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!!

The part that I don't fully understant is: "we go back in and side-dress
with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)".
What exactly means "side-dress" (I did not find that expression from my
dictionary)? Do they put ammonium sulfate to ground or do they spray it to
leaves? And what kind of fertilizer is "ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)"? 21 of
what, 0 parts of what and 0 parts of what? I mean, I would understant if
someone would simply say "ammonium sulfate" but what that "21-0-0" means?

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.)

To side dress is simply to sprinkle fertilizer on top of the soil beside the
plant - normally as crops are in rows the side dressing is simply applied
alongside the plant rows.
Ammonium Sulphate is often the cheapest fertilizer to provide nitrogen.
Generally you would be better to use a mixed fertilizer like miracle grow.
The fully soluble mixed fertilizers are very good and contain all the
nutrients that tomatoes need rather than just nitrogen. In particular,
tomatoes need plenty of potassium at the time of fruiting and the mixed
fertilizer will cater for this. If you prefer organics, use blood and bone
meal or make a "tea" by leaving a bag of animal manure in a drum of water,
diluting the liquid to the colour of weak tea and pouring it onto the ground
around the plant. Applyng it once a fortnight is usually enough, but you may
find once a week is good during cropping provided your soil drains well.
Mike Stickney

"MisterMystery" wrote in message
...
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!!

The part that I don't fully understant is: "we go back in and side-dress
with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)".
What exactly means "side-dress" (I did not find that expression from my
dictionary)? Do they put ammonium sulfate to ground or do they spray it to
leaves? And what kind of fertilizer is "ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)"? 21 of
what, 0 parts of what and 0 parts of what? I mean, I would understant if
someone would simply say "ammonium sulfate" but what that "21-0-0" means?

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.)

Side Dress just means to apply the fertilizer to the ground around the plant
and/or perhaps work it into the soil slightly.

The 21-0-0 is the analysis of the fertilizer, the 21 is percent of nitrogen,
the 0-0 is the amount of phosphorus and potassium in the mixture.

This does not sound to me like a good idea, thats way to much nitrogen, it
will make a big overgrown plant with not much fruit. If I was going to use
any I would use a 5-10-10 mixture.

Hope this helps.

--
Sam
Along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach SC
"MisterMystery" wrote in message
...
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!!

The part that I don't fully understant is: "we go back in and side-dress
with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)".
What exactly means "side-dress" (I did not find that expression from my
dictionary)? Do they put ammonium sulfate to ground or do they spray it to
leaves? And what kind of fertilizer is "ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)"? 21 of
what, 0 parts of what and 0 parts of what? I mean, I would understant if
someone would simply say "ammonium sulfate" but what that "21-0-0" means?

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.)

In the farm context, a side-dresser is an attachment to a cultivator that
pours a bead of (typically powdered) fertilizer alongside the plant row, on
one or both sides, a couple of inches from the plant, and covers it up.

Ammonium nitrate would be the agricultural nitrogen product. The numbers
are 21-0-0 are the N-P-K percentages, by weight, in the fertilizer. So what
they're using is 21% N (nitrogen) .... and thus it's 79% inert matter,
which might be rock dust, etc. to give you more bulk to work with when
spreading it.

I'd be a bit hesitant to side-dress with a heavy application of this product
as it would tend to burn. Plus it would stimulate vegetative growth at the
expense of fruiting. I'd go with a balanced fertilizer, perhaps 5-5-5 or a
thin application of 10-10-10. It doesn't matter (to me) if that N-P-K ratio
comes from bagged fertilizer or dead fish or composted million dollar
racehorse poopies or whatever.

"MisterMystery" wrote in message
...
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!!

The part that I don't fully understant is: "we go back in and side-dress
with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)".
What exactly means "side-dress" (I did not find that expression from my
dictionary)? Do they put ammonium sulfate to ground or do they spray it to
leaves? And what kind of fertilizer is "ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)"? 21 of
what, 0 parts of what and 0 parts of what? I mean, I would understant if
someone would simply say "ammonium sulfate" but what that "21-0-0" means?

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.)

...
what they're using is 21% N (nitrogen) .... and thus it's 79%
inert matter which might be rock dust, etc. to give you more bulk to
work with when spreading it. ...

Ammonium sulfate also contains 24 % sulfur which helps to lower the pH
and thus help with nutrient uptake in alkaline soil.

Olin

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

ok good. I've not seen it available here, possibly because we have acid
soil to start with.

"jc" wrote in message
...
...
what they're using is 21% N (nitrogen) .... and thus it's 79%
inert matter which might be rock dust, etc. to give you more bulk to
work with when spreading it. ...

Ammonium sulfate also contains 24 % sulfur which helps to lower the pH
and thus help with nutrient uptake in alkaline soil.

Olin

My tomato seedlings are now about half a foot. I fertilize them with earthworm
castings and/or Bumper Crop soil amendment. I had too much tomatoes last year
-- I brought ripe tomatoes to work everyday. I had only 15 plants and some in
containers.

/z.