Hello, dear gardeners! Today we will think about how you can increase the yield of everyone’s favorite tomatoes. From “survival materials” we can create fertilizers that will cost us practically nothing, and the effect will be amazing. And the fruits will turn out delicious! So, no chemical industry; we can handle it ourselves.
Available fertilizers
To grow a full-bodied crop, tomatoes must absorb a large variety of nutrients. Many generations of farmers managed folk remedies, successfully producing the necessary products at home.
Tomatoes are a nutritionally demanding vegetable crop, but all its needs can be met by using exclusively natural fertilizers. They are very diverse.
Already at the very beginning of the season, the question arises: how to fertilize tomatoes after planting them in the ground? How to feed them throughout the summer?Not all gardeners have the opportunity to use manure.
But everyone has some weeds in their garden, grass outside the fence, and food waste. It is easy to get whey, yeast, and boric acid. And when we learn to use all this wealth wisely, the result is guaranteed.
General rules and terms
There are many possibilities, but the plants themselves will tell you what exactly and when exactly to fertilize the tomato beds.A garden crop such as tomatoes is intensively saturated with phosphorus and potassium throughout the season. These substances, in combination with microelements, participate in the formation of the underground part of the plant, are beneficial during flowering and fruit formation, and increase resistance to disease. Therefore, we add wood ash (in reasonable doses) without fear.
But in matters of supplying nitrogen nutrition, you should be more careful and careful. A lot of this element is required in the initial stages, when the bushes build up a powerful green mass. Tall, large-fruited varieties should be fed more often and more abundantly, especially in a greenhouse. Overdoing it is also dangerous. You need to carefully monitor the “pets”: if the bushes are to the detriment of the ovaries, if the fruits crack, these are signals of excessive doses.
First two weeks
If each root of the seedlings was grown in a separate container, the bushes take root quickly, and after 5-7 days the tops begin to grow (see photo)
The injured root system takes a little longer to take root - 10-12 days. You need to take a closer look at the plantings from a week ago.
With abundant pre-planting filling of the holes, additional feeding may not be required until the stage of filling the first fruits. If the tomatoes have begun to grow, but not very actively, fertilizing watering is needed.
The purple color of leaves and stems is a signal of phosphorus deficiency. The roots stop absorbing it due to severe cold or heat. You can feed the plants through the foliage by performing foliar feeding by spraying with an infusion of ash.
Wood ash
Such a natural and very affordable fertilizer as wood ash contains about 25% calcium, a lot of potassium (more than 10%), as well as phosphorus compounds and small doses of other useful elements. Ash is of particular value in areas with acidic soils, where there is a lack of calcium and potassium.
The ash makes an excellent fertilizer infusion; beneficial compounds dissolve easily and become convenient for plants to absorb.
A liter jar of dry ash is poured into a small container of water and boiled for 40 minutes, then the broth is diluted with ten liters of water. This solution can be watered or sprayed on tomato bushes every 7-10 days.
Boric acid
The boron element helps vegetable crops form high-quality ovaries and increases the sugar content of tomato fruits.
10 grams of powdered boric acid must be dissolved in very hot water, then added with cool water to the volume of a standard bucket. The fertilizer is ready. A small amount can be poured under the root; The main method of application is spraying on buds, ovaries and foliage 2-3 times a month.
Organic instant solutions
- Ash and – mineral compounds. Organic substances also contain calcium, potassium, phosphorus, microelements, but they also contain large quantities of nitrogen and beneficial microorganisms.
- Fresh or slightly rotted manure (preferably horse or cow) is diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10 and the tomatoes are watered 2-3 times in the first two months of the growing season. A solution of bird droppings is made in the same way, only the concentration should be ten times weaker - 1:20.
- Healthy . 30 grams of raw store-bought or fresh hop yeast are dissolved in a bucket of warm water (preferably rain) and watered at the roots of the plants 2-3 times during the summer.
- We combine half a liter of natural whey with ten liters of water and water the tomato bushes by sprinkling - this is both feeding and prevention of fungal and bacterial diseases.
Herbal infusion
Unique nutritional and healing properties has a fermented infusion of herbs. After watering or spraying with this solution, tomatoes become stronger and bear fruit more abundantly.
You can feed this complex fertilizer regularly, once every one to two weeks (according to needs).
It is better to prepare the drug in a plastic or enamel container, without contact with metal. All this should happen with the onset of stable warm weather (the grasses will grow).
The dishes are half filled with weeded weeds () and mowed grass, and filled with water (rain, river or lake). The contents need to be covered with a lid or a rag; the fermentation process will occur in any conditions, it would be warm.
For one to two weeks, the liquid bubbles, plant fibers decompose, and the smell of fermentation appears. Then the foam settles. The fertilizer is ripe. A liter jar of such liquid is diluted in ten liters of water; Pour a liter of solution under each tomato root.
Complex infusions
If possible and if desired, the herbal infusion can be enriched by adding manure, a little humus, beer and kvass, yeast, whey, old jam, small food waste, and ash along with the grass. All this will transfer its life-giving substances to the tomatoes.
It’s not without reason that they say: the earth is like a plate, what you put in it is what you take out. So, no chemical industry; we can handle it ourselves.
Happy harvest and see you soon!
Sincerely, Andrey
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The question of how to feed tomatoes after planting in the ground is natural, since this plant with a powerful root system is a crop that is demanding on soil fertility and quality of nutrition. High yields of tomatoes are obtained by providing the plant with organic and mineral fertilizers.
To characterize the growth of plants, two basic concepts are used: “need” and “demandingness”. The need is characterized by the general removal of mineral nutrition elements from the soil during the entire growing season.
Tomato is an average carryover crop that extracts approximately 400 kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium per hectare of soil.
According to the second parameter, it also belongs to the demanding “middle peasants” who need large doses of the most important fertilizers.
Its lack causes depletion of leaves, yellowing and drying out on the lower tiers. The veins of the leaves become bluish-red, the flesh of the fruit becomes tasteless and woody, and the fruits themselves become small. Without nitrogen, the plant is doomed to disease.
But most of all, a tomato needs phosphorus. A complete supply of this element to a tomato contributes to the formation of good ovaries, a strong root system, and normalization of photosynthesis. If you feed tomatoes with phosphorus fertilizers, the harvest will delight you with full-fledged fruits with excellent taste.
Fibrous, thin lignified stems, reddish-purple leaves, twisted and small fruits - this is what a tomato bush becomes when there is a lack of phosphorus. A deficiency of the element delays the flowering of the cluster, the fruits become smaller, and their ripening is delayed.
Its tasks are to activate enzymes, increase the resistance of tomatoes to diseases, and improve the supply of water to cells. The supply of nitrogen to the plant and the increase in protein depend on it.
If the soil under the tomatoes is left without potassium fertilizing, the tomato leaves turn wrinkled and lifeless. Spots form on young leaves, giving them a bronze tint. The spots along the edges merge into a solid line and then turn brown. The stems become thinner, the fruits lag behind in development, ripening unevenly and slowly.
In addition to basic fertilizing, tomatoes will need microelements: calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, boron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum. But deficiency and excess of organic and mineral nutrition are equally unsafe for tomatoes, as well as the principle “I feed with what I have.”
Interchangeability of base fertilizers
Nothing else can replace nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and microelements for a plant. When discussing the interchangeability of fertilizers, they talk about their types that contain the same components, differing from each other only quantitatively. Tomatoes need to be fed based on conversion indicators (i.e. quantitative recalculation of the component).
Interchangeability of basic fertilizers:
Fertilizer | Basic basis | Quantity | Quantitatively equal |
Ammonium nitrate | 0.75 kg urea; 1.7 kg ammonium sulfate; 2.6 kg of nitrophoska. |
||
Potassium chloride | Potassium oxide | 1 kg | 1.35 kg of 40% potassium salt; 1.8 kg of 30% potassium salt; 1.1 kg of potassium sulfate; 4.5 kg of nitrophoska; 0.9-1 kg of potash; 2 kg of potassium magnesia; 8 kg of pine firewood ash; 4 kg of birch firewood ash; 17 kg of spruce firewood ash. |
Simple superphosphate granules | 0.4 kg double superphosphate; 1.8 kg nitrophoska |
Tomato, which is demanding on soil fertility, grows well in areas filled with organic fertilizers:
- manure;
- slurry;
- peat;
- humus;
- chicken droppings;
- compost.
When the land is manured, you only need to add phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. But for tomatoes that are hypersensitive to chloride compounds, it is preferable to use potassium sulfate.
Feeding tomatoes in a greenhouse
What fertilizers are needed for greenhouse tomatoes? The choice depends on the growing method. It is possible to plant seeds directly into the ground or initially plant them in boxes and cups, followed by picking in the phase of the first true leaf. Without picking, you can grow seedlings in peat tablets with auxiliary additives of mineral fertilizers and growth stimulants, ensuring their successful development.
If the soil mixture is properly supplied with nutrients, tomato seedlings do not require fertilizing. If there is a shortage of them, use 1-2 additional fertilizing:
- 10 days after the picking, mix in 10 liters of water:
- ammonium nitrate - 15 g;
- potassium sulfate - 20 g;
- superphosphate - 40 g.
- 10-12 days after the date of the first feeding or 5-7 before planting in the same proportions.
The seedlings are transferred directly into the greenhouse soil at the age of 50-60 days when there are seven to eight leaves and the first flower cluster is budding. When planting tomatoes, it is better to prepare the soil in the fall, adding 1 sq. m 2-6 kg of manure, 1-3 kg of compost, 10-15 g of potassium chloride, 50-70 g of superphosphate, or add everything in the spring in the same proportions, but without calcium chloride.
After planting, tomatoes, even with a closed root system (from cups, pots, cubes), take root in a new place within 8-12 days. Therefore, during this period it is better not to touch them, creating gentle conditions, covering them from the bright sun, watering them infrequently, but abundantly, because they love dry air and moist soil. Adult planted tomato seedlings, after they have grown stronger, are fed three times with mineral elements or organic fertilizers.
Doses of fertilizers (in g per 10 liters of water) by growing period:
Organic matter is used in the form of an aqueous solution of mullein in a ratio of 1:8-10 or bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15-20. It is best to feed tomatoes with microelements, including ready-made ones, in soluble tablets and granules using a foliar (non-root) feeding method, using a sprayer or a regular watering can.
Feeding with aqueous solutions of manganese sulfate (1 g per 1 liter of water), ammonium molybdate (0.2-0.3 g per 1 liter), boric acid (0.5 g per 1 liter) strengthens the bush, makes the stem, leaves, promotes the development of ovaries. Do not water for some time after spraying so that the microelements are well absorbed into the leaves and stems of the plants.
If the tomatoes were grown by direct planting in the ground and were not planted, they are simply thinned out, covering the moisture in the free areas with peat or humus mulch.
Feeding tomatoes in open ground
For the open cultivation of tomatoes in the country, many varieties of various economic purposes have been zoned, but when planting tomatoes in personal plots, early ripening varieties are usually selected. The quantity and content of nutrients are directly related here to the cultivation and fertility of the soil.
Organic fertilizers - semi-rotted manure, humus, compost - are usually applied for planting on insufficiently fertile lands. The main types of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers or their combination in the form of nitrophoska and ammophos are used. In combination with mineral elements, organic matter is added in half doses. It is effective for plants to add similar mixtures to each planting hole: 300-350 g of humus with 7-10 g of superphosphate.
If mineral fertilizers were not used when preparing the soil in autumn or spring, it is necessary to feed the tomatoes after planting in the ground several times during the growing season of the bushes. Various sources recommend doing this every 2-3 weeks. But on fertile lands, two feedings are quite enough, when the bush has up to six true leaves, and during the period of fruit formation.
How to feed tomatoes after planting in the garden? Traditionally, 15-20 g of superphosphate is added to a bucket of mullein or bird droppings solution. This amount is enough for 10-12 plants.
Further fertilizing is carried out with dry mineral fertilizers per square meter:
- 10-15 g ammonium nitrate;
- 20-30 g of superphosphate;
- 5-10 g of potassium salt.
Organic fertilizers are convenient to apply into furrows. When watering, they gradually saturate the soil with the necessary elements.
When tomatoes begin to bloom, foliar feeding is carried out:
- 0.01 -0.5% boric acid solution (0.1-0.5 g per 1 l);
- 0.001-0.02% molybdenum ammonium solution (0.01-0.2 g per 1 l);
- 0.03-0.05% solution of manganese sulfate or zinc sulfate (0.3-0.5 g per 1 l).
For every square meter of area, 0.1 liters of solution is used. The most suitable time for such “feeding” is evening or simply cloudy (not rainy) weather. Once on the leaves, nutrients are quickly absorbed by plants and contribute to accelerated growth and high-quality harvest. You can combine such fertilizing with spraying tomatoes with substances that prevent the development of bacterial diseases.
Caring for tomatoes after planting (video)
Feeding with herbal infusions
The experience of summer residents suggested how to fertilize tomatoes along with traditional fertilizers. There are many recipes, and they all have a right to exist, although perhaps science has not studied the effects of infusions on the plant. There are options for infusing one shovel of compost in 20 liters of water for a week. Many people insist on bird droppings for essential fermentation. When using fermented manure, it is diluted in a ratio of 1:10 and watered at the roots of the tomatoes.
After planting, tomatoes usually look pale green and sickly. After two weeks, when they can already be fed, using nettle infusion will be very effective. To prepare it, finely chop half a bucket of nettles without flowers and roots and pour in 10 liters of water (preferably warm). For a larger capacity, the proportion simply increases.
The container is closed with a lid, exposed to the sun, and the nettle, filled with water, ferments from a week to 10 days. The liquid ready for feeding becomes lighter. You can add wood ash to it. The solution is filtered, diluted in a ratio of 1:10 and watered over the tomatoes. They very quickly acquire strength and a dark green color.
Since the smell of the infusion is very unpleasant, in order not to strain it, the nettles are put in a canvas bag (not gauze) and after fermentation they are taken out of the infusion. This best recipe, but it is possible to use weeds, rotted hay, and compost.
Tomatoes are responsive to care. Therefore, they choose effective liquid fertilizers or microelements in instant granules and tablets. The main thing is that everything is in moderation and beneficial.
Feeding tomatoes with yeast (video)
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When growing tomatoes, the main task for the gardener is to obtain high-quality seedlings. However, in order to get good tomato bushes from seedlings, they still need to provide the necessary care, and in particular, regular feeding. Therefore, below we will talk about how to feed tomatoes after planting in the ground, when to do it and how.
Types of feeding tomatoes
Good growth of tomato bushes does not depend on how much tomato fertilizer you give. The main thing is that the plant really needs them, and they are introduced at the right time. But there is one more aspect - how exactly to apply fertilizers, since feeding tomatoes can be done both at the root and directly on the bush.
Foliar feeding
Feeding tomatoes after planting in the ground should not only be root feeding, as many gardeners believe. And first of all, this is due to the high efficiency of foliar spraying of tomato bushes, which is influenced by the following factors:
- When foliar spraying is used, much less mineral and organic fertilizers are consumed, since they are distributed directly over the plant.
- Tomato bushes receive much more nutrition because they absorb nutrients through the leaves, whereas with root feeding, some of the fertilizer is simply washed off with water and does not reach the roots.
- With foliar spraying, nutrients are supplied very quickly, so this method of feeding plants is ideal when emergency resuscitation is necessary. Also, a similar factor makes foliar feeding ideal for newly planted tomato seedlings, the root system of which is just beginning to take root, but the plant is in great need of additional fertilizers.
Do not use chlorinated water from the tap, otherwise cloudy stains will remain on the plants. For nutrient solutions ideal to use rainwater, although settled water will do just as well.
This type of feeding involves applying fertilizers to the soil directly at the site where the root system of tomato bushes develops. After all, it is from the soil that tomatoes receive nutrients, and if it is rich in them, the plant will grow well.
When applying root nutrition, you also need to know what tomatoes like when growing, and what minerals they need to produce a large number of fruits.
In addition, for faster “delivery” of fertilizer to the roots during such waterings, it is important to loosen the soil, and after that also cover it with mulch. Thanks to this, soil moisture will be retained longer, and the plant will better absorb fertilizers.
Important! Both types of tomato fertilizers can be used for plants planted in open ground and for greenhouse tomatoes. At the same time, in the first half of the growing season it is worth alternating root and foliar feeding, and in the second half, when the first fruits are already appearing on the bushes, it is better to focus only on the root one.
When do you need to fertilize tomatoes: how to fertilize the plant after planting in the ground?
The feeding schedule for tomatoes is not too strict, but it is still important to adhere to it for two reasons. Firstly, if you fertilize very often, the plant may simply burn out from the oversaturation of the soil with minerals. And secondly, if fertilizers are applied very rarely, plants may lack nutrients.
First feeding
To understand how to fertilize tomatoes immediately after planting in the ground, it is important to know what the plant needs. In the first stages of growth, these are, of course, nutrients for the development of the bush, as well as for resisting diseases.
Therefore, already one week after planting the seedlings, it can be treated foliarly by spraying it with a spray bottle. a solution of whey (1 liter), iodine (10 drops) and water (9 liters).
The first feeding of tomatoes after planting in the ground can be root feeding, but in this case it should be carried out only after 3 weeks from the moment of planting the seedlings. For such feeding it is worth preparing the following solution:
- 1 tbsp. l. “Ideal” fertilizers (buy it in liquid form);
- 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska;
- 10 liters of water.
Did you know? Tomatoes are very useful during a diet, because in addition to vitamins, they also replenish the body with fiber, on which the stomach spends a lot of energy during processing.
Second feeding
The second feeding of tomatoes after planting in the ground is carried out at a time when flowering is already appearing on the tomato bushes and the second cluster is blooming. During this period, the plant especially needs additional nutrients, since after flowering the first ovaries will begin to form, which should be strong and healthy.
Therefore, it is better to carry out root feeding by preparing for it solution from:
- 1 tbsp. l. the drug "Agricol-Vegeta";
- 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate;
- 1 tsp. potassium sulfate (can be replaced with potassium chloride in the same volume);
- 10 liters of water.
Third feeding
Usually there is a short break between the second and third feedings, especially if the second was carried out in the form of foliar spraying. It is worth carrying out the third fertilizing at the moment when the third flower cluster has already blossomed on the bushes. Also prepare for such feeding special composition, which includes:
- 1 tbsp. l. liquid “Sodium Humate” (it can be replaced with “Ideal” fertilizer in a similar amount);
- 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska;
- 10 liters of water.
Did you know?Both tomato bushes and fruits are very sensitive to low temperatures. Therefore, it is important to plant the bush in open ground only when the soil warms up to at least +10°C. Tomatoes should also be stored in a cool, but not cold, place, so the refrigerator is not suitable for this purpose.
Fourth feeding
The fourth feeding of tomato bushes is usually the last, although if the condition of the bushes is poor, they can be fed a fifth time. It is carried out approximately three weeks after the third feeding and involves adding tomato bushes using a solution of:
Tomatoes are a popular, healthy and tasty vegetable. He can often be seen on personal plot, even where the owners prefer to grow a lawn and flowers, they will definitely plant tomatoes in a small garden. Growing tomatoes is not difficult, but you need to know a few things: when and how to plant them, how to fertilize tomatoes, how to care for them so that the harvest is large and the tomatoes are tasty.
Planting, care, watering
At the site where the tomato is planted, the soil needs to be prepared in the fall: add garden compost, ash, and eggshells. It is better to grow tomatoes through seedlings, that is, in early spring, plant the seeds at home, and then plant the grown seedlings in the ground.
Before planting tomatoes, you need to warm up the beds; you should plant them when there is already an established positive temperature, and install supports. Tomatoes need to be pinched (that is, side shoots plucked off) if the variety requires it and environment(middle and verified latitudes), then remove the lower leaves until the ovary, but if the tomatoes grow in a hot zone, then there is no need to remove the leaves in this way.
You should monitor the soil so that it does not dry out or be too wet, and remove weeds. When watering tomatoes, try not to get water on the leaves, fruits and trunk, as this can cause fungal diseases; the best watering is drip watering.
Diseases, pests, what to do and how to fertilize tomatoes
Tomatoes are susceptible to various diseases and can be attacked by various pests. The most common diseases: fungal infections, late blight, blossom end rot, brown spot, tobacco mosaic. - use seeds that are resistant to diseases; - change the place where the tomatoes are planted annually; - destroy affected tomatoes; - do not plant tomatoes next to potatoes; - work ( pruning, pinching, shaping) is possible only with dry plants; - if it is possible to use greenhouses.
The main pests of tomatoes: snails, slugs, caterpillars, Colorado potato beetle, mites, thrips, woodlice. Each pest and each disease has its own way to combat it; there are a variety of means to protect tomatoes on the market.
For a good tasty harvest, tomatoes need to be fertilized. From the beginning of picking seedlings until flowering, feed the tomatoes with mineral fertilizers, and when fruits appear, feed them with potassium fertilizers. It would be correct to use long-acting granular fertilizers, which need to be mixed with the soil before planting seedlings, and after the berries set, use special fertilizers for tomatoes, for example: seaweed extract.
Preparing the soil for seedlings
Tomato feeding should be done in several stages. When preparing a site for planting tomatoes in early spring, by digging up the ground, you need to add humus at the rate of 16 kg per sq.m.
At the earliest stages, when planting seedlings in the ground and until the ovaries appear, a pre-prepared mixture is placed in each hole. It is prepared from potassium chloride, wood ash and superphosphate and added to the soil two weeks before planting. For preparation In soil for seedlings, you can also use urea. It should be taken into account that an overdose of nitrogen fertilizers can lead to the fact that stems, leaves, shoots actively begin to grow, and ovaries may not form at all. The risk of fungal infections of the plant increases. From the middle of the growing season, nitrogen fertilizers are stopped applied altogether.
Feeding scheme
Regular feeding of tomatoes is necessary for two reasons:
- rainfall and melt water thoroughly wash away potassium and nitrogen from the soil; all types of tomatoes are intensive crops and require a lot of minerals.
As tomatoes grow and ripen, they should be fed according to the following scheme:
- after 2-3 weeks after disembarkation. Next, temporarily do not feed the crop, waiting for the set fruits to strengthen; resume fertilizing after the 2nd flower cluster appears; after the 3rd flower cluster blooms; after 12 days. The main emphasis in fertilizing is on root fertilizers, since a larger amount of fertilizer is always applied through the soil.
Selection of ready-made fertilizer
There are a large number of fertilizers on sale, which must be selected taking into account the composition of the soil on the site. Tomatoes are grown on soils of various types, but the most suitable is loose, fertile, capable of warming up well. Among complex mineral fertilizers, they recommend “Agricola”, “Effecton”, “Kemiru-Universal”. Of concentrated fertilizers, nitroammophoska, produced in granules, is often used, each of which contains equal amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.
The distribution of minerals throughout the soil occurs evenly. Nitroammofoska is diluted in the amount of 2 matchboxes of fertilizer per bucket of water. Diammophos is also used.
Many gardeners believe that the most effective means of fertilizing is vermicompost, the use of which in the amount of 1 cup for each plant bush at any stage of growth can increase productivity by 30%.
Homemade fertilizers
Often gardeners, using available means at hand, prepare fertilizer themselves. Many of the nutrients that tomatoes need to grow are found in regular brewer's yeast. Fertilizer is prepared in two ways: 1.
Make a solution from a packet of instant yeast, 2 tbsp. l. sugar and a small amount of warm water. After about 2 hours, the infusion is mixed with a bucket of water. Yeast fertilizer in a volume of 0.5 liters is added to a watering can. The effect is noticeable after a few days.2.
Fertilizer is also prepared from raw yeast. A 3-liter jar is filled 2/3 with black bread, then poured with warm water with fresh yeast dissolved in it (100 g). Leave to ferment in a warm place for a period of 3 days.
The strained solution is mixed with water for irrigation in a ratio of 1:10.3. To eliminate calcium deficiency in the soil, eggshells containing calcium and magnesium are used.
To enrich the soil with these substances, it is optimal to use a water infusion of crushed shells. The solution must be kept covered for 2 weeks; the degree of readiness is determined by the appearance of a pungent odor.
The infusion is added to the water for watering tomatoes in a ratio of 1 to 3. An effective fertilizer is cow manure. You can spread it over the beds, and when water gets on the fertilizer, the tomatoes will receive regular feeding.
For a more effective effect, manure is mixed with peat and the soil is mulched with this composition. When small fruits appear, many gardeners often use diluted chicken manure, sometimes with the addition of urea. This must be done very carefully, otherwise there is a risk of burning the roots of the plants. To do this, you need to water the solution at some distance from the plants, about 15 centimeters. Gardeners also use potassium permanganate in the form of a weak solution, which is both a fertilizer and a protective agent against diseases.
Foliar feeding of plants
Additional foliar feeding is used to stimulate the plant's defenses. Good results are obtained by spraying with the drug “New Ideal”, carried out once a week.
During flowering, successful foliar feeding is carried out using a solution of boric acid diluted in a ratio of 1 g per liter of water. 2-3 similar sprayings every 10 days help improve fruit set. It is not surprising that tomatoes require such careful care, because a ready-to-eat vegetable is very rich in a variety of biologically active substances and has a whole range of beneficial properties. A tomato is tasty not only in its raw form , but also salted, pickled, in the form of pastes and juices.
Tomatoes are strong antioxidants that can prevent cell aging. This vegetable reduces the risk of cancer. Tomato cleanses the walls of blood vessels, preventing strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis. Used for varicose veins.
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WHAT TO FERTILIZE TOMATOES During flowering, it is advisable to shake the flower brushes so that the ripe pollen spills out of the anthers and lands on the stigma. It is better to do this daily, in the middle of the day.
If by chance the top breaks off when transplanting tomatoes, the plant will still take root, and the role of the top will be taken over by a side shoot. When planting overgrown seedlings, plants should be planted at an angle of 30-45° to the ground in the north direction.
Then the sun's rays will “raise” it to a vertical position. Loosen the soil after each watering and rain.
In hot, dry weather, loosening helps reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil, and in rainy and cold weather it ensures better gas exchange between air and soil, and reduces the possibility of plants becoming infected with fungal diseases. Irregular watering of plants in hot summers often leads to blossom end rot.
Tall (indeterminate) varieties are grown with one stem, and in favorable weather - with two. In this case, the second stem is the stepson - a shoot under the first flower cluster. All other shoots - stepchildren - are removed.
Low-growing, early-ripening varieties can be grown without formation, but in rainy years they must be pinched and tied to stakes. The lower aging leaves are trimmed in a timely manner. An accidentally thrown cigarette butt near tomato plantings can infect the plants with tobacco mosaic.
When planting seedlings in the ground, before flowering, when the ovaries appear and at the beginning of fruit ripening, it is useful to add potassium permanganate to the water (2 g per 10 liters of water). This will have a good effect on the growth and then on the ripening of the fruit; the tomatoes will turn out to be more sugary and resistant to late blight.
Tall varieties and hybrids are planted according to a pattern of 70x70 cm, medium-growing ones - 60x60 cm and 50x50 cm, low-growing varieties - 50x40 cm and 50x30 cm. The stepsons are broken out, but in no case pulled out, since wounds form on the plant, where fungal infection easily gets into.
If the side shoots are large, it is better to remove them with a sharp knife or scissors, leaving a stump 1 cm long, which will not allow a new shoot to form. The shorter the growing season of a variety or hybrid, the fewer stepsons are left and the denser the plants can be planted.
Tall varieties are not very sensitive to lack of moisture, while low-growing varieties do not tolerate dryness well. Tomato water needs are highest during the flowering phase, ovary formation and intensive fruit weight gain.
Excess water is no less harmful, which often leads to yellowing of leaves and root rot. Tomato is sensitive to chlorides, so do not fertilize the soil with potassium chloride. It is better to use potassium sulfate or wood ash.
Weak or absent fruit set is a plant reaction to too low or too high temperatures. The reason for the fall of ovaries and flowers may be excess nitrogen in the absence of phosphorus and potassium or boron and manganese.
This happens more often in low light conditions. Deformation of fruits and their cracking are associated with fluctuations in temperature and soil moisture. When alternating plantings of tomatoes and white cabbage, the latter will have several times fewer leaf-eating pests.
7-10 days after planting in the ground, feed the plants with a solution of nitroammophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). 3 weeks after planting in the ground, dilute 0.5 kg of mullein and 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of nitroammophoska, for each plant - 0.5 liters of solution.
At the beginning of the second brush: dilute 0.2 liters of liquid chicken manure, 1 tbsp. in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of double superphosphate, 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate. At the root - 1 l.
The next feeding is during the blooming of the third flower cluster: dilute 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of sodium humate working solution and 1 tbsp. spoon of nitroammophoska. Per 1 m2 - 5 l. After 12 days: dilute 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of superphosphate. Bucket of fertilizing - for 1 m2.
The last feeding is at the end of July. Dilute 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of nitroammophosphate, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. For 1 plant - 0.5 l. Feed when fruits are filling. To make the fruits sweet: dissolve 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of table salt and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate.
For 1 plant - 0.5 l. When flowers fall off: dissolve 1 teaspoon of boric acid in 10 liters of water; when spraying, use 10 liters of solution per 10 m2. When rolling leaves: dissolve 2 g of boric acid in 10 liters of water, pour 1 liter of solution under each plant.
Eliminate superphosphate from fertilizing, and increase the dose of potassium and nitrogen fertilizers to 30 g per 10 liters of water. For viral diseases: dissolve 5 g of potassium permanganate and 10-15 g of boric acid in 10 liters of water. For each plant - 1 liter.
If plants are affected by viral diseases, you can try the following remedy: sand a copper wire, pointed on one side, and insert it into the stem of the plant (the length of the wire is 3-4 cm, 2-3 pieces are inserted into the stem). It is necessary to monitor the condition of the plants and timely add the necessary nutrients to the soil.
If the plants are stunted and have a pale color, the tomato plants need to be fed with a 1:10 solution of mullein. If plants “fatten”, they intensively increase green mass to the detriment of fruit formation, and exclude nitrogen fertilizers from fertilizing
If the leaves on the underside turn purple, the plants are lacking phosphorus. Excess phosphorus causes yellowing of leaves. Plants dry out and fruits become variegated in color due to a lack of potassium.
If there is an excess of it, dull spots appear on the leaves. Tomatoes are a rather demanding vegetable crop. This plant actively takes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other minerals from the soil.
During seed germination, phosphorus is necessary to enhance the growth of plant roots, it promotes earlier flowering, ripening of tomatoes, increases yield, sugar content and dry matter in fruits. Potassium is necessary for normal fruiting, and nitrogen in ammonia form is necessary for rapid fruit ripening.
During budding, flowering and fruit formation, plants need nitrogen and potassium nutrition. If there is a lack of nitrogen or potassium, then plant growth is weakened, and this leads to a decrease in fruits and a decrease in yield. Tomatoes have high nutritional, taste and dietary qualities. Excess nitrogen negatively affects the growth of tomatoes.
It delays fruiting, and there is a high probability of plant diseases. Thus, in order to obtain good harvest tomatoes, you need to create all the necessary conditions. To do this, plant tomatoes in soil that has been prepared in advance and fed with mineral organic matter. Soil enriched with organic materials and biofertilizers is the key to a rich tomato harvest.
Recently, summer residents have been trying to abandon chemical and artificial fertilizers, giving preference to natural fertilizing. What to fertilize tomatoes with, everyone chooses for themselves, since there are many options.
Fertilizer methods for tomatoes
Yeast is one of the best plant growth stimulants. How to feed tomatoes? The most common methods of feeding are: bird droppings, ash, yeast and others. Let's take a closer look at each of them. Yeast.
They are the best plant growth stimulator. Recipe for preparing yeast fertilizer: 20 grams of yeast are diluted in 10 liters of water, left for 24 hours, and the resulting solution is used to fertilize the plants. "Rostmoment" is a ready-made fertilizer that is produced on the basis of yeast. It is also suitable for planting tomatoes.
This product is the best biostimulator for plant growth and further development. Using this fertilizer, you can be confident in its quality. "Rostmoment" is suitable for fertilizing tomatoes that grow in pots. Ash is an excellent source of potassium and phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, zinc and other trace elements.
Ash is added to each hole before planting seedlings. To do this, take 3 tablespoons of ash and mix it with the soil.
To enrich the soil, 3 cups of ash per 1 square meter is required. Fertilizing the soil when planting tomatoes plays a key role in the growth of fruits. Chicken manure is a fairly valuable fertilizer. His chemical composition ahead of manure, and nutrients are contained in a fairly light form.
Fertilizing tomatoes with chicken manure has a prolonged effect, even after two or three years after applying the fertilizer, the soil remains nourished and has a positive effect on the plants. Feeding from bird droppings is quite easy to prepare.
The concentration of the solution is prepared depending on the stage at which the tomatoes grow. You can prepare the following composition: add 100 g of fresh bird droppings to 10 liters of water, leave for 24 hours and water the plants. Fertilizing with manure and bedding is applied during soil cultivation, in a ratio of 6 kg of fertilizer per 1 sq. m. Chicken manure is not a universal fertilizer, so it is necessary, in addition to it, to add other fertilizers to the soil, such as ammonium nitrate, superphosphate. For a good result, it is not necessary to use expensive fertilizers, the main thing is not to exceed the dosage and add them to the soil on time. Nitrophoska and other complex fertilizers are applied to tomato seedlings at a rate of 0.5 teaspoon per 1 liter of water. Planting tomatoes begins with the use of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon per hole. 5 days after planting, you can water the tomatoes with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Stages of growing tomatoes in the garden
- in the fall, when digging the soil, add 4 kg per 1 square m of humus or compost; in the spring, it is necessary to fill the soil with mineral fertilizers: 80 g per 1 square m of superphosphate and 20 g per 1 square m of potassium chloride; after planting the seedlings, the first fertilizing is planned in 10-15 days , and the second - already at the beginning of fruit formation; so that the fruits set faster, use a 0.5% solution of superphosphate or a solution of boric acid. The solution that has settled is drained and the tomatoes are sprayed with it.
Thus, fertilizing the soil when planting tomatoes plays a key role in the growth of future fruits. Today, there are a large number of different fertilizers that can improve the quality of fruits; the main thing is to follow the exact dosage instructions and time of application to the soil. With the help of fertilizing, you can grow an excellent crop of tomatoes on soil that is not particularly fertile. We list the most important fertilizers for this crop:
- potassium; phosphorus; nitrogen.
Phosphorus plays a great role in the formation of the root system and fruit set. If plants do not receive this substance, then tomatoes do not absorb nitrogen and other essential nutrients poorly.
Symptoms of phosphorus starvation in tomatoes are the appearance of red-violet spots on the underside of the leaves, as well as curling of the leaves along the main vein; fruit ripening also slows down. When thinking about how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse, you should remember the high consumption of potassium by this crop. This mineral promotes the formation of stems, as well as the absorption and processing of carbon dioxide.
In case of potassium deficiency, the lower leaves accumulate ammonia nitrogen, as a result of which they first wither and then die. In the photo you see how the result of potassium starvation of tomatoes appears on the leaves: Let's take a closer look at what and how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse.
When and what kind of feeding is carried out
The very first fertilizing can be done during the process of planting tomato seedlings in the greenhouse. Compost or humus is placed in pre-prepared holes and ash is added.
Compost, like humus, contains many minerals, and the ash contains a high content of various micro- and macroelements, which are so necessary for tomatoes for normal development, growth, flowering, setting and formation of fruits. The question is about what to feed tomatoes after planting in a greenhouse , causes “hot” discussions among gardeners. Part of the “gardening” community is of the opinion that the question of what to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse immediately after planting is not worth it at all. Such gardeners believe that the first feeding of greenhouse tomatoes should be carried out no earlier than two weeks after transplanting the plants to a permanent place. Other gardeners are of the opinion that for seedlings “injured” by transplanting, it is better to feed the tomatoes in the greenhouse earlier, preferably immediately after transplanting, all the better.
For the first fertilizing, these gardeners recommend using organic fertilizers, or so-called “green tea”. This fertilizer is easy to prepare with your own hands. To prepare it, take a variety of herbs (various weeds, such as nettle, plantain and others), to which add a bucket of liquid mullein and a glass of wood ash.
For infusion, take 4-5 kg of finely chopped grass per 50 liters of water, add mullein and ash, mix and leave for several days to infuse. Then the volume of the solution is adjusted to 100 liters. Approximately 2 liters of prepared infusion is poured under each tomato bush.
Important: mineral fertilizing carried out by many gardeners at this time has a one-sided effect on plants. Some of them stimulate the active growth of green mass, others enhance flowering. If there are no organic fertilizers, it is better to fertilize the tomatoes with any complex mineral fertilizer. So, if you think that the soil in your greenhouse is well fertilized, then you don’t have to fertilize it after replanting the tomato seedlings. Then, the approximate feeding plan will be like this:
- The first feeding will be carried out approximately in 15-20 days after transplanting plants. For it, mineral fertilizers are used, diluting them in 10 liters of water:
- 25 g nitrogen; 15 g potassium.
For each plant, use 1 liter of the prepared solution.
- The next feeding is carried out at a time when the tomatoes begin to bloom en masse (see Forming a tomato bush in a greenhouse - how to do it correctly), since feeding tomatoes in a greenhouse is necessary for normal fruit set in the future. 1 tbsp is diluted in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of potassium sulfate, 0.5 liters of bird droppings and the same amount of liquid mullein. Each plant should receive 1-1.5 liters of the prepared solution.
If there are few or no organic fertilizers, then you can fertilize by dissolving 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska in 1 bucket of water. For each plant, 1 liter of working solution is used. During flowering of tomatoes, in order to prevent blossom end rot of tomatoes, it is necessary to spray the plants with an aqueous solution of calcium nitrate. To prepare it 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fertilizer is diluted in 10 liters of water.
- During the formation of ovaries, it is necessary to fertilize the tomatoes with a solution of 2 liters of wood ash and 10 g of boric acid, diluted in 10 liters of hot water. The prepared solution must be infused for 24 hours so that all elements are completely dissolved. This mixture contains a large number of micro- and macroelements that will help the harvest to form more quickly. Water each plant with 1 liter of the prepared working solution. The last root feeding is carried out during mass and active fruiting in order to accelerate ripening and improve taste. For this root feeding, dissolve 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. spoons of superphosphate and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of liquid sodium humate.
In any case, there are no clear instructions about at what time, how often and with what fertilizers to fertilize greenhouse tomatoes. Each gardener, knowing what vegetable crops were grown in the previous season and what fertilizers were used, follows an approximate feeding schedule, “adjusting” to the characteristics of the plants, the vagaries of the weather and relying on their experience.
Foliar feeding
In addition to the usual root feeding of tomatoes, it is also useful to use foliar feeding - spraying the stems and leaves of tomatoes. The peculiarity of foliar feeding is that they are able to bring to the plant the substances it needs, which are lacking in the soil.
This is due to the fact that the leaves, unlike the roots, absorb only the elements that are missing for the plant. If the tomatoes lack some specific elements, how to feed the tomatoes in the greenhouse is decided by applying foliar feeding of the missing elements. Spraying plants with a solution containing deficient substances very quickly gives positive results that appear literally within a few hours.
If you apply the same elements through root feeding, the result can be seen only after a week or two. During flowering, thinking about how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse, you can perform foliar feeding with a solution of boric acid and wood ash extract Tip: to prepare an extract from wood ash, take two glasses of ash and pour 2-3 liters of hot water.
Leave for a couple of days, after which the precipitate is filtered off. The resulting solution is brought to a volume of 10 liters with water, after which the plants are sprayed.
How to compensate for the deficiency of nutrients
Tomatoes very clearly signal to their appearance about exactly what elements they lack (see more: Tomato diseases in a greenhouse: their varieties and how to deal with them). External signs of mineral deficiency
- with a lack of phosphorus, the stem, lower surface of the leaves and the veins on them turn purple. If you spray the plants with a weakly concentrated solution of superphosphate, then within a day the purple color disappears. Calcium deficiency leads to leaf blades curling inward and tomato fruits becoming infected with blossom end rot. In this case, spraying the plants with a solution of calcium nitrate will help. If the plants do not have enough nitrogen, the plant turns light green or yellowish, lags in growth and becomes very thin. Spraying with “herbal tea” or a very weak urea solution will help cope with nitrogen deficiency.
It may seem that fertilizing greenhouse tomatoes is too troublesome and unnecessary. It is enough to simply add fertilizer to the soil during spring and autumn digging, and then plant the tomato in the greenhouse.
Indeed, if the soil is not depleted and correct crop rotation is practiced, a harvest can be obtained. But if you carefully look after the plants and quickly respond to their needs, constantly taking care of them, the tomato harvest in the greenhouse can be obtained much more abundantly and of better quality. By watching a video detailing various types fertilizing tomatoes, you will see that you yourself can easily cope with a similar task.
Even experienced gardeners will not be able to definitely say which fertilizer is best to feed tomatoes. There are quite a large number of recipes for fertilizing and methods for using them. Some people use only organic fertilizers, others prefer mineral ones, and some use them alternating one with the other.
Beginners have many questions about how many times and during what period of plant development it needs to be fed. Which method is more effective - spraying or watering at the root. And what fertilizer composition is the most suitable and profitable. Let's try to help resolve all these issues.
To prevent fertilizers from harming plants, they must be applied strictly at a certain stage of crop growth. The correct composition of the fertilizer is also of great importance. It should contain only the nutrients the tomatoes need at the moment.
Most fertilizers are applied at two important stages - planting tomato seedlings in open ground and the beginning of flowering and ovary formation. Sometimes two feedings are enough for the entire summer season, but you can fertilize the plants regularly (2 times a month).
The schedule for applying fertilizers depends on several factors: weather conditions and temperature indicators, soil composition, the “health” of seedlings and much more. The main thing is to give the plants the missing substances and elements in a timely manner.
Approximately 15-20 days after the seedlings appear in the open beds, you can carry out the first fertilizing of the tomatoes. During this short time, the young plants managed to take root and began to gain strength. At the moment, tomato bushes need nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Among the proposed fertilizer options, the base is 10 liters of water, to which the necessary components are added:
- 500 milliliters of mullein infusion and 20-25 grams of nitrophic acid.
- 2 liter jars of nettle or comfrey infusion.
- 25 grams of nitro chamfer.
- 500 milliliters of bird droppings, 25 grams of superphosphate, 10 grams of potassium sulfate.
- 1 tablespoon of nitro-chamfer, 500 milliliters of mullein, 3 grams of boric acid and manganese sulfate.
- 1 liter of liquid mullein, 30 grams of superphosphate, 50 grams of wood ash, 2-3 grams of boric acid and potassium permanganate.
- 500 milliliters of liquid mullein, approximately 100 grams of ash, 100 grams of yeast, about 150 milliliters of whey, 2-3 liter jar of nettles. The infusion is prepared within 7 days.
Each tomato plant will need approximately 500 milliliters of liquid fertilizer.
This group includes recipes containing phosphorus and potassium. The basis of each recipe is a large bucket of water, consisting of 10 liters:
- Wood ash in the volume of a half-liter jar.
- 25 grams of superphosphate, ash - 2 tablespoons.
- 25 grams of superphosphate, 10 grams of potassium sulfate.
- 1 tablespoon of magnesium sulfate, 1 teaspoon of potassium nitrate.
- 1 teaspoon monopotassium phosphate.
- potassium humate – 1 teaspoon of powder, nitrophasque – 20 grams.
- 1 glass of yeast mixture (100 grams each of yeast and sugar, 2.5 water) + water + 0.5 liters of wood ash. The yeast mixture should “ferment” for 7 days in a warm place.
Each tomato plant requires from 500 milliliters to 1 liter of ready-made fertilizer. The nutrient mixture is poured over the root of the plant.
Along with applying fertilizers by watering, you can also use special beneficial sprays.
For example, sweet spraying based on sugar and boric acid is necessary for tomato bushes during the period of active flowering. This mixture will attract a large number of insects that will pollinate flowering plants and will contribute to better ovary formation. Prepare a solution of 4 grams of boric acid, 200 grams of sugar and 2 liters of hot water. Vegetable crops must be sprayed with a cooled solution at a temperature of about 20 degrees.
In hot and dry weather, flowers on tomato bushes may fall off. You can save them from mass falling by spraying. Add 5 grams of boric acid to a large bucket of water.
Active ripening of tomato fruits begins around the second half of July. It is from this moment that watering and fertilizing are stopped so that the green mass on the plants does not build up, and all efforts are spent on ripening the tomatoes.
Feeding tomatoes during flowering (video)