"NewsUser" wrote in
:

jhultman wrote in
news:1059412409.120754@sj-nntpcache-3:


Prompted by poor size on the tomatoes...

I bought a soil test kit and found that PH is 6.5 7.0 = Generally
Acceptable.

P and K were high but N is depleted. Which explains the poor fruit
sizes?



My understanding is that N will always show low on soil tests. Plants
use lots of it and what's left over eventually leaches out of the root
zone (and possibly into the groundwater). Others are correct about
taking care not to add too much nitrogen to tomatoes or you'll get
lots of green and little fruit.

You can add nitrogen back to the soil by fixation or fertilization.
Legumes take atmospheric nitrogen from air in the soil and convert it
to a form plants can use. That might not help you right now though.
You can use organic fertilizers like fish emulsion or fresh manure if
you don't want to go with a processed fertilizer. Best suggestion is
to contact an extension agent for advice since they are familiar with
your climate and soils.



Oh yeah, I forgot, I read somewhere (might have been on a 10-10-10
package) that the nitrogen is highly soluble and will wash through the
soil rather quickly (while the P & K stick near the surface), so your
soil test may reflect that, depending on the depth your sample came from.

If you're looking for a quick fix, I've heard of people using cheap dry
dog food. I've never done it myself.