Substituting Fruit Tree Fertilizer

greenthumbomaha · May 18, 2017

Time to plant tomatoes and I couldn't find where I put the Tomato Tone, so I used (sparingly) Jobes Fruit Tree Fertilizer. It looks very different; big globules of fertilizer not at all like TT fine dust and gravely.

Plants are okay, no burning. It has been raining hard too. Will there be any nutrients in the short term? I imagine the release is pretty spread out time wise. Should I side dress with tt asap?

- Lisa

PureHarvest · May 18, 2017

If you're talking about the Jobes organic line, think the citrus actually has a better ratio of NPK than their others. Just like the Espoma products, the ingredients are all the same stuff. They just tweak the amount of each to get the NPK at slightly different ratios so they can slap another label on it and expand the product line.
I still think plant tone mixed with tomato tone is a winner but stick with what works for you.
The jobes says use every 4 weeks. Not sure how long it's been since you applied but it does take time to become available after you apply it, so you might need a shot of something if it's been more than 3 weeks.

greenthumbomaha · May 20, 2017

Ah thank you p_h, yes it was Jobes in the orange print bag. I was under the misconception that fruit trees are to be fertilized twice per year; once in early spring and then at fruiting.Fertilizing after fruiting was discouraged so new growth wouldn't be killed off. Given this timetable, I assumed it was a very slow and long release product. The granules look like none I have ever seen in a tomato or vegetable fertilizer.They are kind of polished and some look coated in a clear substance. All are perfectly round and there is no dust. I was pleased with the NPK ratio too, much more so than the balanced 6-6-6- Alaska fertilizer I had to use when planting out in a remote garden. I guess the take away here is buy what is the best priced product.

We had two gully washer storms in the past week, with 2-3 inches per event . The fields are flooded (soil is clay). I think when the weather improves the new plantings will need something to snack on. I've been setting plants out gradually over three locations for the past week and a half. They are small root-wise but fairly tall due to the delayed planting this year. Tonight is back down to 44, with low 70's and more rain next week

- Lisa

bower · May 20, 2017

I picked up a couple of bottles of fruit tree ferts that were on special last year for a buck or something. It was a kelp based product with other organic stuff and a high K ratio which I thought would be handy. It turned out the stuff was pretty broken down but I mixed it up anyway and fed some tomatoes with it.... they lapped it up!

May 18, 2017	#1
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	Substituting Fruit Tree Fertilizer Time to plant tomatoes and I couldn't find where I put the Tomato Tone, so I used (sparingly) Jobes Fruit Tree Fertilizer. It looks very different; big globules of fertilizer not at all like TT fine dust and gravely. Plants are okay, no burning. It has been raining hard too. Will there be any nutrients in the short term? I imagine the release is pretty spread out time wise. Should I side dress with tt asap? - Lisa

May 18, 2017	#2
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	If you're talking about the Jobes organic line, think the citrus actually has a better ratio of NPK than their others. Just like the Espoma products, the ingredients are all the same stuff. They just tweak the amount of each to get the NPK at slightly different ratios so they can slap another label on it and expand the product line. I still think plant tone mixed with tomato tone is a winner but stick with what works for you. The jobes says use every 4 weeks. Not sure how long it's been since you applied but it does take time to become available after you apply it, so you might need a shot of something if it's been more than 3 weeks. Last edited by PureHarvest; May 18, 2017 at 10:29 PM.

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May 20, 2017	#3
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	Ah thank you p_h, yes it was Jobes in the orange print bag. I was under the misconception that fruit trees are to be fertilized twice per year; once in early spring and then at fruiting.Fertilizing after fruiting was discouraged so new growth wouldn't be killed off. Given this timetable, I assumed it was a very slow and long release product. The granules look like none I have ever seen in a tomato or vegetable fertilizer.They are kind of polished and some look coated in a clear substance. All are perfectly round and there is no dust. I was pleased with the NPK ratio too, much more so than the balanced 6-6-6- Alaska fertilizer I had to use when planting out in a remote garden. I guess the take away here is buy what is the best priced product. We had two gully washer storms in the past week, with 2-3 inches per event . The fields are flooded (soil is clay). I think when the weather improves the new plantings will need something to snack on. I've been setting plants out gradually over three locations for the past week and a half. They are small root-wise but fairly tall due to the delayed planting this year. Tonight is back down to 44, with low 70's and more rain next week - Lisa

May 20, 2017	#4
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I picked up a couple of bottles of fruit tree ferts that were on special last year for a buck or something. It was a kelp based product with other organic stuff and a high K ratio which I thought would be handy. It turned out the stuff was pretty broken down but I mixed it up anyway and fed some tomatoes with it.... they lapped it up!