How to feed tomatoes to grow large and healthy

Vegetable growing » Tomatoes

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Kira Stoletova

When growing tomatoes, gardeners face many problems, because caring for this crop takes a lot of time and effort. Let's consider which fertilizers are most suitable for planting tomatoes.

Choosing fertilizer when planting tomatoes

Basic information: deadlines, schemes, entry rules

To obtain a good harvest, it is important to take into account the growth characteristics of the crop, as well as follow the rules of caring for them during flowering, during the period of formation and ripening of fruits. What fertilizer to use during the season and how not to make mistakes with the dosage and timing?

Among the most popular preparations are the following best fertilizers for tomatoes:

1. Universal fertilizers: ammophosphate, potassium nitrate, superphosphate.
2. Complex mineral fertilizers: potassium humate, agricola, mortar, signor tomato.
3. Folk remedies : ash, yeast, boric acid, herbal infusion, whey with iodine.

During the season, tomatoes are fed from 5 to 7 times and are guided by the fertility of the land and their variety. These vegetables love mineral fertilizers, and also respond well to fertilizing with folk remedies, which promote the growth of green mass, the appearance of ovaries and the taste of fruits.

Important seasonal aspects of fertilizing when growing tomatoes:

• Seedlings . Agricola is added to the soil to germinate seeds. These actions are carried out as needed.
• Planting in open ground . It is necessary to add urea, nitrophoska or ammophoska to the beds prepared in the fall (mixed soil with humus). If there are no ready-made plots, complexes with nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium should be added when digging.
• A couple of weeks after planting in the garden. Tomatoes need to be fed with potassium nitrate and superphosphate.
• A period of active growth . Phosphorus and nitrogen are good “helpers” for growing roots, stems, and leaves. Ash and superphosphate will help. Fertilizing needs to be done 1-2 times.
• Bloom . Fertilizers are used in combination: Crystalon tomato, Signor tomato, weed infusion. In this case, you need to fertilize the soil one to three times.
• Fruit setting . Ammophoska or ash should be added to the soil. And there will be several such feedings.
• Fruiting . Fertilization is done for one purpose: to preserve the crop. Here you can use boron, magnesium, iodine.

How to determine the lack of nutrients by appearance

For good growth and fruiting, the crop needs the following elements: potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium. Likes to be fed with copper, iron, boron, zinc.

• Lack of nitrogen. A clear sign of this problem is that the leaves are small and pale, and the flowering is premature. The fruits are very small and hard to the touch.
• Lack of phosphorus. Tomatoes grow slowly and the leaves are purple on the underside. They hardly bloom. The fruits ripen are hard to the touch and tasteless.
• deficiency . Small veins of leaves fade. The foliage is dark, with a hint of rust. Weak stems and few buds. Tomatoes ripen with dark spots on the sides.

Fish leftovers

Another not the most common fertilizer that gardeners apply to the holes under tomatoes.
And for good reason. Fish contains a lot of phosphorus - we have been told this since childhood. So put all the fish heads, entrails and tails in holes, sprinkle with soil, compost, sand or peat and plant tomatoes - there will be no trouble. And fish are often buried not for feeding purposes, but to scare away rodents.

Types of fertilizers for tomatoes

There are organic and mineral preparations, as well as folk remedies.

Organic

Includes a complex of minerals necessary for the vegetable from planting until the fruit ripens.

Good organic fertilizers are:

Manure and bird droppings

They improve soil structure and can be a source of nutrients.

During the growing season, they can be mixed with soil before planting seedlings. And for the garden bed you need to take rotted manure, which contains almost no ammonia.

Humates

These are potassium and sodium salts that are part of humic acids. Such organic matter is used on any land, excluding black soil saturated with humus. Improves fruit quality.

They can be purchased in special gardening stores in combination with other mineral complexes. Among the most famous: Krepysh, Krepysh for seedlings, Gumat Super.

Reference. Plants are fed with such organic matter during the growing of tomato seedlings, after planting, and during the flowering period.

Green manure

Green fertilizers: oats, clover, rapeseed, rye. Sowed in autumn in the area where tomatoes will be planted.

In the spring, before planting tomato seedlings, you need to dig up the soil in the area with green manure. In this way, the soil is healed and saturated with useful microelements.

Mineral fertilizers

Nitrogen in the composition

Needed to form more ovaries. You can use ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea.

Important! Fertilizers containing nitrogen make the soil acidic. For this reason, limestones are added to the ground along with them.

Phosphorus

When tomatoes are fed with phosphorus, they develop a powerful root with many shoots. Superphosphate and its double equivalent are used for feeding. The phosphorus content in it varies up to 50%.

Manure and droppings

There is no place for fresh manure in the planting hole, but rotted manure can be safely used.
To fill the holes, humus (at the rate of 200 grams per plant) is mixed with soil in an arbitrary ratio. The holes are filled with this mixture. Bird droppings in fresh (or even dried) form are also not suitable. The first contains a large amount of uric acid, which has a detrimental effect on the growth of seedlings, and the second is too concentrated. Therefore, it is better to make an infusion in advance in a ratio of 1:20. And seven days before planting the tomatoes, pour half a liter of this infusion into each hole.

Methods of application

Root feeding

A nutrient solution of the required concentration is applied under the bush during watering. It is also possible to embed granular mineral fertilizers into the root zone. The vegetable receives all the nutrients it needs for life through its roots.

Important! The method is most effective when growing seedlings.

Spraying leaves

An additional method for a faster effect is to spray the leaves with nutrient solutions.

It is important to consider the concentration of the solution. It should be 3-5 times weaker than root feeding to prevent leaf burns.

Green grass (primarily nettle)

Usually, when the time comes to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, there is already some greenery on the site. For example, nettle, comfrey, dandelion leaves. Everything will do here. Or maybe you are planting fast-growing green manure and they are already delighting with lush greenery?

We place 5-10 green plants in each hole, sprinkle a layer of soil on top and plant tomatoes. By rotting, the grass will not only saturate the soil with nutrients, but also release heat to the delight of heat-loving tomatoes. But let's not forget that green fertilizer is mostly nitrogen. For balance, it would be nice to mix the grass with ash or superphosphate.

To prevent root and basal rot of tomatoes, you can add a tablet of a biological product based on Trichoderma to any “filler” in the hole. This is a soil fungus that suppresses the development of pathogenic fungi. Especially if the seedlings are purchased, and there is a danger of introducing pathogens.

How many times per season should tomatoes be fed?

Tomatoes need to be fertilized three to four times during the summer season. The exception is flowering time.

In the fall, you can mix granular fertilizers with sand and then dig up the area with a shovel. In the spring, if there is no autumn digging, you should fertilize the beds about 3-4 weeks before planting.

During the growing season, it is advisable to water the bushes with nutrient solutions at the root every 2-3 weeks.

There are five main stages that relate to the developmental stages of these delicious vegetables:

1. When planting in the garden. The soil must be fertilized with organic matter and minerals. Otherwise, the seedlings will develop slowly and begin to get sick.
2. 2 weeks after planting. At this time, young bushes appear that need balanced feeding.
3. During a period of active growth . Here it is important to add microelements to the soil in time to accelerate the development of the root system and the appearance of the first leaves.
4. During flowering . All fertilizing in this case helps the crop to set fruit faster. Otherwise, the ovary may fall from the bushes without having time to pollinate.
5. During the fruiting period . In this case, feed for the last time. Complementary feeding is usually done to improve taste and accelerate the ripening of fruits.

How to feed tomato seedlings in spring

It is best to start the procedure two days after the pick. After 8 days, it is necessary to add the following nutrient mixture to the soil:

• dissolve saltpeter with ammonia (18 g) in 10 liters of water,
• add superphosphate (80 grams),
• and potassium sulfate (25 grams).

Organic meal: bone or fish meal

Bone and fish meal are excellent organic fertilizers with a whole complex of macro- and microelements, proteins, amino acids and other useful substances.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, copper, manganese, iron and more... Don’t want to fertilize your garden with “mineral water”? Here's an alternative! When planting tomatoes, it is recommended to add 2-3 tablespoons of a mixture of bone and fish meal to the hole. This feeding can easily last for the entire season.

Fertilizer application schedule (tomato fertilizing calendar)

By checking this calendar, you can determine at what time interval to feed vegetables both in the open area and under the film.

Is it necessary to fertilize tomatoes strictly according to schedule?

The frequency of fertilization in particular cases can be changed. Examples of such situations:

• the beds are prepared in advance. When placing tomatoes in soil, there is no need to add anything else;
• the seedlings are sufficiently saturated with nutrients before planting;
• when the tomatoes are healthy and there is no need to strictly follow the feeding schedule.

Important! Tomatoes grown in separate boxes should be fertilized regularly.

Eggshell

A gardener never throws egg shells into the trash.
It is used for fertilizing or for enriching compost with calcium. And when planting tomato seedlings, eggshells can be useful for filling holes. This “filler” is very relevant for those whose tomatoes suffer from blossom end rot. You know when green fruits develop a dry black spot on the bottom. Blossom rot is a symptom of calcium deficiency. Therefore, egg shells as a source of this element will be very useful.

To begin with, the shells are crushed very well and then added to the hole when planting seedlings in the amount of 10 shells per hole. If mole crickets bother you, you don’t have to be too zealous when crushing the shells. The pest is wary of sharp edges and will not go where there are eggshells.

Depending on growing conditions

Location on

After the seedlings have entered the greenhouse or garden bed, it is advisable to fertilize them well. For this purpose, it is important to use the same beneficial substances that were used in the summer.

In the greenhouse

At the end of spring - beginning of summer, seedlings are fertilized comprehensively. Be sure to include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the diet for vegetables.

Important! There is high humidity in the greenhouse. Therefore, tomatoes respond better to fertilizing than their garden “brothers”. For this reason, the concentration of fertilizers for greenhouse crops should be minimal.

At home and on the balcony

How to fertilize tomatoes in an apartment? For convenience, you can use purchased mineral compositions, both granules and liquid. And during flowering, ovary and fruiting, it is advisable to apply fertilizers to the soil that contain phosphorus and potassium.

To feed tomatoes grown on the balcony, mineral mixtures dissolved in water are used. Water the vegetables at the root. You can also apply foliar fertilizer.

What fertilizers should be applied in the spring when planting tomatoes?

When choosing what fertilizers to apply when planting tomatoes, you will have to consider different groups of fertilizers:

• NPK complex;
• potassium and phosphorus additives;
• nitrogen fertilizers;
• microelements.

NPK is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Industrial agrochemicals are produced in sealed packages with detailed instructions. The most common drugs were nitrophoska and azofoska. The first has a beneficial effect on the quality of the soil, promotes the growth of greenery and the formation of large tomatoes. The second is universal, both for crops and types of soil, improves the condition of the root system and strengthens the green part of the bushes.

Fertilizing with nitrogen is needed during rooting, green growth and fruit set. Fertilizer is applied 2 weeks before planting or immediately before it. The most popular compositions are urea and ammonium nitrate.

Compositions with potassium and phosphorus are used simultaneously. Both elements ensure the development of fruits, give them taste and color. Additions begin from the period of formation of buds and the first ovaries. In the fall, it is advisable to enrich the soil with potassium and phosphorus for future harvests. Potassium salt, monophosphate, potassium chloride, superphosphate are on sale.

Microelements are embedded in the soil in advance; fertilizing is not recommended when planting tomatoes. The main substances needed by the culture:

• potassium sulfate (harvest keeping quality);
• magnesium and zinc (immunity and fetal formation);
• boric acid (yield).

We focus on the stage of development, taste and size of the fruit

What to add to the soil when preparing beds in the spring

The following fertilizers are excellent for preparing a plot for tomatoes:

1. Kemira Universal . Balanced complex.
2. Kemira Lux . Water-soluble drug.
3. Universal , which contains, among other things, humic substances.

Attention! Be sure to follow the dosage when adding complementary foods. An excess of minerals is more dangerous than a deficiency.

After planting in the ground or in a greenhouse

Among others, it is very good to use folk remedies. Such as herbal tea. You can prepare it by adding chopped plantain and nettle to a container of water.

In open ground, the day before transplanting seedlings into a hole, it is best to water them with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also sprinkle crushed shells and wood ash under their roots.

Important! Potted seedlings on peat do not need additional fertilizers.

When flowering

For full-fledged ovaries, it is worth applying fertilizers with the entire complex of nutrients to the vegetable bed:

1. Novofert Universal
2. Tomato crystal (in white packaging)
3. Fertika Universal
4. Red giant

You can fertilize with infusion of bird droppings and potassium sulfate. You should also feed it with ash to speed up the setting and ripening of fruits.

Greenhouse vegetables will enjoy adding magnesium sulfate to their daily diet during this time.

During the fruiting period

At this time, tomatoes require superphosphate and potassium humate as fertilizer. These mixtures are applied at the root of each bush.

During the fruiting period, plants also increase their need for potassium, boron, manganese and iodine.

To increase productivity

Effector can be used as an organic substance for these purposes. It is used to accelerate growth. Its composition:

• composted peat
• dolomite flour
• potassium chloride
• phosphate rock

For large-fruited varieties

For such varieties, fertilizing should be carried out by checking the information on the bag of seeds. As a rule, it is worth adding potassium sulfate to the soil as a fertilizer according to the scheme.

To increase sweetness

To make the tomatoes sweet and tasty, use the following fertilizers:

• solution . It is advisable to water both leaves and roots with this solution.
• Potassium solutions . They are added exclusively at the root.
• solution . It is used as complementary food in the spring, because it contains enough substances to provide sweetness.
• solution . A universal drug that nourishes the root system. Before using it, it is advisable to water the tomato bushes generously with plain water.
• Infusion of wood ash. An excellent substitute for mineral supplements. Naturally sweetens vegetables. As a rule, the site is fertilized with ash three times a year every two weeks.
• solution . During flowering, the bushes can be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It will repel plant pests.

Preparing tomato seedlings for planting

Seedlings should be prepared for transplanting 12-15 days in advance. The first thing experienced gardeners do is harden off the plants. Rules:

• start taking the container with seedlings out onto the street or balcony (or place it in front of an open window), first for a short period of time - 20-30 minutes;
• the next day increase it by 60 minutes;
• on the third day, leave the plants for 3 hours, then 5, etc.;
• do not expose the boxes to direct sunlight - the delicate leaves will get burned.

What to do next:

1. 24 hours before transplanting, moisten the soil generously, making it easier to remove the bush along with the lump of earth.
2. If the seedlings are weak, then within 2-3 days before transferring to the beds, apply nitroammophoska under the roots and on the greens (1 tsp of the drug per 5 liters of water).
3. To increase immunity, which will make it easier to adapt to new conditions, fertilize with Trichoplant (60-80 ml per 10 liters of water). Fill the soil mixture with the solution until it is completely wet.

Prepare in advance the necessary tools for removing seedlings from pots.

Tomato feeding schemes: from seedlings to harvest

Scheme 1. The complete process is performed three times:

1. For the first time after planting tomatoes, a compound of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate is taken. For depleted soil, you can add ammonium nitrate (two weeks after planting).
2. The second time, fertilizers (liquid composition of nitrate and potassium) are added during the period of fruit formation.
3. The third feeding is similar in mineral composition to the second. Here you need to wait a month after the last feeding.

In the open ground

Also, as in the previous example, it is used in open areas, but according to scheme 2.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied to the soil. An important emphasis: the addition of minerals is carried out when plowing the garden in the fall.

A three-time fertilizer application schedule is used:

1. The first feeding is after 10 days, when the tomatoes are already in the garden.
2. The second application of nutrients is 20 days after the first feeding.
3. The third feeding is carried out half a month later than the second.

During the entire growing season, the amount of complementary foods introduced can be no more than ten times .

In a greenhouse or at home

The amount of soil in the boxes is limited. For this reason, foliar fertilizers can be added to root fertilizers. It is best to spray the above-ground part of the bush with a nutrient mixture. This must be done about 10 times during the entire period after planting the vegetables.

The basic fertilization scheme indicated above is reduced to one, maximum two times. Manipulations in closed containers should be carried out only during flowering and fruiting.

Reference. It is not recommended to get too carried away with spraying homemade tomatoes, as this can lead to constant moisture in the leaves and, as a result, rotting of the vegetable crop.

Why is it worth planting tomato seedlings in open ground?

Some gardeners are accustomed to planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, believing that in a greenhouse it is easier to create favorable conditions for a capricious crop. Despite this, it is also advisable to transplant tomato seedlings into open beds. There are several reasons for this:

• after adaptation, the bushes become strong and healthy due to increased immunity;
• thanks to the open space, a normal level of humidity is created;
• earlier harvest - the seedlings first grow at home, and after transplanting the tomatoes ripen 25 days earlier than if the seeds were sown in the beds;
• saving seeds - with the seedling method of growing, you will definitely transfer bushes ready for further development to the beds;
• optimal temperature regime - seedlings are transplanted into the garden when warm weather stabilizes, so the plants quickly take root.

Basic rules and recommendations

Main important points:

1. Fertilize 10-15 days after planting seedlings using both root and foliar methods. You can use 10 g of superphosphate dissolved in a liter of liquid as such a remedy.
2. For better fruiting, you need to feed the vegetables after the first ovaries appear. Moreover, the feeding itself is carried out only at the root. Calcium nitrate (2 g per 1 liter of water).
3. Foliar spraying must be performed during the first half of the growing season. Roots are made during the entire period of fruit development (20 g ammonium nitrate + 25 g potassium sulfate).
4. In a greenhouse with dry soil, it is necessary to slightly moisten the soil before applying fertilizer.
5. It is best to water with clean water, the temperature of which is not lower than 20-22 degrees above zero. When watering under the film, it is important that water does not get on the leaves. Otherwise, excess moisture may appear on them.
6. When applying complex fertilizers, watering should be carried out in the early morning before sunrise, or in the early evening immediately after sunset.

Important! Always pay attention to the appearance of plants and their reaction to the application of certain fertilizers.

Common mistakes and useful tips

Sometimes numerous mistakes are made when growing tomatoes. To avoid them, you need to listen to the advice of experienced gardeners.

1. Fertilizers are not applied at the right time . Untimely watering with a preparation that contains nitrogen interferes with plant growth. In this case, you need to pay close attention to fertilizers and use them strictly for their intended purpose.
2. Violation of the maximum permissible concentration . Fertilizer added in excess can cause chemical burns. It is important to follow the instructions here.
3. Fascination with home remedies . They can only be used secondarily. Constant fertilizing with organic matter is harmful to tomatoes.
4. Fertilizers are applied incorrectly . Root feeding is carried out only on wet soil. This way microelements are better absorbed by the plant.

Following the rules for adding nutrients minimally reduces the possibility of making mistakes.

Fertilizing the soil

The crop is planted in the spring, but the soil is fed in the fall: within six months the soil is enriched with all useful vitamins and substances, becomes fertile, and as a result, it is easier for the seedlings to take root and gain strength for further growth.

Fertilizing the soil is carried out in two ways:

• special mineral;
• organic.

Minerals

Despite the composition of the soil, it is necessary to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers: they are useful for different types of soil. Potassium fertilizers contain chlorine that is harmful to tomatoes, but if it is applied in the fall, it will go with groundwater into the lower parts of the earth before spring.

Organic

When the soil is very depleted, organic fertilizer is suitable, which is used as manure, mullein, chicken droppings, compost, etc. Sometimes peat is used. For 1 sq. m give 2-3 kg of organic matter. If the soil is too acidic, add lime.

Mixed fertilizers

If there is a rotted manure heap on the farm, superphosphate is added to it. The result is a very valuable fertilizer containing all the substances necessary and beneficial for the soil. Fresh manure can only be applied in the fall. Wood ash is added to the compost heap. In clay soil - peat and sawdust.

When to deposit

It is best to apply these fertilizers before digging the soil. First, fertilizer is scattered over the area allocated for tomatoes, then it is dug up somewhere to a depth of 20 cm or to the height of a spade bayonet. There is no need to level the surface.

After performing such actions, even the most infertile land becomes saturated with all useful elements. The soil becomes light and loose - the way tomatoes love.

How to stimulate additional root growth

You can do without tying up the bushes. Place tall tomatoes sparsely, at a distance of 70 cm from each other. Leave 4-5 lower stepsons; when they grow, bend them down and cover them with earth. Also place the central stem on the soil and sprinkle it up to the stepsons, do this when pimples appear on the stem. This will give additional roots, and you can safely leave 5-7 flower clusters on each stem.

By default, low-growing tomatoes do not require a garter; they can be planted in a row, at a distance of 50 cm from each other. This makes watering easier, just throw the hose in a row, when the water reaches the last root, remove the hose. Definitely spud up.

Timely removal of leaves has a beneficial effect on the quantity and quality of fruits. It is necessary to remove the excess leaves that thicken the bush, as well as the lower yellowed leaves, which no longer bring any benefit to the plant.