Are your struggling tomato plants in need of a little fix to get them growing fast this spring?
In many locations, this has been a tough early growing year for gardens and gardeners. Especially for those who love to grow tomatoes. Many areas have been hit with all too much rain and big swings in temperatures. All the while, other regions have had to deal with excessive heat and drought. But if your crop happens to be lagging behind a bit due to the crazy conditions – don’t give up hope just yet.
For starters, there are still plenty of growing days left in the season to get that crop turned around. And armed with just a few little secrets, you can power your crop up and have your tomato plants growing like wild before you know it!
How To Fix Struggling Tomato Plants – Fast
The fastest way to revive a struggling tomato plant is to provide it with a supercharged boost of nutrients. One that can be applied several times over the course of a short two to three week period to get your plants to revive and thrive.
When young plants have been inundated with too much or too little rain, or excessively cold or hot weather, they have trouble absorbing nutrients from the soil. Especially when they are young and most vulnerable.
But by supplementing your plants with a powerful dose of nutrients, you can almost always kick-start their growth in lightning-fast fashion. And in the process, set the stage for an incredible mid and late season tomato harvest.
But before you supply that power, you need to make sure your plants have a few extra things in place that can help them make the most use of those nutrients. And it all starts with making sure your plants are mulched correctly for success!
Giving You Plants The Right Mulch To Thrive
Mulching your plants is by far one of the most important keys to growing healthy, strong and productive tomatoes. And if you have not mulched them yet, you definitely need to do so now to help fix your tomato plants fast!
Mulch not only prevents competing weeds from taking hold, but also provides a slew of additional benefits. It helps to keep moisture in the root zone, and insulates the soil from hot or cold temperatures.
In addition, it can help to keep soil borne disease from splashing up from the soil below. But how and what you use to mulch can make a big difference in your plant’s success. A good tomato plant mulching is not just about protection. In fact, when applied correctly, it can help give a perfect dose of energy to your plants.
How To Fix Struggling Tomato Plants With The Right Mulch
Straw, shredded leaves and grass clippings are all excellent choices for mulching your tomato plants. A thick 4 to 6 inch layer of these organic materials can certainly do the trick. But before you apply that layer, you can really revive plants with an even more powerful mulch underneath from one of the best organic materials around – compost!
Begin by placing a few shovel-fulls of compost around the main stem of each tomato plant. Then, it’s time to add worm castings to make it even more powerful. For every plant, simply sprinkle a cup of castings around the base.
Compost is the ultimate slow release fertilizer. It is filled with the nutrients tomatoes love most. But the same can be said for worm castings. And when the two are combined to mulch around the base of a plant, great things happen! Affiliate Link: 100% Pure Organic Worm Castings Fertilizer
Listen In Below To Our Podcast On Giving Tomatoes A Jump Start!
The heavy mulching/side dressing of nutrient-filled compost and castings helps to insulate the plant’s roots from the hot summer sun. But more importantly, it will soak additional nutrients into the root zone every time you water or it rains.
If you have already mulched your plants – you can still add the power-packed compost and castings mulch. Just pull back, apply, and then reapply the top mulch. Also see: How To Grow Your Own Garden Mulch This Year – And Avoid Costly Straw!
Now it’s time to hit your plants with a powerful, energy filled punch of power! And the best way to do that is by using an all-natural liquid fertilizer.
How To Fix Struggling Tomato Plants With Liquid Fertilizer
Liquid fertilizers are the fastest acting of all fertilizers. And for plants that are lacking nutrients, the quicker you can get them to absorb the power, the faster your plants will recover.
They provide nutrients to plants in two quick and powerful ways: One, via the plant’s root system as the liquid fertilizer leaches into the soil. And two, through a process known as foliar absorption. Foliar absorption is when a plant absorbs nutrients directly through its leaves.
When looking for a liquid fertilizer for tomatoes, look for one with a higher concentration of phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. You want some nitrogen to help green up and grow the plant, but not too much.
The higher concentration of phosphorus and potassium will help the plant’s overall health improve and set the stage for better blooms and fruiting. Affiliate Link: Farmer’s Secret Tomato Booster Fertilizer (32oz)
Applying Liquid Fertilizer
To fix struggling tomato plants, apply the fertilizer at half of the recommended strength every five to seven days for a total of 3 applications. Be sure to apply early in the morning, or later in the evening to prevent any scalding of the leaves from the sun hitting the liquid.
It is amazing how in just a few weeks, your plants can suddenly begin to turn the corner. After they begin to take off, you can then back off and fertilize every ten to fourteen days with the diluted mix. Here is helping your tomato plants take off fast! For more tomato care tips, see our article: How Often Should You Fertilize Tomato Plants? 2 Big Secrets To Fertilizing Tomatoes In The Summer! Happy Gardening – Jim & 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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