Secrets of caring for tomatoes to increase productivity: how to feed tomatoes during flowering and fruiting

With a deficiency of nutrients and essential micro- and macroelements, tomatoes slow down in growth, can lose their ovaries and even get sick. Experienced tomato growers know that fertilizing will come to the rescue!

Read about what to feed tomatoes during flowering and fruiting and how to do it in our article.

Nutrition of tomatoes during flowering and fruiting

When tomatoes bloom and begin to bear fruit, watering the plants plays an important role. Don’t think that the more you water your tomatoes, the better. Practice shows that moderation is needed in everything. Plants with a strong root system have the ability to extract moisture from the lower layers of the soil. Excess moisture causes the roots to rot.

But not only watering important for tomatoes. During flowering and fruiting they need additional feeding. An experienced gardener will quickly notice changes: the lack of microelements in tomatoes immediately affects the appearance of the plants. The leaves begin to curl, change their color and structure. And at this stage it is important to quickly navigate and take measures to correct the situation.

Proven feeding methods

We have reviewed the best folk recipes for feeding tomatoes. Let's look at them.

Boric acid

Fertilizing with the addition of boric acid works effectively on tomatoes. To prepare it, dilute 0.5-1 tsp. boric acid crystals in 10 liters of water. Treating the leaves with the resulting solution gives a good result.The aboveground part of the plants is irrigated with a spray bottle.

Important! The crystals are diluted in a small amount of hot water, and then poured into the rest. This is because boric acid does not dissolve in cold water. There is a risk of burning the plants during processing.

Herbal infusions

It is most convenient to prepare such an infusion in a barrel or large bucket. The container is filled two-thirds with grass. Any grass mass will do: mown grass, chopped weeds. It's great if you can find nettles. Gardening professionals believe that adding it to the infusion guarantees a good result. The container with the grass is filled with water and left to ferment for 10-14 days, covered with a lid. To improve the process, you can add 1 liter of garden soil to the mixture.

Attention! The smell during fermentation will be unpleasant. Choose a place where he won't disturb you.

For feeding, dilute 1 liter of infusion per 10 liters of water. Each bush is fertilized with one liter of working solution.

Yeast starter

Yeast is an excellent growth stimulator for tomatoes. Making sourdough is simple. You will need:

• 100 g fresh yeast;
• 3 liters of water;
• 70 g sugar.

The mixture is left to ferment for 3-5 days. At the end of fermentation, the starter is ready. It is used for root feeding. 0.5 liters of starter is diluted in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is watered at the roots of the tomatoes - 0.5-1 liters per bush.

Mineral feeding

Among all the minerals, tomatoes need fertilizer most:

• nitrogen - ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate;
• phosphorus - superphosphate;
• potassium - potassium salt and potassium chloride.

Fertilizers from different manufacturers contain different dosages of minerals, so it is recommended to take the rate of use from the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging.It is extremely important to adhere to the manufacturer’s dosage, otherwise the plants can be “burnt”.

Mineral fertilizers are convenient. They are used as in the greenhouse both in a greenhouse under film and in open ground. And even when growing tomatoes on the balcony.

Chicken manure and horse manure

Some gardeners feed tomatoes with fertilizer based on chicken manure or horse manure. The ingredient is diluted at the rate of 0.5 liters per 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is poured over 0.5 liters of tomatoes per bush.

But there are also those who advise not to use manure and droppings during the growing season of tomatoes, citing the fact that after fertilizing the bushes, tops grow, not fruits.

Read also:

The best recipes for bread supplements for tomatoes.

How to spray tomatoes for ovary.

Features of agricultural technology of the “Money Bag” variety for a better harvest.

Ash infusion

This infusion is used to feed tomatoes both at the root and at the leaves. For infusion, brew 1 liter of wood ash or ashes in 5 liters of boiling water. When the mixture has cooled, it is diluted at the rate of 0.5 liters of mixture per 5 liters of water.

The best results with this recipe are obtained by foliar feeding.

Humates

This is a special class of agrochemicals. They combine both fertilizer and bioactive additive. There are two types of humates:

1. Sodium humate. This is a kind of stimulator of growth and development. Possessing adaptogenic properties, it helps tomatoes cope with unfavorable conditions - cold weather, drought, high moisture.
2. Potassium humate. Analogue of complex fertilizer.

Reference. Humates are produced on the basis of manure, bottom sediments (silt), peat and organic waste. This is an environmentally friendly and effective fertilizer.

Manufacturers produce humates in liquid form, powder and tablets. Liquid humates are the most popular among tomato growers.Dilute them according to the instructions (usually 1-2 tsp per 10 liters of water). Consumption for application under the root is 0.5 liters of working solution. You can feed by leaves.

Important! Fertilizing with humates increases yield by up to 30% and promotes longer fruiting.

Milk-iodine tincture

This tincture gives especially good results at the stage of fruit ripening. It increases their sugar content and reduces the risk of plant disease from late blight. Take 1 liter of milk (the fat content of the product is not important) and add 10 drops of pharmaceutical alcohol tincture of iodine to it.

The solution is mixed with nine liters of water. Water 0.5 liters under each tomato bush.

Top best purchased drugs

Let's see which preparations tomato growers consider the best:

Attention! Excess fertilizer will have a bad effect on the condition and yield of tomatoes. It is better to “underfeed” plants than to “overfeed”.

Fertilizing scheme

Gardeners agree that it is optimal to fertilize:

1. Root. When blooming and fruiting tomatoes, it is better to make three of them: by buds, by flowers, by fruits.
2. Foliar (by leaves). It is advisable to do them three to four times, alternating with root ones.

In total, tomatoes are fertilized up to 7 times during the flowering and fruiting period.

Important! Before applying fertilizer, it is advisable to first water the tomato plant.

Reviews

Here's what gardeners say about fertilizing tomatoes:

Olga, Izhevsk: “My tomatoes fruited very well this summer and for a long time. Thanks to liquid peat humate.”

Ira, Serpukhov: “A neighbor in the country fed her greenhouse tomatoes with cow manure, and the plants became fat.” I never use mullein myself. If only after composting. I like grass feeding and do it regularly. I take nettles and green grass from mowing the lawn. I leave it with water for two weeks. I water my tomatoes both outside and in the greenhouse. The yield is good."

Tatyana, Bryansk region: “Of the purchased fertilizers, I liked Fertika Finnish Universal.” After it, the tomatoes turned out meaty. Previously this could not be achieved. I tried to feed tomatoes with mullein - I didn’t like it. A lot of greenery grew, but it didn’t affect the fruits.”

Let's sum it up

Tomatoes need fertilizing to grow a good harvest. A gardener does not have to spend money to buy fertilizers. You can prepare them yourself from available ingredients and do not use chemicals. Wood ash from a fire pit and weeds from the garden will also work. They make the most correct and environmentally friendly fertilizers for tomatoes.

The fertilizers discussed in the article will certainly help saturate the plants with useful substances, improve fruit set, prevent diseases and increase the yield of tomatoes by 20-30%. Tempting, isn't it?