We may get a frost tonight, I covered all my plants with 5 gallon buckets, and extra grow bags. Any tips or advice? I bought a case of chemical hand warmers for cheap. They are good for 8 hours. Would throwing one in each bag or bucket with the plant help or hurt do you think? Or, do you think the bags and buckets are enough? Thanks in advance!
I have been reading a lot of books, and scouring the internet trying to compile a list of what all is recommended as a soil additive for tomatoes. will there be any room left for soil in a 30 gallon grow bag?😂 What is everyone’s take on all of these? Are there any others you have heard of and believe in?
Crushed eggshells for slow-release calcium to prevent blossom end rot.
Epsom salt to turbocharge magnesium and enhance fruit flavor.
Aspirin water to boost immunity and yield by mimicking plant hormones.
Diluted seaweed extract for micronutrient power and plant growth hormones.
Baking soda spray to sweeten fruit and fight fungal diseases.
Powdered milk as an unexpected calcium booster and nitrogen provider.
Molasses to feed beneficial soil microbes, enhancing soil health and plant growth.
Crushed banana peels for potassium-rich blooms and fruiting stages.
Used coffee grounds to acidify and enrich the soil with organic matter and nitrogen.
Fish emulsion for rapid, organic growth with a balanced nutrient boost.
Sugar to sweeten tomatoes. From a Jerry Baker book.
Matchsticks dropped into planting hole for sulfur to make sweeter tomatoes. Family friend swears by it.
Yeast water. 2 packets of dry bakers yeast left on the counter overnight in warm water with 2 cups of sugar. Next day mixed into 5 gallons of water and then poured generously into soil at base of each tomato plant. Provides healthy bacteria to break down nutrients in the soil making it easier for the plant to absorb. Every time I have tried this I see massive growth within days. If I fertilize with a tomato fertilizer I use this the next day to help break it down and make it available to the roots. This one I will stand by!👍🏻
Mycorrhiza or other rooting compounds.
For transplanting I use Mycorrhiza or rooting powder to powder the roots as I massage them gently to spread them out. I then pour a solution of 1 gallon rain water, 1/2 teaspoon kelp meal, 1 Tbsp molasses, and VivoSun 3ml of Base A, and Base B hydroponic fertilizer over the roots before planting them deep. I trim low leaves and branches to bury my tomatoes as deep as I can (I do mostly straw bales). I find doing this I don’t really experience a lot of shock transplanting. When I bury them deep I think I damaged 2-3 out of 70 because the other 67 took off without hesitation.
What are everyone else’s best practices transplanting?