Fish emulsion & tomatoes

It's nearly impossible to grow tomatoes without giving them regular fertilizer. Many gardeners prefer using organic fertilizer on their homegrown fruit, but ordinary compost and manure--while useful when growing tomatoes--doesn't adequately feed tomato plants. Many other types of organic fertilizer aren't adequate for tomatoes, either, producing spindly, sickly plants. That's why fish emulsion is so popular among tomato gardeners.

What Is It?
Fish emulsion (sometimes called fish fertilizer or liquid fish emulsion) is an organic, liquid fertilizer made from byproducts of the fish industry. It's particularly useful for lawns and leafy green vegetables, having a high level of nitrogen. It's typically sold as a concentrate that gardeners dilute with water. Although it often has a fishy smell, deodorized versions are available at gardening centers.

Nutrients
Commercial fertilizers are labeled with three numbers separated by dashes. These numbers tell gardeners the percentage by weight of three nutrients every plant needs: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K). Most fish emulsion is rated 5-1-1 or 5-2-2.

Fish emulsion, applied twice weekly, helps tomato plants grow larger and faster than plants that are not fertilized. Specifically, the nitrogen in the fish fertilizer encourages lots of leaves and branches, which help support the tomato plant's large root system and bountiful crop.

Why use it?
Tomatoes require plenty of water. However, watering depletes soil of nutrients tomatoes need to thrive. Therefore, frequent fertilizing of tomatoes is necessary. Although non-organic fertilizers may be used on tomatoes, they may add too much salt to the soil, thereby stunting the plant. Fish emulsion is a better choice because there is no danger of over-salting--yet the emulsion releases nutrients quickly to the tomato plant.

How to Use It?
Dilute the fish emulsion according to the manufacturer's directions, then put it in a garden sprayer and apply it to the tomato plant's leaves. Do not apply during the hottest part of the day, since this could potentially burn the plant's leaves--and will certainly make the fertilizer scent stronger.

How to Make Your Own?
It's possible to make your own fish emulsion, but fishing for the purpose of using the catch for fertilizer is discouraged. Home-made versions of fish emulsion can contain higher levels of nutrients, since already processed, commercial fish have less oil and bones, and therefore less proteins and other nutrients. In addition, home-made versions can have higher levels of fungi and bacteria--both essential to a healthy garden.

To make your own emulsion, take a five-gallon bucket (placed in a sunny location) and fill it halfway with leaves or sawdust. Add fish and fill with water. A couple of tablespoons of molasses added to the mixture will help it decompose faster and can reduce the smell.

Allow the mixture to ferment for three months. A layer of oil will form on the top of the water; skim it off with a large spoon and place in a separate container. Dilute with water (about 1-to-1) before spraying plants.

The best fertilizer combination for tomatoes

Many gardeners have secret fertilizer recipes for growing the biggest and tastiest tomatoes. Even agriculture experts offer competing nutritional theories. Most everyone agrees on several details. First, use minimal nitrogen on tomatoes---nitrogen supports vine growth, not flowers and fruit. Second, make sure your soil pH is nearly neutral, between 6.5 and 7.0. Third, start your fertilization program with a comprehensive soil test. Don't apply phosphate or potassium, for example, if your soil has plenty already.

Best Combinations

According to University of Missouri Extension, a standard tomato fertilization program starts with adding fertilizer to the soil before planting. Because tomatoes are heavy feeders, supplement with regular side applications of fast-release fertilizer during the growing season. A fertilizer low in nitrogen (N), high in phosphorous (P) and medium or high in potassium (K)---the three numbers in fertilizer nutrient analysis, always in that order---is ideal for tomatoes. The best analyses for tomato fertilizers are 8-32-16 and 6-24-24, according to the University of Missour. These are high in phosphorous in order to support flower and fruit development. But Cornell University's College of Agriculture prefers a balanced fertilizer, with similar amounts of N, P and K, and just about any balanced fertilizer will do, such as 10-10-10.

Inorganic Combinations

Sometimes called synthetic or chemical fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer types are those with N, P and K immediately available for plant use. Inorganic fertilizers also come in slow-release forms, which are typically more expensive. Cornell's suggested 10-10-10 all-purpose fertilizer is easier to find than the University of Missouri's 8-32-16 and 6-24-24 recommended formulations, but both should be available in slow- and fast-release forms. Very easy to use as 60-day slow-release fertilizer "spikes" you stick in the ground near each tomato plant, Jobe's Fertilizer Spikes for Tomatoes have a nutrient analysis of 8-24-8. Other good tomato fertilizers---though they may be labeled as flower or "bloom" fertilizers---will be high in phosphorous, with nutrient ratios such as 10-20-10, 15-30-15, 12-24-12 or 8-16-8. Miracle-Gro Tomato Plant Food, by contrast, is 18-18-21--very similar, proportionately, to all-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer, just more concentrated.

Organic Combinations

The same general trends in plant nutrient needs and proportions hold up with commercial organic fertilizers, but the process is much more complex. This is because plant nutrients in organic fertilizers are bound up in organic compounds, which are not available to plants for use until these compounds are broken down in the soil by microbes. This makes it harder for gardeners or growers to know exactly how much of any given nutrient is immediately available, although building living, dynamic soil eventually delivers high levels of all nutrients. Commercial organic products feasible for tomatoes include Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer, with a nutrient analysis of 5-7-3, and Fox Farms' Happy Frog Fruit & Flower Organic Fertilizer, with a nutrient analysis of 5-8-4. But organic growers experiment with many approaches, including devising their own fertilizer combinations and blends. To meet the relatively low nitrogen levels needed by tomatoes, for example, some very successful tomato farmers grow legumes or "green manure" crops during the previous season, because legumes "fix" atmospheric nitrogen and make it available in the soil. Composted chicken manure is a good source of both nitrogen and phosphorous. Bone meal is an excellent phosphorous source, and wood ashes provide quick phosphate and potash. Organic fertilizers such as liquid fish emulsion can be used in the garden and also on container-grown tomatoes.

How to feed tomato plants in containers?

Tomato plants grow well in containers, provided the pots are large enough and the plants are kept well-watered and fed. Tomato plants grown in an open garden pull nutrients as needed from the soil. In containers, tomato plants often need more frequent feeding, as the nutrients in smaller quantities of soil deplete quickly. Feed these tomato plants at least once every 10 to 14 days. This is assuming you are using liquid or granules, rather than fertiliser spikes (these are left in the soil).

1. Use a good starter fertiliser, mixed in with the potting soil, when you first plant tomatoes. If you've already planted them in containers, add a water-soluble starter fertiliser to the top 2.5 cm (1 inch) of soil and water it in well. When water starts seeping out of the container base, you've watered deeply enough. If you are using a liquid fertiliser, apply it carefully to avoid splashes and follow mixing directions and application directions fully.
2. Fertilize the plant again in two weeks. This time, use either another water-soluble liquid or granule fertiliser (for tomatoes) or add a tomato fertiliser spike to the pot. Fertiliser spikes release fertiliser gradually over time (up to two months) -- these may be more convenient if you have a very busy schedule. No matter which kind of fertiliser you use, water the soil well so the fertiliser travels down towards the plant roots where the plant can use it.
3. Continue fertilising the plant every two weeks (unless you use spikes), until the first fruit blossoms appear. When this occurs, start fertilising every week throughout the rest of the growing season.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. They are greedy and like lots of food. Use tomato fertilizer wisely and your plants will reward you.

Why container watering impacts feeding

Tomatoes in pots and containers require frequent watering or they will dry out. But watering leaches nutrients out of container plants. So you need to be especially vigilant to include tomato fertilizer in your container gardening plan to get best results.

Try these top tips for fertilizing tomatoes in pots

• Add a slow-release fertilizer (like Osmocote) to your containers when planting. Nutrients will disperse over time.
• Try grass clippings. They do double duty as mulch. Apply a couple of inches to the soil surface of your containers.
• One easy way to fertilize tomatoes is to mix a small amount of soluble, balanced tomato fertilizer (like Miracle Grow for Tomatoes) into water. Fertilize and water at the same time.
• When it comes to fertilizing tomatoes in pots, little and often is better than a lot, less often. Tomatoes like regular feedings of small amounts of fertilizer rather than infrequent, large doses. Some gardeners swear by weekly feedings or even more often. Others say every two weeks is enough. Take time to find out the best schedule that works for your plants. There are plenty of variables including tomato variety, container size, plant size, your weather, and potting mix type.
• You’ll know you’re feeding plants too much when they produce more leaves than fruit. If production is low or foliage starts to yellow, you’re probably not feeding enough.
• A good fertilizer to use on container tomatoes should have more phosphorus (the middle number in a fertilizer’s 3-number series) than nitrogen (the first number in a fertilizer’s 3-number series). Too much nitrogen can mean lots of leaves and few fruit.
• Avoid feeding tomatoes at the peak of the day or when weather is really hot – say, when temperatures are over 90-95 degrees. Extra nutrients are hard for plants to digest in the heat.

How to fertilize tomatoes with tea leaves?

Plumbers warn against putting tea leaves down sinks, toilets and garbage disposals because they can cause clogs and the tannins can damage the garbage disposal motor. Put your spent tea leaves to work for your plants as mulch, for acid-loving plants, or as a source of nitrogen and minerals for your compost pile.

Collect Tea Leaves
Choose a shallow, open container for collecting your spent tea leaves so that they can dry quickly. Wet tea leaves can develop mold, so don't let them pile up. Also, avoid using the leaves from flavored teas in plant care, which have usually been flavored with oils that may be harmful to plants.

Tea Leaves as Mulch
Scatter tea leaves (which are acidic) around your "acid-loving" outdoor plants and shrubs, such as dogwood, gardenia and hibiscus.

Tea Leaves in Compost
Add tea leaves (and tea bags) to your compost pile as a source of nitrogen. Be sure to keep your carbon/nitrogen balance in check, however.

Tea Bags
Remove tags and staples from your tea bags before adding them to your compost pile (You do not have to remove the leaves from the tea bags before composting.). It is also OK to add paper-bagged teas to worm compost piles.

If you use modern "silky" teabags (instead of paper), be sure that they are made of a biodegradable material, such as cornstarch, before composting them. Some of these bags are made from nylon, and these will not decompose.

Potential Problems
Keep a sharp eye on your plants when you first begin using tea leaves as mulch or compost. Tea leaves naturally contain fluoride, which, if used to excess, can damage some plants.

How to plant tomatoes with corn meal?

Growing tomatoes can be challenging due to the number of fungal diseases that kill leaves and stunt fruit development. Weeds also slow down the growth of tomato plants, making it hard for gardeners in areas with cool summers to get their plants large enough to ripen fruit before fall sets in. Adding horticultural corn meal and corn gluten meal to your garden when planting tomatoes can improve your results. These corn meal products are an organic alternative to chemical fungicides, herbicides and nitrate-heavy fertilizers.

1. Till or turn 25 pounds of corn gluten meal into each 1,000 square feet of soil a few weeks prior to transplanting tomatoes. This will provide the nitrogen needed to jump start tomato growth because corn gluten meal is about 10 percent nitrogen by volume, according to the University of Minnesota Extension Office.
2. Mix in approximately 40 pounds of horticultural corn meal into each 1,000 square feet of soil if you prefer to directly sow your tomato seeds into the ground. Corn meal has less nitrogen than corn gluten meal, but won't interfere with the germination of the seeds like the gluten meal will.
3. Sprinkle half a cup of corn gluten meal around the base of each tomato plant as soon as you are done transplanting. This will suppress the growth of a range of weeds by interfering with seed germination, according to the Horticultural Department of Iowa State University.
4. Apply corn gluten meal or horticultural corn meal around the plant as rain washes it away to prevent soil-borne fungal diseases from spreading to the tomato plants. Corn meal attracts and feeds micro-organisms that destroy fungi, states the University of Texas Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Things you will need:

1. Horticultural corn meal
2. Corn gluten meal
3. Shovel

Tip

• Use horticultural corn meal or corn gluten meal, not the corn meal sold at grocery stores for consumption. Food-grade corn meal is mostly starch, but horticultural products are milled for higher protein content and contain more nitrogen.

Warning

• Don't apply wet corn meal directly to the leaves of the plant. This encourages mold growth and won't stop a fungal disease that is already damaging your tomato plants.

How to apply soybean meal to tomato plants?

Nitrogen is essential to tomato plants for proper vine growth. If the tomatoes do not have enough nitrogen, they will be yellow and stunted. Too much nitrogen, however, can result in reduced fruit production. Soybean meal (7-2-1) is a good organic plant-based source of nitrogen. It decomposes in the soil, slowly releasing nitrogen, and does not harm the roots of the plants. Applying the soybean meal at the right times will ensure your tomatoes get plenty of nitrogen for growth without slowing the production of fruit.

1. Have the soil tested to determine nitrogen levels. If there are already sufficient levels of nitrogen in your soil, it will not be necessary to add more. Excess nitrogen will reduce the amount of tomatoes produced by the plant.
2. Amend soil with soybean meal right before planting the tomatoes. Mix the meal into the soil at a rate of eight pounds per 100 square feet, using a tiller or a shovel.
3. Re-apply the meal after the tomatoes begin forming on the vines. A re-application is necessary as the soybean meal releases into the soil for one to four months, depending on environmental conditions. Heat and moisture hasten the release time. Sprinkle the meal on the soil around the plant. Add roughly one pound of soybean meal for each plant.

Things you will need:

1. Soybean meal
2. Shovel
3. Scoop

How do I plant tomatoes using bone meal, sugar and Epsom salts?

Tomatoes will grow anywhere. They thrive in optimal growing conditions made possible with the addition of soil amendments. Soil amendments mixed in with the soil helps the tomato plants produce more fruit. Vegetable growers have learned that some soil additives help the plants produce a tomato low in acid content, firm to the touch and not overly juicy. Utilize soil amendments during planting time and enjoy some of the best-tasting tomatoes that ever decorated a sandwich.

Step 1:
Dig a hole that is two-and-a-half times deeper than the root ball of the tomato plant and twice as wide as the root ball. This will give the plant plenty of room to spread and encourage the roots to grow in an outward direction.

Step 2:
Drop 1 cup of bone meal and 1 cup of granulated sugar along with a shovel of mulch into the hole. Bone meal contains phosphorous that helps tomatoes grow and flower. Sugar granules break up and help offset the acidity of the fruit; they become absorbed into the tomato plant through its root system. Mulch decomposes and provides beneficial nutrients for the plant. Use the point of the shovel to blend together the bone meal, sugar and mulch.

Step 3:
Place a tomato plant in the bottom of the hole so that the stem points upwards. Keep at least two sets of leaves above the surface of the soil. Gardeners refer to this procedure as burying the plant "deep." When covered with earth, tiny roots will sprout from the stem of the tomato plant. Root strands help anchor the plant to the soil and absorb rainwater.

Step 4:
Pull the loose soil back into the hole with a hoe. Vegetable gardeners call this "back-filling" the hole. Wear your gardening gloves and tamp the dirt down around the tomato plant with the palms of your hands. Firm soil will stabilize your tomato plant and allow the roots to "breathe."

Step 5:
Sprinkle 1 cup of Epsom salts around the base of the plant and work the granules into the earth with your fingers. Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur; these two ingredients act together to fertilize a tomato plant.

Step 6:
Use a watering can to water your freshly planted tomato plant. Gardeners call this “watering in” a tomato plant. Use at least one watering can of water per plant.

Things you will need:

1. Pointed shovel
2. Bone meal
3. Granulated sugar
4. Mulch
5. Hoe
6. Epsom salts
7. Gardening gloves
8. Watering can

Tips:

• When the tomato plant begins to flower, add 1 tsp. of granulated sugar to a watering can. Fill the can with water. Sprinkle the solution over the tomato plant; repeat daily until tomatoes begin to form on the plant. This produces sweeter tasting tomatoes.

Warning:

• Tomato worms eat the leaves of tomato plants. Check your tomato plants daily for insects.