Fertilizing tomatoes during flowering and fruiting

Tomatoes

When the first buds appear on a tomato plant, the flowering period begins, and this becomes the most important. Both the future harvest and the quality of the fruit depend on proper flowering.

Many beginning gardeners often wonder what to feed tomatoes during flowering and fruiting. We'll cover this topic in detail.

Seedling

Spring has arrived, the planting season has begun, and everyone is trying to plant as many vegetables and fruits as possible in their gardens. Many grow their own tomato seedlings at home, while others buy ready-made ones. If you decide to buy ready-made seedlings, pay attention to their condition. The seedlings should have strong, low stems, and the first cluster of flowers should be located just above the base of the stem. It's also important to ensure the soil in which the seedlings will be planted is fertile. This is achieved by fertilizing them with nitrogen-containing minerals, which are essential during the early stages of plant development.

Fertilizing tomatoes during flowering and fruiting

Today, there's a huge selection of products available for fertilizing flowering tomatoes. Because of the vast selection, even experienced gardeners can sometimes get confused. It's important to understand which mineral fertilizers to use for tomato plants so as not to harm them instead of benefiting them.

Seedlings need nitrogen most, followed by phosphorus and potassium. Therefore, you can use fertilizers containing minerals such as double superphosphate, single superphosphate, granulated potassium salt, and potassium sulfate. Monopotassium phosphate, which contains these two elements (33% potassium and 50% phosphorus), is often used.

Complex fertilizers are also successfully used for tomatoes during flowering and fruit set. The main ones are:

Universal: chlorine-free, contains nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc and copper;
"Kemira Lux" fertilizer is completely soluble in water and is used as a basic fertilizer, but also using wood ash;
"Effekton" is an organic fertilizer obtained from composted peat with added phosphate rock and oil shale ash. It contains all the nutrients tomatoes need during flowering. It is also used in greenhouses.
"Senor Tomato" is perfect for tomatoes; it contains phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.

Everyone chooses the right fertilizer for their tomatoes, but it is important to remember that:

during flowering they need less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium;
fertilizers must contain humates and humic acids;
choose fertilizers that do not contain chlorine;
Fertilizers should contain magnesium, calcium, iron, sulfur and boron.

Foliar feeding

Fertilizers can be applied by watering the plants (root feeding), or by spraying them on the leaves (foliar feeding). Both types are very beneficial for tomatoes. At the beginning of the growing season, it's best to use both types of feeding, alternating between them. Later, it's better to apply only root feeding. Sometimes gardeners, especially beginners, don't know what to feed tomatoes during flowering and fruiting in a greenhouse, but in reality, there's not much difference. Simply ventilate the greenhouse more frequently, especially after foliar feeding. To ensure any plant gets the most benefit from fertilizer, it's important to apply it correctly, spraying only in the morning or evening. Use settled tap water, rainwater, or non-chlorinated water. For spraying, use lighter solutions than for root feeding to avoid burning the leaves.
Read more: Tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse: planting and care.

Foliar feeding is essential for all plants, especially tomatoes when the first buds appear. This provides the plant with all the necessary nutrients, strengthens the foliage, and prevents the blossoms from falling off until pollination is complete. You can buy fertilizer or make your own. The key is to use fertilizers with low chlorine content or none at all. They should be water-soluble and leave no residue. These can be either mineral or organic.

Home foliar feeding:

Dissolve 10 drops of iodine in 9 liters of water and add one liter of whey. Spray in the evening, after thoroughly watering the tomato plants with settled water;
make a solution of potassium permanganate and spray the tomatoes;
add half a glass of sugar to 10 liters of whey;
Take ten Trichopolum tablets per bucket, dilute them and add a small bottle of brilliant green.

These easy-to-prepare fertilizers, in addition to being very useful, will also protect your tomatoes from diseases.

Root feeding

The first treatment is carried out ten days after the seedlings have been planted in the ground. The second is carried out two weeks later, and the third, during flowering. Every two weeks, water the tomatoes thoroughly with an ash solution. To prepare it, take a cup of ash and stir it in a bucket of water. Let it sit for several hours. Once a month, you can fertilize with organic fertilizer, but water the plants beforehand. Before using chicken manure or cow dung, water the plants in the evening if you plan to apply these fertilizers in the morning.

You can prepare a chicken manure solution as follows: pour about one-third of the manure into a bucket, fill it with water, and let it sit for a week. Then, dilute one liter of the prepared solution in a bucket of water and water the bushes. Prepare mullein as follows: dissolve a liter of manure in a bucket of water, add a spoonful of superphosphate and half a cup of ash. Water the bushes at a rate of half a liter per bush.

Signs of deficiency of essential substances

Sometimes, overfertilizing tomatoes can be just as damaging as underfertilizing. So how can you tell what your tomatoes need and what fertilizers to apply? The plant itself will tell you what it needs; you just need to carefully observe the plant and know what it's lacking. For example, if the leaves start to turn yellow, it means the plant isn't getting enough nitrogen. If the leaves turn purple, it means they're lacking phosphorus.

Folk remedies for feeding

Mineral fertilizers are great for growing tomatoes, but they're not exactly environmentally friendly. After all, you want to grow not only a tasty vegetable, but also a healthy one. Therefore, many people avoid using any mineral fertilizers and use only natural supplements.

Yeast for feeding tomatoes

This product is used specifically during the flowering period of tomatoes; it is a kind of growth and development stimulator.
Dissolve 100 grams of yeast in warm water (1 liter), let it steep for several hours, and then dilute it in a ten-liter bucket of warm water. At the beginning of flowering, pour 500 ml of the solution under each plant, but during fruit set, more will be needed – a liter per tomato plant.
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Dairy products and iodine

Using iodine as a tomato fertilizer can increase the number of ovaries, resulting in a much richer harvest. Feeding tomatoes with iodine solution has long been popular: it's an inexpensive fertilizer and completely safe for humans. Furthermore, the solution protects the vegetable from diseases such as root rot and late blight. Furthermore, iodine has a remarkable effect on the growth and formation of ovaries. You only need three drops per ten-liter bucket. And if you dilute 30-35 drops of iodine in a liter of fresh milk, add a spoonful of hydrogen peroxide, and pour the mixture into a bucket of water, you'll have an excellent fertilizer that will also protect the plant from late blight.

Boric acid

Sometimes, many people notice that their tomatoes are growing, but no fruit is forming. This is caused by high temperatures, often occurring in tomatoes grown in greenhouses or hot regions of our country. Boric acid can help in this case. Dissolve 10 grams of the powder in one liter of water, then dilute it in a bucket of water.

Herbal infusion

If you're unsure what to feed your tomatoes during flowering, opt for a herbal infusion. For a 200-liter barrel, you'll need five buckets of any herb, one bucket of mullein, one kilogram of fresh yeast and ash, and three liters of whey. Let it steep for one to two weeks, using one liter per tomato plant.

Wood ash

Ash is an excellent fertilizer; it's used to increase yields. It contains phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Wood ash also protects tomatoes from fungal diseases. It's applied to furrows along the beds, 15 cm from the plants, then sprinkled with soil and watered. Wood ash can also be used for irrigation: for a bucket of water, add a bottle of iodine, 10 g of boric acid, and 1 liter of ash. Mix everything and let it steep for 24 hours, then use one liter of the prepared fertilizer per tomato plant.

Ash is often used to combat pests. 300 grams of ash is poured with boiling water, left for 30 minutes, then strained. The mixture is diluted in a bucket with water and a little laundry soap.

It is also used during the plant's active growth period, as it requires fertilization during this period. 100 grams of ash are diluted in 10 liters of water; half a liter of solution is sufficient for one plant. During fruit set, to improve the quality and flavor of the fruit, ash is sprinkled under the plant at a rate of half a cup per square meter of garden bed.

We've told you what tomato feeding involves during flowering and fruit set. Wishing you a good harvest!