How to feed tomatoes

Unfortunately, many gardeners of all fertilizers recognize only urea. You can understand them: after nitrogen fertilizing, tomatoes grow quickly - the bushes become juicy, luxurious. But the external pomp of leaves and stems hides their vulnerability to pests, diseases.
Nitrogen-fed plants are first surrendered under the pressure of viruses, they give a lot of leaves and few fruits.
Plants are better not to feed at all than to feed them in the wrong way.
Than to feed tomatoes in open ground
Tomatoes extract many nutrients from the soil. Most of all they need potassium, a little less nitrogen. Phosphorus tomatoes consume several times less potassium, but it plays a crucial role in fruit formation. It is very important that plants receive phosphorus already in the seedling period (a teaspoon of superphosphate per kg of soil mixture). Nitrogen and potash fertilizers for such a volume of soil is added seven times less. In this scenario, the seedlings and blooms, and begins to bear fruit earlier.

It's time to feed the tomatoes.
In potassium, tomatoes are especially needed during the period of fruit formation and ripening. Mineral fertilizers during the growing season under the tomatoes are best applied in dissolved form.
Tomatoes are responsive to organic fertilizers: 4-6 kg of humus per square meter. m for digging. At the same time, they also bring in the main part of mineral fertilizers necessary for the development of tomatoes: Art. spoon of superphosphate and 2 tbsp. spoons of potassium sulfate per square. m. Humus, compost can be applied to each well during planting. On light soils, manure is also used, but only for autumn digging (4-5 kg per sq. M). Manure, like nitrogen fertilizers, contributes to the strong development of the vegetative mass to the detriment of fruiting.
The first vegetative dressing is carried out in the period of budding and the beginning of flowering: 10 l. water add 0.5 liters of organic infusion (chicken manure, mullein, green grass) and superphosphate extract prepared from art. fertilizer spoons.
The second feeding - during the flowering period of the second brush: 10 liters. 0.5 liters of water. organic infusion and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer.
The third dressing - during the flowering period of the third brush: a tablespoon of complex fertilizer for 10 liters. water.
Root feeding is useful to alternate with foliar, only the concentration of the solution must be done in 2 times less. Before fruit formation, tomatoes can be sprayed with a solution of urea. To prepare the solution in a bucket of water dissolve half a tablespoon of urea and 1 gr. potassium permanganate.
After fruit formation, it is better to spray plants with potassium sulfate, potassium magnesia, and potassium nitrate at the same concentration (10 liters of water is half a tablespoon of fertilizer). You can also use complex soluble min. fertilizer.
To spray tomatoes preferably in the evening or early in the morning so that the moisture does not dry out longer on the leaves.
This video clearly shows how and how to feed tomatoes in open ground.
How to feed tomatoes in the greenhouse
To get a high yield in the greenhouse, you need to take care of the soil: it must be light, fertile. Topsoil in a greenhouse may consist of a mixture of turf land, humus, sand (1: 2: 0.5), add a tablespoonful of superphosphate, potassium sulfate to each square meter, if the soil is prepared in autumn. In the spring add the same urea.
The soil in the greenhouse begins to be prepared in the autumn, so that during the winter pests would be frozen in it.
The day before and the day after planting, the seedlings, so that it quickly and painlessly took root, increased resistance to adverse conditions and diseases, treated with epin-extra (solution concentration - according to the instructions). A week after planting, the seedlings need to be fed on the leaves. It helps plants to strengthen the root system, quickly gain vegetative mass. Vegetable growers engaged in the cultivation of tomatoes in the greenhouse, note the effectiveness of water-soluble fertilizer plantafol.

In the greenhouse, tomatoes are recommended to feed with plantafol.
For the first and second foliar fertilizing plantafol is taken with a high content of phosphorus (plantafol 10:54:10). The third foliar nutrition (stimulates flowering): the plants are sprayed with plantafol, which contains an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (20:20:20). In the period of the beginning of flowering and fruit formation, there are plantafol with a high content of potassium (plantafol 5:15:45). 20 g of plantafol (approximately a tablespoon) are consumed per 10 liters of water.
At least three times during the growing season we feed the tomatoes under the root.
The first feeding is during the budding period: 0.5 liters of bird droppings or mullein infusion and superphosphate extract prepared from 1-1.5 tablespoons of fertilizer per 10 liters of water (the extract from superphosphate is prepared as follows: superphosphate must be crushed and poured hot for a day water). It is possible to choose modern complex fertilizers for tomatoes, which are produced taking into account the nutrient requirements of the crop according to the phases of development.
The second dressing - during the period of active flowering of the second hand: a tablespoon of complex fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
The third dressing - at the beginning of the blooming of the third brush: a tablespoon of complex fertilizer for 10 liters of water. At the first top-dressing on one plant there is enough liter of nutrient solution. Older plants should receive 1.5-2 liters.
But do not overdo it: it is better not to feed than to feed.
If, nevertheless, the tomatoes in the greenhouse healed (powerful bushes poorly pour the fruit), they should be reoriented to fruiting: make a superphosphate extract at the rate of 3 tbsp. spoon to 10 liters of water and pour the tomatoes (liter of solution per plant).
Once every two weeks for the prevention of top rot of the fruit, foliar feeding is carried out with a solution of calcium nitrate and plantophol (in a tablespoon per bucket of water).
Watch the video from Oktyabrina Ganichkina about how to feed tomatoes in the greenhouse:
Top dressing tomatoes folk remedies
Summer residents have always used folk remedies for feeding tomatoes, many of which are no less effective than mineral fertilizers. Over time, the range of such funds has become even wider. We will talk about the most popular of them now.
How to cook a mullein fertilizer

These tomatoes are fed only with mullein.
Korovyak perhaps the most proven and effective way to fertilize plants. However, the "raw materials" for this fertilizer every year becomes more expensive and scarce. If you still have the opportunity to get it, then by all means use it.
Pour a bucket of fresh cow dung with three buckets of water and let it wander for 7 to 10 days. After that, add one liter of mullein to the bucket of water and water the tomatoes 1 to 1.5 liters per bush. No more than two such dressings can be made, otherwise the plants can heal.
Top dressing of chicken manure is prepared in the same way, only a liter of water is added to a bucket of water rather than a liter. It is recommended to water the tomatoes before feeding. The very next day, the plants will react to such a fertilizer.
Feed tomatoes without chemicals:
Yeast dressing for tomatoes
Recently, it has become very fashionable to feed tomatoes with yeast. The usual baker's yeast, both fresh and dry, is suitable for this.
The recipe is simple: 100 gr. fresh yeast diluted in a bucket of water and fertilizing is ready, you can immediately water.
Dry yeast (pack of 10 grams.) Also diluted in 10 liters. water and insist 2 to 3 hours. In a bucket of this solution, you can add 2 - 3 tablespoons of sugar.
It is only necessary to keep in mind that in yeast there is neither nitrogen, nor phosphorus, nor any other trace elements. So it’s rather not a top dressing, but a growth stimulator.
I myself used yeast dressing several times when growing both tomatoes and cucumbers, peppers. Unfortunately, I did not notice any special effect, but there would be no harm to the plants either. If you have time and desire, you can experiment, maybe you will have better luck.
But tomatoes immediately respond to fertilizer with mullein, ash or herbal infusion immediately with gratitude.
The author of this video part of the seedlings tomato fed yeast, and some do not. What he did you can find out by watching the video:
How to feed tomatoes with ash
To the folk means of feeding tomatoes and ash, which is a true complex fertilizer. It contains a huge amount of various microelements. There is a lot of potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium in it, and these are just the nutrients that all garden plants, including tomatoes, need.
Dry ashes are added to the wells when planting seedlings, sprinkled beds with tomatoes. But it is better to carry out top dressing of tomatoes with ash solution.
The recipe is very simple: in a bucket of water, stir a glass of ash and get the ash solution of the desired concentration. At the bottom of the bucket there is always an insoluble sediment, it is also poured into the garden bed.
Ash solution for foliar dressings is prepared a little differently: 300 gr. The ashes are stirred in three liters of water and boiled for 30 minutes. Give infusion 5 - 6 hours, bring the volume up to 10 liters and add a little laundry soap. The resulting solution is filtered and started to spray.
Unfortunately, it is not so easy to find ashes for many gardeners now. But the weeds in each plot are always in abundance, and you can make excellent fertilizer from ordinary grass.
Feed the tomatoes with nettle extract
Most often it is recommended to prepare herbal infusion of young nettle. The fact is that in the nettle leaves a lot of nitrogen, potassium, iron accumulates. But it is not at all necessary to look for nettles, any grass will fit. The more varied the assortment of weeds, the better. After all, alfalfa, for example, is rich in phosphorus, dandelion calcium, etc.
For the preparation of the infusion will need some sort of capacity (preferably plastic), a large pan, a barrel. It is even possible to put a cellophane film in a leaky barrel and prepare a solution in it.
Fill the container with 2/3 grass and fill it with water, but not up to the top (because the solution will ferment). Cover with a lid and leave it for 10 days. When the fermentation is over, you can feed the tomatoes and all the other plants with the infusion.
To prepare a top dressing, add 1 liter of infusion in a bucket of water and pour 1.5 to 2 liters of tomatoes per bush. This fertilizer seems to be quite harmless, but do not abuse it, just two supplements per month are enough.
Particularly caring gardeners add dung, wood ash, superphosphate extract and much more to herbal tea. This further enriches the prepared solution, but then it should be used even more carefully. An excess of nutrients in the soil will lead to an accumulation of nitrates in vegetables.
Remember - it is better not to feed!
Video about feeding tomatoes infusion of nettle:
What gives the feeding of tomatoes with iodine
Many gardeners are interested in the question: why feed tomatoes with iodine? What does this give?
Do it in order that tomatoes ripen faster. Iodine helps to increase the number of ovaries and the rapid growth of tomatoes. Experts say that the taste of tomatoes is getting better.
To prepare such top dressing, add 3 ml to the bucket of warm water. iodine and water the tomatoes 0.5 liters under the bush. To measure 3 ml. iodine use a medical syringe. Pull 3 ml out of the vial with a syringe. and inject it into a bucket of water. Be sure to mix everything well.
Why feed tomatoes with whey
It is rather not top dressing, but prevention of late blight. The tool is strong, effective and with all this cheap and not harmful.
It is prepared this way: buy in a store 1 liter of whey, mix it with 9 liters of water, add 20-30 drops of iodine there and stir well so that the iodine is sold in water. Spraying tomatoes should be in the evening in calm weather.
It is recommended to alternate such spraying. Once with serum with iodine, and after 2 weeks with Fitosporin, then again with serum. However, we do without Fitosporin. We feed our tomatoes only with serum with iodine in 10–15 days and late blight never happens, and the plants themselves after such treatments look refreshed.
Very good tool and not only for tomatoes, but also for cucumbers!
We will be happy if you share your experience and tell us how you feed the tomatoes, it can be done in the comments.