Feeding tomatoes

[coccinelle]

Why is it you feed tomatoes once the fruit start to form? If you did it beforehand wouldn't you get more flowers so more fruit? I'm feeding once a fortnight and have lots of fruit and flowers forming so feel this is enough. Picked my first batch yesterday.

[Clanad]

To really know what the mixture of any fertilizer should be for a given soil, a soil test should be conducted. Home kits are available and give, generally, fair results.
In lieu of that, tomatos need slightly differing fertilizers for differing growth stages. Suspecting your plants are fairly mature, look for a mixture that's higher in phosporus and potassium than nitrogen. The bag or can will have the mix on the front looking something like "9-7-3" or some such. The first number is nitrogen and should only be used sparingly... the phosphorous (second number) is important for root development and potassium (last number) is more important for fruit devleopment. I'd look for something like 4-6-9 or reasonably close...
Keep in mind, if you could use a good compost you wouldn't have to fertilize...
Plenty of water right now... keeping soil damp but not standing water. Probably at least 1 inch per week. I like to keep the base of the plant covered in peat moss to assure the roots are cool and damp...

[coccinelle]

Thank you Clanad. Will have a look on the packet to see what I'm using. When I planted I mixed the soil with leaf mould and put a couple of nettles into the hole as suggested by the garden centre (why I do not know). Is there a time when I stop fertlilizing?

[Clanad]

Not really... fertilize throughout the season... but lightly...

[coccinelle]

Thanks Clanad will do that.

[modeller]

Tomorite is good for flowers and fruit and should be used after the first truss has set. You can feed them far more often than once a fortnight. In fact if they are in growbags they say every other day .
Tomatoes are in the potato family and if you earth them up they will develop roots up the stem which of course are then able the feed and carry water to the plant which demands more and more as the tomatoes grow.
Because these roots are near the surface they are the easiest to feed and water.

[modeller]

I've looked at the Tomorite instructions and they say twice a week after the second truss has set.
Watering is equally important , Grow bags in a greenhouse can dry out quickly
and the tops of the plants can quickly start to flag, which is the warning they need a drink. If the plants are outside you wont get more than 3 trusses ripening off ,so once the third truss has set pinch to top off so that all the plants energy goes into those three. You can try for more but they will have to be ripened off indoors after Sept.

[coccinelle]

Thank you modeller. Plants are in greenhouse but not in growbags. They do seem to be doing quite well. Feeding twice a week seems to be quite excessive.... will maybe jump it up to once a week. Thank you.