Organic Tomato Fertilizer
Using and Making Organic Tomato Fertilizer
You may be wondering what all the hype is with organic tomato fertilizer. What traits set it apart from regular store-bought fertilizers? Well, organic fertilizers are made up of ingredients that were once alive as well as by-products that came from once-living organisms, like old leaves and manure. All fertilizer has to have some kind of blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as these are key ingredients to promoting healthy plant growth. Each of these three ingredients can be found out in nature in some form or another, but they can also be synthesized for typical store-bought fertilizers. Organic fertilizer is simply a way to recycle plant and animal products, and many people swear that keeping it "all natural" during the growing process will produce the best crops.
Choosing and using organic tomato fertilizer isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem at first. The key to choosing a good organic fertilizer is to know what you're looking for. We mentioned earlier that all plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to some degree. When looking for fertilizer, these are abbreviated on the packaging as N-P-K, usually followed by a number sequence such as 5-5-5. This number sequence is pretty important, as it tells you the percentage of each element. The first number is for nitrogen, the second for phosphorus, and the third for potassium. Some plants need more nitrogen and potassium than phosphorus, and some need less potassium but more nitrogen and phosphorus, which is why it's important to get a good idea about the needs of your plant.
Nitrogen is excellent for promoting sturdy and good quality leaves. This is usually preferred in higher amounts to phosphorus and potassium when growing fruits or leafy veggies such as cabbage, lettuce, and rhubarb. This is especially true for tomatoes, because the stronger the vines of the plant are, the more tomatoes your plant will be able to yield. A good place to start would be to choose an organic fertilizer with a nitrogen content number around five.
Phosphorus is good for establishing a strong root system. Strong roots mean that your plant will have a nice, solid foundation of which to shoot up from. Good roots will also help your plant to take in nutrients much better than if it were to experience a phosphorus deficiency. This is important for all plants, but especially so for root vegetables such as turnips, carrots, and beets. As tomatoes are vine-growers, it is a good idea to make sure that the phosphorus content is up to par so that the vines have a good root system to anchor them to the ground--somewhere around seven or eight would be good.
Last, but not least, is potassium. This element aids the plant in absorbing and "holding" water. Many people opt for higher amounts of potassium as opposed to phosphorus when growing fruits as it tends to encourage a healthier and higher fruit yield. Potassium has also proven itself to be quite useful in toughening up vegetables and fruit, which means that your crops should have a better chance of withstanding a sudden drop in temperature. Tomatoes are also greedy eaters and can be quite demanding when it comes to watering, therefore a potassium content somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 or 14 would be a good place to start off from.
Making your own organic tomato fertilizer is a cinch, but it might take a bit of time for it to age properly. The first step is to acquire a container for your fertilizer. A five-gallon feed bucket from a farmer's supply store works very well because it's sturdy and won't rot, but you can use your imagination on this. You can use grass clippings, leaves, or a store-purchased organic fertilizer as the "foundation" of your homemade fertilizer. You will need four cups of the "foundation" elements for each tomato plant you intend to fertilize.
The next step is to add a handful of hair to the mix. Yep, that's it! Human or animal will do, so start cleaning out your brushes! The hair will slowly release nitrogen, sulfur, and keratin into the fertilizer. You can also add two cups of crushed egg shells for added calcium. Simply rinse off and save the egg shells and allow them to dry. Once they have dried out they will crush easily and can be added straight into the fertilizer bucket. Two cups of dried-out (used or unused) coffee grounds should also be added. From then on, you can simply add in the peelings from fruits and vegetables as you go along to further enrich the fertilizer. Examples include potato peels and carrot shavings. More grass clippings and leaves may also be added. It may take several months for all of the components to break down into a useable fertilizer, but it's definitely worthwhile knowing that your tomatoes aren't being fed any kind of man-made chemicals.
Apply an organic fertilizer just as you would any other store-bought fertilizer. Once you get a feel for how your plant responds to organic tomato fertilizer, you will be able to determine the best "feeding" schedule for your plants.