Urban Farms Texas Tomato Food

[b54red]

Originally Posted by SueCT

I fertilized small plants in the garden on 6/14 with TTF, full stregth as directed on the container, 1 gallon per plant, not realizing you were not supposed to use the full strenght dilution on small plants. They were only 12-18" high. They seem to be doing fine, no harm done. Now they are a little larger and bushier, and we got a good rain today. We also have a heat wave coming this weekend, mid 90s. Wondering if I should fertilize again now also, or if overdoing it a couple of weeks ago means I should continue to hold off. What do you think? When do you start using it in full strength and in the full amount on each plant, and how often?

If they are blooming then you should definitely fertilize them again and keep doing it weekly until the cool weather of fall moves in. I only use 1 1/2 tsp to 2 tsp per gallon until the plants get about 3 feet tall then I go ahead and use the 1 Tbs rate. If it has rained and the soil is wet I will up it to 4 tsp gallon but not apply as much. I have found that even after a lot of rain the plants need the fertilization to keep setting well although sometimes that is hard to do. I prefer to fertilize before a good rain.

It has been in the upper 90s for a couple of weeks now and today it cooled off a bit down to only the low 90s so I got out and leaned, lowered and pruned all my plants. I found lots of very new greenies despite the heat so since it has been a week since my tomatoes got their last dose of TTF I am going out to do that now.

Happy 4th of July everyone.
Bill

[SueCT]

Thank you, Bill. I never did fertilize them again because I decided under feritilizing was better than over doing it. My plants are about 2 1/2ft tall I would guess. There are lots of blooms, and some small fruit already. About an inch to an inch and a half diameter. So, I still have pretty high heat here, but plan to spray and fertilize probably Saturday, which is the first day of my weeks vacation. Hope I have time.

[b54red]

It is amazing how much a dose of TTF perks up the older vines. I just finished fertilizing them at dusk yesterday and this morning they looked so much better. Now if those darn whiteflies carrying TYLCV just won't show up again this summer I should have some decent production into the fall judging by the number of new fruits on the vines.

Bill

[rick9748]

How much per plant from 1 gal mix in ground??Cup, pint, quart app.??

[b54red]

Originally Posted by rick9748

How much per plant from 1 gal mix in ground??Cup, pint, quart app.??

I go by how the plants look and how they are performing. If a plant looks pale and is not setting much I give it more and if a plant is dark green and sending out tons of suckers I will cut back. The size of the plant makes a big difference also. A small plant may only get a quart or so but a very large plant may bet a gallon or two just depending on how it looks at the time.

Experiment with it and you will gradually learn to read the plants and determine yourself how much is enough and how much is too much. One precaution I will give you is to not use a stronger dilution unless your ground is very moist from a recent rain or watering because if it is too strong it will reduce your root growth and even damage some roots as I learned the hard way with some young plants that I regularly fertilized at the rate of an ounce to the gallon only to find that more is not necessarily better if it is applied in a solution too strong. However I will sometimes fertilize only days apart with the normal dilution rate of one tablespoon to the gallon rather heavily to wake up or give a good boost to plants that are not thriving.

Bill

[rick9748]

Thanks

Originally Posted by b54red

I go by how the plants look and how they are performing. If a plant looks pale and is not setting much I give it more and if a plant is dark green and sending out tons of suckers I will cut back. The size of the plant makes a big difference also. A small plant may only get a quart or so but a very large plant may bet a gallon or two just depending on how it looks at the time.

Experiment with it and you will gradually learn to read the plants and determine yourself how much is enough and how much is too much. One precaution I will give you is to not use a stronger dilution unless your ground is very moist from a recent rain or watering because if it is too strong it will reduce your root growth and even damage some roots as I learned the hard way with some young plants that I regularly fertilized at the rate of an ounce to the gallon only to find that more is not necessarily better if it is applied in a solution too strong. However I will sometimes fertilize only days apart with the normal dilution rate of one tablespoon to the gallon rather heavily to wake up or give a good boost to plants that are not thriving.

Bill

Bill, are you growing anything through the winter months either outside or indoors under lights? If so, are you using TTF ferts then also?

- Joyce

[brooksville]

22 flowers on a Vorlon, amazing! TTF is good stuff!

[b54red]

Sorry I didn't see this post sooner Joyce. I only grow seedlings in the greenhouse during the winter. Most of my fall winter and spring crops are feed the Vegetable formula from the same company. I have found it better than TTF for really heavy feeders like broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, and even peppers; but I also got good results with TTF with all of them.

I just received a new case of fertilizer from Urban Farms and split the case. I got three bottles of TTF and one of Vegetable formula. My Vegetable formula will be used for my squash, cucumbers and peppers and if I run out I will use the TTF which I try to reserve for my tomatoes.

Bill

[brooksville]

Bill do you see a noticeable difference between TTF and TT Veg formula? We are currently using TTF for everything with superb results. We did not use it for 2 seasons, we tried another liquid fert. That, coupled with starting seeds with soft water, have prevented us from making a crop for 2 summers. We are back! I am excited too!

Originally Posted by b54red

Sorry I didn't see this post sooner Joyce. I only grow seedlings in the greenhouse during the winter. Most of my fall winter and spring crops are feed the Vegetable formula from the same company. I have found it better than TTF for really heavy feeders like broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, and even peppers; but I also got good results with TTF with all of them.

I just received a new case of fertilizer from Urban Farms and split the case. I got three bottles of TTF and one of Vegetable formula. My Vegetable formula will be used for my squash, cucumbers and peppers and if I run out I will use the TTF which I try to reserve for my tomatoes.

Bill

Thanks Bill!
I had to make a choice so I got the Apples and Oranges formula along with TTF. I’m pretty happy with A&O for seedlings, fruit trees, etc. and regular fish emulsion after planting out for everything but tomatoes and peppers. The fish emulsion will be used up soon so I’ll be replacing it with veggie formula.

I used the TTF dry fertilizer in my 5-1-1 mix and am having great results so far so will be reordering that too.
- Joyce

[JaxRmrJmr]

I typically don't use TTF until my fruit starts setting, but they look so good after that that I may start using it earlier. This has been a great year for me after last year's disappointing performance.

[Okijames]

I went with 100% TTF for my tomatoes this year. Seems to be fine, I had first fruit set a couple weeks ago, and the plants are between 4-6ft tall already! I'm on my 5th? year of growing with the Urban Farms hydro system, been very happy with the results.

To cram as many plants in my little plot as possible I have the grow buckets separated at 16" on center, half the original spacing. In prior years I have pruned aggressively to ensure good airflow. This year I thought I'd try going prune-free, but already have a freaking jungle!

So, a question for all Tomatoville Gurus since I'll absolutely have to do some sort of pruning...

Should I go back to aggressive pruning with 2-3 main branches or can I just prune leaves to address airflow while greedily keeping as many branches, flowers, and fruit as possible? Other options?

Thanks!

[JosephineRose]

I bit the bullet last year because of this thread and bought the TTF. It was amazing. I was pulling 30lbs per day of fruit in full production from approximately 30 plants. I have never had such a successful year.

I have moved since then and am in the process of turning my backyard into a food forest and kitchen garden. Today I jumped on the four gallon offer mentioned earlier in this thread. It is terrific that they will let you email them and request four different types, if need be. Put four of one in your car, then email them with your order number and tell them what four varieties you would like.

I am a great fan of these folks and their products.

Originally Posted by JosephineRose

I bit the bullet last year because of this thread and bought the TTF. It was amazing. I was pulling 30lbs per day of fruit in full production from approximately 30 plants. I have never had such a successful year.

I have moved since then and am in the process of turning my backyard into a food forest and kitchen garden. Today I jumped on the four gallon offer mentioned earlier in this thread. It is terrific that they will let you email them and request four different types, if need be. Put four of one in your car, then email them with your order number and tell them what four varieties you would like.

I am a great fan of these folks and their products.

Absolutely the best fertilizer I’ve used, and consistent.

What are you planting in your food forest?