What to put in the hole when planting a tomato: what fertilizers can be applied

What can be fertilized with manure? This is the question often asked by both experienced and novice summer residents. The answer is simple: almost everything, but it is important to follow application rates and follow recipes for making a nutrient mixture for plants.

The growth and development of garden plants, as well as abundant harvests, are impossible without the application of fertilizers. Each crop must receive the required amount of macro- and microelements from the soil, which must be applied regularly. The most popular natural fertilizer is manure , which has been used by private farm owners for many centuries. It is this unique source of nutrients that we will talk about today.

The benefits of manure and its types

Manure is rich in magnesium and calcium , which reduce soil acidity. Potassium and phosphorus are contained in manure in the most accessible form for plants, and nitrogen remains in the soil for a long time. Microorganisms contained in manure contribute to the formation of humus. Also, large amounts of carbon dioxide , which is necessary for photosynthesis and heat exchange.

There are several types of manure:

horse manure is the best type of fertilizer of this type. Suitable for planting in greenhouses and greenhouses. Within a week after this, the temperature of the manure rises to 60°C, remains for a month, and then drops to 30°C;
cow manure - suitable for all types of soil. It takes a long time to decompose and can be used from early spring until plants begin to bloom. It heats up to 50°C, but after a week it cools down to 30°C, so plants receive the required proportion of microelements only for a very short period of time. The normal color of manure is black;
goat and sheep manure are very effective and “long-lasting” varieties of manure (they can be applied 4-5 times less frequently than horse and cow manure). It is especially good to use these types of manure on “cold” soils and for fertilizing garden plots;
Pig manure is applied mainly to greenhouses, and it is most effective only in conjunction with the active spring sun. Since pigs eat not only plant food, but also animal food, the composition of pig manure is more diverse compared to other species. It also contains plant residues from weeds and seeds, which effectively fertilize the soil. It can be used on any soil and is best mixed with horse manure;
Rabbit manure is not inferior in efficiency to horse manure, but it can rarely be found in the required quantity, since there are not many rabbit farms;
chicken manure is especially rich in nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and phosphoric acid. Land fertilized with chicken manure remains fertile even several years after the application of this fertilizer. It should be remembered that watering plants with solutions based on chicken manure should only be done at the root.

Horse manure is the driest, lightest and most compact, its moisture content is the lowest - up to 8 kg of fresh horse droppings can be placed in one bucket

How can you fertilize the soil in a greenhouse?

Humus

This organic fertilizer is obtained from rotted and decomposed leaves, plant debris, and manure. Humus saturates the soil with useful substances. This soil is favorable for seedlings, so experienced gardeners always use humus for young plants. High-quality humus must rot well, only then can it be used.

Feeding with peat

Peat needs light high peat. You can replace it with lowland dark. Experienced gardeners advise taking a transitional one. Pure is not recommended, as it has a high level of acidity, which will not have the best effect on the soil.

Peat is used “ripe”, that is, specially prepared. To obtain fertilizer of the required quality, first a layer of peat is poured - no more than half a meter high, then there is a layer of manure, and a layer of peat is again poured on top. The fertilizer must be covered and kept for a year without using it. The resulting peat is added in the spring when digging the ridges. The soil becomes airy, loose, rich in substances valuable for plants.

How to compost

Compost is peat, fallen leaves, manure, wood ash and soil, taken in approximately different proportions. Slaked soda is also added to the mixture. The mixture is poured with water, mixed thoroughly and covered with a peat “blanket”. Can be used as shelter and sawdust. Compost is usually stored in a wooden box, so it will better reach its condition. Compost is good for growing vegetables. Compost is added when digging the ground to a depth of half a spade.

How to properly apply manure to the ground

Gardeners seeking high yields believe that there is no better approval than manure. Manure contains many elements valuable for plants; manure has a positive effect on soil structure. Usually manure is applied to the ground in the fall and dug up. And in the spring the ridges are essentially ready. You can “flavor” the soil with manure in the spring, but with rotted manure. Fresh manure, which has the ability to increase soil temperature, is used if it is necessary to create a thermal effect. In addition, liquid fertilizer is prepared from fresh manure.

What can be fertilized with manure in spring?

You should start fertilizing with manure in the spring. For this purpose, a rotted substrate is used, the concentration of substances in which has already reached optimal values.

It is impossible to apply fresh manure to fertilize the soil in spring, since due to the high content of uric acid and other aggressive substances, it can burn young plants.

Humus is applied in a continuous “carpet”, evenly distributing it over the area of the site. The soil is fertilized with manure in early spring, before greenery begins to grow. For fruit trees, apply 1-3 buckets of manure (volume 10 liters), and for berry bushes, no more than 1 bucket of fertilizer. In spring, the following crops are also fed:

cabbage;
potato;
onion;
carrot;
beets;
tomatoes;
garlic.

What minerals do tomatoes need?

potassium;
magnesium;
nitrogen;
phosphorus;
boron, copper, manganese.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers for tomatoes in a greenhouse are necessary for plants after they have adapted and started to grow, right up to the start of flowering. Then fertilizing will be necessary after the bulk of the fruit has set.

Nitrogen stimulates the growth of green mass of tomatoes, often to the detriment of fruit set and development. That is why nitrogen fertilizers should be applied sparingly.

Also, for normal root growth and development of fruits and seeds, it is necessary to add phosphorus components to tomatoes in the greenhouse.

Advice: there is no need to apply fertilizers containing phosphorus at temperatures below +150C, as it is poorly absorbed and can accumulate in the soil. Phosphorus is also poorly absorbed by plants growing in acidic soils.

In order for fruits to form and develop, tomatoes need potassium, and in fairly large quantities. Potassium is also responsible for the resistance of tomatoes to various unfavorable factors, such as temperature fluctuations and diseases (see Tomato diseases in the greenhouse). If plants lack it, it “signals” by curling the leaves.

On sandy loam and sandy soils, a fertilizer such as magnesium sulfate is needed for tomatoes in a greenhouse, especially for fruit set, growth and development. For most modern greenhouse tomato varieties, foliar feeding with magnesium sulfate is necessary.

Tomato leaves with a lack of potassium in the soil

According to recent research, fertilizers for tomatoes in a greenhouse, especially for foliar feeding, must contain boron, copper and manganese. The fact is that copper and boron stimulate both flowering and fruiting, and manganese promotes faster ripening of fruits.

What can be fertilized with manure in the fall?

The second stage of applying fertilizers to a summer cottage begins with the arrival of autumn. At this time, microelements are mixed with soil components and feed the plants gradually over the next 6-8 months. The soil becomes more fertile, since the accumulation of necessary substances in it occurs more actively. Therefore, autumn fertilizing with manure is considered more useful than spring fertilizing. The following plants are usually fertilized at this time of year:

cherry;
cabbage;
potato;
gooseberry;
onion;
raspberries;
carrot;
cucumbers;
beets;
plum;
currants;
tomatoes;
garlic;
apple tree

Rotted manure is usually applied in the spring, and fresh manure in the fall.

Preparing the soil in the fall for planting tomatoes

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Autumn so as not to delay the fall plowing period. The best predecessors for tomato are cabbage and cucumber, under which high doses of organic fertilizers are usually applied. A day or two before planting the tomato, fertilizers (humus, superphosphate and potassium salt) are applied to the plot and it is again cultivated to a depth of 15-18 centimeters.

How to feed tomatoes with manure

To prepare the manure mixture, dilute a bucket (10 liters) of manure in 30 liters of water. The resulting composition is infused for 3-5 days. Apply 2-3 liters of diluted manure per tomato bush. After this, the plants are not watered for 3 days. Apply the first fertilizing 20-25 days after planting the seedlings in the greenhouse. Subsequently, the manure composition is applied no more than once every two weeks.

The amount of fertilizer should be increased depending on the size of the bush

You can also prepare a complex composition. To do this, dilute 0.5 liters of mullein in 10 liters of water and add 1 tbsp. nitrophoska. Apply 0.5 liters of the resulting mixture to each plant. Apply the second feeding when the second flower cluster blooms, and the third during the flowering period of the third cluster.

Feeding and dosage scheme

Tomatoes go through three main stages during their development:

Vegetation - growing a bush.
Flowering and ovary formation.
Fruit filling and ripening.

When transitioning from one phase to another, the need for nutrition changes.

After planting before flowering

During this period, there is no need to feed anything special. After all, you just planted tomatoes in soil filled with fertilizers. It will take about a week for adaptation, that is, rooting, and the development of the above-ground part will stop. The appearance of young leaves in a new place means that the roots have recovered and have just begun to supply food, which is in the ground. After all, we took care of this before landing.

During this phase, it is very important not to overfeed the plants! A common mistake gardeners make is when they notice the growth of a bush, they rather feed it with organic matter (nettle infusions, etc.). As a result, the tomatoes develop thick stems, succulent leaves, and the bushes feel so good and nourished that they are in no hurry to continue their lineage, that is, to bear fruit. Excessive nitrogen fertilizing will at least delay the appearance of flowers and ovaries, and the worst will lead to fattening, the tops will be powerful, and the fruits will be small.

These tomatoes are overfed with nitrogen: the stems are thick, the leaves are large, the stepsons have already been removed, and the buds are just appearing and are very small

Our task is to speed up fruiting and increase productivity. To do this, we must help the tomatoes take root faster:

During planting, use Kornevin or Rooters. They are called that and are produced under different brands (Alliance, Clean Sheet, etc.).
Spray the leaves immediately after planting with a growth stimulator such as Epin or Energen.

This will be the feeding. Typically, such preparations contain a complex of macro- and microelements, amino acids, vitamins, and growth hormones. Read the instructions, if you need to repeat, add the drugs again.

During flowering

Tomatoes are often planted with the first flower cluster. But again, do not rush to fertilize. After planting even flowering tomatoes in the greenhouse, wait a week or two so that the bushes take root well and begin to lay the next clusters. During this time, the remaining tomatoes that were without flowers will catch up. They will also lay their first buds. Apply fertilizing at the beginning of mass flowering.

The tomatoes have grown, are actively blooming, there are already small ovaries on the lowest clusters - it’s time to feed (and these tomatoes still need pinching and formation)

From the beginning to the end of fruiting, the bushes are in dire need of potassium. Flowers should turn into ovaries, which fill very quickly. And potassium ensures the redistribution of nutrients, their outflow into actively growing organs.

But there is a catch: potassium takes nitrogen, phosphorus and trace elements from leaves and stems, so plants need the whole complex of elements. Otherwise, the stem will become thinner and the leaves will become smaller, because they will give everything to the fruits. That is, nitrogen and phosphorus are also needed, but there should be more potassium in percentage terms.

How to feed cucumbers with manure

You can use fresh manure . Unlike rotted fruit, it has an alkaline reaction, and during decomposition it releases a large amount of nitrogen, which is necessary for the growth of this crop. Manure fertilizers perform especially well on acidified soils.

Cucumbers require the most fertilizer during the fruiting period.

Cucumbers are fed with manure at least 4 times per season:

the first time - at the very beginning of flowering. Dilute 1 glass of mullein in 10 liters of water and add 1 tsp. potassium sulfate, superphosphate and urea. After watering, apply 0.5 liters of solution under each plant;
the second time - at the beginning of fruiting. Dilute about 0.5 kg of chicken manure, 3 tbsp. in a 10 liter bucket of water. ash and 1 tbsp. nitrophoska. Apply 1 liter of mixture under the bush;
the third time two weeks after the second feeding. Dilute 1 liter of mullein with water in a ratio of 1:3 and dilute the resulting composition with 10 liters of water. If desired, add 1 tsp. potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate. Water the beds with a strained solution at the rate of 8-10 liters per 1 sq.m;
The fourth time you should feed the cucumbers 2-2.5 weeks after the third feeding. Dilute 1 liter of chicken manure with water in a ratio of 1:3 and add 10 liters of water. Use 5 liters of composition per 1 sq.m.

Advice from gardeners: the better way to fertilize the soil in a greenhouse in the spring

The soil in the greenhouse is prepared as follows: in the spring, before planting seedlings, compost and manure are poured, approximately 6 kilograms of organic matter are taken per square meter. Then mineral fertilizers are applied to the formed ridges.

What to add to the ground before planting tomatoes

If you use the fertilizer “For tomatoes, peppers, eggplants,” then put 20 grams in the hole. You will need a tablespoon of Signor Tomato fertilizer for each hole. The preparation “Spring-Summer Universal” for feeding is taken in the amount of two tablespoons per hole.

If specifically phosphorus, potassium or nitrogen fertilizers are used, it is important not to confuse the proportions so that fertilizing does not harm the plant.

Diammofosk is applied in the amount of half a teaspoon per well. Ammophoska, which contains 15 percent potassium, 15 percent potassium, 12 percent nitrogen, is added to the hole in an amount of no more than 6 grams of the drug.

Wood ash is a suitable organic fertilizer. You need to add about one and a half tablespoons of fertilizer to each hole. You can also use humus. Approximately 50 grams of it are taken per hole, that is, a couple of handfuls. It is worth noting that it is strictly forbidden to try on fresh manure - the plants will actively increase their growth, but there will be few fruits.

Nutrients according to folk recipes are also added to the soil. This can be onion peels (a handful is enough for one hole), yeast infused for a day, crushed eggshells.

Yeast is infused like this: 10 grams of yeast are diluted in a bucket of water and left for a day. Before planting tomatoes, water the hole with the solution. Take a glass for one well.

Powder from the shell is poured into each well - a couple of tablespoons is enough.

What to add to the ground before planting cucumbers

Before planting the seedlings, place a handful of onion peels and wood ash in the holes. Some gardeners specifically add several tablets of gliocladin as a powerful means of preventing root rot. Chopped fresh nettle is also used as an organic fertilizer. Humus is placed on top of the fertilizer, and cucumber seedlings are planted on it. This method of planting cucumbers, according to experienced gardeners, gives a high yield.

What to add to the ground before planting peppers

How to fertilize the soil in a greenhouse in the spring. To create the desired soil structure, sawdust, humus, peat and sand are added to it in equal proportions per square meter. If peat beds are prepared, you will need sand, turf and humus in equal proportions. If the soil is acidic, you need to add a neutralizer - alkali.

First, the holes where the plants will be planted are disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. You can also use a solution of copper sulfate, in this case a tablespoon of the product is diluted in a bucket of water. However, the vitriol solution cannot be poured into the wells immediately before planting the seedlings. All work must be carried out three days before planting.

For the growth and strength of seedlings, for yield, half a teaspoon of superphosphate is introduced into the hole. This drug helps seedlings adapt better. Humus, ash (a tablespoon), and soaked onion peels are also added to the hole, which will help resist harmful bacteria that cause disease. As a rule, the bottom of the hole is lined with husks. Fertilizers are laid out in layers.

Instead of organic fertilizers, you can use universal soil, as well as complex preparations, such as “Nitrophoska”, which is taken at the rate of a teaspoon per hole, “Fertika”, which needs a tablespoon per hole.

What to add to the ground before planting eggplants

Peat;
Sphagnum;
Turf, rotted, prepared in the fall;
Two-year compost;
Leaf soil;
Humus;
Vermicompost;
Wood soil prepared from rotted sawdust;
Eggshell powder;
Ash.

Agroperlite, which gives better air permeability;
Vermiculite, which absorbs moisture well;
Sand, to create a loose soil structure;
Expanded clay serving as drainage.

It is prohibited to introduce clay into the soil for eggplant seedlings. It will make the soil heavy, depriving it of breathability and moisture capacity.

How to fertilize the soil in a greenhouse in the spring. Before planting eggplants, the soil is disinfected. To do this, you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Experienced gardeners recommend introducing into the soil per square meter: magnesium sulfate - 20 grams, humus - 5 kilograms, superphosphate - 70 g, ammonium nitrate - 35 grams, potassium sulfate - 45 grams. Dig up the soil. On the day of planting, make holes for seedlings. Before the seedlings are planted in the greenhouse, they are pre-treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

How to fertilize the soil in a radish greenhouse

In the spring, when preparing a place for radishes, you need to lay compost between the rows, and enrich the soil with nutrients using complex mineral fertilizers. For example, “Agricola” is suitable for carrots, beets, and radishes.

How to feed the soil in a greenhouse in the spring to grow greens

When planting dill, the soil is treated with nitrophoska.
Before planting lettuce, use mineral fertilizers, for example, Kemira Lux.
Parsley can do without fertilizers, but it prefers light soil, so it is advisable to prepare the soil using turf and ash.
Celery also prefers light soil. Before planting root celery, the soil is fertilized with organic matter, and a tablespoon of superphosphate is added to each hole.

How to feed other vegetables with manure

Other vegetables in the garden are fed with organic matter prepared according to the following recipes:

white cabbage with manure twice a season: 20 days after planting the seedlings and 25-30 days after the first feeding. Dilute the fermented mullein with water 4-6 times and apply 0.5 liters of the composition under each plant. In dry weather, add the same amount of water for irrigation;
Zucchini is fed with manure before flowering. For 1 liter of mullein, take 10 liters of water and add 10 g of nitrophoska. Apply 1 liter of composition to each bush. During flowering, zucchini is fed again. To do this, 1 liter of fresh chicken manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3 and 1 tbsp is added. complex fertilizer. The resulting mixture is diluted in 10 liters of water and 3 liters of the composition are added per 1 sq.m;
Potatoes do not respond well to the application of organic fertilizers and minerals. Manure allows you to only slightly “heal” weak and pale plants. 0.5 liters of liquid mullein are diluted with 10 liters of water and 3-4 liters are added per square meter;
carrots do not need much feeding with organic compounds. You can feed it only if the shoots are weakly developed. Bird droppings are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15, and slurry - in a ratio of 1:5 and the furrows between the beds are watered;
table beets , perhaps, “love” organic fertilizers most of all. The first one is done after 3-4 true leaves appear. For 10 liters of water, take 1.5 cups of mullein, 1 g of nitrophoska and the same amount of boric acid. Apply the second fertilizing with a similar solution, but with 1 cup of mullein, during the growth of root crops. Don’t be afraid to overfeed the beets; excess nutrients will not harm them.

Manure can be stored outdoors, but only under film cover

Complex fertilizers for tomatoes

If you do not have the time and desire to prepare mineral fertilizers and maintain proportions, pay attention to complex formulations that are deservedly popular among gardeners:

"Universal": source of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. To prepare the nutritional mixture, it is enough to dissolve 5 g of the drug in 1 liter of water.
“Nitroammofoska”: per 1 liter of water - 5 g of granules.
"Kemira-universal-2": a preparation suitable for use in all phases of the tomato growing season. Suitable for root fertilizer: 150 mg - per 1 m2.
"Solution": water-soluble powder for root and foliar fertilizer.
“Phyto-Doctor”, “Fitosporin”: ready-made compounds that, among other things, protect tomatoes from late blight.

Instructions for use are included with each drug. Basically, the use is simple: the “mortar” is dissolved in water, and then the plant is watered with the composition. Granulated “Kemira”, “Nitroammofoska” are buried in the substrate near the plants - when watering, the fertilizer particles dissolve, nutrition along with water is delivered to the roots.

protecting your garden from late blight using Fitosporin-M

Gray granules “Nitroammofoski” are one of the most favorite complex fertilizers among gardeners:

affordable price;
suitable specifically for open ground tomatoes;
can be applied in dry or liquid form;
use as root and foliar feeding.

In its properties, nitroammophoska is superior to related ammophoska and nitrophoska, and also has a more diverse composition and the addition of microelements.

How to feed roses and other flowers with manure

Not all flower growers want to “spoil” the aroma of their country flower bed with the unpleasant smell of manure. But now there are manure concentrates on sale that are intended for use even indoors. In addition, to feed garden and indoor flowers, you can use mullein or horse manure with a less pungent odor.

It is undesirable to use sheep and pig manure, as well as waste from pets, to feed flower plants.

For feeding any flower plants, mullein is suitable, initially diluted with water in a ratio of 1:4, infused in a loosely closed container for 3-4 days, and then diluted again with water in a ratio of 1:15.

Roses , dahlias and peonies are fed with horse or rotted cow manure. Add 1 kg of manure to 10 liters of clean water. After a day, dilute the mixture with water in a ratio of 1:2 and water the flower beds.

After applying organic fertilizers, the soil should be loosened

For perennial flowers , the soil is prepared in the fall and about 10 kg of rotted organic matter is added per 1 sq.m. When planting annual and biennial flowers, the soil should be dug up or loosened. And before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, add up to 5 kg of rotted manure per 1 sq.m.

Benefits of using mullein

Despite the huge amount of mineral fertilizers on the market, ordinary organic manure is still in high demand as a fertilizer for tomatoes. It has several fundamentally important advantages.

Mullein, which is essentially waste from livestock and poultry, has a very valuable composition and does not contain aggressive components or toxic substances.
Basically, mullein consists of nitrogen, ordinary water and organic substances rich in micro- and macroelements. The organic matter in the fertilizer constantly decomposes, during which carbon dioxide is released, and its presence in the soil has a very positive effect on the health of tomatoes.
Fertilizer helps to properly warm the soil, which also improves and accelerates the growth of tomatoes.
Natural organic matter of animal origin is a slow-acting fertilizer; it continues to have a beneficial effect on tomatoes long after application to the soil. You can add the organic mixture to the ground in its pure form before planting tomatoes - the crop will be able to receive nutrients from the soil throughout the season.

Mullein is a very affordable fertilizer in agriculture. It enjoys particular respect among farmers who have large farms - in this case, in principle, there is no need to buy fertilizer, since it is supplied by cattle and other livestock.

How to feed strawberries with manure

Manure is most often used to fertilize garden strawberries, since it is difficult to find the best option for enriching and saturating the soil with useful substances. You need to feed strawberries twice a season:

The first feeding is carried out in the spring when berries appear on the bushes. To do this, use mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Under each bush, add 0.5 liters of the composition;
the second time after harvesting. Before the cold weather sets in, plants need to receive a supply of nutrients to make it easier for them to survive the winter. Shortly before the first frost, spread fresh manure between the rows and leave it like that until spring. Over the winter it forms humus, which can be reused.

To reduce the unpleasant odor, the drug Baikal is sometimes added to the manure solution.

Find out more about how to feed strawberries after harvest.

Terms of fertilizing

Mullein is a universal fertilizer that can be used to feed tomatoes throughout the season. In small quantities, fresh, rotted or diluted fertilizer is applied to tomato beds several times a year:

in spring when planting tomato crops;
during the period of growing seedlings indoors;
immediately after transferring tomatoes to open ground or a greenhouse;
in the fall after digging the soil - as pre-winter preparation.

In small quantities, fertilizing cucumbers and tomatoes with mullein promotes the growth of roots and green mass, and is also responsible for the rapid formation of juicy and tasty fruits.

How to feed trees and bushes with manure

It is best to use rotted manure , which has been kept for 2-3 years before use. This fertilizer is excellent for apricots , plums , cherries and other stone fruits , as well as for apples , pears and conifers (pine, spruce, juniper, yew, thuja, etc.). Fresh manure is usually applied once every 2-3 years (2-3 kg per 1 sq.m.) in the fall for plowing or digging. In other cases, the manure should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5 and left covered for a week. Fertilizer is applied after watering the trees. Repeat feeding in the summer no later than the second half of July.

When planting fruit trees, you can apply up to 20-25 kg of fertilizer at a time

Berry bushes are usually fed in the fall; for this, 2-3 buckets of fresh or rotted manure are added under each bush.

Now you know that you can feed almost any crop with manure and you need to do it regularly. Experiment with different types of manure to determine which organic fertilizer option works best for the plants in your yard.

Rules for feeding in a polycarbonate greenhouse

The soil needs to be warmed, and to do this, straw or tops are buried in the ground. You also need to add manure to the soil, which will help create a thermal effect. On top of the layer of manure, lay a layer of earth enriched with mineral preparations and ash. This is followed by a hot “shower”. And then the beds are covered with polyethylene. Thanks to the greenhouse effect, the earth will warm up and be ready for planting seedlings.

What soil acidity is needed for planting tomatoes?

Tomato is not very sensitive to increased soil acidity. The acidity of cultivated soils is usually low (not lower than 5.5), so liming them is not advisable. If the acidity of the soil is high, then it is recommended to apply lime to the previous crops in the fall: cabbage, cucumber, onion. The optimal acidity of the medium for tomato is within the pH range of 5.0-6.0.