Tomatoes require a balanced supply of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. When selecting organic manure or commercial manufactured fertilizers as fertilizers for growing tomatoes, make sure that you read and follow all instructions thoroughly.
By including compost or worm castings in your planting mix, compost will provide slow-releasing nutrients that your tomatoes‘ roots can access easily.
Fertilizing Early
Tomato plants require plenty of the big three nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium – as well as calcium magnesium and other micro nutrients for proper development. Giving the tomato seeds an early boost will give them what they need to create strong roots and set off in the right direction.
If you’re starting tomatoes from seed, liquid fertilizers may be required for optimal success. Mix according to label specifications and apply when watering tomato plants – then water thoroughly so the nutrients reach deep into the soil without burning or overfertilizing their delicate young roots.
Once your seedlings have produced their first true leaves, feed them again using a diluted liquid fertilizer. Or if using commercial seed starter, just add a small amount of balanced liquid fertilizer before planting your seeds in each container.
Once the tomato plants have settled into their permanent homes, they’ll require regular and consistent nourishment in order to thrive and produce fruit. For optimal results, use slow-release organic granular fertilizer that won’t wash away before the tomatoes form fruit. It is advisable to have your soil tested prior to adding any fertilizers as this will let you know its current levels for each major nutrient and how much of each is necessary for optimal growth.
Regular applications of compost will aid tomatoes in reaching their fullest potential, in addition to slow-release granular fertilizer. Compost made with mushroom compost provides important fungus-fighting humus. Plus it’s easily found and packed full of other goodies!
As soon as your tomatoes begin flowering, use a fertilizer with higher phosphorous and lower nitrogen (like 5-15-5) levels in order to encourage fruiting processes and fruiting processes.
Fertilizing Mid-Season
Tomatoes require nourishment at specific points during their growth cycle to support healthy plant development, fruit production and disease resistance. If you take time to nourish them at these moments, the rewards could include optimal plant growth, fruit yield and disease protection.
Tomato seeds and seedlings require a light dose of fertilizer for vigorous growth. When starting tomatoes from scratch, take a soil test beforehand to ascertain if your planting site contains sufficient nutrients; if so, amend with compost or well-rotted manure at planting time or add worm castings and then water regularly with weak mixes of diluted compost or fertilizer tea until your seedlings have passed four weeks old.
As tomato plants thrive in garden beds, their initial fertilization applications should include plenty of nitrogen-rich fertilizer to promote lush foliage growth. A 10-10-10 or other balanced formulation will do just fine. Once plants have begun flowering, though, you’ll need to switch over to something with higher levels of phosphorous and potassium – such as bone meal or rock phosphate – in order to optimize fruiting development. Make sure you follow package directions when applying such nutrients!
As tomato season comes to a close, providing your plants with slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food can help ensure vigor and readiness for harvesting. When selecting fertilizers like this one it is important to follow package instructions precisely and not use too much.
Tomato plants can be quite vulnerable to overfertilization when using dry fertilizers such as granular manure or planters’ mix, and overfeeding could even kill it altogether. Liquid fertilizers break down quickly and are gentler on plants than their granular counterparts; they should only be applied lightly to avoid burning the leaves. With experience comes learning what your tomatoes require at any given moment so that you’re feeding them accordingly and reaping a bountiful harvest of fresh-picked tomatoes!
Fertilizing Late
Tomato plants require plenty of nutrients in order to thrive and produce well, and knowing when and what nutrients they require can be tricky. With time, however, you will become adept at knowing exactly what your tomatoes require as well as being able to identify potential issues before they arise.
Tomato plants require not only nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium but also calcium, magnesium and micro nutrients such as biotin. Water is essential in developing strong roots and fruit development and regular fertilization is the best way to provide essential nutrient needs of healthy plants.
Starting seedlings from seed requires adding organic slow-release fertilizer like worm castings or compost to each planting hole for best results. This provides seeds with a boost of nutrients at their beginning and gives them a head start. After transplanting to your garden, continue fertilizing regularly using 100% water-soluble liquid organic fertilizers that can be applied through spray bottles – or using small oral medicine syringes to measure out exactly the right amount.
As the season advances, it’s advisable to fertilize tomatoes every two weeks. Your frequency of application depends on whether your tomatoes are growing in containers or soil. For ground-grown tomatoes, use an NPK fertiliser with lower nitrogen than phosphorous and potassium levels; otherwise you could switch to one higher in potassium levels, like wood ash fertilizers.
Once tomatoes begin setting a large percentage of fruit, stop fertilizing as overdoing it could cause it to sag and rot, leading to an unsuccessful harvest. It would also be wise to start new beds with compost or aged manure in autumn so the soil remains rich and ready for next year’s tomatoes crop.
Fertilizing at the Right Time
Tomatoes require a steady source of nutrients in order to develop strong roots and create a sturdy structure. This can be accomplished through adding slow-release organic fertilizers like worm castings into seed starting mixes before planting, or watering newly planted tomato seeds with weak mixtures of compost, worm castings, or liquid plant food tea weekly for four weeks after they germinate. Once established in their roots, then additional sources such as kelp meal or rock dust (composed of ground-up rock that contains potassium and phosphorous) should be worked into soil or side dressed around each plant.
Once seedlings have reached maturity and are ready to be transplanted, they may require extra nourishment. Some gardeners add a light application of balanced NPK liquid fertilizer when transplanting them; mixing or digging it in as they settle into their new homes; others wait and apply a dose afterward so as to not overwhelm their young roots with too much at one time.
An 8-6-10 liquid fertilizer ratio will provide your tomatoes with the ideal balance of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium that they require at this stage of development. An all-natural liquid plant food with 1-3-1 N-P-K ratio and additional micronutrients could also be an excellent choice.
Once tomatoes reach midseason, they require an injection of phosphorous to promote healthy fruit development and avoid blossom-end rot. To achieve this result, low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer or side dress of balanced NPK or rock dust fertilizers may be used, with this also providing an opportunity to water these applications thoroughly so their nutrients are evenly dispersed across their roots and effectively utilized.
Late season feeding may also be necessary if tomatoes haven’t reached their expected yield or been affected by disease or insects, preferably using an NPK formulation with lower nitrogen concentration and greater phosphorous amounts to stimulate plant growth and facilitate flowering. In these instances, use an NPK with lower concentration of nitrogen but higher amounts of phosphorous to promote blossoming.
