Jessica Vargas
A tomato plant on the balcony or in the garden is a small luxury, because you no longer simply have to buy the red fruit. In order for self-cultivation to really work, you should fertilize it properly. We’ll tell you how it works and which fertilizer you need here.
Growing tomatoes yourself is actually not very difficult. Simply plant, maybe add a climbing aid, water, done – right? Admittedly, growing tomatoes isn’t magic, but you should care a little more. You can find out here which fertilizers work best.
Your tomato needs these nutrients
The tomato needs fertilizer so that there is a rich harvest in the end. The plants should therefore be made to flower as quickly as possible. For the best possible result, your plant needs five important substances in particular
- nitrogen
- phosphorus
- potassium
- sulfur
- magnesium
- boron
- manganese
- zinc
Nitrogen is needed for the tomato to grow well – it is a basic substance for all heavy consumers. When it comes to buds, phosphorus is the code word. But the element is also important for root growth. Potassium, in turn, is important for the development of the fruit.
In addition to these three essential fertilizers, your plants also need sulfur. This ensures that your tomatoes are also really tasty. Magnesium, on the other hand, is important for photosynthesis. Last but not least, tomatoes need trace elements such as boron, manganese and zinc. Most fertilizers already contain all of the substances mentioned in the correct ratio.
Fertilizing tomatoes yourself: what you should pay attention to
A tomato plant should be fertilized as soon as it is planted out. Ideally, you have packed them in compost soil right away – which you have already carried out in the autumn. But no worry! Even if you didn’t think that far, you can still do that when planting.
However, that’s not all, because the tomato, as already mentioned, is a heavy feeder, so it withdraws massive amounts of nutrients from the soil. That’s why your garden tomatoes are also happy about organic fertilizer. Horn meal or shavings, horse manure or nettle manure are usually used here.
Horn meal and horn shavings are not suitable for potted plants, as they need organisms that decompose them to be effective. To give your tomatoes the right power, you should use long-term mineral fertilizers.
Basically, it is important that you do not use too much fertilizer. And even if you start fertilizing after a while – it’s not too late. But simply using more is not a good idea. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do your tomato much good if you mean it too well – it will die sooner or later if you don’t take countermeasures.
Fertilize tomatoes: There are alternatives
You want even more alternatives? Horn meal is not vegan, horse manure takes a long time to decompose and be used as fertilizer. And not everyone has compost in their garden – especially not in the city. The neighbors in the multi-party house would certainly be delighted if it were on the balcony. In this case, you can use organic ready-made fertilizers instead.
You should only bring the finished fertilizer to your tomato plant every three to four weeks via the irrigation water. This way your tomatoes should grow nicely and bear lots of fruit – and you can enjoy them well into the fall.
