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Choosing the Best Tomato Plant Fertilizer for Your Garden
Tomatoes are perhaps the most popular plant to grow in the United States today. What person doesnt have a story about how their friend, they, or even their old Uncle Henry could grow some amazing tomatoes? One part of their secret to success was no doubt the type of tomato plant fertilizer that they chose to use.
Making the Best Choice
Most often, the type of tomato plant fertilizer that is needed is dictated by the chemistry of the soil that the plant grows in. Because of this, it is a great idea to have your soil chemistry tested before choosing a tomato plant fertilizer for your garden. As a general rule though, a fertilizer with equal ratios of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium would be a good starting point.
Another good choice for tomato plant fertilizer is aged or composted cow manure. Make sure it is aged, since the fresh cow manure will often burn the plant because the high salt content will draw moisture away from the plant. If you decide to use this type of tomato plant fertilizer, however, be sure to mix it well into soil.
In addition, be sure to top dress the plants by laying a small amount of aged cow manure on top of the soil, approximately inch in thickness. The nutrients in this easily obtained tomato plant fertilizer will penetrate quickly into the soil and the roots with the next rainfall.
Another choice for a tomato plant fertilizer that has become one of the easiest and most popular to use is that of a commercial mixture such as MiracleGro plant food. Depending on your needs, the best course of action is to mix 1 teaspoon per gallon of water and water your tomato plants every fourteen days. At this dilution, the chemical fertilizers will provide the essential nutrients needed for health plant growth.
It is important to remember that when you use any tomato plant fertilizer, all you do is to resupply nutrients to the plants. However, depending on the type of tomato plant fertilizer used how the plant gets those nutrients can change. Cow manure, for example provides the nutrients in a complex organic form that is broken down by the microbes in the soil into smaller molecules that can penetrate the root system and be absorbed by the plant.
MiracleGro and other chemical fertilizers is a factory made combination of nutrients that can be absorbed quicker by your tomato plants. So, depending on which fertilizer you use, your application habits might change.
Perhaps the best way to choose the best tomato plant fertilizer for your needs is to act like a true gardener, and listen to what your tomato plants are telling you. Test the soil chemistry and water on a regular basis, and make sure that the plants are continuously supplied with the correct nutrients from the soil. If you pay attention, your tomatoes are sure to win the gardening prize year after year. |