Should i fertilize tomato seedlings

When tomato seedlings are between three and six weeks old, it is very tempting to give them a feed but there are probably enough nutrients in the growing media already — if you are using fresh seed or multipurpose potting compost. However, because their roots have been disturbed and will take a few days to re-establish themselves, a foliar feed spraying the leaves with organic liquid seaweed is very helpful.

The key when fertilizing growing tomato plants is to add nutrients in a low and slow method. Adding too much fertilizer all at once can create major long term issues. For one, using too much fertilizer can burn and damage plants. But it can also put the plant into overdrive producing only foliage and growth — and not blooms.

Using a liquid fertilizer like compost or worm casting tea every 14 days is the way to go. Again, if compost or worm casting tea are not available, you can use liquid organic fertilizer as an alternative. Use the fertilizer at half of the recommended strength every two weeks. This helps keep a slow, steady supply of nutrients coming to the plants.

Although tomato plants benefit greatly from fertilizer, as mentioned earlier, too many nutrients can be a problem. And that includes fertilizing too late in the growing season. As soon as plants have begun to set a large portion of their fruit and harvesting is about to begin in earnest, fertilizing should cease.

If you made your compost and used a lot of banana peels and bones, you might not need to use any fertilizer. You would need to be intentional and ensure you added a lot of those items. During this flowering stage, your plants need plenty of nitrogen and potassium. Potassium is essential if you want to encourage strong, healthy growth and more flowering. Right now, your potassium levels should be at least double that of your nitrogen. At this stage, you can use either an or a fertilizer.

Look at the instructions on the package and follow what it suggests. Now you wait! Watch your plants and wait until you see the first fruits develop into the size of a golf ball. This will help encourage more fruit production. During this stage, phosphorous is an essential nutrient, along with potassium. At this stage, you can select an , which should be sufficient. From now until the end of the harvest period, you can lightly fertilize every two to three weeks.

During this stage, phosphorus still plays a vital role, along with calcium, to produce fruit. Your phosphorous fertilizer should be sufficient. Listed above are general fertilizing recommendations, but what works best for your garden comes from trial and error. Here are a few considerations. There is a right and a wrong way to feed tomato plants. Doing so improperly could cause your plants to burn or not absorb the nutrients in the right way. There are a few rules that you should remember about fertilizing your tomato plants.

Adding inches of organic matter improves drainage while also providing many of the vital nutrients your plants need to grow. Compost is like gold! Fertilizing too close to the plant could cause it to run off onto the stem, burning the plant. You should never apply fertilizer on leaves either; it can have the same burning result. So, dig a small trench around the base of the plant, sprinkle in the fertilizer, and put the unfertilized soil back over it. As you probably guess, natural fertilizers are organic products, either animal or plant-derived.

Synthetic fertilizers are made of potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous. You should always water slowly and deeply at the stem of the plant. Give enough time for the water to enter the soil and absorb. Tomato plants need inches of water each week. Water around the base of the plant deeply. Then, spread the fertilizer on the ground. The nutrients will eventually spread into the plants.

Nutrients The jury is still out among tomato gardeners about how much to fertilize seedlings at this point in their young lives. One side says plants are still feasting on the nutrients provided by their seeds. They need a strong start. Read more about fertilizing tomato plants. A large number of successful home gardeners recommend waiting to fertilize until you transplant your baby tomato seedlings into their next-size-up containers.

Others say to feed them right away. Tomato Dirt best advice: keep an eye out for yellowing leaves, which indicate the need for food. If possible, wait until your seedlings have at least sets of leaves before feeding. Keep an eagle eye out for crystallized salts on soil surface. More about Starting Tomatoes From Seeds Grow tomatoes from seeds: what you need to know How to germinate seeds to get best results when growing tomatoes Best seed starting containers to use to grow tomato seeds What potting mix to use when you grow tomato seeds Seed starting mix for tomatoes: what ingredients are important How to plant tomato seeds How to label and grow tomatoes from seed Re-potting tomato seedlings to a bigger container Strengthen a growing tomato plant to prepare it for the home garden Get more tomato growing tips on our Pinterest board