Tomato questions.. johns??? anybody....

[tinkster]

Have grown tomatoes all my life but always trying to learn better ways.  I have been adding the salt and sugar per Johns advice and they are good.. My question .... On our local tv station, the horticulturist,  who contradicts alot of things I have learned here and on the internet,  But anyway he said that when you plant your tomato and pepper seedlings, you should fertilize with liquid miracle grow then do not fertilize again till you see the first tiny tomatoe then fertilize.  HE said that if you fertilized before that the plant would put all its energy to make a big plant with not as many tomatoes.  Any truth to this???

tink

[Jerry]

Johns loves bone meal I tried Epsom salts this year as a boost Pondman (Scott) likes it.
To answer your Q  Try it but if they are not doing as well as you think they should, go back to what has worked for you

[Johns]

Tink,

There is some truth to the tv horticulturists comment, BUT, only SOME truth.  What you want to go light on until fruiting begins is nitrogen.  You can fertilize with phosphate and potash or with any low nitrogen fertilizer.  Too much nitrogen early on promotes heavy leaf growth ( not entirely a bad thing) but may cause fruiting to begin later.  Once you begin to see tomatoes begin to ripen, a dose of nitrogen  (In my opinion but not proven) makes the resulting tomatoes sweeter, just don't overdo or you will "burn" the leaves.  I use a level tablespoon of ammonium nitrate (Yes, the explosive stuff) at the base of each plant every three weeks during fruiting season.  I did not invent this regimen, I acquired it from my dad, who grew tomatoes for 70+ years.

[Missa]

Anyone hear of planting tomato plant with an egg?

I ran across this one somewhere on the net, I believe.

[Desertponder]

Last year I had planted a bunch of tomatoes and they just really struggled to get going. I knew if they didn't get growing better I would never have any tomatoes so I fertilized them with the Miracle Gro. Mixed it in a watering can and sprinkled a gallon over each plant.
The plants DID NOT have little tomatoes on them when I did this and were probably about a foot tall. The plants soon took off growing and they produced so many tomatoes that I couldn't keep the plants propped up they were so heavy. That was the only fertilizer that I gave them all summer. Unfortunately between our long cool spring and the plants not growing very well I didn't get most of the harvest before first freeze.
This year I planted earlier (last weekend) and I have already used the Miracle Gro.

[tranquility]

last year we planted a couple tomato plants at the base of one of our nanner trees...every time I clean the filters on the pond---I dump the water and waste on the nanner tree....the tomatoes did great there...so this year I got two more to plant at the base...
Lawanna