fertilizer guide
Tomato belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is an annual plant. Growth stages of plants, in very general terms, can be split into four periods: Establishment from planting or seeding during vegetative growth until first flower appears, from first flowering to first fruit set, from fruit ripening to first harvest, and from first harvest to the end of the last harvest. The duration of each stage may vary according to growing method, variety characteristics and climatic conditions. Tomato is the most widespread vegetable in the world and with the most economical value.
Climate: Temperature is the primary factor influencing all stages of development of the plant: vegetative growth, flowering, fruit setting and fruit ripening. It adapts to a great variety of climates. It does not tolerate frost: at temperatures below 12ºC, the vegetative activity is paralyzed. The optimum temperatures for growth are from 18º to the 27ºC. Outside this range the production can be seriously affected
Humidity: Optimum relative humidity ranges from 60% to 80%
Soil: Tomatoes can be grown on soils with a wide range of textures, from light, sandy soils to heavy, clay soils. Sandy soils are preferable if early harvest is desired
pH: The optimum level is is between 6.0 – 6.5, tolerating up to 5.5
Carbon dioxide in greenhouses: The optimum amounts of CO2 700-800 ppm
Nutritional requirements
Among the total amount of nutrient uptake, fruits absorbs most of the Nitrogen (65%), Phosphorus (70%) and Potassium (65%), the leaves and petioles being the ones that accumulate the most amount of Calcium (76%) and Magnesium (60%).
| Growth conditions | Yield | N | P2O5 | K2O | CaO | MgO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse | 200 | 430 | 130 | 630 | 340 | 120 |
| Outdoor | 150 | 417 | 108 | 724 | 374 | 110 |
Fertigation recommendations
| Nutrient distribution (kg/ha). Planting 1-15 Sept.Yield: 200 t | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days after transplanting | N | P2O5 | K2O | CaO | MgO |
| 0-15 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 15-30 | 5 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 30-45 | 7 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 45-60 | 10 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 60-75 | 15 | 5 | 25 | ||
| 75-90 | 20 | 10 | 35 | 5 | |
| 90-105 | 30 | 10 | 50 | 10 | |
| 105-120 | 35 | 10 | 55 | 12 | 4 |
| 120-135 | 40 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 5 |
| 135-150 | 40 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 6 |
| 150-165 | 40 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 6 |
| 165-180 | 40 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 6 |
| 180-195 | 35 | 12 | 55 | 15 | 6 |
| 195-210 | 35 | 10 | 55 | 15 | 6 |
| 210-225 | 35 | 5 | 45 | 12 | 5 |
| 225-240 | 25 | 5 | 35 | 10 | 5 |
| 240-255 | 15 | 5 | 25 | 8 | 5 |
| Nutrient distribution (kg/ha). Planting 1-15 Feb.Yield: 200 t | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days after transplanting | N | P2O5 | K2O | CaO | MgO |
| 0-15 | 15 | 5 | 20 | ||
| 15-30 | 20 | 7 | 25 | ||
| 30-45 | 25 | 10 | 30 | ||
| 45-60 | 30 | 12 | 40 | ||
| 60-75 | 35 | 12 | 50 | 10 | 5 |
| 75-90 | 40 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 6 |
| 90-105 | 40 | 12 | 70 | 15 | 6 |
| 105-120 | 40 | 12 | 70 | 15 | 6 |
| 120-135 | 40 | 10 | 70 | 15 | 6 |
| 135-150 | 40 | 10 | 60 | 15 | 6 |
| 150-165 | 35 | 8 | 50 | 15 | 6 |
| 165-180 | 30 | 6 | 35 | 15 | 5 |
| 180-195 | 25 | 4 | 30 | 10 | 4 |
Foliar fertilizers
Foliar fertilization is the fastest and most effective method to supplement and enrich plant nutrition and to correct nutritional deficiencies when needed. This contributes significantly to higher and better quality productions.
In order to verify the safe rate under local conditions, it is advisable to spray recommended rate on a few plants. After 3-4 days check the tested plants for scorching symptoms.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium and Boron are also applied via foliar. Lima Europe has a wide range of foliar fertilizers and special products for foliar application.
Tomato fertilizer program
5 Terra 12-44-12 + 6 CaO + 3 MgO + TE
5 NPK Multi 20-20-20 + 6 CaO + 3 MgO + TE
5 NPK Fructus 18-9-36 + 6 CaO + 3 MgO + TE
Starter 16-69-16 + Micronutrients
Fruit 18-11-59 + 2 MgO + Micronutrients
Grogreen Calciphos: 2-5 kg/ha from flowering through fruit development and up to harvest in order to avoid Blossom End Rot
Micro: 1-2 kg/ha in order to correct deficiencies
Grogreen Ca/B: 3-5 kg/ha in order to improve flowering, quality of fruit and avoid Blossom End Rot
proteKt-K50: 2 l/ha during fruit development and maturity to increase quality of fruit