Tomato Fertilizer Choices for an Average Gardener
Raising juicy and delicious tomato plants is easy, but there are some tricks you can use to further improve the value of the produce you reap from your tomato garden. The first thing you must consider is the cultivated variety you will be using. The old-fashioned heritage tomato plants are preferred, but the recent hybrids may present traits such as immunity to pests and disorders. Some cultivated variants are also sweeter and juicier than the rest, while other types rely on soil type and climate factors for their over-all quality.
Next, employ one or several strategies for raising your tomatoes. You may pinch out the suckers, as some farmers do, but you can also choose not to. There are farmers who build cages or put up stakes to support the plants, while other growers let their plants trail on the ground.
When you have your tomato type of choice, and you have an idea how to grow your tomatoes, it’s time to decide which fertilizer types to use for your tomato crops. Tomatoes need a steady supply of nutrients. This means you have to select tomato fertilizers that have a good proportion of the three main components, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Before purchasing a fertilizer product, check the label for the NPK proportion. The numbers you will see there will correspond to a precise N-P-K formulation. A label with 5-5-5 on it indicates equal proportions of N, P, and K are present, while 5-1-1 means the tomato fertilizer contains five times as much nitrogen as phosphorus and potassium.
Each constituent plays an essential role in the development of your tomato plants. Nitrogen contributes to greener leaves. Phosphorus can promote flowering and fruiting. Potassium improves root elongation and development.
If you’re set on going organic all the way, these nutrients are readily available in organic form by utilizing fish emulsion. This is a liquid fertilizer produced from fish residue and is extremely fast acting. The fast release trait is specifically significant for a heavy feeder like tomato plant. You can spray this tomato fertilizer direct on the leaves, or you can employ the granulated type and just incorporate this in the soil.
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