New to gardening. I think I started my San Marzanos a little early, so the stems were pencil thick and starting to bud before planting. I did a soil test and added what I thought was an appropriate amount of nitrogen, and planted them deep. Three weeks later they're two foot tall bushes with stems the size of my thumb. Did I over fertilize? Or were they just big plants to begin with and now they're getting bigger? Pics are plants before and after planting, and three weeks later. Thanks!
by drowninginsawdust
13 Comments
By the way I’m in 7b.
Heavy nitrogen may result in lots of leaves but little or no fruit. No way to really know until they fruit unfortunately. If you fertilize going forward use somethjng high in p & k and low or zero n
Fertilizer numbers are n – p – k (nitrogen phosphorus potassium)
They just do that in my experience. Its like one day you wake up and theyre huge
Illegal garden doping. I’m calling the cops. 😜
Tomatoes grow in spurts
Loving your makeshift trellis stuff
Thanks! I think I’ve invested all of $6 in it.
That’s about right for three weeks. Mine have just hit the 8 week mark and they’re 6 ft tall bushes.
Mine are doing.. nothing. Ive been using neptune’s tomato. Which ive always used. But this is a new house with new garden beds and im going bonkers because nothing except the peas and a pumpkin is growing(and it has no male flowers).
Last year’s sungold hit almost 7 feet. Now its been 2 months and all my tomatoes are under 2.
There was one that was really, really suffering so I pulled it and stuck it in the ground as a hail merry and its been doing alot better than all the other tomato plants
Our tomatoes doubled in size every two weeks or so, and now they are taller than 6 feet. Planted back in mid-February.
It seems you’re concerned…
>”Did I over fertilize?”
You over “Nitrogenized” them. Do you want big green leafy plants? Then choosing a fertilizer with a high nitrogen ratio is the ticket.
Do you want blooms and fruit? Then you need fertilizer that decreases the Nitrogen and Potassium, and boosts the Phosphorus.
For many organic fertilizers this is the difference between using their “all purpose” blend, and their tomato & vegetable mix.
I don’t have my glasses on and I thought the red in the second picture was the tomatoes 😂