help with fertilizers!

[amideutch]

The link given by ohiofem is a good one as it lists most of the fertilizers out there organic and inorganic registered in Washington State. It lists the name of the product and NPK and when you open it up it gives a detailed analysis of the product.

So if you have a basic NPK range your looking for this can narrow down your search considerably. Good stuff.

Ami

[mdvpc]

Espoma does not make any claims for their micros as a matter of choice-I talked once with one of their head honchos and he told me it was their choice not to with the new Tones.

[ohiofem]

Originally Posted by mdvpc

Espoma does not make any claims for their micros as a matter of choice-I talked once with one of their head honchos and he told me it was their choice not to with the new Tones.

Well, that's unfortunate. The reason I used the old Tomatotone was because of the micronutrients. Makes no sense to put them in but fail to disclose them when their competitors are disclosing. I'm not going to count on anecdotal evidence.

[mdvpc]

Yeah, it had to do with not wanting to go through the process of making sure the numbers on the bag were uniform. Cant really remember exactly what it was. I use the new TT and like it, but I do supplement with a couple other frets.

[aimeruni]

My concern with using a fertilizer mixed into the soil, then fertilizing later in the season, is that I'll end up with huge plants and no fruit.

I would fertilize the plants later in the season when they start to set blossoms. I would be using tomato tone every 2 weeks. However, how often do I fertilize? Until frost hits? If I'm fertilizing every 2 weeks, should I reduce the strength of the tomato tone, or can I keep it normal strength without over fertilizing my pepper and eggplant plants?

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by aimeruni

My concern with using a fertilizer mixed into the soil, then fertilizing later in the season, is that I'll end up with huge plants and no fruit.

That should not happen with TomatoTone (3-4-6) or Happy Frog (5-8-4) due to the low N number.

The TomatoTone package suggests 3 tbsp TomatoTone at plant out and every 2 weeks for a single plant. When I am growing in the ground, I multiply that by 6 to get 12 weeks or 18 tbsp which is 1 cup + 2 tbsp. I dig a 1 cubic foot area where the tomato root ball will be and thoroughly distribute 1 cup of TomatoTone (as well as some dolomitic lime) so that as the tomato roots grow, they keep finding more fertilizer deeper in the ground.

I believe the reason container soil mix instructions increase the fertilizer amount closer to 2 cups is due to how much gets washed out due to watering, rain, etc.

Originally Posted by aimeruni

I would fertilize the plants later in the season when they start to set blossoms. I would be using tomato tone every 2 weeks. However, how often do I fertilize? Until frost hits?

Until you're tired of harvesting tomatoes, the plants have no fruit on them, or frost.

Originally Posted by aimeruni

If I'm fertilizing every 2 weeks, should I reduce the strength of the tomato tone, or can I keep it normal strength without over fertilizing my pepper and eggplant plants?

The TomatoTone package suggests 3 tbsp TomatoTone every 2 weeks for a single plant. If you plan to fertilize every 2 weeks, then I guess you could apply that much, 3 inches away from the stem, and water in.