Using Tomato Tone

[OzoneNY]

I used this stuff. My San Marzanos seem to love it

http://www.supremegrowers.com/product/suprekelp-8oz/

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by OzoneNY

I used this stuff. My San Marzanos seem to love it

http://www.supremegrowers.com/product/suprekelp-8oz/

They don't even mention what the ingredients are !

The very first thing I want to know about any fertilizer is its analysis : N, P , K , Ca, Mg, ... and the rest .
I saw a brand with 5N-1P-1K analysis , selling at a premium price. To me it is mostly water (93% ?) . or bone meal (10-0-0).

I like MG blue water soluble (28 -8 -12 ). That is 48% pure fertilizer and selling for about $2,50 per pound. Best fertilizer money can buy.

I forgot . What is the analysis of Tomato Tone ?

Gardeneer

[creister]

Another very good fertilizer is made by Saltwater Farms. You can get kelp or fish/kelp.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

They don't even mention what the ingredients are !

The very first thing I want to know about any fertilizer is its analysis : N, P , K , Ca, Mg, ... and the rest .
I saw a brand with 5N-1P-1K analysis , selling at a premium price. To me it is mostly water (93% ?) . or bone meal (10-0-0).

I like MG blue water soluble (28 -8 -12 ). That is 48% pure fertilizer and selling for about $2,50 per pound. Best fertilizer money can buy.

I forgot . What is the analysis of Tomato Tone ?

Gardeneer

I agree it's annoying when they don't provide the ingredients on the web site. Before Supreme Growers redesigned their web site they had the product labels online. I did grab the images back then for their product line.

[zeuspaul]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

They don't even mention what the ingredients are !

I like MG blue water soluble (28 -8 -12 ). That is 48% pure fertilizer and selling for about $2,50 per pound. Best fertilizer money can buy.

Gardeneer

How about Grow More water soluble (25 -15 -10) $1.60 per pound.

http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Gr...m251510-05.htm

[Worth1]

If you guys are gong to go that route I can get a 50 pound bag of 16-16-16 for way under $20.

Worth

[zeuspaul]

Originally Posted by Worth1

If you guys are gong to go that route I can get a 50 pound bag of 16-16-16 for way under $20.

Worth

Water soluble? The 15-15-15 I can get locally is about the same but it won't work with my drip system. MG blue and Grow More are both water soluble.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by zeuspaul

Water soluble? The 15-15-15 I can get locally is about the same but it won't work with my drip system. MG blue and Grow More are both water soluble.

No.

Worth

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by RayR

I agree it's annoying when they don't provide the ingredients on the web site. Before Supreme Growers redesigned their web site they had the product labels online. I did grab the images back then for their product line.

That is funny (to me) calling a that "SUPREME" )-0-0- 1

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

That is funny (to me) calling a that "SUPREME" )-0-0- 1

Why is that funny? Aren't you familiar with kelp?

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by RayR

Why is that funny? Aren't you familiar with kelp?

It is funny to me (may not be to you) because:
It does not matter how it is made .
It just has 1% potash ( K2O, derived from kelp or whatever )
The plant uses just the "K" and there isn't much of it either when 1 tsp of the solution (1% K2O) is mixed with one gallon of water.
that is like 30 ppm
AND most of it is not going to come in contact with the root system .
It is like one of those homeopathic medicine once an Indian MD gave me.

JMO

Gardeneer

[Cole_Robbie]

Seaweed has a natural plant growth hormone in it, which is a recent discovery. It used to be thought that it was a micronutrient source, which may be true as well, but it looks like the hormone is what makes it work so well.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

It is funny to me (may not be to you) because:
It does not matter how it is made .
It just has 1% potash ( K2O, derived from kelp or whatever )
The plant uses just the "K" and there isn't much of it either when 1 tsp of the solution (1% K2O) is mixed with one gallon of water.
that is like 30 ppm
AND most of it is not going to come in contact with the root system .
It is like one of those homeopathic medicine once an Indian MD gave me.

JMO

Gardeneer

I think you miss the point. NPK is not what Kelp extracts are about. Kelp has a small amount of K and an insignificant amounts of N and P. Some Kelp extracts have Phosphoric Acid added as a stabilizer which give them a P kick but NPK values is not the usual benefits plants get from Kelp.
Cole_Robbie is right about the natural plant growth hormones in Kelp, mainly Cytokinins whose main function is promoting cell division. There are small amounts of micronutrients in Kelp but it's most powerful value as an aide to fertilization is the natural chelators it contains. Kelp is an algae and through photosynthesis produces the simple sugar Mannose (a good food source for microbes), the sugar-alcohol mannitol which is a strong mineral chelator. Mannitol's ability to chelate insoluble micronutrients in the soil like iron and manganese and take them into the roots. There are other chelators in kelp as well as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and other beneficial compounds.

[Gardeneer]

Ok, Cole, Ray.
Then it is not really a FERTILIZER in conventional sense.

BTW: is there any university type of research/study confirming the claimed benefits ?
I can not buy claims such as this one on their face values.
The other thing is, I ( like many gardeners) have no problem growing healthy robust plants. I aim at producing fruits not foliage.

Gardeneer

[Cole_Robbie]

http://www.pnas.org/content/98/18/10487.full.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC540265/