Tomatoes can be safely called gourmets who prefer to grow on fertile soil and regularly receive nutrients in the form of top dressing. Only with a varied and regular diet is the culture able to please with a high yield and good taste of vegetables, even when grown outdoors. The substances necessary for tomatoes in one quantity or another are contained in organic, mineral, complex fertilizers. Top dressing of tomatoes in the open field should be carried out in compliance with some rules that will not harm the plants, but make them stronger.
soil fertility
Soil fertility is a key point in growing tomatoes. The earth must contain all the necessary trace elements that will contribute to the development of the root system, the successful growth of plants, the abundant formation of ovaries and the timely ripening of fruits.
Prepare the soil for growing tomatoes in advance in the fall. In the absence of such an opportunity, preparatory measures should be carried out in early spring.
Site Selection
To grow tomatoes, it is very important to choose the right place in the garden. The site should be well lit by the sun for at least 6 hours a day. Constant drafts and wind should not be present on it, as this can kill plants. It is advisable to plant tomatoes in the place where cucumbers, onions, legumes or cabbage used to grow. After nightshade crops, tomatoes can be grown only after a few years. This is due to the fact that all nightshade vegetable plants are susceptible to the same pests, the larvae of which remain in the soil for a long time.
Tomatoes prefer to grow in well-drained soils with deep groundwater. Marshy or flooded areas of land are not suitable for tomatoes.
Beds for tomatoes in unprotected soil should be formed from west to east. This will allow the soil to warm up evenly. The width of the ridges depends on the planting pattern of tomatoes, however, with a width of more than 1,5 meters, it is difficult to take care of the plants.
The height of the beds can be different. In the northern regions, it is preferable to grow tomatoes on warm, high beds, in the thickness of which a layer of organic matter is laid. When decomposed, this organic matter will release heat and fertilize the plants.
Autumn land preparation
It is necessary to prepare the soil for growing tomatoes on unprotected plots of land in the fall. To do this, the soil is dug up to the depth of a shovel bayonet. During digging, organics are added in the amount of 4-5 kg / m2. It can be both fresh and rotted manure, peat, compost.
Tomatoes are very sensitive to soil acidity. The optimum value for their cultivation is 6,2-6,8 pH. You can measure the indicator with a litmus test purchased at an agricultural store. If the acidity in the soil is exceeded in autumn, lime fertilizers, such as lime chalk, should be added. The rate of its introduction into the soil is 300-400 g/m2.
Soil preparation in spring
If it was not possible to carry out preparatory measures in the autumn, then spring cares must be started with the introduction of organic matter. It must be decomposed manure or humus that does not contain aggressive nitrogen. Apply fertilizer while digging the soil. Liming of the soil in this case is also carried out in early spring.
Subject to the rules of autumn soil preparation, in the spring it is only necessary to loosen the top layer of the earth. Heavy loamy soils should be dug up again to a depth of 10-15 cm.
Before digging or loosening, superphosphate and potassium salt must be added to the soil in the spring. The amount of substances should be 70 and 20 g/m2 respectively. These fertilizers for tomatoes are used before planting, which allows them to take root better.
The soil must be leveled with a rake and make landing holes on it. Planting density depends on the height of the plants. So, between tall tomatoes, the distance should be at least 50-60 cm, for undersized varieties, this parameter can be 20-30 cm.
Fertilizers after planting
The first application of fertilizers under the root of tomatoes in open areas of land is carried out no earlier than 10 days from the day of planting. Until this time, tomatoes take root and feed on substances laid down in the soil at the stage of its preparation. At this time, plants slow down and sometimes stop their growth, arriving in a state of stress. If after 10 days the growth of tomatoes is not activated, then the first feeding is required. Subsequently, tomatoes need to be fed every 2-3 weeks. The fertilizer application schedule should be drawn up in such a way that for the entire growing season the plants receive 3-4 root top dressings. On scarce, depleted soils, the amount of top dressing can be increased.
Foliar top dressing in the form of spraying with nutrients can be carried out regularly at intervals of 2-3 weeks so that they do not coincide in time with the application of fertilizer under the root. When symptoms of a deficiency of one or another micronutrient appear, it is also recommended to carry out extraordinary feeding on the sheet. This will allow in the shortest possible time to compensate for the lack of trace elements.
Root feeding
Minerals, organics and complex fertilizers for tomatoes can be used as root dressings:
Organics for tomatoes
Most gardeners try to use organic matter for fertilizing tomatoes, for example, manure, humus, peat, compost. They contain a lot of nitrogen, which stimulates plant growth. That is why it is recommended to use organic matter for the first feeding of tomatoes, when plants need to increase their green mass. At later stages of cultivation, organics are mixed with minerals or other products with a high content of phosphorus and potassium.
Mullein
The most common organic fertilizer for outdoor tomatoes is cow dung. It is used to prepare a liquid infusion – mullein: a bucket of manure is added to 4 buckets of water. After stirring, the solution is infused for several days in heat. The finished top dressing is diluted with clean water 1: 4 and used for watering tomatoes under the root. To prepare the infusion, you can use fresh mullein, because aggressive nitrogen decomposes during infusion. This fertilizer contains a lot of nitrogen and is great for feeding tomatoes at the development stage and before the onset of abundant flowering. An example of the preparation and use of mullein is shown in the video:
During flowering and fruit ripening, tomatoes require a lot of phosphorus and potassium. Plants’ need for nitrogen is reduced. However, on the basis of organic matter, complex top dressing can be prepared by adding various minerals or ash:
- add a liter of cow manure and 10 g of nitrophoska to a bucket of water, after diluting the solution with water 1: 1, the fertilizer is ready for use;
- in water, with a volume of 10 liters, add 500 ml of mullein prepared according to the recipe above. Also add boric acid (6 g) and potassium sulfate (10 g) to the resulting solution;
- dilute the finished mullein with clean water 1:10. For 10 liters of the resulting solution, add 1 liter of wood ash and, after insisting, use the resulting top dressing for watering tomatoes.
Mullein in any form should be used with caution so as not to “burn” the plants. Before feeding, tomatoes should be plentifully watered with clean water.
Bird droppings
Litter from chicken or other poultry contains a significant amount of nitrogen, which is why it is strictly forbidden to use the fresh substance to feed tomatoes. An infusion can be prepared from bird droppings. To do this, a liter of litter is added to 10 liters of water. After mixing and infusion, the litter is additionally diluted with water until a tea-colored solution is obtained.
An example of preparing an infusion of chicken manure can be seen in the video:
With all the allegations that chicken manure is a full-fledged replacement for complex fertilizer, you should not use it in its pure form during the formation of ovaries and fruiting of tomatoes. During this period, it is recommended to use litter along with minerals: dilute 500 g of litter in a bucket of water, add superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (5 g) to the solution.
Organic complex
Experienced gardeners practice the use of organic fertilizer, obtained by mixing cow dung, bird droppings and minerals. Such top dressing of tomatoes in the open field will saturate the plants with all the necessary trace elements. You can prepare it by adding a glass of chicken manure and the same amount of cow dung to a bucket of water. After infusion, a spoonful of potassium sulfate and boric acid (7 g) should be added to the solution. Before application top dressing needs to be diluted with water 1:2.
Compost
Compost is an excellent, affordable and well-known organic fertilizer that can be used, including for feeding tomatoes. However, not many people know that compost can be obtained not only in the standard way, but also in an accelerated way, by mixing improvised products. So, on a bucket of grass, you need to add half a glass of lime, the same amount of wood ash and a spoonful of urea. After adding water and insisting the solution for several days, the fertilizer is used to water the tomatoes.
Herbal infusion
Herbal infusion is another organic fertilizer useful for tomatoes. To prepare it, you need to grind a certain amount of grass and pour it with water. You can use various herbs, but nettle is the most useful for plants. The infusion of quinoa, wood lice, chamomile, dandelion also performs well. One or more types of herbs can be used to create one serving of infusion.
Chopped grass, filled with water, should ferment. To do this, you need to leave the container with the solution open for 10-12 days. After preparation, the solution should be filtered and diluted with water until a light brown liquid is obtained.
Organic fertilizers are environmentally friendly top dressings, however, their use in high concentrations can harm tomatoes. It is possible to prevent the possible negative impact of organics by reducing the concentration of solutions.
Feeding coffee grounds
Many experienced gardeners use folk remedies for fertilizing tomatoes. For example, you can use, in fact, table “waste”. For example, potato peelings can be planted in the ground during autumn digging for subsequent decomposition. Coffee grounds are a ready-made fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and some other substances. The acidity of coffee grounds is neutral, so it can be used to feed tomatoes on any soil.
Fertilizing tomatoes with coffee grounds is easy. To do this, simply sprinkle the dried remains of the drunk coffee near the stem of the plant and carefully close them in the top layer of soil, then pour water over the tomato.
There is another long-term way to prepare fertilizer based on coffee grounds – composting. Prepare compost from 2 parts of grounds, 1 part of straw and 1 part of foliage. After mixing, the compost is laid for overheating, covering it with a film or a layer of soil. After 3 weeks, the fertilizer is ready for use.
You can learn more about the use of coffee grounds fertilizer in the video:
After using such top dressing, tomatoes receive all the substances they need. Coffee grounds attract earthworms, which loosen the soil, saturating it with oxygen and allowing the roots of the plant to breathe freely.
Yeast nutrition
For root dressing of tomatoes in unprotected soil, baker’s yeast can be used. The product contains a lot of useful vitamins and minerals, which are natural plant growth activators. Yeast in the process of fermentation emit gases and heat, which also favorably affects the tomatoes.
To prepare yeast fertilizer, add 200 g of baker’s yeast to a liter of warm water. You can speed up fermentation by adding a few tablespoons of sugar or jam to the solution. At the stage of active fermentation, it is necessary to add 5-6 liters of warm water to the resulting concentrate and use top dressing to water the tomatoes.
After yeast feeding, tomatoes begin to grow actively and form ovaries abundantly. Watering tomatoes with such a solution can be no more than 3 times during the entire growing season.
Mineral Fertilizers
For normal growth and abundant fruiting, tomatoes require nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and some other trace elements. All of them are contained in special complex preparations for feeding tomatoes. However, you can “collect” such a fertilizer yourself by mixing various chemicals.
Finished mineral complexes
Going into a specialized store, you can see a lot of ready-made mineral mixtures for fertilizing tomatoes. All of them contain the necessary complex of not only basic, but also additional minerals: calcium, magnesium, boron and others. Use them in accordance with the instructions.
Among the various mineral complexes for feeding tomatoes, it is necessary to highlight:
- Nitroammophoska. Gray granules containing all trace elements necessary for tomatoes in a balanced amount. Mineral fertilizer is great for feeding tomatoes in unprotected soil. Its cost compared to other complex fertilizers for tomatoes is affordable and saves money.
- Kemira station wagon-2. Complex fertilizer is used for root feeding of tomatoes at all stages of cultivation. The application rate of the substance for top dressing of tomatoes is 150 mg / m2.Fertilizer is applied to the soil in a dry form along the perimeter of the tomato trunk. Granules in the process of watering dissolve, supplying nutrients to plants.
- Universal. This fertilizer also contains potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and other minerals needed for growing tomatoes. To prepare the fertilizer, add 5 g of the substance to 1 liter of water.
- Mortar. The mineral complex contains a lot of nutrients that are good for tomatoes. Substances are completely soluble in water and are easily absorbed by tomatoes.
It is worth noting that such mineral fertilizers as calcium nitrate, ammophos, nitroammophos and some others do not contain microelements in full, which means that their use requires additional addition of the missing mineral.
Preparation of mineral compositions
By purchasing various minerals and combining them yourself, you can effectively feed the tomatoes and at the same time save money.
There are a lot of recipes for the preparation of mineral fertilizers, some of them are given below:
- Nitrogen-containing top dressing for tomatoes at an early stage of cultivation can be prepared from ammonium nitrate. To do this, dilute 1 tablespoon of the substance in a bucket of water;
- A complex fertilizer for tomatoes at the stage of ovary formation and fruiting can be prepared by mixing nitrophoska and potassium humate. Add 15 g of each substance to a bucket of water.
- During active fruit ripening, tomatoes require phosphorus and potassium. These substances can be introduced into the soil with the help of fertilizer prepared from superphosphate and potassium chloride. On a bucket of water, you need to add 10 and 20 g of substances, respectively.
Thus, various organic and mineral substances and their mixtures can be used to feed tomatoes at the root. The composition of the fertilizer depends largely on the stage of vegetation of plants. The number of top dressings per season depends on the fertility of the land and the condition of the plants. If symptoms of nutrient deficiencies are observed, extraordinary root or foliar top dressing can be carried out.
Foliar top dressing of tomatoes
Outdoor care for tomatoes consists, among other things, in the use of foliar dressings. You can spray tomato leaves with nutrients many times a season with an interval of 10-15 days. For foliar feeding, you can use various minerals, folk remedies. Foliar top dressing will make up for the lack of nutrients and protect the plant from diseases and pests:
- Before flowering, tomatoes in the open field can be sprayed with a solution of urea. It can be prepared by dissolving 1 teaspoon of the substance in 10 liters of water;
- During the period of active flowering and the formation of ovaries for foliar feeding, it is recommended to use a solution of superphosphate. The consumption of the substance is similar to the consumption of urea in the above recipe;
- Complex top dressing of tomatoes can be carried out by spraying with a solution of boric acid, copper sulfate and urea. All of these substances should be added to a bucket of water in the amount of 1 teaspoon.
- Boric acid solution can be used at various stages of the growing season. It will saturate the plants with boron and protect against some pests.
Interesting is the folk recipe for preparing foliar top dressing for tomatoes, based on the use of milk or whey and iodine. So, in 5 liters of water, add half a liter of milk and 5-6 drops of iodine. This tool will protect tomatoes from diseases, pests and feed plants with nutrients.
Organic substances can also be used to feed tomatoes “on the sheet” – a weak herbal solution, an infusion of wood ash. In open ground, with the help of spraying, it is also possible to protect plants from phytophthora using “Fitosporin”, “Fito Doctor”.
Conclusion
Tomatoes in open areas of the earth grow well only if the soil has sufficient fertility. Making the soil nutritious is the main task of the gardener in the autumn and spring before planting tomato seedlings. However, even with the introduction of a sufficient amount of organic matter and minerals, during the growing season, tomatoes will require additional nutrients, since over time the soil becomes depleted and is unable to feed the tomatoes in sufficient quantities. In this case, various organic and mineral fertilizers, as well as some widely available substances and products, can be used for top dressing. You can effectively feed tomatoes not only by watering under the root, but also by spraying the leaves. Only using a full range of measures with the use of various top dressings can you get a good harvest of delicious vegetables.