Fertilizing
 

I am a container gardner in hot Las Vegas desert. I am planning of using Tomato Tone Organic Fertilizer this year, supplemented with fish emulsion. I also purchased some Miracle Grow water soluble Tomato fertilizer, as growing in pots is not like working on your soil in a bed to build good soil rich with nutrients. As Tomato Tone will take some time to break down, I concluded I might need something to start off with until the TT had a little time to do it's thing. (Thus the inclusion of the MMG - a bad word I know among experienced gardners)

There are so many people on YouTube shouting how you must add Bone Meal or Blood Meal, etc., etc, and I know they are trlying to make a living and want you to click on their link "below", but money has become an issue with the ever increasing costs to everything.

So I would like to know your thoughts on needing to add any more additives to my current products. I do have Dolomite to add anong with some epson salt to the planting hole, but nothing else. I have in the past also used Texas Tomato fertilizer and thougt it was very good, but with the cost of it plus shipping, I decised on Miricle Grow (though inferior I know) to have as an added water soluble supplemtnt.

If any of you who may be doing container tomato growing could lend some advise on this subject, it would be very much appreciated.

Container/ Fertilizer
 

Used Pro mix for longest time,too many sticks,hornworms plus price.Went to peanut hulls,Coco Core Pith,coarse vermiculite.One brick expands by itself ten fold,adding the hulls as much as your root system needs.Using trays with a incline with drainage.

After that all watering with Humbolts Golden Tree bat guano.

Thank you Kurt. Lovely garden you have there. i have already purchased medium from our garden store here. It is expensive at $16 a bag, which just fills one container, but I bought them already.
Just trying to figure out the ratio of the Tomato Tone now. Wishing you a successful fruitful tomato year!

I use this when planting the seedlings,maybe 2/3 tablespoons per plant under rootball.Will work as side dressing,foliar since it is water soluble.
[url]https://www.cropnutrition.com/resource-library/potassium-magnesium-sulfate-langbeinite/#:~:text=Langbeinite%20is%20a%20unique%20source,(S)%20to%20growing%20plants[/url].

Besides the in-ground garden, we do a lot of raised bed and container gardening. The entire containers are soilless mix (whatever quality mix is available at the cheapest price) and the containers are topped up every year and the new is thoroughly mixed in with the old mixture. We apply 10-10-10 at the beginning and then every ten days or two weeks water with liquid plant food, the formula depending on whether it is food or non-food plantings. We watch the plants and if it looks like there is a deficiency we side dress with what may be indicated by the observation.

The raised bed gardens are basically the same as containers but on a larger scale. I even have sent in a soil sample to a professional lab every three years just to get a handle what really needs to be added for best results. Usually the raised beds are OK but need a little extra Nitrogen to stay in balance.

Not being in a hot dry area I am sure the growing differences are tremendous and Florida's heat and humidity our growing conditions are very different. I don't know if what I do would have an impact on your situation, but there it is.

Hi Paul. Thank you for the input. I used to live in Florida before moving here. Yes, the weather here is very different. No rain to speak of and very little humidity. But temperatures to 115 degrees and higher in the summer months.

Is the 10-10-10 you use organic or non organic? I guess if you get good at reading your plants, that might be the way to go. I went ahead and purchased the TomatoTone everyone talks about, but those small bags don't go very far. I am hoping to get one of the 18 lb. bags later in the week. Still not certain of the amount needed for my 15 gal containers.

If anyone knows, please chime in. :?

From the website

For Potted Plants: 2 cups of Tomato-tone per cubic foot of soil (1.5 tbsp. of Tomato-tone for every 1 qt. of soil).

[url]https://www.espoma.com/product/tomato-tone/#toggle-id-3[/url]

I have never used it so I have no experience with it

I start with high N early in the season for growth. Then I tone it down
To 3-6-6.
I use compost , manure and synthetic granula.
I find organic ferts too expensive for my budget.

I start with high N early in the season for growth. Then I tone it down
To 3-6-6.
I use compost , manure and synthetic granula.
I find organic ferts too expensive for my budget.

I use Espoma Garden-Tone 3-4-4 in my containers because it is a lot cheaper than Tomato-Tone 3-4-6. I apply it at time of planting. It is slow release so I don't do a lot of follow up unless the plants look like they need it. I apply some TTF, MG, Osmocote or Kellogg Garden Organics Tomato, Vegetable & Herbs Plant Food if necessary.

My 12 and 25 gal containers have recycled bark fines, peat and perlite as their base (511). I spruce up with Kellogg Patio Plus Premium Outdoor Organic Potting Mix, compost, chicken and or steer manure, crushed egg shells and spent tea leaves (because they are free) and some Epsom Salt among other things.