Urban Farms Texas Tomato Food

[TexasTycoon]

I just ordered some TTF on Amazon yesterday, should get it next week sometime. Can I use it on my potted Seto Satsuma mandarin tree as well?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by TexasTycoon

I just ordered some TTF on Amazon yesterday, should get it next week sometime. Can I use it on my potted Seto Satsuma mandarin tree as well?

I'm sure you could but they have a product called Apples and Oranges that would be better.

Worth

[b54red]

I use TTF sometimes when I don't have any Apples and Oranges but the A & O does seem a bit better on citrus. If I am feeding my tomatoes then I will just go ahead and feed my lemons and lime with it and it seems to work good. Before I started using this stuff from Urban Farms I rarely got a single fruit from any of my citrus and now I usually get a good crop. I have messed up a few times by leaving the containers outside during a bad wind storm like we had this spring and most of the blooms and little fruit got blown off or let the containers get too dry for too long when the fruit is very small and they will drop off. I hope we have a milder winter this year as the past two have really messed up my Satsuma which is planted in the back yard. I lost most of the tree to freezing both years and it is just now starting to look decent again so I need a mild winter so I can have another huge crop of Satsumas next year.

Bill

[hunter]

So, I have a combination set-up. For my raised beds, I plan on adding 4.5 oz to 3/4 gallon EZ-Flo system attached to a soaker hose system. I'll probably feed once per week. I read earlier in this thread that this is the recommended amount, but I'm open to suggestions.

For my Earthboxes, I was planning on manually adding the liquid fertilizer once the fertilizer strip is used up some time in the middle of the season. I have six EBs connected via the AWS. Can I simply add the liquid through the fill tube? If so, what amount would be best?

[Aline421]

Hunter

I also garden in Earthboxes. How much Urban Farms fertilizer do you use and how often? Have you ever used it as a foliar spray.

Aline

[hunter]

I'll defer to the smarter people on this board for those answers since this is my first year for EB and Urban Farms products.

My plan is to add some fert to the water reservoir every couple of weeks once the fertilizer strip is depleted.

I've read that the Urban Farms products are best used as a soak instead of a foliar spray - plus, I've had bad luck in the past with foliar feeding. So I'll probably either use a hose end sprayer to soak the root zones or mix batches in a 5 gallon bucket and pour it over the root zone.

Originally Posted by Aline421

Hunter

I also garden in Earthboxes. How much Urban Farms fertilizer do you use and how often? Have you ever used it as a foliar spray.

Aline

[Worth1]

Not to start a controversy but I think foliar spraying fertilizer is over rated.

Worth

[ermentrude]

I've been using TTF for a couple seasons now and have seen a marked difference in the production of the plants. I only have 10 Earthboxes, so my method is not elegant or terribly efficient, but it works for me. I really have no idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong, but it seems to be working OK.

I have two 1 liter water bottles I use for this process - Fiji water, it's expensive but the bottles are very sturdy - I've used the same ones for 2 years now and they're faded but fine. I marked down the side of the bottle at 1/5th intervals so I know how much of the eventual mixture to give each box. I use a turkey baster to get the TTF out of their bottle into the water bottles. I usually put between 0.50 and 0.75 oz (according to the baster) into each of the water bottles and dilute with water up to my top line. Shake and then pour 1/5th of a bottle into each of my boxes down the watering tube. I do that every week starting a few weeks after plant out.

[hunter]

Thanks for the details! Noob question here: is it necessary to actually dilute the TTF if it's going straight into the water reservoir?

Assuming the EB are at their 3 gallon capacity, couldn't you basically pour TTF straight in at the 3 gallon rate and let the reservoir dilute it for you?

Originally Posted by ermentrude

I've been using TTF for a couple seasons now and have seen a marked difference in the production of the plants. I only have 10 Earthboxes, so my method is not elegant or terribly efficient, but it works for me. I really have no idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong, but it seems to be working OK.

I have two 1 liter water bottles I use for this process - Fiji water, it's expensive but the bottles are very sturdy - I've used the same ones for 2 years now and they're faded but fine. I marked down the side of the bottle at 1/5th intervals so I know how much of the eventual mixture to give each box. I use a turkey baster to get the TTF out of their bottle into the water bottles. I usually put between 0.50 and 0.75 oz (according to the baster) into each of the water bottles and dilute with water up to my top line. Shake and then pour 1/5th of a bottle into each of my boxes down the watering tube. I do that every week starting a few weeks after plant out.

[ermentrude]

First, I should have said that this isn't my unique idea, someone else posted several pages back and I just adapted for my smaller situation, I'm too lazy to go look for their post though. Also, it is important to know that TTF settles out VERY quickly. The more you dilute, the less likely the TTF is to settle.

If you do not have the AWS, let the box run dry, then put in undiluted TTF and fill the box with water from a hose (for some level of agitation), I could see that it could be diluted and work.

For me, with the AWS, the boxes stay somewhat full at all times. So I'd be adding the undiluted TTF to still water. I don't think it would dilute and would just settle to the bottom.

[hunter]

Makes sense! Thanks! I'm using the AWS, so I'll mimic your approach.

[TC_Manhattan]

Originally Posted by hunter

So, I have a combination set-up. For my raised beds, I plan on adding 4.5 oz to 3/4 gallon EZ-Flo system attached to a soaker hose system. I'll probably feed once per week. I read earlier in this thread that this is the recommended amount, but I'm open to suggestions.

For my Earthboxes, I was planning on manually adding the liquid fertilizer once the fertilizer strip is used up some time in the middle of the season. I have six EBs connected via the AWS. Can I simply add the liquid through the fill tube? If so, what amount would be best?

I am new to earth boxes, so I have to ask..

just how do you know when the fertilizer strip is all used up?
I thought it lasted all season.

EB folks don't mention it that I could find.

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by ermentrude

I've been using TTF for a couple seasons now and have seen a marked difference in the production of the plants. I only have 10 Earthboxes, so my method is not elegant or terribly efficient, but it works for me. I really have no idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong, but it seems to be working OK.

..... I usually put between 0.50 and 0.75 oz (according to the baster) into each of the water bottles and dilute with water up to my top line. Shake and then pour 1/5th of a bottle into each of my boxes down the watering tube. I do that every week starting a few weeks after plant out.

That is interesting. It really isn't much TTF you are using. 1 TBLS = 1/2 oz. You are using 1/2 to 3/4 oz (then divided by 5 per your water bottle). So you are effectively using .1-.15 oz per earthbox weekly which is .6-.9 teaspoons worth.

I had used their normal recommended amount (1 TBLS per gallon) in an earthbox and had beast plants which is what I don't want. I even stopped using TTF in EB because of that plus reading on their site, they did not seem a fan of closed systems.

This season, I've been supplementing the EB with Neptune's Harvest Blend and the plants are much more manageable in size.

I will try reducing the amount to be more inline with what you are using.

BTW - I buy the TTF / their other products by the gallon and find it is much easier to shake vigorously and then pour into a clear jar with lid. The product still settles buy I can then stir it with a spoon.

[Worth1]

I may have done more reading on the EarthBox site than some people that have EarthBox's.
And I dont have one.
First they have two ways to do it.
Organic and conventional.
Organic it come with 16 oz of 8-3-5 fertilizer and the other stuff.
Conventional it comes with 16 oz of 7-7-7 fertilizer and the other stuff.

Here is a copy and paste from the instructions on the fertilizer.


The EarthBox is designed to be used with a strip of common dry, granular fertilizer or plant food for
vegetables. Almost any brand of fertilizer will work, as long as it is NOT designed to be mixed with water
(water-soluble), and that is NOT a time-released or slow-released product. Each of the three numbers on
the label should be between 5 and 15. You can choose a synthetic fertilizer or an organic fertilizer. If you
prefer a synthetic fertilizer, use 2 cups. If you prefer an organic fertilizer, use 3 cups. Do not add any
additional fertilizer during the growing season. Both regular and organic versions of the EarthBox
Ready-to-Grow Kit, and the EarthBox Garden Kit (available at retailers) include a pre-measured,
balanced fertilizer great for growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers.

16 oz is a lot of fertilizer for a container, I have no idea if it would last all season or not.
It isn't like it is going to get washed away.

[ermentrude]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

That is interesting. It really isn't much TTF you are using. 1 TBLS = 1/2 oz. You are using 1/2 to 3/4 oz (then divided by 5 per your water bottle). So you are effectively using .1-.15 oz per earthbox weekly which is .6-.9 teaspoons worth.

I had used their normal recommended amount (1 TBLS per gallon) in an earthbox and had beast plants which is what I don't want. I even stopped using TTF in EB because of that plus reading on their site, they did not seem a fan of closed systems.

This season, I've been supplementing the EB with Neptune's Harvest Blend and the plants are much more manageable in size.

I will try reducing the amount to be more inline with what you are using.

BTW - I buy the TTF / their other products by the gallon and find it is much easier to shake vigorously and then pour into a clear jar with lid. The product still settles buy I can then stir it with a spoon.

I may very well be under fertilizing a bit, but there is also the fert strip in there too. I had a couple years of getting very few edible tomatoes from my EB before TTF. I didn't want to over correct and burn them out, although it sounds like you were putting much more in and nothing bad happened, which is good to know.

I have a couple identical sets of boxes this year, so maybe I should experiment and see if there is a meaningful difference between dosages. In the end, with what I'm currently doing I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with, which is all I'm really looking for.

The first year with TTF I bought the little bottle because it was halfway through the season already. I've been filling that back up from the larger bottles since. I like the idea of using mason jars though and have a couple I could use...