Just to add to this, it's also about leaching of your nutrients. The rain can quickly wash out all of the water soluble nutrients you may have applied. This is probably a case where a fast draining soil mix both helps and hurts you...
It's good that you're not up to any super-complicated growing methods, because,generally speaking the less complicated the better off you are...
New growers tend to over do just about everything lol... Over complicate, over water, over fertilize, over attend, etc...
How big are the rectangular...
I'm just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. The videos are pointless without a dissolved oxygen test to show any measurable difference.
At any rate, I'm not going to fault anyone for using them, but IMO they just are an added expense that is not needed. I get frothy Brews in 24...
Personally, I feel the air stones are not needed. I'm a long time aquarium hobbyist, and I was also the acting curator of a large saltwater (10,000 plus gallon) system for a large chain restaurant for a few years. Breaking the surface tension of the water and circulating water in a system does...
A good source of fungal/bacterial Inoculate is espoma brand starter plus organic fert, or jobes organic tomato food. They are both packed with fungal and bacterial strains, and are much less expensive than the various guano. One bag of either would last a whole season easy, provided you store...
+1 to double checking for mites and or ahpids as they do like to congregate in the new growth nodes and can cause deformations.
It is probably just a bit of over watering though, and make sure your not over doing it with the ferts.
PMD,
Thanks for the heads up, just picked it up on my lunch break, and so far it's a great read. One from my collection that I would recommend is "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Applehof.... pretty simple and straightforward, but a good reference.
If it is sunburn, depending on how bad they were burned, the brown could be completely normal. Were the plants hardened off prior to being put outside? Sunburn USUALLY only occurs if the plants were not properly hardened off.