Tips on Watering and Fertilizing Your Garden Tomatoes
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Water your tomatoes thoroughly to encourage the tomato roots to seek water and nutrients deep in the soil. With an extensive, deep root system, the plants will hold up better during dry spells. When watering, soak the soil to a depth of at least 15-20 cm (6-8 inches).
Water only when your plants need it. Tomatoes like moisture, but overwatering is harmful. You not only waste water, but soggy soil will prevent the roots from getting the air they need. If your plants look a little wilted on a hot, summer afternoon, that’s usually normal. They’ll perk up overnight. If plants are wilted in the morning, don’t wait — water them! (However remember that certain diseases can also cause wilting.)
A thorough soaking every four to five days on light, sandy soils and every seven to ten days on heavy soils is a good general guide for irrigating if you don’t get enough rain.
Watering early in the day will reduce evaporation losses and also give your plants plenty of time to dry out. Wet foliage overnight may help trigger some diseases.
With furrow irrigation, drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which all deliver water right at the soil surface and not on the leaves, you can water almost anytime. Try to avoid watering at midday though, because that’s when evaporation losses are highest.
Trickle irrigation is the most easily controlled method of irrigation.
The equipment is expensive, but is long lasting and saves growers time. It can also be scheduled to deliver constant amounts of water, which can help reduce the incidence of fruit cracking.
Use mulch to reduce evaporation, improve water spread and uptake by the plants and reduce disease caused by rain and water splash.
All plants enjoy substantial amounts of organic matter – manure or compost in the soil. Organic matter holds nutrients in the soil so that they are not lost through leaching. It increases the amount of water your soil can hold as well as microbial activity in the soil, encouraging earthworms and creating a wonderful healthy soil system that produces nice sweet tomatoes.
Compost in the soil takes time to break down and release its nutrients- often up to 2 – 3 months. This means that if you want to use compost alone, it should be dug into the soil at least a month before you wish to plant your tomatoes.
It often helps to add a bit of fertilizer (even if you have used compost) at 5cm (2 inches) below and 5cm (2 inches) to the side of where you plant your seedling. If you put fertilizer directly in contact with the roots you will burn them and your tomato seedling may die or its growth be retarded.
All fertilizers are generally described by their analysis. This usually consists of 3 figures that respectively label the percentage of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) in a product.
The sequence of N, P and K never changes. However in the USA these units are designated as N – P2O5 – K2O whilst in other countries (such as Australia) the units are N-P-K.
P2O5 means phosphate in the oxide form, as opposed to phosphorus (used in Australia) and K2O is the oxide form of potassium whilst in Australia only K or potassium is used.
By paying careful attention to the watering and fertilizing needs of your garden tomatoes, you will be richly rewarded at harvest time with delicious juicy tomatoes, bursting with flavor and showing no cracks from dehydration.
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