Looking for the best way to fertilize your tomato plants this year to keep them strong and healthy – and get a bigger and better harvest of ripe, juicy tomatoes all summer long?
It’s no secret that tomato plants need a lot of nutrients to grow and produce their crop. In fact, they are one of the most needy of all vegetable plants when it comes to taking energy from the soil. Unfortunately, because of that, they can quickly drain the nutrients they need most from the soil – leaving them without the power they need for producing flowers and fruit just as summer arrives.
The good news is that by simply providing your tomato plants with a little extra energy with fertilizer, you can not only fill the void, but actually increase your plant’s ability to produce. But to do that, one thing is for sure, it’s critical you give your plants the right kind of fertilizer – at the right time – and in the right form!
So what is the best kind of fertilizer for tomato plants? And when and how should it be applied? Well that is exactly what today’s article is all about. And it all starts with knowing why liquid fertilizers are the way to go when it comes to powering tomato plants to your best harvest ever!
The Best Way To Fertilize Tomato Plants
Why Liquid Fertilizers Are Best For Tomato Plants
There are two main types of fertilizers – granular and liquid. They both certainly have their place in powering vegetable crops, but when it comes to tomato plants, the best choice of all is liquid. Why? Because liquid fertilizers work fast – and they can give tomato plant’s the exact energy they need right when they need it.
Granular fertilizers are known as a slow release fertilizer. When the small grains are placed around the base of plants, they slowly release their energy as they break down into the soil.
Granular fertilizers can feed for a long time, but they take longer to arrive. They can also be hard to regulate as far as how much power is getting to the plant and when. Once you put the granules down, how and where they leach to all depends on how they soak into the soil.
Because tomato plants are heavy feeders, they need a consistent dose of power. And they need that dose to have a fair amount of energy. As it turns out, liquid fertilizers are perfect for delivering exactly that!
The Speed Of Liquid Fertilizers – How To Best Fertilize Tomato Plants
Liquid fertilizers work fast. They not only absorb through the roots of a tomato plant, but also its foliage. When tomato plants are watered with a liquid fertilizer, the liquid is absorbed into the plant quickly as the water-based fertilizer soaks immediately down into the roots.
At the same time, the liquid fertilizer is also soaking into the foliage of the plant. And this provides it with fast energy as it does. There is no waiting for granules to break down. The feeding is instantaneous – and the plant can process and use the energy right away.
Last but not least, with liquid fertilizers, you can control exactly how strong of a nutrient mix you give to your plants with each dose – and as you will see in the next section – that is a huge plus for powering your plants perfectly to produce a bigger crop!
What To Feed Tomato Plants – The Best Way To Fertilize Tomato Plants
So now that we know liquid fertilizers are the way to go – it’s time to cover what type of liquid fertilizer is best for tomato plants.
Tomato plants require a long list of micro nutrients in smaller amounts. But when it comes to getting a dose of the big three powerhouse nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), the amount they get of each matters the most. Especially when it comes to getting your plants to produce more tomatoes!
Giving Tomatoes The Right Amount Of Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium – The Best Way To Fertilize Tomato Plants
Tomatoes need nitrogen to grow and maintain foliage. But if they get too much nitrogen, that is all they will do – grow big. All at the expense of blooming and setting fruit. That is why using high nitrogen fertilizers on tomato plants is never a good idea.
To set blooms and fruit, tomato plants need far more phosphorous and potassium. Phosphorous is the most critical of all for blooming and forming fruit. It helps a tomato plant form better roots for absorbing moisture and nutrients. But even more, it helps the plant develop and ripen fruit.
Potassium is important as well. It helps tomato plants with overall health and strength. But it also is vital for helping tomato fruit form the sugars that make them sweet and flavorful. Like phosphorous, it also aids in ripening tomatoes on the vine as well.
Because of this, it is important to select a liquid fertilizer that has a much higher ratio of phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen. How much higher? For best results, look for liquid fertilizers with at least double the amount of phosphorous and potassium.
There are actually quite a few excellent liquid fertilizers that are specifically designed for tomatoes. In addition to having the right ratio of phosphorous and potassium to nitrogen, they also contain calcium and other important trace nutrients tomatoes need. Affiliate Product Link: Farmer’s Secret Tomato Booster Fertilizer (32oz) – Super Concentrated
Giving The Right Dose Of Nutrients – The Best Way To Fertilize Tomato Plants
But here is the really important part – instead of giving them big doses of fertilizer once a month – it’s far better to give them lighter doses more often – as in every ten to fourteen days.
This keeps the feeding to your tomato plants consistent. And that consistent feeding will help them to always have what they need right when they need it. But most importantly, without the worry of overpowering them and hurting production.
At the end of the day, by simply giving your plants more of what they need most, they will respond with bigger and better production. Here is to feeding your tomato plants this year with the power of liquid fertilizer! Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary.
Old World Garden
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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