Top-dressing is when the fertilizer is spread across the top of the soil.
Compost is typically top dressed, while
granules are best side-dressed.
In addition to standard NPK fertilizer, there are some other things you can do that will help your plants to grow their best.
When plants are flowering, adding a
calcium source, such as gypsum, to protect against blossom- end rot of the fruit. A fish emulsion solution is excellent for providing supplementary nutrients.
The foliar fertilizer sprays are usually
composed of fish emulsion. It can be given once a week until flowers appear and thereafter every three weeks.
Not all insects are out to ruin your hard
work by harming your tomato plants. In
fact, most of them are neutral or beneficial.
Still, there are a few key pests that you will want to watch out
for.
Aphids are well known to any gardener. In small numbers, they won't do much damage, but in large numbers they can kill plants.
Tomato Hornworms are large, green caterpillars with white stripes. They can grow longer than 7 cm, but have very good camouflage so you may not notice them at first. If there are only a few, you can just pluck them off.
Some species of parasitic wasps lay their eggs on tomato hornworms, killing them. If you see a hornworm with eggs on it, you don't need to do anything as it is already dying.
Cutworms are active after dark. They are particularly devastating to young plants, which they can kill in a single night. You can protect your seedlings by placing 10 cm wide collars of cardboard or aluminium foil around them, sunken two cm into the ground.
Both the larvae and adult stages of flea beetles eat tomato plants. The adults chew holes in the leaves and the larvae feed on the roots. Diatomaceous earth is helpful in controlling the adults. Mixing beneficial species of nematodes into the soil controls the larvae.
There are other species of nematodes that are destructive to tomato plants. Called root-knot nematodes, they live in the soil and invade the roots, hampering their ability to take up nutrients. They tend to occur in warmer climates with shorter winters, where the soil conditions remain more hospitable. They are difficult to control. Because it takes them several seasons to really establish in the soil, you may be suddenly taken by surprise.
One method for controlling nematodes is to plant a different crop in the area the next year, one that is not susceptible to them, essentially starving them out. Another option is to add earthworms, beneficial nematodes, and friendly bacteria to the soil, mixing well, to bring the soil back into balance.
Tips When Growing Tomatoes and Looking After Them