratins Calculating ratis Leaves shuld be clsely spaced, expand rapidly & deep green in clr Flwers & fruit shuld set easily Slide 45 General requirements: Typical ranges fr nutrients (ppm) Tmat (O/H4) ppm (5-1% H4) Cucumber (O/H4) ppm (7-14% H4) P K Ca S Mg Fe K/ Rati :1 t 1.7:1 P K Ca S Mg Fe K/ Rati :1 t 2.1:1 EC EC Slide 46 Cmparing sme basic frmulatins Fertilizer Hydr-Sl Jack s Chem-Gr Plantex Plantex (O/H4) 5 (5/) 5 (5/) 4 (.5/.5) 6 (6/) P2O5 K2O Ca S Mg Fe % (6.48/.52) Slide 47 Example f a simple fertilizer prgram: EC=2. Fertilizer Hydrsl ( ) K/ rati*=1.6 (z/1 gal) 14 (%H4) 52 P 49 K 225 Ca Mg 2 Fe Slide 48 Example f a prgram with same K/ rati but lwer EC: EC=1.8, K/ rati=1.6 Fertilizer Hydrsl ( ) (z/1 gal) 11 (%H4) 41 P 9 K 177 Ca Mg 25 Fe 2 Calcium nitrate (15.5--) Ptassium nitrate Ttals (6%) 198 (4%) Calcium nitrate (15.5--) Ptassium nitrate Epsm salts Fe-chelate (1%) (6%) *K/ rati=ttal K/Ttal =7/198 Ttals 148 (.8%)

9 Slide 49 Example f a prgram with same EC but lwer K/ Rati: EC=2. K/ rati=1. Fertilizer Hydrsl ( ) Calcium nitrate (15.5--) Ammnium itrate 4-- (z/1 gal) P (%H4) 56(%) (6%) 12 (5%) K 241 Ca 149 Mg 5 Fe Slide 5 Example: same as riginal frmulatin using a different base frmulatin: EC=2., K/ rati=1.6 Fertilizer (z/1 gal) (%H4) P K Ca Mg Chem-Gr 11 (12%) (4-18-8) Calcium nitrate (15.5--) Ptassium nitrate Epsm salts (6%) Fe Ttals 184 (7.5%) Ttals 181 (7.2%) Slide 51 Prgram (%H4) Tmat nutritin prgrams used in different regins: Canada (clsed) 165 (8.5%) Canada (pen) 24 (7%) P K Ca S Mg Fe K/ Rati / /1 Arizna /1 Mississippi (spring) Mississippi (summer) Cnnecticut (spring) Cnnecticut (ht & tps thinning) / /1 2 (4%) 16 (7.5%) / /1 Slide 52 Hw t use the lk-up tables: 1. Select the base fertilizer yu are using (e.g. Hydr-Sl , Jack s , Chem-gr ) 2. Find the rw that prvides all f the P (phsphrus) yu need.. ext Lk up calcium nitrate & find the rw that prvides all f the Ca (calcium) yu need. 4. Sub-ttal by adding up all the nitrgen, all the P, all the K (ptassium) etc. 5. Calculate K/ rati (ttal K divided by ttal ) yu can als estimate EC by ttaling all f the nutrients tgether (ttal ppm), divide this number by 68 and then add the EC f yur water. 6. Add ther fertilizers such as Epsm salts t supplement Mg (magnesium), ptassium nitrate t increase ptassium & nitrgen as needed. 7. T increase plant vigr (increase nitrgen & lwer K/ rati), by increasing calcium nitrate r yu can add a small amunt f ammnium nitrate. 8. T reduce plant vigr, increase the K/ rati by increasing the base fertilizer r increasing ptassium nitrate.