Opt For A Homemade Tomato Fertilizer To Keep Safe Naturally!

You must have recently realized that a homemade tomato fertilizer isn’t going to be any less good for your tomato plants than commercial fertilizer. The nutrition supply to the plants is going to be rich anyway and you will be at the benefitted end in so many other ways if choosing a natural fertilizer for tomatoes. Read on to know all about the goodness of organic fertilizers for tomatoes.

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Importance of fertilizers for tomato plants

The first thing to know about the tomato plants is that they are heavy feeders. This inevitably explains the kind of relationship that tomato plants share with fertilizers. When it comes to fertilization, tomato plants put up different needs depending upon the quality of the soil. If the soil has been properly amended, then the fertilization needs become less but if the case is vice versa, then you would need to give a good and right amount of fertilizer to satisfy the nutrition hunger of your tomato plants.

Picking the right fertilizer these days is a task as there are so many options available in the market that would only leave you highly confused. At the same time, the risk of ending up choosing the wrong fertilizer always remains and that would have your entire crop damaged. Commercial fertilizers also come with handling issues and there is a risk of side effects too.

All of these factors can easily make one want for a better and optimal way out and in this case, organic comes out as the shining ray of hope.

Some common homemade fertilizers for tomato plants

The best thing about homemade is that all the ingredients are easily available and in the case of making a homemade tomato fertilizer, the whole task becomes even easier. As you read, you will see that the things commonly used in making a DIY tomato fertilizer are of daily use that we tend to discard easily. Let us give you a list of some of the most common things that can be used to make homemade tomato fertilizers for tomato plants:

Compost

homemade tomato fertilizer

Organic and good quality organic compost is usually used as the base material for the DIY tomato fertilizers to ensure a good consistency.

Fish emulsion

There are a lot of nutrients like potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, etc. present in the fish emulsion liquid that can be bought from any store and added to the homemade fertilizer for tomatoes.

Epsom salt

This is one of the richest sources of magnesium for the tomatoes that helps them during their active growth stage.

Eggshells

The huge amount of calcium in the eggshells makes it a valuable component to be added to tomato fertilizers. Calcium comes helpful in protecting the roots against rotting.

Grounds of coffee and tea

homemade tomato fertilizer

A rich source of phosphorous, potassium, and some nitrogenous compounds, the coffee and tea grounds can be good additions to tomato fertilizers for boosting their nutritional value.

Alfalfa        

It can either be the leaves or pellets of alfalfa that you can add to your homemade tomato fertilizer and make it rich with beneficial growth hormones that can boost plant growth for a good start.

Seaweed

This is one tomato plant meal that not only adds nutrition to the plants but also acts as a good protective cover for protection against weather conditions and excessive evaporation.

Wood ash

You can inject a great amount of potassium, etc. into your fertilizer with the burnt remains of wooden logs.

Hair

It can be the hair of humans or animals that can be a great component for your DIY fertilizer recipe. The reason behind this is the presence of the compound called Keratin in the hair that marks the presence of a good amount of minerals like sulfate, nitrogen, etc. These nutrients are released into the fertilizer slowly by the hair and thus, these are great ingredients.

Rabbit manure

This is one of the best manure materials you can use for making tomato fertilizer. The NPK levels of rabbit manure are the most balanced and suitable as peruse for tomato plants and doesn’t cause any fertilizer burn.

Cottonseed meal

This is another best organic fertilizer for tomatoes meal that is rich in a lot of essential nutrients and that too in perfectly balanced levels. They help the plant to gain a good start and then keep on giving them the nutrition supply slowly and steadily for longer.

Blackstrap molasses

homemade tomato fertilizer

You can get these molasses in the dry or liquid form and apply them to the tomato plants in the suitable form accordingly. In both forms, it is a high supply of sulfur and other micronutrients that the tomato plants get from this fertilizer additive.

Note: All of these compounds that we listed can be used to make a fertilizer recipe or used as independent fertilizers themselves. Even while choosing the best fertilizer for tomatoes, you will need to address a lot of factors related to your tomato crop, especially the NPK ratio. Make sure to check the nutrient composition of whatever fertilizer you are choosing to apply individually and then only go ahead with it.

Some useful tips on using the fertilizers

The first step of fertilizer application to the tomato plants or any plant, in general, is to know the nutritional profile of the soil. This comes in use to understand how much the nutritional levels need to be improved. Take a soil test with the help of any soil test kit or the local state cooperative extension services.

The second thing to understand is the growth cycle of the tomato plants and what nutrients they need at any particular level the most. This determines the kind of homemade fertilizer for tomatoes you will need to prepare and apply in the different growth levels. Here are some of the factors to keep in mind:

  • Give the plants a good amount of nitrogen in the beginning. It’s better to enrich the soil with organic compost before starting the plants.
  • Optimal root development is the focus in the transplantation stage and that can be improved by the addition of nutrients like phosphorous, etc.
  • For stronger growth and high production of fruits, tomato plants need nutrients like potassium, etc.
  • Keep in mind not to give too much nitrogen to the tomatoes as that will boost the foliage growth at the cost of fruit production.
  • Tomatoes primarily depend on a properly prepared and amended soil that can get them the right start and then fertilized at the times of fruit emergence. They might also use supplemental feedings to keep doing well.
  • When using manure, keep in mind to only use the manure of plant-eating animals to prevent the release of toxic compounds and pathogens in the soil. Make sure to compost or age the manure before using it. Manure application works better at the time of seedling plantation.

Some DIY tomato fertilizer recipes

Here are some of the natural fertilizer for tomatoes you can easily prepare.

Recipe one

You will need:

  • Half-gallon high-quality compost for base
  • Two cups vermicompost
  • Coffee grounds
  • Eggshells
  • Rabbit droppings
  • Wood ashes

Prepare the base by crushing the compost thoroughly and smoothen it. Add vermicompost, eggshells, animal droppings, wood ashes, etc. Mix well and let the fertilizer settle for about a month in any sealed container before use.

You can even add some blood meal to the mix for boosted nutrition.

Recipe two (Liquid fertilizer)

You will need:

  • One pound organic fertilizer
  • One and a half-gallon water

Mix both the thing well and leave to settle in a sealed container for around 5-6 days. Before using, strain the liquid and do not adulterate it. You can use the solid residue in other garden parts like grass.

Recipe three

You will need:

  • Half gallon compost
  • Two cups each of rabbit manure and alfalfa
  • One cup each of eggshells, wood ashes, and coffee ground
  • Half cup of hair

Mix the compost, rabbit manure, and hair in a container well. Then add the remaining things into the mixture and let it settle for some time before using.

Conclusion

This was all about the importance of a homemade tomato fertilizer and how you can give more to your tomato plants with these organic fertilizers than the commercial ones. Natural fertilizer is not only going to optimize your budget but most importantly, give the right nutrition to your plant which is nothing inferior to commercial nutrient supplies. Use the tips that we have above and you’ll have your tomato crop flourishing.

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