Every gardener involved in growing tomatoes pursues a very specific and logical goal - obtaining large volumes of high-quality harvest. It doesn’t matter whether he works with varietal plants with unusual taste and commercial qualities or classic “rustic” ones - the goal is the same. And the desired result can be achieved only if balanced fertilizers are applied to the soil in a timely manner.
For growth and development, maintaining a healthy state and, as a result, high productivity, this crop needs good nutrition. We will talk about what and how it is recommended to do.
Proper feeding is an important condition for the development of tomatoes
Any plant, including a tomato, consumes nutrients in different quantities at different stages of development. For example, an actively growing tomato needs an increased amount of nitrogen, and in the budding and fruiting phase, a constant supply of potassium.
Only with accurate knowledge of the needs of a crop during a certain period of development can you create a balanced fertilizer that will not harm the bushes, but, on the contrary, will provide them with the necessary nutrition.
All feeding of tomatoes should be carried out in a strictly defined order.
Randomly introducing one or another substance under the bushes can provoke its excess or deficiency.
As a result of improper fertilizing, tomatoes weaken and are easily affected by pests and diseases, the harvest (if any) loses its varietal characteristics - even the largest-fruited hybrids can produce small, unsightly tomatoes.
How to feed tomato seedlings to make them plump?
To harvest plump and juicy tomatoes, you need to pay special attention to adding nutrients to the seedlings .
For this you can use:
- Yeast . The effect of adding yeast is growth stimulation, thickening of thin seedlings, and good development of the root system. To prepare the solution, you will need 10 liters of warm water, in which a package of yeast is diluted.
- Onion peel . Onion peel infusion is a soft fertilizer; it can replace water during each watering or be used from time to time. To prepare, you need to pour two handfuls of husks into a liter jar and add hot water, leave for a day and strain. No additional dilution is necessary. The seedlings are watered with the resulting solution at the root.
You will find more information about feeding tomato seedlings so that they have plump stems here.
By taking note of simple and, at the same time, very effective recipes for preparing natural fertilizers, you can get consistently large yields of tomatoes with excellent taste from year to year.
How many times per season should you feed?
Since orderliness when applying fertilizers is very important, there is a special scheme for fertilizing tomatoes. In general, it represents six main stages that are inextricably linked with the stages of tomato development.
Stage one - planting in the ground
By the time the tomatoes are planted, the planting site must be prepared and filled with organic and mineral fertilizers. It is impossible to achieve high yields of this crop on poor and depleted lands.
For good survival and further development of tomatoes, the NKP complex - nitrogen-, potassium- and phosphorus-containing fertilizers - must be added to the soil . If you neglect to enrich the soil composition, seedlings will develop slowly, may begin to get sick, and produce low yields.
Stage two - two weeks after planting
During this period, young tomato bushes that have already adapted to new conditions need increased nutrition for growth and development. They need a balanced feed containing three main elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as microelements . Some gardeners fertilize earlier - already 1 - 1.5 weeks after planting.
Stage three - during the growth period
During the period of active growth, tomato bushes need fertilizing with nitrogen and phosphorus .
The interaction of these two elements ensures the proper development of tomatoes.
The supply of phosphorus in the required volume stimulates the accelerated development of the root system, and a sufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil helps the bushes gain green mass in a short time.
Stage four - during flowering
Tomato bushes begin to bloom approximately 1.5 - 2 months after planting seedlings in open ground, and in greenhouse conditions these periods begin a little earlier.
Almost all feeding of tomatoes during flowering is aimed at fruit set . In case of deficiency of potassium and phosphorus nutrition, flowers may fall from the bushes without having time to pollinate. As a result, tomato yields will drop sharply.
During this period, it is recommended to avoid the application of fertilizers with a high nitrogen content.
Stage five - fruit set period
At this time, plants especially need potassium and phosphorus, but fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should be abandoned. There are many complex preparations that can be used during this period, but organic supplements remain the safest.
Stage six - fertilizing during the fruiting period
The last main feeding of tomatoes is carried out to improve the taste of the fruit and their accelerated ripening. The main necessary elements for fertilizing already fruiting bushes are potassium, boron, manganese, iodine .
When receiving such nutrition, the pulp of ripened fruits will be fleshy and sweet due to the accumulation of sugars. If you neglect this stage of the scheme, then the taste of the collected fruits may not be clearly expressed. A couple of weeks before harvesting, all fertilizing should be stopped.
What affects the growth of tomato bushes
Every vegetable grower grows tomatoes in his garden. To get a good harvest of vegetables, you need to properly care for them. The most important stage of care is feeding.
Not all gardeners, especially beginners, know when, how and what to feed tomatoes so that they grow large. Tips and recommendations from experts on how to feed the plants will help you get large, tasty tomatoes.
If nutrients do not reach the tomato cells, this will negatively affect their growth and development.
Tomatoes get sick and sometimes die. Lack of nutrition is noticeable in appearance. The plants look pale, have thin stems, and little greenery. The taste and quality of the fruit also suffer. You need to feed tomatoes with microelements:
- Phosphorus . When there is a lack of phosphorus, plants shed their ovaries.
- Calcium . Deficiency causes blossom end rot.
- Potassium . Not enough potassium will cause drying.
- Iron . Without iron, young leaves turn yellow and then brown spots appear on them.
- Copper . The deficiency prevents the development of flower stalks.
- Magnesium . Without magnesium, photosynthesis does not occur.
- Bor . Promotes the formation of ovaries.
- Zinc . Participates in metabolism.
The combination of microelements has a positive effect on tomato growth. Healthy bushes are the key to a bountiful harvest.
Table of phased application of fertilizers
This handy sign will help you find the answer to the question of when, what and how many times you can feed tomatoes in open ground or a greenhouse.
| Plant development stage | Month | How many times (depending on the condition of the tomatoes) | What substances are needed (in descending order of need) | Drugs |
| When planting in the ground | May | 1 | potassium nitrogen phosphorus | OMU “For peppers, tomatoes, eggplants” “Senior Tomato” “Spring-summer universal” “Giant” Ammofoska Ash Humus |
| 2 weeks after landing | May June | 1 — 2 | potassium phosphorus nitrogen + trace elements | Superphosphate Urea Ammonium nitrate Ash Manure Humate |
| During the period of growth | May June | 1 — 2 | phosphorus nitrogen | Nitroammophoska Iodine solution Ash Superphosphate |
| During flowering | may June July | 2 — 3 | phosphorus potassium | “Kemira Lux” “Universal” “Solution” “Senior Tomato” Herbal infusion |
| During fruit set | June July | 2 — 3 | phosphorus potassium | “Sudarushka” “Ovary” “Tamaton” Ammofoska Zola |
| During the fruiting period | June July August | 2 — 3 | boron manganese iodine phosphorus potassium | Boric acid Iodine solution Saline solution Ash Mullein Solution Potassium sulfate For quick filling: “Dripper” “Estrel” “Sweet” “Benefit” Potassium monophosphate |
When is emergency feeding useful?
Above was an approximate scheme for feeding tomatoes; in practice, the number of its stages can vary if necessary. Everything will depend on the condition of the soil and the development of the bushes.
If the condition of the plants is deteriorating (leaves, stems and other parts of the plant do not look healthy, become stained, deformed or dry out), this may indicate a deficiency of a specific element.
To improve the health of the bushes, you need to add the missing nutrition to the soil - carry out extraordinary plant feeding.
Is it necessary to fertilize tomatoes strictly according to schedule?
Since the above scheme for feeding tomatoes is considered general, in specific cases it can vary significantly.
For example, if the planting sites for the crop were properly fertilized in advance, then when planting the seedlings, they do not add anything to the soil, but simply spill it. This is also done if the seedlings were fed before planting.
If the tomatoes grow well and are full of health at one or another stage of development, then some points of the diagram can be omitted. If tomatoes lack a certain substance in the soil, they will definitely show it.
Tomatoes grown in separate containers must be fed according to the schedule and, possibly, fertilizers must be added out of sequence. Since the earth in limited quantities quickly becomes poor, it is necessary to constantly replenish its nutritional composition by introducing certain elements.
Many gardeners prefer to use inexpensive and accessible products as fertilizers. For example, ammonia is used in different ways: for fertilizing the soil, treating plants, spraying and watering.
Types of feeding
For tomatoes, two types of fertilizers are used - root and foliar. It is most effective to alternate them.
Root
This type of fertilizing is absorbed by the root system of the crop. Typically, fertilizer is placed under the roots when planting, or nutrient solutions are poured under the bushes. This method is considered the most important for nutrition. Both natural and special chemical compounds can act as fertilizers.
Important! When watering tomato bushes with fertilizer, try not to get it on the green mass of the plant, as this can cause a burn.
Foliar
With this feeding, the absorption of elements occurs through the green mass of the plant. It begins to nourish and act immediately, so foliar treatments are often used as an ambulance for a plant or when the roots cannot or do not have time to absorb everything they need from the soil. Typically, the concentration of substances used in such solutions is no more than 1%. Exceeding the norm may cause leaf burn. Some of these fertilizers not only nourish tomatoes, but also protect them from diseases.
Among foliar treatments for tomatoes, the most popular are products with the following elements:
- boric acid - to preserve the ovary;
- iodine and whey - to increase resistance to fungal diseases;
- onion peel - nourishes and improves immunity;
- "Trichopol" - against late blight;
- weak solution of potassium permanganate:
- ammonia.
In some cases, foliar feeding is necessary:
- in acidic or heavy, dense soils, since in such conditions the root system poorly absorbs nutrition from the ground;
- in case of root damage;
- you have discovered strong signs of a lack of a certain element;
- at the beginning of budding and flowering;
- if the ground is too wet;
- if signs of disease are detected.
Important! When carrying out foliar feeding, you need to choose calm weather and check the weather forecast to ensure there is no precipitation.
How often and what to feed in the greenhouse?
The main type of fertilizing for greenhouse tomatoes is foliar. Greenhouse owners with many years of experience know that for a better harvest, tomatoes need to be fed with all types of fertilizers: organic, mineral, complex.
- preferable organic material is rotted manure or slurry (1 kg of manure per 10 liters of water). The solution must be infused for 1 - 3 days, after which it should be watered at the rate of 2-3 liters per plant, trying to avoid contact with the leaves.
- Mineral fertilizers include the above-mentioned urea, superphosphate, and saltpeter, which will provide greenhouse tomatoes with all the necessary elements, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
- Of the complex fertilizers, the most commonly used complex fertilizers are “Nitrofoska”, “Master”, “Red Giant”. Fertilizers help seedlings to take root in greenhouse conditions, supply them with all the necessary nutrients, and increase the productivity of the plant, because They contain a balanced combination of essential microelements and organic nutrients.
The main stages of the scheme for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse are no different . The first feeding is done immediately after planting the seedlings in the greenhouse, subsequent feedings are done every 10 to 15 days.
Despite the fact that when spraying fertilizer on the above-ground part of the bush, it is absorbed faster, it is not recommended to get too carried away with spraying tomatoes - tomatoes react negatively to increased humidity of leaves, stems and fruits .
Depending on the reaction of tomatoes to the application of a particular fertilizer at a certain stage of development, its effectiveness can be assessed. If this indicator does not satisfy the summer resident, then additional addition of fertilizers is recommended.
Thus, the number of feedings at some stages of the scheme can increase and in total reach up to 8 - 10 times during the post-planting season.
With good and rapid development of tomato bushes, you should not apply excessive fertilizers - this crop is one of those that is better to underfeed than to overfeed.
In such cases, the number of stages of the feeding scheme is reduced to 1 - 2. Most gardeners, with proper preparation of the soil for planting, begin to carry out any manipulations on feeding tomatoes only during flowering and fruiting. When drawing up a specific schedule for applying fertilizers to tomatoes, you should be guided primarily by the stage of development and their condition.
The best folk fertilizers
On the Internet you can find a large number of different ways to feed tomatoes: banana peels, coffee, iodine, water after boiling vegetables, infusion of cereals, eggshells, nettles - whatever is offered by lovers of all things natural.
But every experienced agronomist and novice gardener knows that the advice to feed tomato seedlings in the following ways is passed down from generation to generation.
Ash is a universal miracle substance
A miracle substance containing a large number of essential elements for the growth and fruiting of tomatoes ( for example, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and others ). Ash not only provides the soil with essential nutrients, but is also an excellent means of protecting soil and plants from many diseases and pests.
For fertilizer, you should use ash from a stove or barbecue, formed from the combustion of plant residues.
It is strictly forbidden to take ash for feeding - a product of burning plastic bottles, a building material, due to the high level of toxicity of many of the substances from which it is made.
Feeding methods:
- Most often, liquid ash fertilizing is used: 150 g of ash is mixed with 10 liters of water.
- Tomatoes should be watered along the grooves, about 0.5 liters of liquid per plant.
- You can simply sprinkle the land with ash when digging at a rate per 1 sq.m. 150-200 g of fertilizer.
Chicken manure is a useful but dangerous fertilizer
Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus - essential elements for crop growth and good fruiting. A universal way to create liquid fertilizer and use it:
- To feed with fresh droppings, fill a ten-liter container one-third full with droppings.
- Fill the rest of the volume with water and leave in the open air for 7 – 10 days.
- Then 0.5 liters of infusion is diluted in 10 liters of water and the space is watered with honey in rows of plants.
Dry droppings are also suitable for fertilizer.:
- 0.5 kg of litter is poured into 10 liters of water,
- cover the container with film,
- leave for 3 to 5 days, stirring daily.
- Dilute the resulting liquid with water in a ratio of 1 to 20 and water the tomatoes.
To avoid burns to tomatoes, you should try not to get the solution of water and chicken droppings on the leaves of the plant.
It is prohibited to use fresh litter in its pure form, because this substance is very aggressive and can cause plant death.
Yeast is a unique product from time immemorial
A unique product containing a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Yeast helps provide the soil with nutrients and promotes accelerated growth of tomatoes.
Universal recipe - 10 g of dry yeast. Mix 4 tbsp sugar and 10 l water. The resulting solution is further diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Fertilizers for tomato seedlings
Seedlings grow in limited conditions and require fertilizing:
- the first is carried out when 2–3 leaves appear or 10–14 days after the dive;
- the second is done 14 days after the first;
- the third and subsequent nutritional procedures are done every 10 days and are stopped a week before disembarkation.
The easiest way to do this is to use ready-made liquid fertilizers such as “Effecton” (1 tablespoon/1 l), “Agricola No. 3” (1 tablespoon/1 l). You can use soluble powders of a complex composition - “Krepysh” (2 teaspoons/10 l), “Kemira-Lux” (1 tablespoon/20 l). If signs of a deficiency of a certain element are detected, then you can use a one-component mineral fertilizer. In case of nitrogen deficiency, urea (2 g/5 l) is used, when signs of phosphorus deficiency are noticed - superphosphate (15 g/5 l). For potash fertilizing, use potassium fertilizer (6 g/5 l).
You can make your own natural feeding mixture from ash and organic matter (manure, bird droppings). A handful of ash and 3 tablespoons are dissolved in a 10-liter bucket. spoons of organic fertilizer.
It is also good to use onion peels. To do this, pour onion peels from three onions into 0.5 liters of boiling water and leave for several hours, and then water the plants. To spray the husks, infuse them with cold water.
Complex products for tomatoes
Modern specialized stores can offer fertilizers that satisfy any need. Information on methods of use and required dosages can be found in the instructions for each drug or obtained from a store sales consultant.
Often, experienced gardeners purchase complex fertilizers from the “Kristalon” series, which contain various micro- and macroelements that have a general strengthening effect on plants. These fertilizers are water-soluble, which makes them easy to use, and can replace manure, ammonium nitrate, and urea.
The action of this drug has a long-lasting effect: the active substances, when released into the soil, remain in it for 2 - 3 years. Does not pose an environmental hazard.
The Kemira mineral complex developed in Finland is especially popular. The complex contains all the necessary nutrients and microelements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and others). The granular fertilizer substance is packaged in sachets, with the weight indicated, which is very convenient when applying solutions. It is also found in liquid form. Does not contain chlorine.
The Effekton fertilizer , which is a natural substrate consisting of peat and mineral additives, is recognized as environmentally friendly and biologically active. “Effecton” improves the soil, promotes the development of beneficial microflora and is a stimulator of root growth.
Some researchers say that this fertilizer helps reduce the level of radionuclides and carcinogens in the soil.
Feeding tomatoes: increasing productivity with fertilizers
During fruit formation, tomatoes expend a lot of energy, so they need support with nutrients. Productivity should be increased with the help of mineral fertilizers. It is necessary to pay attention to the substances included in the solutions. Thus, potassium is very important for the plant, as it provides tone, increases stability and increases the number of fruits. Urea in small doses also contributes to the rapid ripening and high quality of tomatoes.
Fertilizing in spring is of great importance for young plants. By adding organic matter to the soil, you can achieve a bountiful harvest with delicious pulp. In addition, fertilizers lay the foundation for the development and formation of branches, on which fruits will later appear.
Classic mineral nutrition
The following mineral fertilizers have been very popular for decades:
- Urea (urea) is a highly effective granular nitrogen fertilizer that increases the yield of tomatoes and their resistance to diseases and pests. It is highly soluble in water; it is added during watering of plants (20-30 g per 10 liters of water). It can be applied to the soil and in dry form (sprinkle 3-4 g onto the garden bed and mix with the soil), and can also be used for spraying plants (50 g per 10 liters of water).
2. Nitrate occupies one of the leading positions in the ranking of popular mineral fertilizers. This fertilizer comes in different types: ammonia, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium - it all depends on the soil on which the crop is grown.
- To feed tomatoes, experienced vegetable growers most often use ammonium and calcium nitrate.
- Calcium nitrate is necessary for the active growth of tomatoes, strengthening their root system and immunity.
- Ammonia is useful for ensuring a high yield of vegetables.
To ensure that this fertilizer does not cause harm to plants , it is necessary to carefully monitor the dosage of the drug and the feeding schedule. Each package of this mineral fertilizer has instructions, but most often for root feeding, 25 g of nitrate is diluted in 15 liters of water.
3. Superphosphate is a complex mineral fertilizer containing nitrogen-phosphorus compounds. The drug is applied directly when digging into the soil in spring or autumn, or directly into the hole when planting seedlings (1 tsp per plant). Used on any soil, it is easily absorbed by tomatoes, making them more juicy and tasty.
Applying fertilizer if tomato leaves turn yellow
Gardeners may encounter a problem such as yellowing of tomato leaves. This happens due to an excess of nutrients, so it is necessary to follow the dosage and schedule when applying fertilizing.
So, if the plant experiences a shortage, the upper leaves begin to turn yellow. A weak solution of superphosphate will help restore life to such bushes: 1 tbsp. l. products per 10 liters of liquid. Each bush requires 20 ml of the substance.
