Newbie w/ a couple of questions

epenna · May 4, 2017

Hey everyone,

I'm in Southern California, I have ten tomato plants, all different varieties in large containers, and I am drip irrigating them.

This is my first year growing seriously... in previous years, I had a few plants, and hand watered irregularly, and had poor results.

The plants have been in their pots for over a month, and all seem to be thriving.

So... some questions:

Some of the plants have already set fruit, and some of the plants have put out flowers but are not setting fruit. Should I fertilize them differently, or, considering how early it is in the season, should I try to get the fruiting plants to go back into foliar growth?

I think I overwatered last year, so this year I am letting them wilt once to make sure that I give the roots a chance to dry out, and then will go back to regular watering. So far it has been five days of no water, and no sign of wilting, so I think I'm doing right in letting them dry a bit.

I am thinking of replacing my 2gph emitters with .5gph emitters and watering longer. the 2gph emitters had water running out of the bottom of the pot within 5 minutes of watering... then again, the pots may have been soaked already, and perhaps now that they are drying out, this will not be the case.

I have mulch on top of the soil, and am trying to decide between fertilizing with a watering can, or trying to fertilize through the drip system. If I go the drip system route, where do I place the fertilizer unit in the order from the spigot? I'm thinking spigot, timer, pressure regulator, filter, then fertilizer unit. I this correct?

Do I need to purchase liquid fertilizer in that case, or can I liquify my granular fertilizer? I am tempted to just use a watering can, as cheaper and easier.

Very glad to have found Tomatoville, and I thank you all for your thoughts!

E

May 4, 2017	#1
epenna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 17	Newbie w/ a couple of questions Hey everyone, I'm in Southern California, I have ten tomato plants, all different varieties in large containers, and I am drip irrigating them. This is my first year growing seriously... in previous years, I had a few plants, and hand watered irregularly, and had poor results. The plants have been in their pots for over a month, and all seem to be thriving. So... some questions: Some of the plants have already set fruit, and some of the plants have put out flowers but are not setting fruit. Should I fertilize them differently, or, considering how early it is in the season, should I try to get the fruiting plants to go back into foliar growth? I think I overwatered last year, so this year I am letting them wilt once to make sure that I give the roots a chance to dry out, and then will go back to regular watering. So far it has been five days of no water, and no sign of wilting, so I think I'm doing right in letting them dry a bit. I am thinking of replacing my 2gph emitters with .5gph emitters and watering longer. the 2gph emitters had water running out of the bottom of the pot within 5 minutes of watering... then again, the pots may have been soaked already, and perhaps now that they are drying out, this will not be the case. I have mulch on top of the soil, and am trying to decide between fertilizing with a watering can, or trying to fertilize through the drip system. If I go the drip system route, where do I place the fertilizer unit in the order from the spigot? I'm thinking spigot, timer, pressure regulator, filter, then fertilizer unit. I this correct? Do I need to purchase liquid fertilizer in that case, or can I liquify my granular fertilizer? I am tempted to just use a watering can, as cheaper and easier. Very glad to have found Tomatoville, and I thank you all for your thoughts! E