First time growing indoors

[Diane Whitehead]

and more on the same topic: If you have two separate areas it would be fun to try two light durations.



from the book "Greenhouse tomatoes,Lettuce & Cucumbers" from the folks at Michigan State University.


Tomato plants started during the late fall or winter months should be exposed to as much light as possible during normal daylight hours. Artificial lights, if used, should be employed only during the daylight hours on dark cloudy days, and should not be used at night to extend the length of day.

The tomato is a facultative short day plant which flowers and fruits earliest if the day is not extended beyond twelve hours by artificial light. Young tomato plants do not need the light intensities of full sunlight.

If days are short (nine hours of light), the tomato plant will flower earlier and form the first cluster after fewer leaves than if day lengths are twelve or eighteen hours. An increase in light intensity also hastens flowering.

[Diane Whitehead]

Google certainly found a lot that has been written on the topic of light and dark requirements. Here is an interesting page from Tomatoville:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=190

[SeanInVa]

Tomatoes will die in 24h light. They need minimal 6 hours dark a day, but i think 8 hours dark is better.
Im not sure yet, but maybe seedlings will grow faster with less hours light.

I've grown micro tomatoes under 24/0 lights and never had an issue. Maybe there are some concerns with larger determinates, etc?

[Roland]

Tomatoes will die in 24h light. They need minimal 6 hours dark a day, but i think 8 hours dark is better.
Im not sure yet, but maybe seedlings will grow faster with less hours light.

[SeanInVa]

That does look similar to light burn/sun scald - but you could potentially have some nutrient uptake issues as well. I would try raising the lights some. Start with about 6-12 inches, and give them a few days. If they get real leggy, then bring it back down a little at a time.

Any particular reason you're going with 12 on/12 off? This mimics light patterns in early spring or mid-late fall. While tomatoes aren't really photoperiod sensitive like some other plants, I believe you will likely get better results with a longer photoperiod. It at least provides more energy to them. At least try 14 on, but I would recommend either 16 or 18 on. You can also go 24 on, 0 off, but I imagine you also want to try to balance your power bill and I don't think you will really see that big of a difference at 24/0.

Temp should be warmer generally speaking (70ish ambient would probably work well), but w/o knowing an actual range you're running it's hard to say. However, I don't see any apparent effects of phosphorous deficiency (purpling of the leaves/stems) which is a classic side effect of cooler temps.

What does your watering schedule look like? How much are you watering when you do water? Fertilizer? What media are you using? It's possible it's overwatering if you do have some nutrient uptake issues, especially if you are saturating the entire pot. If that is the case, then it's likely taking too long to dry out and the roots are suffocating. It's hard to gauge in a pot, but you want the soil around the roots moist, and then some of the soil outside the roots so they seek it out, but not the whole pot if the roots haven't "fully moved in" to the container yet.

It's been a few weeks at this point - how are they looking now?

[paul missall]

Here is more info then you'd want about the lights:
GE Lighting Grow Light for Plants, LED Floodlight Bulb for Fruits and Flowers, Advanced Red Spectrum, High Output PPF 15 Micromoles Per Second,white

Plants are in a garage on a light schedule of 12 hours on and 12 off. The temp is cool with little air movement. I am going to add a fan to aid pollination when blossoms appear .

Here are some better photos

[SeanInVa]

Yes, actually they are getting more. Is it possible they are getting too much light? Perhaps my lights are to close.

It's possible. The closeup picture is a little blurry, but tomatoes can get sunburn or sun scald, which usually presents as bleaching of the leaves. Can you provide some information on your lights? (LED? CFL? Wattage, Lumens, etc)

Other than that, what is the environment like in the area where they are growing? Temps, drafts, etc?

[paul missall]

Yes, actually they are getting more. Is it possible they are getting too much light? Perhaps my lights are to close.

[Diane Whitehead]

Are the plants getting as much light as they were before you transplanted them?

[paul missall]

I've been growing tomatoes for years and have decided to try growing indoors. The plants looked healthy until I transplanted them to large pots. Attached is a photo of my setup and a closeup of the leaf. The only thing that comes to mind is over watering but the plants are just in moist potting soil. Any Ideas?

Thanks
Paul