You can also sub Alfalfa Meal if you can't find Fish Meal or a fish head. The next thing that goes into the hole are a couple of aspirin tablets and some crushed chicken egg shells. The aspirin is to help jump start the plant's immune system. We'll put three or four crushed egg shells into the hole as well.
A great boost when planting tomatoes, peppers and just about anything is dig your hole and throw in a handful of finished compost and/or worm casting with another small handful of phosphorus (bone meal, rock phosphate, etc) and mix with some soil, then put your plant in.
Tomatoes like well-draining, nitrogen-rich soil. This means extra compost, blood-meal or crushed eggshells will make them happy. You want to make sure they have a steady source of calcium carbonate throughout the growing season, which is exactly what eggshells are made up of!
For tomato plants, a common recommendation is: For planting: Mix about 1-2 tablespoons of Epsom salt into the soil at the bottom of the planting hole. For established plants: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water and use it to water the plants once a month throughout the growing season.
Take four or five of the natural cotton balls and gently pull them into a long strip. Then place the cotton strips down into the bottom of the hole. The cotton will absorb water and help to keep the roots of the tomato transplant nice and moist until it becomes well established.
One of the best things to put at the bottom of a planter for drainage is broken pieces of pot. You can use any unwanted plant pots or chipped crockery for this – simply smash them up into small to medium-sized pieces. Adding a layer of broken pieces of pot like this will prevent compost loss out of the drainage holes.
Spent coffee grounds can contribute to healthy soils by adding organic matter and nutrients. The spent grounds are composed of nitrogen-rich proteins and contain potassium, small amounts of phosphorous, and other essential plant nutrients including calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Can I Just Sprinkle Epsom Salt on Plants? Never apply Epsom salt straight from the package. Always dilute the granules in water first, and either drench your plants' roots or spray it on the foliage. Don't spray on hot or sunny days, however, to avoid scorching the foliage.
Many gardeners use eggs in the garden to boost soil nutrients. Try putting eggshells in your compost. You can also plant eggshells or a whole egg in the hole before planting tomato plants.
Second when tomatos begin to appear and are about 1 inch in diameter lightly sprinkle baking soda around each plant to make them sweeter. Repeat this process again when tomatoes are about half grown. I used a lot of baking soda in his picture so it would show up but about 1/4 cup per plant is plenty.
Benefits of Using Lime in Tomato Gardening
Adding lime to the soil will raise its pH, increase the amount of calcium and enhance soil permeability. pH increase: Raising pH when soil is too acidic helps tomatoes absorb important nutrients like magnesium and phosphorus.
Commonly available fertilizer analysis that are great for tomato seedlings include 8-32-16 and 12-24-12. Mix the fertilizer with water according to package directions. If fertilizer is applied too frequently, or too much product is used at one time, your tomato plants may be damaged.
Add compost and other sources of organic matter. This is the key to soil quality. Organic matter supplies nutrients, increases moisture holding capacity, improves tilth, encourages diversity of soil life and can reduce plant disease. Compost makes a good mulch for tomatoes.
If planting in-ground, loosen the soil to create a welcoming bed for roots to grow. Add agricultural lime if you've done a soil test and the results recommend it. (For more about liming, see "Why Does pH Matter?") In addition, add 3 or 4 inches of compost or other organic matter, especially in clay or sandy soils.
There's one situation gardening experts agree can call for supplementing with Epsom salt—that's when your tomato plants have a magnesium deficiency. "Magnesium deficiency usually appears as leaves with bright green ribs and veins and otherwise discolored areas of yellow, red, or brown," Koehn says.
Prevent Fungal Disease
MAKE IT: Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2-3 drops of liquid soap in 1 liter of water. Spray the solution on the infected plants. Baking soda helps the plants become less acidic and prevents fungal growth.
Depending on the size of your garden, compile enough of each component to contribute a moderate amount to each hungry plant. Combine the two together, crush the eggshells by hand even more (which should be easier now that they're fully dry), and sprinkle the mixture across the soil bed.
Coffee grounds contain about 2% nitrogen and trace amounts of phosphorus and potassium. These macronutrients are really important to the growth of your tomatoes.
We all want what is best for our beloved houseplants. So, if there's a chance that putting rocks at the bottom of a planter is going to help them flourish, any good plant parent would do it, right? Contrary to popular belief, rocks at the bottom of a planter actually lead to root rot rather than prevent it.
Fill 1-2" inches at the bottom of your pot evenly with rocks. You can use gravel, landscape stones or smaller stones. This is where the excess water will go in your container, to keep it away from the roots. Plants hate having their roots sitting in soggy soil.