Best Fertilizer and when?
 

What is the best Fertilizer/Nutrients and when to apply? Like different fertilizers/nutrients before blossoms and different fertilizers/nutrients after fruit set?
Kind of weird, Miracle Grow you mix and spray on leaves yet it is known that moisture on leaves or splashing ground under plant while watering is a recipe for decease ?
While putting out transplant's I usually place a tBS of Lime in the base of hole to prevent BER and last yr had only 1 of 40 plants had BER.
Thank You

BER is mostly about moisture consistency. Organic matter helps.

If your soil is good enough, you don't need any fertilizer. I like Osmocote for container plants. Tomatotone is popular as well. I would shoot for good soil first, with compost or composted manure, and then finish that off with a little Tomatotone.

We are practically neighbors so what works for us may for you. I mix well rotted leaves, least 3 yrs. old (consistency of black dirt) in hole. Add tbs. bone meal and epson salt. If not well rotted manure use low nit. fertilizer such as 6-24-24. Iv'e used ash tree ashes, can't say if really made a diff. Didn't hurt. We add straw around plants for soil splatter. Our garden is located on Lick Creek in a deep valley so we combat the cool damp night diseases and don't plant till last of may. rockman

BEST fertilizer is what the plants need and the soil/med is deficient in it.
So if my garden soil is rich in P, K, Mg, Ca ... but deficient in N, then the best fertilizer is something like 21-0-0. Although I can use like 10-10-10 but the last two "10"s are not really needed.
But in container growing it is a whole new ballgame.
Organic fertilizing is also a bit more complex than synthetic.

:panic: at times with plants, spring around the house,and seedlings started . Thanks Rockman, i see we are close , looks as if i best wait till May 8th or so to plant - last yr i needed to cover stuff up - too old for that. I never have my soil tested and usually go with a 12-12-12 slow release. Got Top soil Plus from Mcarty Green Cycle in Danville plus a couple extra yds compost so i'll see what happens 1rst yr for raised bed for me. I see Geezer here inBrownsburg by me has commented a couple times - busy: travel, wedding for daughter etc

I'm not going to buy into any so called tomato fertilizer.
It is my choice but to me it is a scam.
Soil test will prove again and again that the constant use of this stuff will show to much P and K.
You simply can't force feed plants to get them to take up more.
Many a time I have seen folks go on about someone's plants only to find out they are using a well balanced fertilizer.
Worth

I love Tomato Tone, but I only grow in containers. I already know my soilless mix has no natural nutes. And I do supplemental feeding too, with Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate. I had 105 tomato plants this year, and I got about 1500 tomatoes not counting the cherries.

I won't admit to knowing anything about container growing in soiless mixes.
Worth

My soil test this year showed too much P and K and I have only ever fertilized with compost so this year I am only using blood meal which is all Nitrogen, 12-0-0.

It's best to know what your garden needs and just start adding things.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;633339]My soil test this year showed too much P and K and I have only ever fertilized with compost so this year I am only using blood meal which is all Nitrogen, 12-0-0.

It's best to know what your garden needs and just start adding things.[/QUOTE]

I grow in raised beds with some compost, alfalfa pellets, etc. added each year. My last soil test said exactly the same. Advised me to add only blood meal for nitrogen.

has anybody ever used urea? my farmer's coop has a 50# bag for like 10$. my soil test recommended to add urea, but I've never used it. research specified that it needs to be tilled in and not used on top of soil (something about the chemical exchange is different). test also had the p & k elevated d/t all the fertilizer mixes a dump every year.

[QUOTE=My Foot Smells;633350]has anybody ever used urea? my farmer's coop has a 50# bag for like 10$. my soil test recommended to add urea, but I've never used it. research specified that it needs to be tilled in and not used on top of soil (something about the chemical exchange is different). test also had the p & k elevated d/t all the fertilizer mixes a dump every year.[/QUOTE]

Urea requires microbes to break it down into usable nitrogen.
You can just rake it in.
Worth

[QUOTE=My Foot Smells;633350]has anybody ever used urea? my farmer's coop has a 50# bag for like 10$. my soil test recommended to add urea, but I've never used it. research specified that it needs to be tilled in and not used on top of soil (something about the chemical exchange is different). test also had the p & k elevated d/t all the fertilizer mixes a dump every year.[/QUOTE]

urea is the the cheapest fertilizer for nitrogen it does require micros to break down to make it a usable source for the plants. I would use calcium nitrate instead of urea. Its available immediately to the plant and has calcium in it.

[QUOTE=My Foot Smells;633350]has anybody ever used urea? my farmer's coop has a 50# bag for like 10$. my soil test recommended to add urea, but I've never used it. research specified that it needs to be tilled in and not used on top of soil (something about the chemical exchange is different). test also had the p & k elevated d/t all the fertilizer mixes a dump every year.[/QUOTE]

Urea is first converted to ammonia, which is a volatile gas, then ammonia is converted to ammonium which is a plant available form of N. The higher urea is placed in the soil profile, the greater chance of N loss as ammonia to the atmosphere. How much loss, which can be very high sometimes is dependent on temperature, PH and moisture.

Most of the guidance I have seen recommends incorporating all required phosphorus preplant, with some of any N and K requirements preplant. Then side band or fertigate the remaining N and K requirements.
The hydroponics crowd posted these links over the seasons, and months & years later I may be getting the gist of some of it.
Couple of summaries
[URL]http://www.yara.us/agriculture/crops/tomato/key-facts/nutritional-summary/[/URL]

[URL]http://www.haifagroup.com/knowledge_center/crop_guides/tomato/plant_nutrition/dynamics_of_nutritional_requirements/[/URL]

Boat load of detail
[URL]http://www.haifa-group.com/files/Guides/tomato/Tomato.pdf[/URL]

Just right now I'm trialing two kinds of N only drenches on separate rows, and two N-P-K drenches on a couple other rows.

[IMG]https://www.planetnatural.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/nitro-big2.jpg[/IMG]

I picked up some of this on sale (just a pint) to mix up. Never tried it before, but knowing I was low in N, thought I would give it a spin.

I'm really bad (but learning) on the ratio's and what's good on the marketplace. It's hard to separate the hoopla and colorful label claims and pictures.

In years past, I always just top dressed with compost - which did well. But did not do this year, partially do to laziness.

Has anybody used this stuff before? Had "glowing" reviews. LOL

rockman, i was planning on planting 1rst week in may? i do remember last year having to cover up for a frost but i did not keep records so i don't remember when i planted:bummer:

As the planting rule for our area May 15th is our last frost, so if you plant May 5th and your seeds take 10 days to germinate your good. It's hard to wait till mid may to plant plants when we have had 80 degree weather already. rockman

[QUOTE=My Foot Smells;633414][IMG]https://www.planetnatural.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/nitro-big2.jpg[/IMG]

I picked up some of this on sale (just a pint) to mix up. Never tried it before, but knowing I was low in N, thought I would give it a spin.

I'm really bad (but learning) on the ratio's and what's good on the marketplace. It's hard to separate the hoopla and colorful label claims and pictures.

In years past, I always just top dressed with compost - which did well. But did not do this year, partially do to laziness.

Has anybody used this stuff before? Had "glowing" reviews. LOL[/QUOTE]

I'm sure it will work great from what I see it is made out of.
Be prepared to see your plants explode.

I will stick with Alaska fish fertilizer because I have it if for no other reason.:lol:

Worth

I just bought a 50lb. bag of 100% alfalfa pellets at a feed store today for $14.Plan on making a tea and feeding my tomato and pepper plants when I plant them at the end of May.My cereal rye and hairy vetch right now is over 2 feet tall.I'm going to mow it down this week and then plant right into it around memorial day .Going no till 2nd year in a row.Might do the tea feeding every 2 weeks,will see how my plants are growing.First time using Alfalfa pellets.Have been using cotton seed meal the last 2 years.

Alfalfa is very high in nutrients, which is great. You might also consider adding a bit of compost and unsulphured molasses to the tea, to cultivate beneficial bacteria as well.

I was just reading up on ways to make alfalfa tea and seen that mentioned.

rockman, i was planning on putting out my plants on the 5th, guess i will have to wait which will require repotting:?!?:

I add cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets along with some homemade compost and chicken manure when preparing my soil. I then use Texas Tomato Food as a supplement every 7 to 10 days and adjust the amount according to how my plants are doing. This year for the first time I am adding peat and pine bark fines to my soil as it has gotten too sandy and needs more structure. I am afraid to add any more cow or horse manure since my P levels are too high. My K levels were too low a few years ago and I added a good bit of greensand and it helped both production and taste of my tomatoes.

Heading to Lowes to pick up some more peat and pine bark fines for my three smaller beds which have become particularly sandy. Last year keeping them watered was a chore and I'm hoping the addition of those two things will help maintain better moisture levels. I will add a little extra nitrogen when I till them in along with my usual amendments; but I am out of compost so none of that this summer for those three beds so I guess I'll add even more peat.

I know that adding too much peat and pine bark fines might lower my ph which I hope it will since my beds are too alkaline. I will check the ph a few weeks from now and see if it made any difference.

Bill