Urban Farms Texas Tomato Food

[Ricefarmer05]

Raybo's latest fertilizer experiment inspired me to try out some different fertilizers this year. One fertilizer that caught my attention is "Texas Tomato Food" made by Urban Farms (3.8 - 3.1 - 7.0):

http://theurbanfarm.com/tomatomagic.html


One of the main reasons that I am interested in this fertilizer is that it is water soluble. I use cages around my tomatoes and mulch with a thick layer of rice straw so working a fertilizer like Tomato Tone into the soil is a huge pain. Rather than go through the trouble of pulling back the rice straw on 50 plants, I usually end up just sprinkling the Tomato Tone on top of the straw and trying to water it in. However, I sometimes question how much of the fertilizer ends up making it down to the roots since my soil can become fairly compact.

For this reason, I generally prefer water soluble fertilizers because I find them much easier to apply. It seems there aren't alot of water soluble options out there (besides Miracle Gro) so I am excited about trying this stuff out.

I'll let yall know how it works out for me. In the meantime, I wanted to see if any of you have tried this stuff before...

[armac]

great stuff beeen using it for a year, the ingredients are top notch, buy it by the gallon

[feldon30]

Just from the description it looks like a good product.

As for TomatoTone, yes the package directions suggest scratching something like a tablespoon into the soil near the plant once per week, which is just impossible if you've got mulch, cages, and soaker hoses in the way. So instead of that, I'd mix 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) into the square foot of soil around where the transplant was going to go. Over time, the roots grow out and down and reach additional fertilizer. After 2 1/2 months, I'd start supplementing with weekly foliar feedings of Seaweed and Fish emulsion.

[b54red]

I do most of my fertilizing and side dressing with a hose end sprayer also due to heavy mulching of my plants. I am going to give this stuff a try and see how it compares to other fertilizers I apply this way. I have high hopes for it after reading the site descriptions of the product.

[KathyDC]

Looks good. After reading this thread and looking at the product, I'm thinking about ordering some for the same reason (water-soluble). Thanks for posting.

[Dewayne mater]

I have used other liquid feeds in earthtainers that I found a hydroponic stores. They can really result in quick changes, depending on the formula, such as types that cause a lot of blooming...they really do! I will definitely try this one, thanks for pointing it out.

Have you seen a listing of other values of the product beyond NPK? There are several other components that some feel make a huge difference, example, the old tomato tone vs. the new one.

Dewayne mater

[Urbanfarmer]

Hi.....my wife told me about this thread. On a boating forum that I go to sometimes, manufacturers are often part of the discussion, so without over-stepping the boundaries, I'll try to participate.

These are our products. We make them fresh every week. If I can answer any questions, I'll give it my best shot.

[Dewayne mater]

Can you post a listing of the components that has more detail than just the NPK values? For example, if there are other elements like Cobalt, Copper, iron, etc what are they? Also, where are they derived from? This may be on the packaging, but I haven't spotted it. Thanks.

Dewayne mater

[armac]

urbanfarmer, you need to get some product into stores in the Rio Grande Valley.....please

[Ricefarmer05]

Originally Posted by Urbanfarmer

Hi.....my wife told me about this thread. On a boating forum that I go to sometimes, manufacturers are often part of the discussion, so without over-stepping the boundaries, I'll try to participate.

These are our products. We make them fresh every week. If I can answer any questions, I'll give it my best shot.

Thanks for joining the discussion!

I bought a gallon of the all purpose vegetable fertilizer and the tomato fertilizer last week (I found it at Buchanan's Native Plants in Houston). The main question I have right now is, how much of the mixed solution should I give to each tomato plant?

I saw on the label where it says you can apply it once or twice a week but couldn't find how much should be used each time. In case it makes a difference, my tomatoes are planted in the ground on raised rows.

Thanks!

[Ricefarmer05]

Originally Posted by feldon30

Just from the description it looks like a good product.

As for TomatoTone, yes the package directions suggest scratching something like a tablespoon into the soil near the plant once per week, which is just impossible if you've got mulch, cages, and soaker hoses in the way. So instead of that, I'd mix 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) into the square foot of soil around where the transplant was going to go. Over time, the roots grow out and down and reach additional fertilizer. After 2 1/2 months, I'd start supplementing with weekly foliar feedings of Seaweed and Fish emulsion.

Thanks for the suggestion!

My main concern with foliar feeding has been whether it interferes with the effectiveness of fungicides and insecticides. I usually apply daconil every 7-10 days to keep blight at bay as long as possible and, later in the season, I also end up applying insecticides every other week or so to keep the stink bugs away.

Can seaweed/fish emulsion be mixed with either daconil or neem oil? If i spray separately would the foliar feeding limit the effectiveness of the daconil (and vice versa, would daconil limit the effectiveness of the foliar feeding)?

[Ricefarmer05]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

I have used other liquid feeds in earthtainers that I found a hydroponic stores. They can really result in quick changes, depending on the formula, such as types that cause a lot of blooming...they really do! I will definitely try this one, thanks for pointing it out.

Have you seen a listing of other values of the product beyond NPK? There are several other components that some feel make a huge difference, example, the old tomato tone vs. the new one.

Dewayne mater

I don't have the bottles in front of me right now and I don't recall what all information was included on the label. Hopefully UrbanFarmer will be able to provide the info you're looking for. I'm interested to hear as well.

[John3]

Originally Posted by Ricefarmer05

Can seaweed/fish emulsion be mixed with either daconil or neem oil?

Yes with the Neem oil adding them together ( should add 1 or 2 drops of a liquid organic soap to help the neem oil spread).
Don't know about daconil

[Ricefarmer05]

Originally Posted by John3

Yes with the Neem oil adding them together ( should add 1 or 2 drops of a liquid organic soap to help the neem oil spread).
Don't know about daconil

Thanks! I'll definitely give that a try.

[Worth1]

Other than the statement (no more blossom end rot ) I don't see anything wrong.

I steer away from products that make claims about BER and blossom drop.
Just my opinion.
Worth