Fertilizer for Growing Tomatoes in Containers

Picking the right fertilizer for growing tomatoes in containers can be a daunting task. Unless you are a professional fertilizer can be a foreign language. Designations such as N-P-K may mean nothing to you but they are important when it comes to selecting the right fertilizer for container tomato plants.

Whether to use organic fertilizers or synthetic chemical compounds is a personal choice, and you do not have to be absolutely loyal to one type. Organic fertilizers are derived from living organisms such as plants and animals, or are mined from naturally occurring mineral deposits. Synthetic fertilizers consist of man-made chemical salts or salt blends and mined minerals. Many gardening experts recommend using a combination of the two fertilizer types, for each type brings special benefits to a tomato container garden. Organic fertilizers often offer a banquet of micro-nutrients, while chemical fertilizers excels when it comes to providing important nutrients quickly and efficiently. Gardeners may choose fertilizer types based on the type of plant being grown.

 For those growing tomatoes in containers organically fertilizer tomatoes may taste better. Annual flowers, in comparison, often perform best when fed a steady diet of a balanced chemical blend. The argument that synthetic are more convenient than organic fertilizers is now obsolete. Both types of fertilizers can be purchased in powder or liquid concentrates that can be quickly mixed with water and fed to plants. Or you can choose pelleted or encapsulated fertilizers, both organic an synthetic, that slowly release their nutrients each time the plants are watered.

Fertilizer for Growing Tomatoes in Containers: Feeding the Leaves

The basic equipment that plants use to take up nutrients is their roots, but they can also take up fertilizer through their leaves. This process, called foliar feeding, is especially beneficial to plants that are seriously deficient in either major or minor nutrients. Any fertilizer that can be mixed with water can be applied to plant leaves, but because they are so rich in micronutrients, the best choices are organic fish emulsion-seaweed blends. Regardless of what type of fertilizer you try as a foliar application, never apply any liquid substance to plant leaves when the temperature is above 90 degrees, or in middle of a bright sunny day. The newly applied fertilizer will burn leaves. Do your spraying and drenching in the morning, instead.