Plant Foliar feeding is possible due to the specific pores, found on the underside or on both sides of the plant’s leaf. These pores are called stomata, and their main duty is to enable gas exchange between plant and environment during the process of photosynthesis. Besides, respiration as well as water vaporization also occurs in stomata. Thanks to these tiny pores on the surface of the leaves, the plant can absorb water and nutrients dissolved in it.

However, because of certain barrier, only part of nutrient solution can be absorbed through leaves. So, foliar feeding can never be used as the only way to deliver nutrients to the plants. The primary task of foliar feeding or fertilization is to rapidly supply micro nutrients to the plants. Sometimes, using biuret-free urea one can deliver nitrogen via the plant’s leaves.

 Foliar Nutrient Application

In order to provide proper effectiveness of hydroponic nutrient sprays, it is necessary to keep in mind the rate at which plants absorb nutrients and translocate them within the plant. Besides, there are many other factors, which affect the uptake of nutrients within the plant. Some of them are indicated in the table at the bottom of this section.

Of course, it is not easy to consider all of those factors, but some of them are more important than others, so it is important to keep them in mind. First of all, when choosing a foliar fertilizer, choose the one with high quality wetting and sticking agent. It is necessary for ensuring proper adherence of droplets to the leaves, which in its turn will ensure effective absorption of fertilizing solution into the plant tissues.

 Though foliar feeding can be performed on a regular basis, there are certain periods, when plant fertilizing becomes especially important. For example, when the plants are in their active growing phase, or when fruits develop and plants need more nutrients than usual. Usually, during such periods plants gain additional ability to absorb nutrients through their leaves. Foliar feeding is especially beneficial for the plants with damaged root system, as it can partially compensate the decrease in nutrients absorption via roots.

The Role of Foliar Feeding in Hydroponic Gardening

In spite of the fact that hydroponic plants are meant to receive all the necessary hydroponic nutrients through the specially formulated nutrient solution, foliar feeding still provides additional benefits to them. It was proven by studies that those plants, receiving foliar feeding, provide more fruits in comparison to the plants without additional foliar fertilization. It has been shown that potato plants, treated with foliar fertilizers, provide better harvest with larger tubers. Weekly foliar feeding of tomatoes resulted in yield and fruit quality improvements. All the recorded improvements, provided by foliar feeding, allow treating this method not only as a quick fix of nutrient deficit, but also a reliable method to increase harvest.

HOW TO GROW YOUR HOMEMADE TOMATOES

Growing tomatoes is fun and a lucrative home  gardening business. Besides being nutritious, it could provide you with a real fresh fruits coming directly from your garden.

You can produce them the way you want it. Producing tomatoes can be done without using chemicals because you’re the one controlling their growth processes.

If you’ll plant tomatoes with other vegetables, the occurrence of pests and diseases attack could be totally minimized or even none at all. Companion cropping or multiple cropping can control pests and diseases attack since they’re protected by the other plants.

Steps in growing tomatoes…

1)   Provide a seed box or germinating tray for sowing seeds. Sow the seeds 12 mm or .5 inch deep in the seed  trays or germinating tray. Slightly cover the seeds with thin soil to cover them.

2)   Cover the seed trays or germinating trays with newspaper or polyethylene plastic. Germination will take about 7-10 days from sowing.

3)   After  the seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Gradually expose the growing seedlings to the morning sunlight to harden them

4)   Prepare a separate seed trays or germinating trays the same manner as when sowing seedlings. Fill with the growing medium and level at least 12 mm or .5 inch below the rim.

5)   Use a dibber to form holes about 36 mm or .5 inch apart, the outer ones  12 mm or .5 inch from the sides.

6)   As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick or transfer them to the individual holes in the prepared seedling or germinating trays. This is to provide the seedlings a wider space to avoid over-crowding while in the seedling or germinating trays.

7)   Now set the individual seedlings to a growing bags or pots.

8)   Support the plants with sticks tied with wires or strings to hold in place.

9)   Feed the growing plants every ten days from planting up to the time when the first truss (bunch fruit) in formed.

10) Remove or prune all shoots growing in the angles of the leaves-snap them sideways. Also, gradually remove or prune the lower leaves to induce ripening of the fruits.

11) Harvest your fresh tomatoes when they’re ripe. You can give or sell your surplus harvest to your neighbors. And they’ll thanks for your generosity.

See, it’s very easy to grow your own chemically free tomatoes for your family’s needs.

Why not try planting your own homemade tomatoes. You’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and      Internet  marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “How to get started in  Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses  at: www.crisramasasa.com

After many failed attempts we have our first crop of beautiful tomatoes. Living in a townhouse we have grown our tomatoes in pots on our relatively small balcony. So don’t feel you have to have a large garden to grow beautiful and tasty tomatoes.

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First, the best time to plant your tomato plants is early spring. You don’t want to plant them when the soil still has a chance of freezing they will be doomed to failure.

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Secondly. spacing is very important, check the tag when purchasing your plants for spacing instructions. You never want to crowd the plants. If you plant them too close they will never grow to their true potential size. But keep it mind this can be done effectively in large pots.

Third, adding mulch and organic matter such as compost is important for healthy plants. You may also want to feed your tomato plants a liquid fertilizer every three weeks for healthier plants. Tomato plants are considered heavy feeders and therefore require the proper amount of nutrients.

Fourth, proper watering is essential. You must water your plants regularly. If you are growing your plants in containers I suggest you water your plants every two days, but make sure the pots have proper drainage.

Fifth, as your plants grow they will require stakes or cages to support the vines weight. These can be purchased at any garden store for a nominal cost.

Lastly, keep your plants free of weeds that can lead to a home for destructive insects. Beneficial insects such as ladybugs can be purchased to keep off destructive insects. If you follow these simple steps you can be the proud growers of beautiful tomatoes just like us.

There are a couple of ways for approaching tomato growing in a greenhouse, you can either dig and prepare the soil of the greenhouse ready to accept the tomato plants or you can grow the plants in a container such as a plant pot (12″ diameter) or growbag.

Realistically most growbags that are available which can be 35 or 40 litres in size are only enough to support two plants. There are ways in which you can push this out to 3 plants but for the cost of a growbag its probably as well just to stick to 2 plants, particularly if you take good care of them and produce lots of fruit.

If you go for pots then you should steralise them before use, to do this you can use a dilute solution of a suitable disinfectant, something like Jeyes fluid is perfect for this task.

While we are on this subject, you really should wipe down the inside of your greenhouse with disinfectant as well to ensure any residual contaminants that could also cause disease are removed from the glass.

One of the reasons I am suggesting using large pots or growbags for growing tomato plants is because the soil in the greenhouse is going to need to be dug out and replaced every 2 or 3 years anyway to ensure that you get rid of any build up of disease and also because the soil will be pretty much spent in terms of nutrients.

Space is limited in a greenhouse so the best option for plant varieties is to use the indeterminate variety of tomato plant i.e. a vine plant. You can prune the plant to the required size, leaving about 4 to 6 trusses on the main stem, which is about 6′ to 7′ in height, greenhouse size allowing. This will give you lots of fruit over an extended period.  You will have to pinch out the main stem when you have enough trusses to stop further growth.

As an aside, using the bush variety is less convenient for greenhouses because they, as the name suggests, form a determinant size of bush without pruning which is probably a little too large in diameter for the average greenhouse. The fruit also has a tendency to all come at once.

Irrespective of the growing method you choose, you should start to feed the tomatoes at the first sign of fruit and for the duration of the growing period, twice a week should be sufficient. Also as you are in a greenhouse regular and consistent watering is also very important and I recommend 2 to 3 times a day with water that has been allowed to warm in the greenhouse.

As the end of the season nears a way of helping the last remaining fruit ripen is to hang a couple of bananas in the apex of the greenhouse. If that fails to ripen the last bit of fruit you can always use the green tomatoes for making a delicious chutney.

When growing tomatoes your success can be boiled down to just three methods. The methods we will discuss are not difficult, but do require some planning on your part. So, if you’d like to grow disease-free, plump and juicy tomatoes, then just try these three methods and be amazed with the harvest. Tip #1: Location: The tomato plant is a sun loving vegetable. So, whether the plant is grown in a container, earth box or directly in the ground, make sure the area will receive full-sunlight. In order for your tomatoes to reach maximum growth and crop yield, they need at least six hours of sunlight.Tip #2:Feeding: As with all living creatures, food plays an important role in good health and growth. If you ever hope to grow tomatoes to die for, the plants nutritional needs must be met. By working the soil with compost, worm castings, or fertilizer before planting, the seedlings will have all the nutritional support needed to get a healthy start in life. Used coffee grounds placed around the base of the plant will add nutritional value.Tip #3: Watering: Do remember we said earlier tomatoes like plenty of sun? Well they also require frequent watering. This is due partially because the amount of sun they receive, and of course their genetics. You want to allow the soil to completely dry out before watering. A better approach is to keep the soil moist but never soggy. You can accomplish this using a drip system or getting the hose out and spraying the soil at ground level. Do not water the leaves under full-sunlight because it can burn the foliage.Tip #4: Support: Tomatoes are vine plants and need support. A Stake or cage should be installed early in the plants growth. This will limit the damage to the roots as the plant matures. These support systems keep plants from growing along the ground where fungus and disease are more easily spread. In addition, your tomatoes will not get dirty and bruised from ground debris.There you have it. 3 growing tips that virtually guarantee success-growing tomatoes. Keep these tips in mind the next time you start any tomato plant. Before long you’ll have a plentiful supply of fresh, safe to eat tomatoes for the whole family. Enjoy.