Fertilizer info thread and more

[AKmark]

A few people have asked me to post some info concerning fertilizer choices for tomatoes. Here are a few sites I saved. If you take the time to read this info you should have a good year.

We have to remember to give tomatoes what they want, not what we want to give them.

I do have some sites for organic method, but some of you are very, very, good at organic gardening, please post your links too.


http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/supp...ium_basics.htm

http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/cr...rogen_form.pdf

http://www.yara.us/agriculture/crops...le-of-calcium/

http://www.tomatodirt.com/epsom-salts.html

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/prod...-and-media-ph/

http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/cr...ic-recipes.pdf

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/...cs142p2_053864

http://www.haifa-group.com/files/Gui...ato/Tomato.pdf

http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-100/430-100.html

http://oeh.cals.cornell.edu/greenhouses/

http://ucanr.org/sites/nm/files/76647.pdf

[sjamesNorway]

Thanks Mark, for this post and all the links. I skimmed through them, and added this page to my bookmarks. There's a lot of good information here, and a lot I'm going to read in depth.

Your link about calcium is a Yara page. Here's interesting fact that all Norwegian children learn in school:
The History of Yara

The company’s development is rooted in Norwegian industrial firm Norsk Hydro, which dates back to 1905.

That’s when industrialists Sam Eyde, Kristian Birkeland and Marcus Wallenberg tapped into Norway’s large hydro energy resources to produce the company’s first important product:...The world's first production of Nitrogen fertilizer "Norgessalpeter" (calcium nitrate) at a test facility in Notodden, Norway. Production based on the Birkeland Eyde invention using hydroelectric power to extract nitrogen from air.


Steve

[PureHarvest]

It is interesting to note, using the info in the last link, that proper plant nutrition is gonna influence flavor more than any factor other than sunlight. This probably helps to explain why two people can have differing flavor opinions on the same variety during the same growing season. They correctly attribute this to each location having "different" soils, but not taking the thought further down this path.
In reality the more precise reason might be the difference in soils is what nutrients are present or lacking. Basically, you are not bound by your soil, but by what you adding or not adding to supply the necessary building blocks for the genetics to fully express themselves.
Some soil types will make anyone look like a great grower if they are blessed with a balanced soil to start. They can just toss down the same thing every year and get results. Others can use your formula and get frustrated when their results don't match. The missing link is that you are just guessing if you are not measuring (testing) what is in your soil, and supplying the missing/needed elements. We can't manage what we don't measure. Then, of course, there are the consequences of what/when/how you are applying what you do for nutrients. Just look at the link that talks about ammonium versus nitrate nitrogen.
I have worked with hundreds of people over the years that almost give up on gardening, because they have that neighbor with the unbelievable garden. They ask for their secret formula, follow it to the letter, and their garden fails. Each plot needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis, even in the same neighborhood where you would think the soil types are identical.

[Lindalana]

Phil has been my go to person to learn gardening finetuning from. His blog does talk about differences why some food taste bland and some is delish.
http://www.smilinggardener.com/organic-gardening-blog/

[swordy]

What about iron fertilizer(liquid). Can you use it along with your main fertilizer for tomatoes? I bought a small botle and I'm thinking of feeding the plants ocationally with it.

[maxjohnson]

Mainly I stick with compost. The only fertilizer I use is MiGardener's Trifecta+, partly because I like the idea of supporting a local gardener. For seedlings, I water with diluted molasses sometimes. On rare occasions I might give my plants synthetic fertilizers to help with BER or other issues.

I used to spend a lot of money on overpriced organic amendments, like rockdust, biochar, sea minerals, compost tea, etc. I stopped buying all that when the cost goes out of control and realizing they were a waste of money.

[PureHarvest]

Swordy, my question would be why would you think the plants/soil need iron?

[Worth1]

Could someone please tell me which link had the information about nitrogen in it.
I dont want to have to read all of them.

Worth

[PureHarvest]

The second one

[Worth1]

Thank you I dont mean to sound lazy. LOL

[AKmark]

PureHarvest, I think you are spot on

[swordy]

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

Swordy, my question would be why would you think the plants/soil need iron?

That's a good question, the answer is that I saw this product in a store and thought I should buy it as something additional that could only do good in the crop. It was cheap and small in size and said to myself that I had better have this now even if it will be worthless than need to aquire it later and can't find it on time or on good price!

[Gardeneer]

Iron is one of the trace elements that tomatoes (and most plants) need .They have specially
formulated "Ironite" for garden.

Gardeneer

[PureHarvest]

It is kind of a random thing to worry about being deficient in.
Test your soil to see what your are working with.
Or make sure the fertilizers you are using has Fe in it.
Iron would be at the bottom of my list for elements to be concerned about, but the soils around here don't lack iron, so I am biased against that.
Look at mark's link for Haifa-group.
They have pics of what a tomato leaf will look like for different deficiencies. Iron is pretty obvious and they explain the deal with iron.

[Worth1]

You can go to a welding shop sweep their floor and get all of your trace elements for free.
Worth