Has anyone ever tried testing whether feeding tomatoes are of any benefit?
I would be prepared to do such a trial, but I don't know what feeder to use..
I have 12 "Gardener's Delight" tomatoes, which have just been potted into 3 inch pots (they are about 5-8 cm tall).
They were sown in early February and been in a unheated propagator on the window sill, where they are currently resting after being potted.
In a week, they'll be hardened off, then placed in outdoor plastic mini greenhouse for the summer. They'll have to stay in their pots all along (maybe a bigger pot later..)
I would feed the 6 of them and leave the other 6 for controls.
Any suggestions for feeders? Preferable Organic.. Any other hints are also appreciated.
I've tried not feeding tomotoes but they didn't fruit as well as when I have. I use Levington Tomorite. ;)
I use a feed based on seaweed indoors,and comfrey liquid outdoors-I have used comfrey indoors but it stinks(smelly)
Stephan
But have you tried not feeding them, Stephan?? I would just love to know that it worked!
I don't think not feeding is a good idea, the results will be a very small croip.
The best organic feed (and is free) is comfrey liquid but can (if not produced carefully) smell a bit (well quite a lot really :D)
Good organic feeds to buy are seaweed based eg SM3 from Organic Catalogue http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=SM3&search_in_description=0&x=12&y=6 (a long url but it takes you straight there!)
It's also good as a foliar feed on many plants, including spuds
Phil
Got some sm3 liquid and ground stuff.
Smelling comfrey - well, I think some of the perfumes in the shops smell just as bad!
I read about Comfrey solution smelling bad but they didn't say 'how' bad....if there was a monitoring scale for smell Comfrey 'tea' would be at the top end
Good stuff though
Derek
Worse than steeped nettles??
I am currently nursing a bed of nettles so when I have sufficient I will compare the two...
I will make sure I have sufficient oxygen at hand though. ;D
Derek
Comfrey liquid is not strong smelling if made without water, just leaves and a weight such as brick to squash them down a bit.
If done in a closed container, there is no smell at all, until you take out the liquid, then it's not too bad.
Phil
Are you going to leave them in 3inch pots?
I'm not sure you'd get much of a result unless you put them in pots at least 3x that size....
Currently they are in a 3 inch pot, but as they grow bigger I will of course repot them in bigger pots.
I am just starting to worry that I wont have enough room for them, as I've only just discovered that they are large cordon type ones..
Maybe they will have to go out in the allotment after all :-(
I use the stuff out of the bottom of the wormery -they seem happy.
Jeremy
I wouldn't trust a plastic greenhouse to be warm enough overnight for at least a month or two.
Mine is down to 3C overnight and I've got a pretty warm garden in London. Also they definitely do not protect against frost and we haven't seen the last of those yet.