Feeding when soil is soaked?

[caroline7758]

I'm sure my veg could do with a feed, but if I apply a liquid feed diluted in water when the soil is already very wet, will it do more harm than good? I'm thinking of scattering some poultry manure instead and leaving it for the rain to wash in- what do you think? I'm thinking in particular of potatoes, beans, brassicas and raspberries.

[caroline7758]

[debster]

I need to know the answer to this too

[Fork]

I think the pelets are a better idea than the liquid feed at this time of wetness.......its beginning to get to me now,ands  stil more forecast for the week ahead  >:(

[cornykev]

Spuds shouldn't need feeding.  ;D ;D ;D

[Kepouros]

Caroline, do the plants you mention do really need feeding, or is it simply a case that you think it`s just something you ought to do?.  If they do really need feeding, then the different plants have somewhat different requirements:

Potatoes will benefit from a high nitrogen based fertilizer once the tuber initiation stage is reached, but if you do this too soon you will simply get an excess of topgrowth. Use dried blood and hoe it in.

Young brassicas generally benefit from one light nitrogen dressing but shouldn`t need anything further if the bed was properly prepared before planting. However, a dressing of chicken pellets hoed in won`t do any harm

Beans shouldn`t need anything other than a touch of potash

The raspberries need a general fertilizer - either the chicken pellets or (better) blood fish & bone hoed in.

[caroline7758]

Thanks, everyone. If it ever stops raining I'll get out with the chicken pellets.

[debster]

my concern is my toms they are in pots were put in new compost and fruits are starting so really feel they need to be fed but feel they have been really over watered in the last few days any way

[Kepouros]

Well, debster, provided that you have left enough room in the pots (which you certainly should have done), you can top-dress them with an inch or so of new compost.  This will allow the plants to throw out an additional layer of roots above the saturates compost in the pots.  If the new compost is formulated for tomatoes so much the better, but if not I would be inclined to mix in a small pinch of sulphate of potash for each pot.

[Hot_Potato]

I'm so glad someone asked this question coz I was wondering the same thing.....thinking especially of my tomatoes (answer already given) and also my courgettes (some of which are in pots) they look healthy enough altho the leaves on the Di Rond Nice (round one) look yellow (well the whole plant does!)

you mention sulphate of Potash Kepouros for tomatoes - can that be bought in small quanties i.e. a box maybe - I've only got tumbling tomatoes in pots - none in ground.

[debster]

yes have plenty of room in pots will do just this have a new grow bag at home will usse the compost from this, why are sometimes the solutions to what seems a difficult problem the most simplest thing

[Kepouros]

Hot Potato, yes you can buy it in small packs - I would suggest the smallest you can find, since I would not advocate its use in this way except in the circumstances described.

When I first started tomato growing (long before the days of multipurpose composts and specialised tomato fertilizers) growers  invariably applied fertilizers to tomatoes in this manner, and we used to make up our own NPK variations from `straight` fertilizers to suit the exact needs of the plants at the time.  However, this requires a delicate calculation of the respective quantities comprised in the mix, and in normal circumstances these days it is better to stick to the proprietary brands on offer.

[cambourne7]

i just stuck some comfry into the soil around my tomatoes  ???

[Tee Gee]

and we used to make up our own NPK variations

aaahhhh! I remember the days!! In fact sometimes I still make up my own mixes to suit certain situations.

The biggest benefit from this is at least you know what is in the compost.

As it stands now commercial compost suppliers are not obliged to declare the NPK of a given compost but they have to with fertilsers.

Have you ever thought why some brands are cheaper than others?

My thoughts are this;  cheaper brands less fertiliser...... ???