In article
,
Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Todd said:
In my little organic garden, I have three cherry tomato plants:
a sun gold, a sweet 100, and a black. I have one Cherokee
Purple tomato plant.
The sun gold and sweet 100 I have been getting about five
tomatoes a week.
I have only got one from the black (although I now have
about 10 green one).
The Cherokee Purple has only given me flowers. They turn
black on fall off.
This past two weeks, nothing has ripened.
Daytime temperatures are about 90F; night time about 52F.
Oh, and the plants themselves are growing very nicely. They
range from about 4 to 5 feet tall. They are fertilized only with
organic compost:
http://www.fullcirclecompost.com/SoilEssenceEliteN.php
Way too much nitrogen for tomatos. You would be better off using
a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes, such as Espoma's Tomato-tone.
Best would be to have your soil tested and find out what your limiting
nutrient(s) might be.
I didn't see any NPK numbers. I wouldn't think that most compost would
have that much nitrogen in it, unless it was composted manure.
As you rightly observed, plentiful nitrogen, and enough water would be
sufficient to slow ripening, and encourage growth as Todd reported.
I'd think something like N-Lite fertilizer would be better at this stag
of the plans development.
Minimum Guaranteed Analysis:
Total Nitrogen (N)............................................... .... 2%
Available Phosphate (P 2 O 5 )................................. 5%
Soluble Potash (K 2 O) ............................................. 6%
As opposed to Espoma Tomato-tone 3-4-6.
I'd like to see more phosphorus in the fertilizer. Maybe try "bloom
fertilizer" (6-30-30), and cut the amount applied in half.
I was going to recommend bone meal,
(As a fertilizer, the N-P-K ratio of bone meal is generally 4-12-0,
though some steamed bone meals have N-P-Ks of 1-13-0. Bone meal is also
an excellent organic source of calcium.)
but then I ran across
???
http://www.smilinggardener.com/organ...ne-meal-for-pl
ants
Since the mid-1980s and especially the late-90s, there has been concern
as to whether using bone meal for plants might be harmful, as inhaling
bone meal dust can cause a form of Mad Cow Disease in humans. (!!!)
OMG
http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/1997/040797.html
There were apparently four deaths of gardeners in Great Britain
attributed to use of bone meal from cattle which may have had this
disease. It is believed that they inhaled bone meal dust as they were
applying bone meal to their garden. The first point made by the doctor
who wrote the article was that the rendering process which generates
bone meal used in Great Britain in the 1970's and 1980's was a part of
the problem. The process used in the United States is different and
appears to produce a safe bone meal. The second, and a very important
consideration, is that BSE has not been detected in cattle in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an active program of testing for
BSE and veterinarians across the country are involved. Any cattle
suspected of exhibiting BSE symptoms are tested. None have been shown to
be infected in the U.S. No cattle or meat from British cattle have been
imported into the U.S. since 1989, so the chance of coming into contact
with contaminated bone meal is extremely remote. Nevertheless, if you
wish to be absolutely certain to avoid infection, you can wear a dust
mask when handling bone meal or you can switch to another source of
phosphorus in your garden.
OMG II
http://www.readinghospital.org/wtn/Page.asp?PageID=WTN001591
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Three US scientists are concern about the
potential of people contracting Creutzfeldt Jakob disease -- the human
form of "mad cow disease" -- from eating farmed fish who are fed
byproducts rendered from cows.
Uh-huh
http://www.gardenguides.com/93873-organic-bone-meal-fertilizer.html
There has been speculation about whether inhaling bone meal dust could
cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known commonly as Mad Cow
Disease. Numerous independent studies have shown that there is LITTLE
risk. As Lori Bushway of Cornell Cooperative Extension explains, bone
meal fertilizer sold in the U.S. SHOULD be free of the agent that causes
BSE because domestic manufacturers use a method in the rendering process
that destroys the BSE agent. In addition, bone meal can no longer be
imported from England, where BSE had infected cows. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture has an active program of testing for BSE. The likelihood
of being infected with BSE from using bone meal fertilizer is extremely
REMOTE.
I capitalized 3 of the words above.
This site should have been reassuring, but I still find it troubling.
CAUTION: Bone Meal
--
Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg
or
E Pluribus Unum
Green Party Nominee Jill Stein & Running Mate, Cheri Honkala
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running