I have 4 tomato and 2 pepper plants in pots - planted in organic soil/potting mix. My question is, how often do I need to fertilize them and how much to use?
The tomatoes that I transplanted about 2 months ago have been producing a good amount of fruit for about 2-3 weeks (still small & green of course). I potted the pepper seedlings 2 weeks ago, and they seem to be growing well.
I bought "Kellog Natural & Organic Tomato, Vegetable & Herb" fertilizer, which I used on the tomato plants only once - last week. I'm so afraid of over-fertilizing (which I've done in the past) that I'm afraid of starving my veggies!? Any suggestions for me?
Should add that I live in a condo, so everything has to go in pots on the patio.
I see many suggestions for comopost on this thread. I checked at the local home improvement store, and they don't sell compost. Is this something I should look for at a nursery, or will the organic fertilizer I mentioned be ok? The "primary nutrients" listed are bone meal, dried poultry waste, feather meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, and potassium sulfate. There are a bunch of other "non-food" ingredients also - too many to list.
I see many suggestions for comopost on this thread. I checked at the local home improvement store, and they don't sell compost. Is this something I should look for at a nursery, or will the organic fertilizer I mentioned be ok? The "primary nutrients" listed are bone meal, dried poultry waste, feather meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, and potassium sulfate. There are a bunch of other "non-food" ingredients also - too many to list.
in SoCal, you'll likely need to be watering the pots frequently.
not so much a problem of water consumption, but if you follow the usual advice to water until it runs out the bottom, that leaches nutrients from the soil.
setting some priorities, , , nutrients are very important. moisture is not important, it's critical. you _must_ water the potted plants.
no water = dead plants - with or without nutrients.
one needs to strike a balance between how & how frequently to apply fertilizers and how quickly the watering leaches out / washes away nutrients.
subject to a whole lotta ifs / ands / maybes / buts / wherefores - somewhere in the 3-5 week range for a reapply fertilizer should work.
there's an available fool-proof clue: if the plant goes yellowish, that's an indication of nitrogen deficiency and it'd be time to use some fertilizer.
note to fool-proof clue: the lower leaves of many plants, like tomato, "naturally" tend to turn yellow and die off - this is not a "deficiency" - it's just "plant old age"
I have no experience with Kellog Natural & Organic Tomato, Vegetable & Herb stuff. some of their hype raises my hackles:
"Gently feeds with quick-release nutrients to help provide great results. Kelp meal for extra micro nutrients. Feeds for several months."
sorry, but nothing "quick release" lasts for months or feeds for months. the whole theory and definition of quick release is "all the goodies are instantly available right _now_"
and a 4-6-3 "quick release" just does not have enough juice to do anything for "months"
try it, if it works, fine. but I'm not buying into their hype.
not so much a problem of water consumption, but if you follow the usual advice to water until it runs out the bottom, that leaches nutrients from the soil.
setting some priorities, , , nutrients are very important. moisture is not important, it's critical. you _must_ water the potted plants.
no water = dead plants - with or without nutrients.
one needs to strike a balance between how & how frequently to apply fertilizers and how quickly the watering leaches out / washes away nutrients.
subject to a whole lotta ifs / ands / maybes / buts / wherefores - somewhere in the 3-5 week range for a reapply fertilizer should work.
there's an available fool-proof clue: if the plant goes yellowish, that's an indication of nitrogen deficiency and it'd be time to use some fertilizer.
note to fool-proof clue: the lower leaves of many plants, like tomato, "naturally" tend to turn yellow and die off - this is not a "deficiency" - it's just "plant old age"
I have no experience with Kellog Natural & Organic Tomato, Vegetable & Herb stuff. some of their hype raises my hackles:
"Gently feeds with quick-release nutrients to help provide great results. Kelp meal for extra micro nutrients. Feeds for several months."
sorry, but nothing "quick release" lasts for months or feeds for months. the whole theory and definition of quick release is "all the goodies are instantly available right _now_"
and a 4-6-3 "quick release" just does not have enough juice to do anything for "months"
try it, if it works, fine. but I'm not buying into their hype.
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chemwisz
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Fertilizing is a very important part of your plants diet, like Dillbert said make sure you keep your potted plants watered on the regular. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to mulch the tops or add rocks to deflect some of the heat and help retain the water.
The amount of fertilizer depends on whether its slow release, quick release or liquid. You may be able to find the information on the label. With potted plants you may want to go with quick release because of the frequency of watering or a foliar liquid fertilizer. Don't forget your minor elements.
The amount of fertilizer depends on whether its slow release, quick release or liquid. You may be able to find the information on the label. With potted plants you may want to go with quick release because of the frequency of watering or a foliar liquid fertilizer. Don't forget your minor elements.