Fertilizing Tomatoes

[jimbojetset]

Hello lovelies,

Seem to remember reading a couple of weeks ago that it was best to fertilize tomatoes with two different fertilizers, one for foliar growth and another later in the season that is low in nitrogen which will cause the fruits to ripen...

Anyone confirm or deny this?

Also if that is the case is there an organic fertilizer anyone can recommend, at present I've just been using seaweed extract throughout the season... mainly because I like the smell...

Cheers!
x

[Strawberry delight]

I dont know about the two fertelizers but B&Q have organic tomatoe and pepper food that i realy reccomend, its in pellet form.

SD

[MalUK]

It would make sense to have either a general purpose fertiliser added at the beginning, so that the roots and foliage grow well, or use compost with it already added. Then as the fruit appear, boost the levels of potassium, and perhaps go back to general purpose stuff (or something high in nitrogen) once the fruit is finished.

Seaweed is potassium, as is other tomato feed. Fish blood and bone would be general purpose. Chicken manure pellets would be nitrogen.

[Two_Sheds]

Comfrey tea is what I use, but it doesn't smell nice - it smells like a farmyard on a hot day

[jimbojetset]

brilliant stuff thanks, if anyone has heard anything about different fertilizing would love to hear!

anyone dared to try...

Better Tomatoes Via a Fertilizer of...Human Urine? | Popular Science

[womble]

Comfrey tea is what I use, but it doesn't smell nice - it smells like a farmyard on a hot day

You must be lucky, mine smells like my septic tank

brilliant stuff thanks, if anyone has heard anything about different fertilizing would love to hear!

anyone dared to try...

Better Tomatoes Via a Fertilizer of...Human Urine? | Popular Science

Oh yes, all the time, I didn't realise I was being brave.

[Tomatoking]

Hello lovelies,

Seem to remember reading a couple of weeks ago that it was best to fertilize tomatoes with two different fertilizers, one for foliar growth and another later in the season that is low in nitrogen which will cause the fruits to ripen...

Anyone confirm or deny this?

Also if that is the case is there an organic fertilizer anyone can recommend, at present I've just been using seaweed extract throughout the season... mainly because I like the smell...

Cheers!
x

Hi Jimbo
I will try and keep this as simple as possible and some points have been made in previous posts.

All fertilisers contain at least one of the major plant foods,that is:
Nitrogen (N)-for stem and leaf growth;
Phosphate (P)-for root growth
Potash (K)-for flower and fruit production

This is shown on packets or bottles of feed as the NPK ratio , but it can be misleading as it is qoted in different figures, but for tomatoes you basically need a 1.1.3 ratio or percentages of that. But the main thing is to have more Potash than Nitrogen. There are always other minor ratio's of other chemicals added to most feeds, which the plant also requires, these are usually described as trace elements.


The compost used to raise you plants in should have enough fertiliser untill you see the first bunches forming. Then to make it simple for the first few weeks just feed with half strengh tomato feed. After that it will depend if you are growing in the soil or a growing medium in posts or bags.
The soil will have a reserve of nutrients so maybe feed once a week, growing mediums will need feeding more often.

The only time you might need a high nitrogen feed again is if you plants are loaded with fruit and the heads are thin, so require a folier feed, i,e a flower feed, which is high in nitrogen.

As for organic feeds, nettle tea is not so good as it is very high in nitrogen, comfrey on the other hand is high in Potash and has plenty of other elements that it has taken up from the soil deep down, as it has a deep root system.
Seaweed again is high in potash.


This advice is based on getting a good production, I am sure people with a short season, do not always stick to this and still get good results.

At the end of the season when you have stopped the head of the plant, you can then stop feeding.

A little added advice for the end of the season to help prevent spliting fruit is to leave the shoots on after you have stopped the head, these tend to take up any excess moisture. To be fair I have not tried this but it was in the last GW magazine.

I hope this gives you a better idea.

Mr TK.

[jimbojetset]

Brilliant stuff!
Highly informative, clear and concise!
Thanks so much Mr Tomato King, who'd have thought with a name like that you'd have grown up to be such a Solanaceae expert!
Cheers!