Tomatoes have high nutritional requirements, and their proper and regular fertilization allows you to obtain good-looking and tasty fruit. Improperfertilizing tomatoesor abandoning this treatment quickly affects the quality of the fruit and the yield. Find outwhat to fertilizetomatoes so that they grow quickly and do not get sick. Here aretips on how to fertilize tomatoesto get juicy and beautifully colored fruits!
Fertilizing tomatoes
Fertilizing open-grown tomatoes
Organic fertilizationis very important in the field cultivation of tomatoes, which is the source of humus in the soil. Even before planting the seedlings, when preparing the place for growing tomatoes, the soil is fed with organic fertilizers, such as composted manure or compost. Apply manure in autumn at a dose of 2-3.5 kg / m². The use of manure prevents the deficiency of micronutrients (Mg, Cu, B, Cu, Mo, Mn) during the subsequent cultivation of tomatoes. Use the compost in the spring at a dose of 3-4 kg / m².
Tomatoes have the greatest demand for nutrients during the period of strong vegetative development and simultaneous fruit setting, i.e. in the months of July-AugustDuring this period, symptoms of nutrient deficiency, such as such as the yellowing of the leaves from the bottom of the stem or the curling of tomato leaves towards the top of the leaf blades. We use mineral fertilizers to supplement nutrient deficiencies.To avoid symptoms of nutrient deficiency, start fertilizing tomatoes with mineral fertilizers approx. 3 weeks after planting seedlings and repeat every 14-16 daysEnd feeding tomatoes 3-4 weeks before the planned end of cultivation.
For the mineral fertilization of tomatoeswe can use single-component or multi-component fertilizers.
The most preferred single-component fertilizers are: ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium sulphate and superphosphate. One-component fertilizers should be used based on soil analysis. In amateur crops, a better solution isthe use of multi-component fertilizers with a balanced composition ofnutrients, e.g. soluble fertilizer for tomatoes Target, Florovit, Azofoska. It is best to use liquid fertilizers as they are absorbed most quickly by plants.
An alternative to mineral fertilizers is the use of nettle, dandelion or horsetail manure.Dilute the fermented slurry in water in a ratio of 1: 10 and water the tomatoes every 3-4 days, in a dose of 2-3 liters of solution per plant. Nettle slurry, in addition to its nutritional properties, also has antiseptic properties.And if there are no nettles in our area, which could be used to make slurry, it is worth buying ready-made nettle fertilizer from Target or Substral in the garden shop.
Fertilizing tomatoes grown in pots
Tomatoes grown in pots are more likely to suffer from nutrient deficiencies than those grown outdoorsbecause they use up the nutrients available in a small volume of substrate faster. We start fertilizing tomatoes in pots two weeks after planting the plants and repeat them every 2 weeks.To fertilize tomatoes grown in containers, we use special fertilizers for tomatoes , containing magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), boron (B), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo) and manganese (Mn), as deficiencies of these elements most often occur during container cultivation.It can be, for example, liquid fertilizer for Target tomatoes. Mineral fertilizers can be changed into natural ones, e.g. biohumus or organic fertilizer for tomatoes, cucumbers and Target herbs.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
