when to feed tomato plants

[lynne]

hello chaps
I have loads of lovely little tomato seedlings. Please can you tell me when I should start feeding them?
I've purchased some organic liquid feed until I get enough of my worm juice for them
many thanks, as always

[Primrose]

I normally don't start feeding mine until the first flowers start to turn into baby tomatoes, on the assumption that seed compost contains enough nutrients to keep the young seedlings going until that stage. I also dig compost or rotted manure into my tomato garden growing area so they probably get adequate feeding already, but I like to top their feed up with Tomorite once the fruits start to appear.

[madasafish]

I feed mine a "normal" feed (ie. not a tomato one) when they are about 5cms long and switch to a tomato one when flowers come...

(And get lots of tasty tomatoes )

[alan refail]

The general rule I was always taught was feed when the first truss sets.

Alan

[oldherbaceous]

Not trying to confuse things, but sometimes they might need a feed if they are in a cheap compost, and have to be left in the pots for a while.
But i think i would use a general feed rather than a tomato feed.

[lynne]

At the moment they're in New Horizon organic peat free compost. Does that count as cheap?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Lynne, i haven't used this compost before, but i think it got the best test results for a peat free compost.
As a rule i normally feed any plant if it's been in a pot for four weeks, or if it looks like it's getting a bit hungry.

[lynne]

so, if not tomato feed what would the KG posse recommend?
Thanks v much for the suggestions!

[madasafish]

I'm currently using up my stocks of Tesco soluble feed purchased at 50p each end of last season lits £2 but also use Phostrogen....(when it's discounted:-)

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
Although I agree with that commencement of concentrated feeding should only begin when the first truss has set.
Sadly many people take this too literally and do not feed their Tomato plants at all. Tomatoes are like any other plant and have a need for nutrition at all times so they need the normal amount of nutrition throughout their entire life and when they get onto the special treatments of high P and K and no N and this should begin when, as you say, after the first truss has set but many people do not give them anything up until that point which is to my mind totally wrong. They do not need masses of feed but they do need the occasional feed for a good plant structure. It's like starving something and then expect wonderful results which is not really possible.
JB.

[Primrose]

Johnboy, Are you suggesting that my tomato plants, which are dug into garden soil with manure added, need additional feeding before the first truss has formed? I've never done this previously but perhaps this year I will experiment and give additional feed to half of them, leaving the others alone, and see what difference it makes.

[Johnboy]

Hi Primrose,
No I don't mean at the planting out stage stage. I obviously have not done my job properly. What I mean is the period having pricked them out into pots to grow on prior to planting out. This period is all important because it is at this point that the future growth pattern is determined when a good strong root structure is determined and superior top structure is forming.
Sorry for confusing you.
JB.

[Primrose]

I guess I'm probably not following best practice because I sow my seeds (or 2 seeds) into a 3" pot and leave them there until they're big enough to plant out. I did try sowing most of them in trays one year and then pricking them out into individual pots but when I compared their growth with the few I had sown individually there appeared to be very little difference, although they were 2 different varieties. So now I don't bother, although I've noted that Gardeners Delight and the cherry varieties seem to grow at a faster rate than bigger fruits like Alicante & Moneymaker.

[Allan]

When JI compost was the norm,all seeds except tomatoes were sown in seed compost then pricked out into JI1, whereas tomatoes were sown in JI1 then pricked out into JI2.In other words tomatoes needed more nutrients at both stages, however one must realise that the grades of potting compost only differ in the amount of balanced nutrient they contain so it isn't tinkering with the proportional amount of nitrates.
I think it is a mistake to plant out in a bed with too much nitrate relative to the P & K.
My further experiments lead me to the conclusion that when you switch to a high potash feed it takes some time for that to react and produce a good flavour so rather a bit early such as when the flowers are just setting.
Allan

[Johnboy]

Hi Allan,
Sadly the last bag of JI1 I saw offered for sale was nearer concrete than soil and anybody would have difficulty using it for any horticultural purpose.
Today I feel that most people initiate growth in modules and when large enough pot-on the module.
This is certainly superior to the pricking out as of old. Reason being less damage to the growing plant.
At the potting-on stage and the planting out stage they require a balanced amount of nutrient to give good growth all round and only when the first truss has set and probably the second truss will have maybe set a couple that the more intensive type of feed should commence. I must confess at this stage that I only ever intensively feed plants in the greenhouse and those planted outside are left to their own devices.
Somehow those that are outside seem to get more the flavour to my taste but that is a personal opinion.
My original point was to try and get the message over that Tomatoes need nutrient throughout their life from day one.
JB.