On Sat, 01 Mar 2003 10:40:27 +0200, MisterMystery wrote:

This is surely a stupid question. But I found an interesting hint (from
Google Groups) regarding tomato growing, and I don't fully understant it.
That's because english is not my mother tongue.

Maybe someone could explain me the following:

(Quotation
I'll be honest. That is exactly what I do in my home garden and I have
all the tomatoes I want. But we've tested various methods at Extension
and have found that yields are increased significantly with a more
vigorous fertilizing schedule. This is what we do: At the time of
planting we incorporate Osmocote into the soil. Then we spray the
foliage once a week with Miracle Grow. When the plant sets its first
tomatoes, we go back in and side-dress with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0).
Extension's tomatoes out-produce mine by AT LEAST 3 to 1 (really more),
but then I don't need that many tomatoes!!
(clipped)
And what do you think of that method? (I'm actually sceptical regarding this
kind of hints. (It's easy to say "3 times better"; depends on what you
compere. And many other factors are likely also involved.) But it's still
interesting to hear all kind of opinions and experiences.)

The fertilizing regimen listed here will seriously deplete the soil. It's
fine for a couple of years, but then what? That dressing of Miracle Grow is
the only re-application of micronutrients this soil is getting and it
simply isn't enough. Healthy plants need micronutrients to match up with
the available macronutrients (NPK). Even if Miracle Grow was a complete
brew of micronutrients (it is not),the microbiology
necessary to release nutrients to the plants is not being cared for.

It's easy as pie to get good yields for a year or two or even somewhat
longer using ever-increasing doses of commercial fertilizers; but
eventually the ROI falls below the break-even point and the sterile soil
must be abandoned.Can you say "dust bowl"?

On the home gardening scale, it is just too easy to incorporate organic
material into soil to ever consider strictly chemical means.

Adam & Eve didn't have ammonium sulfate in 50# bags and I understand they
had a pretty nice garden until they had to move.

Bill