Harvest

The plants before you are gifts from the soil. The soil was hauled in from a garden that shut down. The tomato was so happy here that they came of their own accord. Best way to grow a plant I think. 

 The tomato plants yielded the first pretty little red tomato yesterday. In fact there were just enough for each of us to have two on our supper plate. The round ones are deep within the foliage.

 These are little golden tear drops.

Very pretty in salads.

 Looking close at the leaves you can see the white has heat damage on leaves. We had high heat fluctuation over the last week or so. The yellow/dark green variegation of leaf is a soil deficiency that called for some Epsom Salt sprinkled on the soil. Avoid the leaves getting wet during heat wave.

soil preperations for gardening

Perlite is exploded at 1800 degrees, it is steral lets air flow good for root starter.
sterel
potting mix for starting cuttings and seedlings.
gardening sand, washed builder sand drainage, not too much or it can dry out to fast
peat moss, for moisture Canadian, Michigan, Florida holds the water and nutrients holds water 25% of the garden soil
Back yard soil leaves and debris good ph add amendment vermiculite, perlite and sand compost
Cow manure soil improvement, staral "black Kow" is a high quality that has 1/2 of npk in it holds water and organic mater. 25lbs to 100 feet of garden
Using a PH Scale Acid/alkalinity sweetness or sourness of the soil...dolomite for to acid...alkaline add soil acidify 5.5 to 6.6 for the garden check every 6 months
Wood chips, pine, redwood, cypress, recycled...hold moisture and nutrients...like a mulch.
plant food 16 essential elements (hidden hunger) use a complete plant food.

Major nutrients

MAJOR NUTRIENTS

Most gardeners are familiar with the “N-P-K” in commercial fertilizers: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). But these three represent only half the major nutrients a plant requires in relatively large amounts. The other major nutrients are sulfur, calcium and magnesium. Consistent use of Perfect Balance fertilizer will result in the proper calcium/magnesium ratio for your soil, as well as provide the necessary nutrients which are not in balance.

MINOR NUTRIENTS

Minor nutrients are not really minor, or unimportant. They are essential – vital to plant growth but needed in lesser amounts than major nutrients. Essential minor nutrients are the secret weapons of successful gardeners and farmers. In spite of their critical importance, most fertilizers do not include them.

Plants, like people, can suffer from too much of a good thing. In humans, vitamin D, necessary for health, can cause disease or even death when too much is consumed. Similarly, too much boron can be toxic to a plant.

















Calcium

Calcium is needed for cell division and plant growth. Its buffering characteristics are critical to soil balance and largely determine the availability of other nutrients. Lack of calcium results in yellow or pale leaves, and causes blossom-end rot on tomatoes and peppers. A deficiency in beans causes yellow leaves with curling margins, stunted plants, and blackened, dying shoot tips. Deficiency causes brown-tipped leaves on cabbage, forked roots in beets, and unusually small potatoes.



Magnesium

Magnesium (often confused with manganese, a minor nutrient) is an essential element of chlorophyll, and a deficiency is generally shown in yellowing leaves. Carrots may be poor in flavor and color. Insufficiency also affects potatoes and peas.

When calcium and magnesium levels are not in balance, the availability of many other nutrients is affected adversely. Minor nutrients produce best results when the calcium/magnesium ratio is close to 68:12.



Phosphorus

Phosphorus is required for cell growth and plant reproduction, and it is crucial for flower and fruit formation. Too little phosphorus can result in stunting, but too much can cause bitter flavor in crops. Symptoms of phosphorus deficiency are often mistakenly attributed to virus disease.




















Potassium

Potassium activates plant enzymes and keeps cell fluid movement in balance. Potassium regulates water loss through stomata (tiny pores) on the leaves, and it is necessary for root formation and food storage in the plant. Severe deficiencies in vegetables can appear as deformed, stunted or yellow leaves, weak stems and premature fruit drop.

Potassium deficiency in young tomato plants results in deformed stems and leaves, browning in older leaves; ripe fruit falls off vines.









Iron

Iron is essential for plants to make chlorophyll, plays a role in the synthesis of plant proteins, and helps plants fix nitrogen. A deficiency causes young yellow leaves with green veins, symptoms which are often confused with nitrogen deficiency. Iron deficiency often appears in soils with pH above 6.8; at neutral or high pH, the iron that may be in the soil is not readily available to plants.



Zinc

Zinc aids in moisture absorption and in the production of chlorophyll. A deficiency is indicated in tomatoes by small, narrow leaves with black spots in yellow areas; plants may be stunted.







Boron

Boron is the most widely deficient minor nutrient in vegetable crop soils. It is needed in protein synthesis, and increases flower set, crop yield and quality. In combination with adequate phosphorus, boron increases pollination, fruit set and seed development.

Boron deficiency causes growth reduction at the growing tips. Plants have small, crinkled, deformed leaves, with large areas of discoloration. Boron deficiency is often caused by application of too much lime. While boron is essential for root growth and fruit development, it can become toxic if over applied. Always test the soil and apply only the recommended amount.





















Copper

Most soils are deficient in copper. Some gardeners believe that copper is toxic to plants and should be kept out of the garden. In fact, too much copper can be toxic to roots and leaves, but a small amount is a necessary component of plant growth. Copper should not be applied before having the soil professionally tested.

Copper increases flavor and sugar content of vegetables and fruits. It increases color intensity and yield of carrots, spinach, onions, corn and cabbage.

















Soils with high organic matter form a tight hold on copper and can cause copper deficiencies in the resident plants. As a result, soils which are high in organic content are more likely to respond to copper application.

An early sign of copper deficiency is the uniform, light green color of young leaves. Deficient plants produce small or yellowing leaves and may be particularly susceptible to airborne fungal diseases.



Sulfur

Sulfur increases the protein content of crops and stimulates more rapid root development during early periods of growth. A lack of adequate sulfur is almost always a limiting factor in garden soils. Visible symptoms include a uniform yellowing and mild upward curling of leaves on deficient plants. (Nitrogen deficiency shows confusingly similar symptoms.) A moderate to high level of sulfur is especially required for potatoes.






Manganese

Manganese accelerates seed germination and hastens fruiting and ripening of crops. Deficiencies result in yellowing, cupping and/or spotting of leaves, stunted growth, and reduced crops.

















Nitrogen

Nitrogen is the element that plants use in greatest amounts. It is the most important – yet the most often deficient – element in plant growth worldwide. Nitrogen is highly volatile, so it escapes to the air, and it leaches away in run-offs of water. It needs to be applied more often than most fertilizer components, especially when the organic content of the soil is low.

Nitrogen is essential to photosynthesis and healthy cell growth and reproduction. It is vital in producing chlorophyll (which gives leaves good green color) and amino acids. It also promotes shoot and leaf growth.

Sources of Specific NutrientsMany of these fertilizers are available processed and packaged. You don't have to harvest your own. Nitrogen: bat guano, blood meal, chicken manure, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, kelp meal, livestock manure (composted) Phosphorus: bonemeal, rock phosphate, super phosphate Potassium: granite meal, greensand, seabird guano, shrimp shell meal, sulfate of potash, wood ashes Calcium: bonemeal, chelated calcium, eggshells, limestone, oyster shells, wood ashes Boron: borax, chelated boron, manure Copper: chelated copper Magnesium: chelated magnesium, dolomitic limestone, Epsom salts Sulfur: iron sulfate, sulfur, zinc sulfate Zinc: chelated zinc, zinc sulfate Iron: chelated iron, iron sulfate Nitrogen= for leafy growth,Phosphorous helps to promote healthy roots and flowering. Phosphorus= helps to promote healthy roots and flowering. Phosphorous 9-59-8 for bloomers Potash= strong root and stem development Manganese sulfate , deficiency palms frizzle top

Blossom End Rot

What is blossom-end rot? How can I prevent it?

Blossom-end rot is a disorder of tomato, squash, pepper, and all other fruiting vegetables. You notice that a dry sunken decay has developed on the blossom end (opposite the stem) of many fruit, especially the first fruit of the season. This is not a pest, parasite or disease process but is a physiological problem caused by a low level of calcium in the fruit itself.

Symptoms

BER, or blossom-end rot usually begins as a small "water-soaked looking" area at the blossom end of the fruit while still green. As the lesion develops, it enlarges, becomes sunken and turns tan to dark brown to black and leathery. In severe cases, it may completely cover the lower half of the fruit, becoming flat or concave, often resulting in complete destruction of the infected fruit.

Cause

Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic lesion at the blossom end. Blossom-end rot develops when the fruit's demand for calcium exceeds the supply in the soil. This may result from low calcium levels in the soil, drought stress, excessive soil moisture, and/or fluctuations due to rain or overwatering . These conditions reduce the uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.

Management

Adequate preparation of the garden bed prior to planting is the key to preventing BER. Insure adequately draining soil in the bed by adding needed ammendments, maintain the soil pH around 6.5 - a pH out of this range limits the uptake of calcium. Lime (unless the soil is already alkaline), composted manures or bone meal will supply calcium but take time to work so must be applied prior to planting. Excess ammonial types of nitrogen in the soil can reduce calcium uptake as can a depleted level of phosphorus. After planting, avoid deep cultivation that can damage the plant roots, use mulch to help stabilize soil moisture levels and help avoid drought stress, avoid overwatering as plants generally need about one inch of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and development.

Once the problem develops, quick fixes are difficult. Stabilize the moisture level as much as possible, feeding with manure or compost tea is recommended by many, foliar applications of calcium are of questionable value according to research because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it is needed but many have reported that foliar application of magnesium (epsom salts) can effect added calcium uptake. Other various suggestions consist of powdered milk, crushed egg shells tea, bone meal tea, Tums tablets, etc. but prevention is the key. Some recommend removing affected fruit from to reduce stress in the plant.

BER should not be confused with fruit abortion or inadequate pollination although the symptoms may appear similar. The onset of BER occurs only after the fruit is well on it's way to development while insufficient pollination problems terminate the fruit while still quite small.

Don’t discard your egg shells, save them for you garden. Egg shells add nutrients to the soil, specifically calcium. Calcium is a beneficial nutrient for tomatoes as the calcium will help stop end blossom rot. They also help discourage slugs and cabbage worms from you tender plants