Planted 4 Bonnie patio tomato plants in - Page 2

SharonRossy · June 25, 2014

You should be able to buy dolomitic or horticultural lime at a Home Depot or a Lowes or any gardening center.

travis · June 25, 2014

A couple of comments that are purely personal opinion, and not intended to contradict or debunk anyone else's opinions or preferred nutrient use:

The ratio of calcium to magnesium in common garden lime is preferable to the much higher magnesium to calcium ratio in dolomite as an over-abundance of magnesium (which also is a component of Epsom salts) can cause poor drainage and hardening of garden soil and potting mix.

Most high quality potting mixes already contain adequate lime (calcium) content.

Hot potting soil (sun baked black pots), chronically dessicated potting mix, super saturated potting mix, and poor or damaged root development are far more operative in container grown tomatoes than is calcium deficiency IF the potting mix comes with sufficient calcium in the mix.

Over fertilization with nitrogen and/or potassium has been proven to become operative in blossom end rot (BER) both in ground and in container grown tomatoes.

Shooter1103 · June 25, 2014

Right now Travis, I don't have BER, I am having a little trouble with a very few leaves getting early blight. Just using MG tomato food once a week right now, and watering daily when we have no storms to water naturally. There are tons of tomatoes of all sizes from marble to baseball size and blooms everywhere! Still waiting for the plants to get some height on them as the are all 1 foot or shorter. Thank you and no offense, but not sure I really understand your post being a new, have a lot to learn Gardener with no offense?

feldon30 · June 25, 2014

travis is saying that proper watering is just as important if not more important than adding lime and that most potting mixes have enough lime already and don't need any extra. Also that different types of lime add more or less phosphorous which can throw things out of balance.

Not everything in gardening is a "right" or "wrong" answer. You can learn a lot by reading, but some things you have to experiment and try and see what works for you.

It helps to remember that plants have been growing for thousands of years without human intervention.

June 25, 2014	#18
Shooter1103 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Bedford County Posts: 9	Advice Right now Travis, I don't have BER, I am having a little trouble with a very few leaves getting early blight. Just using MG tomato food once a week right now, and watering daily when we have no storms to water naturally. There are tons of tomatoes of all sizes from marble to baseball size and blooms everywhere! Still waiting for the plants to get some height on them as the are all 1 foot or shorter. Thank you and no offense, but not sure I really understand your post being a new, have a lot to learn Gardener with no offense?

June 25, 2014	#19
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	travis is saying that proper watering is just as important if not more important than adding lime and that most potting mixes have enough lime already and don't need any extra. Also that different types of lime add more or less phosphorous which can throw things out of balance. Not everything in gardening is a "right" or "wrong" answer. You can learn a lot by reading, but some things you have to experiment and try and see what works for you. It helps to remember that plants have been growing for thousands of years without human intervention. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

June 25, 2014	#16
SharonRossy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,140	You should be able to buy dolomitic or horticultural lime at a Home Depot or a Lowes or any gardening center.

June 25, 2014	#17
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	A couple of comments that are purely personal opinion, and not intended to contradict or debunk anyone else's opinions or preferred nutrient use: The ratio of calcium to magnesium in common garden lime is preferable to the much higher magnesium to calcium ratio in dolomite as an over-abundance of magnesium (which also is a component of Epsom salts) can cause poor drainage and hardening of garden soil and potting mix. Most high quality potting mixes already contain adequate lime (calcium) content. Hot potting soil (sun baked black pots), chronically dessicated potting mix, super saturated potting mix, and poor or damaged root development are far more operative in container grown tomatoes than is calcium deficiency IF the potting mix comes with sufficient calcium in the mix. Over fertilization with nitrogen and/or potassium has been proven to become operative in blossom end rot (BER) both in ground and in container grown tomatoes.