Tomatoes (tomatoes) Conditions for growing tomatoes. How to feed tomatoes in the ground? Feeding tomatoes in a greenhouse using leaves

Fertilizing tomatoes before fruiting is necessary if the plants lack microelements. The problem often occurs after planting tomatoes. If you do not pay attention to it, the harvest will be poor. It is necessary to feed each bush with yeast or other fertilizers, so you will get a large number of fruits with excellent taste, and growing will be easy.

Signs of micronutrient deficiency

In open ground and greenhouses, tomatoes especially need the following microelements:

nitrogen;
phosphorus;
potassium.

At the same time, caring for tomatoes involves the active addition of phosphorus. It affects the formation of fruits and root systems. If tomatoes lack this element, the absorption of nitrogen and other substances required for nutrition will not proceed well. Phosphorus starvation can be recognized based on the following signs:

slow fruit ripening;
the presence of reddish spots on the bottom of the leaf;
curling of leaves along the main vein.

During and before fruiting, tomatoes require potassium. It promotes the formation of stems and the processing of carbon dioxide. Plants should be fed when the lower leaves wither and die.

Rules for applying fertilizing

Growing tomatoes in open ground and in a greenhouse in July involves fertilizing at the stage of planting seedlings in the greenhouse. Care is as follows: humus or compost is placed in the holes and ash is added. Humus and compost contain a large amount of useful minerals. Ash contains a huge number of macro- and microelements necessary for tomatoes.

Feeding schemes

In addition to the above scheme for the first fertilization of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you can apply fertilizers in this way: humus, turf soil, sawdust, and peat are added to boxes with soil. All components are taken in equal parts.

In open ground and in greenhouses, a combination of humus and peat is also used. A liter of sawdust and a liter of coarse river sand, a tablespoon of wood ash or dolomite flour, and a tablespoon of superphosphate are added to a bucket of the presented mixture. Sometimes fertilizers are made with chicken manure and yeast.

The resulting mixture should be mixed properly and left to stand for a week. The layer in the box of the mixture should reach 10 centimeters.

Before sowing in open ground and in a polycarbonate greenhouse, care consists of preparing a nutrient solution heated to 40 degrees. It contains:

10 liters of water;
2 tablespoons liquid mullein;
half a spoon.

Next, seedlings of tomatoes and peppers are sown in open ground. The second feeding for tomatoes, like peppers, should be done when the first few leaves appear. In this case, seedlings are allowed to dive into pots. The composition of the mixture should be similar to the mixture in the boxes. In order for cultivation to go well, the following fertilizer for tomatoes in the greenhouse is chosen:

10 liters of warm water;
half a spoon of copper sulfate;
3 spoons of mullein in liquid form.

What to do after a pick

Care after 15 days after the picking consists of carrying out. It is prepared from:

liquid mullein - a glass;
10 liters of water;
nitroammofoski - spoon.

The correct way to grow in a polycarbonate building is this: add a glass of solution to a pot of tomatoes. The next feeding for tomatoes in the greenhouse is carried out 20 days after picking. The solution has the composition:

wood ash - 2 spoons;
water - 10 liters;
double granulated superphosphate - spoon.

When fertilizing in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you should fertilize each cup with a plant. Further care consists of the 5th feeding.

If the seedlings are pale in color, there is no need to stop growing; a tablespoon of urea should be dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Then each plant is fertilized with 0.5 cups of solution and placed for a couple of days in a place with a temperature of 10 degrees. Then the seedlings are placed in normal conditions, and cultivation is carried out as usual.

If the seedlings develop quickly, then take 3 tablespoons of superphosphate per 10 liters of water. Each tomato requires a glass of solution. After 24 hours, the plants are placed in a room with a temperature of 25 degrees during the day and 20 degrees at night. The seedlings remain there for a week.

It is worth mentioning separately about fertilizing with chicken manure. It is produced periodically.

Foliar feeding

In open ground and in a greenhouse, in addition to root feeding, foliar feeding should be carried out. They consist of spraying leaves and stems.

During fruiting, they are good because they can bring to the plant all the necessary substances that are not in the soil. This is due to the fact that the leaves are able to absorb only the elements that the tomato lacks.

Feeding tomatoes (video)

Caring for tomatoes consists not only of timely watering and weeding, but also of fertilizing. You can fertilize seedlings with chicken droppings, yeast, using foliar methods. It doesn’t matter whether you choose foliar feeding or root feeding, you should act wisely: take into account the composition of the soil, the needs of the plant and follow the instructions. If you do everything right, you will be pleased with the harvest, and growing it will not be so difficult.

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Unfortunately, there is no universal way to make the soil fertile and increase the yield several times with one fertilizer over the summer. You need to regularly add nutrients to tomatoes, and they also require constant care: from soaking the seeds in a growth accelerator to regular watering and loosening of plantings in open ground.

To shorten and simplify the process of growing tomatoes in open ground, it is recommended to prepare the soil for planting in advance.

Soil preparation

It is necessary to prepare the soil for planting tomato seedlings in the fall. The greenhouse in which the seedlings will grow must be cleaned and disinfected, the tops of old plants must be burned and the weeds must be weeded out. It is very good to plant green manure, such as mustard, oats or phacelia, in the beds. These plants not only cleanse the soil of bacteria, but also contribute to the accumulation of nitrogen in it, which is vital for tomatoes. An excellent option is to plant early ripening peas or another member of the legume family after harvesting, which also accumulate nitrogen in the soil.

Before freezing the greenhouse for the winter, the beds are dug up along with the growing green manure. Humus, old mulch or any other organic matter, except fresh manure, is also added to the soil. At the same time, mineral fertilizer is buried 30-35 cm into the soil, which will be used by the tomatoes. When their root system grows.

In the spring, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil before digging only if for some reason they were not applied in the fall. It is especially important to add superphosphate, without which other fertilizers will not be absorbed. The following proportions per square meter are needed:

50g superphosphate;
10g urea;
15g potassium chloride.

Unlike other minerals, superphosphate is applied to the soil all at once. It accumulates in the soil, but does not harm plants and disperses rather slowly, so it makes no sense to water seedlings with it. Before planting seedlings, you need to make holes in the beds into which wood ash is added and you can add a little more superphosphate and a tablespoon of saltpeter.

Feeding tomatoes in open ground and in greenhouses

Growing tomatoes is a simple process that even a less experienced gardener can do. The main thing in the process of caring for seedlings is proper watering, loosening, plenty of sun and fertilization.

Feeding tomatoes can be root or foliar. Root cultivation is usually more thorough, contains more nutrients and fertilizers, and therefore is carried out less frequently. Foliar feeding and spraying are needed to solve local problems or introduce substances that are not absorbed by the root system.

The feeding scheme should be something like this:

Some gardeners carry out several more fertilizing treatments, since after such a fertilization scheme the plants begin to grow by leaps and bounds and bear fruit very actively. But most often, if the bush is healthy, actively blooms and grows large tomatoes of the correct shape and excellent taste, no additional interventions are required.

Many summer residents root-feed tomatoes with universal fertilizers such as Zdraven Turbo, Agricola, Kemira and other similar mixtures. Such care is also possible, and sometimes even recommended, since store-bought formulations contain the exact amount of substances necessary for the plant. As a rule, a small packet of fertilizer is diluted with 10-20 liters of water, and it is enough for exactly one bed.

Foliar feeding of tomatoes

Often, such feeding of tomatoes is more effective, since plants usually take all the useful substances they find from the soil, and when spraying the leaves, the greens absorb only the necessary microelements. In addition, if there is an acute deficiency of any element, the bush will receive a much larger percentage of what it needs from foliar feeding than from root feeding.

Foliar feeding is needed primarily for weakened plants experiencing stress. Such situations include transplanting into open ground or freezing.

Foliar feeding of tomatoes is carried out with preparations that are developed specifically for these purposes and for each individual type of crop. Growing tomatoes and transplanting them into open ground usually occurs in early spring. Seedlings that fall into the ground are often not hardened and get leaf burns from sunlight. In addition, not all crops tolerate transplants well due to undeveloped root systems, so foliar feeding can help improve their health.

What to feed:

If the plants are pale and weak, then nitrogen is needed. The concentration of fertilizer is weaker than with root watering; you need to take only one teaspoon of nitrogen fertilizer per 10 liters of water, stir the mixture until the urea is completely dissolved and spray each leaf;
To accelerate the ripening of fruits and more amicable flowering of the bush, the plants are sprayed with superphosphate in the same proportion;
If tomatoes grow not in a greenhouse, but in open ground, and the temperature regime is often disturbed, then it is recommended to spray the emerging flowers with preparations such as “Ovary,” which stimulate fruiting even without pollination and appropriate weather conditions.

How to understand what a plant lacks?

Growing tomatoes often does not go as smoothly as we would like. It seems to the summer resident that he is doing everything right, watering, observing the temperature regime in the greenhouse and greenhouses, tying up and planting the crops on time, but there is still no harvest, and the bushes look sick and weak. You can understand what is wrong with plants and what specific substances they lack by looking at the color of the leaves.

A lack of iron in the soil manifests itself in the fact that the main part of the leaves turns yellow, but the veins remain green. To get rid of the problem, it is enough to water the plantings 1-2 times with a solution of iron sulfate;
Lack of nitrogen is one of the most unpleasant things that threaten the crop. You can understand that a tomato lacks precisely this microelement by curled and drooping lower leaves, crumbling ovaries and small fruits;
Phosphorus, without which it is impossible to grow tomatoes, affects the color of the leaves. If they have lost their natural green color, become burgundy-red, or red veins have appeared on them, or the leaves have begun to curl outward and downward, it’s time to add superphosphate to the soil or to the leaves;
Potassium is another important component that makes tomato fruits large and sweet. If plants do not have enough of it, the leaves begin to dry out, turn yellow at the edges and become very fragile. Potassium deficiency is also dangerous because without it, the growth of the tomato itself slows down, which reduces the yield many times;
Copper is not often used in tomato cultivation, and growing tomatoes without this trace element is possible. But if there is a lack of copper, the leaves of the plant will become small and pale, and the fruits will take much longer to ripen. It is recommended to apply copper sulfate to the soil in the fall, during washing and disinfection of the greenhouse;
Due to a lack of boron, the upper leaves of the bushes turn black, and the top stops growing altogether; the growing point often dries out and falls off;
Magnesium also affects the leaves. From a lack of magnesium, the leaves become brittle and bend, and sometimes curl.

It is very important to distinguish a deficiency of a substance from a disease. Growing tomatoes in one place for several years provokes the appearance of late blight, and excess moisture causes blackleg, and inexperienced gardeners often confuse these diseases with a lack of magnesium and potassium. Many pests cause similar symptoms. Therefore, if you find leaves that have returned and changed color, you need to carefully examine the plantings for other signs of the disease. If the tomatoes are simply experiencing stress from being transplanted to a new location or have been affected by frost, then it will be enough to give them a little time to adapt. Healthy plants will recover quickly enough on their own, without outside intervention.

Proper feeding of tomatoes is the key to a good harvest

The opinion that tomatoes are able to grow without additional fertilizers has a right to life. But, the goal of every gardener is a high yield of tasty and sugary fruits, which can only be achieved by regular feeding of tomatoes.

Why fertilize tomatoes?

Maintaining the temperature regime, ensuring the necessary humidity and light in the greenhouse are important conditions for growing tomatoes, but without proper nutrition of the plants, it is unlikely that you will be able to get an excellent harvest.

At each stage of development, a tomato bush needs a complex of micro and macro elements. With insufficient nutrition, plants develop poorly or stop growing altogether, fruit set is poor, and their ripening is prolonged. Therefore, it is important to know how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse to provide them with the necessary minerals.

Excessive watering and fertilizing when growing tomatoes has a negative impact on the plants, so it is important to strictly follow the standards. Oversaturation with organic matter leads to “fatification” of the bushes. In this case, the green mass develops wildly, but the fruits are practically not set. Excessive feeding of tomatoes in a greenhouse with mineral fertilizers leads to dehydration of the bushes, as a result of which the plants may die.

Tomatoes are quite capricious plants. By the appearance of tomato bushes you can determine which element they are missing:

with a lack of phosphorus, the lower part of the bush and leaf petioles turn purple;
nitrogen - light green color of the bush and yellowed leaves;
calcium - leaf curl and blossom end rot on fruits.

At different stages of plant development, the need for minerals is different, so feeding tomatoes during flowering and fruiting will be different.

Feeding tomatoes after planting in the ground

The initial stage of plant development is very important, since during this period the root system is formed. It is important to know when and what to feed tomatoes after planting in the ground in order to help them adapt to new conditions and stimulate their development.

In the first days after planting the seedlings, the plants get used to the new conditions, so the first feeding is carried out after 10-14 days. During this period, immature tomatoes need nitrogen-containing fertilizers, which provide a powerful impetus for growth.

Feeding on mullein

Prepare a nutrient solution by mixing the following ingredients for the first feeding:

1 liter mullein;
half a glass of ash;
1.5 tbsp. spoons (or 1.5 matchboxes) of superphosphate;
10 liters of water.

The consumption rate of this solution is half a liter for each bush.

Before applying fertilizers, water the soil in the greenhouse generously. Otherwise, direct contact of the fertilizer with the roots can cause burns and, as a result, the death of the plant.

Tomato fertilizer Green tea

Feeding tomatoes with folk remedies, among which the most popular is “Green tea,” gives good results. To prepare it you need:

50 liters of water;
5 kg of any grass (weeds, nettles, mowed lawn grass), which is finely chopped beforehand;
1 bucket of mullein;
1 glass of ash.

All ingredients are mixed in a large barrel, covered tightly (for example, covered with film) and placed in a sunny place. The liquid begins to ferment under the influence of heat. Every day it is advisable to stir this infusion so that air bubbles come out. After two weeks, the solution is ready and must be diluted with water to 100 liters. Apply root fertilizer at the rate of 2 l/bush after preliminary watering.

Chicken manure fertilizer

Tomatoes respond well to root feeding with chicken manure. To prepare the solution, fill a third of a bucket of dry droppings with water and leave for at least a week, stirring every day. The fermented droppings are diluted with water (1 liter of droppings per bucket of water) and 1 liter of solution is applied under each bush, trying not to get on the leaves.

The second feeding of tomatoes in the greenhouse will be needed 10 days after the first. It is carried out with the same solutions.

Watering young tomato bushes

Immediately after transplanting the seedlings into the greenhouse, before applying fertilizer, each bush is watered with 4-5 liters of water. The next watering is carried out together with repeated feeding, after 7-10 days.

Each bush will need 2-3 liters of water. This watering is repeated twice a week until the flowering period begins.

Fertilizing tomatoes during flowering

As tomatoes bloom, their need for nutrients changes. At this stage, the emphasis is on potash and phosphorus fertilizers, and the application of nitrogen fertilizers should be kept to a minimum. Feeding tomatoes in July during flowering promotes abundant fruit set.

There are many recipes for preparing solutions that are used to feed tomatoes during flowering. Let's look at the most effective of them.

Yeast feeding

Fertilizing tomatoes with yeast is very popular among gardeners. It is carried out during the period of budding and blooming of the first flowers. To prepare a yeast-based solution you will need:

10 gr. dry yeast;
10 liters of water;
2-3 tbsp. spoons of sugar.

Mix these components and let it brew for 2-3 hours in the sun, then dilute with water (1:10) and water the plants at the root. Feeding tomatoes with yeast during this period requires simultaneous application of wood ash between the rows.

Milk fertilizer

During the formation of ovaries, gardeners use feeding of tomatoes with iodine and milk. To prepare it you will need:

1 liter of fresh milk;
4 liters of water;
15 drops of iodine.

This solution is used for foliar feeding of tomatoes. The bushes are sprayed with it in the morning or evening hours from a spray bottle, preventing it from dripping from the leaves. An iodine solution with milk stimulates the development of ovaries and is also an effective means for preventing the appearance of late blight.

Preparations for feeding tomatoes

When wondering how to fertilize tomatoes during flowering, you should not forget about agrochemicals. The most effective fertilizer is superphosphate. The working solution is prepared as follows:

2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate are poured into 1 liter of hot water;
keep the solution for 12 hours (until the fertilizer is completely dissolved);
dilute the solution with water to 10 l;
spray tomatoes, preferably in the evening.

It would not be superfluous to treat tomatoes with a solution of boric acid (5 g per 10 liters of water). It has a positive effect on fruit formation, but you can’t overdo it with this drug either. This feeding is carried out only once.

Among the complex mineral fertilizers for tomatoes, potassium monophosphate, Mortar, Kemira Lux, and Master-agro are widely used. They contain all the necessary elements for tomatoes during flowering in the optimal ratio.

How to water tomatoes during flowering

With the onset of the budding period, the frequency of watering is reduced to once a week, but the rate per bush increases to 5 liters. You should also follow the general rules:

Watering should be regular;
Stagnation of water should not be allowed;
If the soil is dry, you need to water the tomatoes gradually, first moistening the top layer of soil;
It is preferable to organize a drip irrigation system.

Improperly organized watering can cause empty flowers to be thrown out and the ovary to fall off.

How to feed tomatoes during fruiting period

To quickly ripen fruits and improve their taste, it is important to feed tomatoes during fruiting in the greenhouse.

For the smooth ripening of fruits, prepare the following composition for feeding:

1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska;
1 teaspoon of dry sodium humate;
10 liters of water.

Another option for preparing a nutrient solution is possible:

2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate;
1 tbsp. a spoonful of liquid sodium humate;
10 liters of water.

Apply the solution under the roots of tomatoes at the rate of 5 l/m².

Complex fertilizers for fruit-bearing tomatoes

It is prepared as follows:

dilute 1 liter of manure or slurry in a bucket of water;
add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer (Azofoska, Mortar, Kerama-universal, New Ideal);
add 1 g of manganese (or copper sulfate);
apply at the root for low-growing varieties of tomatoes - 1.5 l, for tall varieties - 2.5 l.

How to water tomatoes during fruiting

At the stage of tomato formation, the plant needs a lot of liquid, so watering becomes more frequent up to twice a week. At the same time, the watering rate is reduced and can range from 1 to 3 liters per bush, depending on climatic conditions and the coating used in the greenhouse.

During this period, it is especially important to control soil moisture. An excess of water will cause root rot and late blight, and a lack of moisture will weaken the plants, as a result of which they can also get sick.

Bottom line

If tomato bushes show signs of microelement deficiency, it is advisable to replenish it with foliar feeding. This way, the leaves will quickly absorb the deficient elements, and after a few hours the first results of spraying will appear.

Feeding tomatoes during flowering and fruiting is an important stage in plant care. By providing tomatoes with the necessary nutritional elements at each stage of plant development, you will receive a generous harvest of juicy, tasty, and most importantly, healthy fruits.

Tomatoes are not very picky about soil type. By applying properly selected fertilizers for tomatoes and maintaining the soil in a loose state, you can achieve excellent yields. But it is important not only to provide the plants with the necessary elements, but also not to upset their balance. For example, if there is excess phosphorus in the soil, then iron becomes insoluble, excess calcium makes magnesium unavailable to plants, and its lack contributes to excessive accumulation of iron, aluminum, and manganese.

Growing healthy tomatoes is the desire of every gardener.

To ensure proper nutrition and avoid mistakes when creating a “menu” for tomatoes, it is necessary to understand how various elements affect their development.

Of the simple fertilizers, the most necessary are:

Nitrogen fertilizers - urea, ammonium sulfate, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate. Used to stimulate plant growth. All these substances increase the acidity of the soil, so lime or ash is used to neutralize their effects. Excess leads to excessive growth of leaf mass to the detriment of the growth of fruits, which become covered with spots, cracks, their taste deteriorates, and nitrates accumulate.
Phosphorus fertilizers - in particular, granular superphosphate. They promote early flowering and fruiting, good root development, improved yield, and increased sugar content in fruits. Phosphorus is especially necessary for seedlings.
Potassium fertilizers for tomatoes - potassium salt, potassium chloride (if you have potassium sulfate, it is better to replace it with it), potassium sulfate. Its deficiency in tomatoes impairs the taste of the fruit, and hard green veins appear.

Tomatoes need potassium more than other fertilizers

Tomatoes require the most fertilizing during fruiting. At the seedling stage, plants need potassium and phosphorus. Then, to actively increase the vegetative mass, they provide nutrition with fertilizers containing nitrogen. As soon as the tomatoes begin to form fruits, their potassium nutrition is again increased, while not forgetting about the sufficient supply of phosphorus and nitrogen.

Complex mineral fertilizers

In addition to the above elements, plants need macroelements: calcium, iron, sulfur, magnesium. It is also important to provide various microelements: boron, molybdenum, copper, cobalt, zinc.

The industry produces complex mineral fertilizers for tomatoes, which contain several or a complete set of essential nutrients for full development. They are used for various purposes: to replenish missing elements, stimulate growth, prevent flowers from falling off, or accelerate fruit ripening.

Complex fertilizers for tomatoes

The norms and terms of use of fertilizers are indicated on the manufacturers' packaging; they should be carefully observed, because an overdose has just as bad an effect on the development of tomatoes as a deficiency. In addition, a change in the balance in the complex chemical composition of the soil immediately affects its condition.

Signs of battery shortage

A lack of any nutritional element inevitably leads to weakening and development of diseases. In each case of the disease, characteristic symptoms can be distinguished.

How to Recognize Macronutrient Deficiency

The manifestation of nitrogen deficiency begins with old leaves

Nitrogen deficiency can be identified by small leaves with a yellow-green color and bluish-red veins on the back side (first appears on the lower leaves). The plant has roots that are thin and weak, and the fruits are small and woody.

Phosphorus starvation results in a characteristic purple tint.

Signs of phosphorus starvation are visible in thin, weakened stems, the plant darkens, the leaves below become reddish-purple. In young plants, the leaves are directed upward at an acute angle. Flowering occurs later, the fruits are small and ripen poorly.

Potassium deficiency is characterized by curved, wrinkled leaves with chlorosis at the tips. The stems are thinned and woody, and the fruits ripen unevenly. Potassium fertilizers are the most important for a good tomato harvest.

Lack of magnesium leads to chlorosis of leaves

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency manifest themselves in chlorosis of the leaves, they curl up, the veins remain green. Magnesium starvation is more strongly felt on acidic soils, therefore, along with the application of fertilizers containing magnesium (magnesium nitrate, potassium magnesium), liming is carried out.

Signs of calcium deficiency include leaf chlorosis, stem growth cessation, leaf tips dying and flowers falling off. A black spot appears at the top of the fruit, which gradually increases.

The problem can be eliminated by adding calcium nitrate to the soil (separately from sulfur- and phosphorus-containing preparations), as well as by performing foliar feeding.

Sulfur starvation is characterized by a light green tint to the leaves, which later turn yellow and then reddish. Symptoms are similar to nitrogen deficiency, but appear first on young leaves. It is eliminated by adding sulfur-containing preparations to the soil - ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, and also using liquid fertilizers.

If there is a lack of iron in tomatoes, their growth is delayed. Starting from the base of the leaf, the color changes from pale yellow to almost white. Starvation is more intense when the soil contains excessive phosphorus and potassium deficiency. The problem can be eliminated by applying organic fertilizers and foliar feeding of tomatoes with Brexil.

Lack of microelements in tomatoes

Darkening of the growing point is a sure sign of boron deficiency

Boron deficiency leads to darkening of the top of the stem, death of the growing point and the growth of new shoots at the base of the bush. Flowering is weak, the ovary falls off, the stems are brittle. The fruits darken, brown spots and hollow spots appear. The problem can be prevented by soaking the seeds in a 0.02% boric acid solution, and cured by spraying the plants with Boroplus.

Copper deficiency is characterized by curled, dark green foliage

A lack of copper leads to inhibition of the root system, slower growth of shoots, the appearance of a dark blue-green color on the leaves, their curling and loss of turgor. Signs of chlorosis appear and new flowers do not form. It is especially noticeable in the heat. Deficiency of the element can be prevented by soaking seeds in a 0.05% solution of copper sulfate, foliar fertilizing with copper sulfate and applying polychelates simultaneously with watering.

Fertilizers for soil mixture

As a basis for the soil of the greenhouse, you can take a mixture of turf soil and humus in a one-to-one ratio. Mineral fertilizers for tomatoes in the greenhouse are applied immediately before planting. For one hundred square meters you need to use 400-500 g of superphosphate, 250 g of potassium sulfate and 75 g of ammonium nitrate.

Peat is also used as a basis for the soil mixture. For the same 10 m2 add 4 kg of superphosphate, 1.5 kg of dolomite flour, 2-3 kg of potassium chloride. Instead of potassium chloride and superphosphate, you can use ash.

Local fertilizers for tomatoes

These fertilizers include all substances that can be obtained directly on the farm, namely: compost, manure, ash, peat, green manure.

How to use manure or humus

Manure is the most common and complete organic fertilizer for tomatoes. You can bring it to the site only in the fall for plowing. But it would be more correct to plant tomatoes the next season after using organic fertilizers.

If you apply fresh manure before planting, there will be a strong development of the vegetative mass and a slowdown in fruit ripening; the plants will become fat. The exception is poor soils. It is imperative to use organic matter there.

To rid the manure of pests (mole crickets, chafer larvae), it is spread on the beds in winter, when the ground freezes to 6 cm. There it lies until spring, all the pests freeze out, and the manure itself turns into dust, which is buried in the soil in the spring. For feeding, mullein is used, which is pre-prepared: fill the container halfway with it, fill it with water, and leave for 5 days.

Humus can be added without fear of overdose

The best effect for plants is provided by humus - manure that has been rotted to the state of a crumbly brown mass. It is completely safe and there is less chance of overdose. This valuable tomato fertilizer is suitable for greenhouses, potting mixes and open ground.

If feces are used for fertilizing, they must be properly prepared: the compost is placed in a sealed chamber, conditions are provided to create a temperature of 50 °C. To do this, they are placed in layers with food waste, sawdust, and straw. To ensure oxygen access and prevent caking of the compost mass, it is periodically shoveled.

Attention: according to WHO data, feces cannot be used as fertilizer earlier than two years after being placed in compost pits.

Ash is a universal fertilizer

Ash is the residue formed after the combustion of wood, dry grass or peat. It is considered an affordable universal fertilizer. In addition to phosphorus and potassium, it contains more than 30 microelements: magnesium, iron, calcium, silicon and others. Neutralizes soil acidity, increases yield, its effect lasts about 4 years.

It is quite possible to replace potash and phosphorus fertilizers with ash, using a norm of 7 kg per hundred square meters. It is added before planting or sowing, incorporating it into the soil. Store ash exclusively in a dry place, otherwise it will absorb potassium by absorbing moisture from the air.

Green manure is an inexhaustible source of nutrition

Phacelia is an excellent green manure

If there is no manure or humus, a good way to make up for the lack of organic matter is to sow green manure. In terms of nutritional value, they are equal to manure; they enrich the soil mainly with nitrogen, so it is necessary to additionally apply fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium (ash) to tomatoes.

Oats, wheat, mustard and rapeseed are sown early. Before frost, the area with the crops is dug up shallowly and the organic matter rots until spring.

Winter crops - rye, clover, alfalfa - are incorporated into the soil in the spring, making the top layer of soil loose, and gradually decomposing green manure supplies fertilizer for tomatoes throughout the entire gardening season.

Peat as a fertilizer component

Peat is the semi-decomposed remains of plants in waterlogged conditions. Not all peat is good to use as fertilizer. Lowland peat contains slightly more useful elements and is less acidic than highland peat.

Each of them is best used after composting. To do this, peat and manure are laid in layers. For one cubic meter of peat, 5 kg of phosphate rock, potassium fertilizer, and the same amount of lime are added. In the middle of the laid materials, to prevent water from draining, make a depression, periodically watering with slurry and digging.

When and what to feed tomatoes with?

Throughout the growing season, tomatoes are fed three times. Feeding with nutrient solutions is combined with watering, irrigating the soil around the bush, but not the bush itself.

When preparing a nutrient solution, you should pay close attention to compliance with standards and proportions. All nutritional compositions are usually based on a bucket of water. If the plants are “fatten”, then mullein, bird droppings, and nitrogen fertilizers are excluded from fertilizing.

The first time feeding tomatoes is done 10 days after transplantation. For the solution, use 10 g of urea, 30 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate. Half a liter of solution is added to each bush. This mixture can be replaced with mullein, which is filled with water, left to brew and ferment for a week. One liter of this solution is diluted in nine liters of water.
The second feeding should be carried out during the period of intensive flowering. The mixture consists of 40 g of superphosphate, about 8 g of urea, 25 g of potassium sulfate.
The third time feeding is carried out during the period of active fruiting. For this you will need fertilizers: 40 g of potassium sulfate, 12 g of urea, 25 g of superphosphate. When feeding the second and third times, apply 1 liter of the prepared solution under the bush.

Feeding tomatoes with a nutrient solution

To improve fruit set, accelerate ripening, increase taste and sugar content, you can add to the nutrient solution: one gram each of manganese sulfate and boric acid, 2 g of potassium permanganate and 0.6 g of copper sulfate.

The highest tomato yields are obtained when organic matter is used together with mineral fertilizers. The nutrient solution is prepared as follows: add 1 liter of mullein, 400 g of superphosphate, 200 g of urea, 10 cups of ash to a bucket of water. Mix and apply one liter under the plant, combining with watering.

Use of micro- and macroelements for foliar feeding

Plants are sprayed three times during the growing season, the first during the appearance of flowers, and then at intervals of up to two weeks. Fertilizer rates are given per bucket of water:

For the first foliar feeding of tomatoes, dissolve 5 g of superphosphate, 12 g of potassium sulfate, 4 g of urea, adding microfertilizers: one gram each of boric acid, manganese sulfate and potassium permanganate, as well as 0.6 g of copper sulfate.
For further foliar feeding of tomatoes, the same microelements are used, but macroelements are taken twice as much. These events are carried out in the evening before dew falls or in the morning.

Foliar feeding helps to quickly cope with the lack of nutrients

Boric acid is an effective remedy for preventing massive flower shedding that occurs during dry, hot weather. A solution of one gram of this substance will help preserve the early harvest. Plants can also be sprayed with a solution of borax (25 g) or a mixture consisting of one gram of potassium permanganate and a matchbox of urea.

The choice of fertilizers for tomatoes is quite diverse. They must be used systematically, introducing them into the soil in a timely manner and feeding them, observing the norms. Armed with knowledge and competently applying it in practice, you can get a wonderful harvest.