Tomatoes are one of those crops that people can’t get enough of; it’s better to have a bumper crop of tomatoes than not enough. If you want a high yield harvest of tomatoes, you need a few tomato growth hacks.
Nothing beats fresh, homegrown tomatoes. It doesn’t matter whether or not you preserve them; there are so many recipes that use fresh tomatoes, like tomato basil salads and more.
The problem is that tomatoes are also one of the most challenging plants to grow, especially for new gardeners. They are susceptible to a range of different issues, like the blossom end rot and fusarium wilt. Tomato plants are selective about watering techniques and need more fertilizer than most plants.
Luckily, by using a few simple tomato growth hacks, you will dramatically increase your tomato harvest and decrease the possibility of your plants dying.
What Helps Tomato Plants Grow Faster?
The key to helping tomato plants grow faster is nutrients and more nutrients. These plants require a steady supply of food throughout the growing season, so gardeners need to ensure their garden beds have appropriately prepared soil and timed fertilizer applications.
Everyone thinks about the macronutrients when it comes to plant growth. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are the three big ones, but let’s not forget the importance of micronutrients.
Tomato plants need plenty of micronutrients, like magnesium, if you want fast-growing plants. When plants suffer from a magnesium deficiency, they end up with stunted growth because this nutrient helps plants properly absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.
It’s easy to forget the little ones, but when it comes to having healthy, fast-growing plants, providing your plants with all the nutrients they need is the key.
What is the Best Fertilizer for Tomatoes?
The best fertilizer for tomatoes depends on what nutrients you already have in your soil and where they are in their growth cycle. Tomato plants rely heavily on NPK – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – but the amounts of each nutrient that they need vary as they grow throughout their cycles.
When you buy commercial fertilizers, they have a number series, such as 10-10-10, which stands for each element (N-P-K). So, when you buy a 10-10-10, it means the fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium.
There are all kinds of different number series, so you cannot buy the same one for the entire growing season.
- When you first plant your tomato seedlings, they need nitrogen to encourage growth. A balanced fertilizer works well, but if you amended your soil with plenty of compost, it should be all they need initially.
- When your plants start to flower and fruit, reduce how much nitrogen you give the plants and increase the potassium. Too much nitrogen causes an abundance of foliage without many fruits. Potassium leads to flowering and fruiting, so look for a fertilizer that is a 5-10-10.
Here are some tips for growing tomatoes in pots.
1. Choose The Perfect Location
Most people just think about keeping their tomatoes in any location. But then, where will it get the sunlight from. Choose a spot near the window where your tomato plant gets an apt amount of sunlight. Also, it might help if you could keep them away from each other as that will help in air circulation.
2. Pick Out The Correct Container
Well, since you are not going to plant your tomatoes in the garden, you will require a brand new pot or a container to put them in. Now, there are many different shapes and sizes available. You need to find one that best suits the plants that you want. Choosing the correct tomato container size is really important for growth of plant. You need to pick out a pot that will fit the plants perfectly.
3. Always Pick Potting Mix
When you want to have amazing qualities of tomatoes in your pot, you need to avoid using garden soil for that. If you choose a good-quality potting mix, then it will provide the plant with a fluffy and light environment to grow properly. Plus, garden soil always have some sort of pests and bacteria in it. You wouldn’t want to take that kind of a risk with your tomatoes, right? So, a good quality and proper potting mix is the best bet here.
4. Choose When To Plant The Tomatoes
Well, tomatoes grow better when the weather is all frosty. Don’t worry; it won’t do anything to the fruit as well. So, getting it the right amount of rain will be a great idea. That way, you don’t have to water them again and again. However, make sure that the rain isn’t too much as well. You don’t want your tomatoes to rot now, do you? Taking proper care regarding the time to plant is really important when it comes to the tomatoes.
5. Select The Best Tomato Varieties
There are so many different varieties of tomatoes that grow in the pots and containers. However, there are some tomatoes which tend to perform a bit better than the other ones. So, why not choose the best tomatoes to grow in pots? Who knows that you might find the perfect one? We have found that the cherry tomatoes work really well in pots. So, if you ever think of buying one, this is the option to go for.
6. Grow The Determinate Tomatoes
Now you might be thinking what a determinate tomato is. Well, a determinate tomato is the best solution for a household that has less space. If your growing location is a bit smaller than usual, then the determinate tomato plants are the only option for you, my friend. These plants have an added advantage over the other regular tomatoes as they don’t grow too wide and tall. So, if you want a solution to the space problem, then you can choose these types.
7. Choose The Right Technique For Planting
To be honest, planting a tomato is not that difficult. It’s not rocket science after all. But if you think that you’ll just get a plant and pot it, then you are wrong. That won’t get any result as well. So, choosing the right technique is one of the best tomato growing tips that we can give you. You see, the plants of tomatoes have to planted really deep. This will make sure that the root system is pretty strong and healthy.
8. Keep Them Away From Pests
We humans are not the only ones that love tomatoes. There are several insects as well that love the juicy treat. Be careful when you are growing cherry tomatoes in pots, they might get infested easily with the insects and pest. This will make all your efforts go in vain. Also, use the soil that has no pests and bacteria in it. That way your tomatoes will be safe.
9. Use Organic Fertilizer
Using organic fertilizer is really important when you are growing tomatoes in a pot. You see, when you grow the tomatoes in a garden, they get all of the nutrients anyway. However, when the plant is in a pot, there is a need to use the organic fertilizer for providing the plants with the added nutrients that they require. Apart from that, these fertilizers don’t have any chemical content in them as well.
10. Water Them The Perfect Way
One thing that you need to keep in mind is to water these plants in a regular way so the soil is moist. However, make sure that you don’t overdo it as the soil might get saturated. Also, using the fingers for determining the soil state is also recommended. Overhead watering should also be avoided while growing tomatoes in buckets and tubs.
