How to Fertilize Hanging or Container Tomato Plants

Tomato plants are heavy feeders and require regular available nutrients to grow and produce fruits. When growing in the ground tomato plants can grow roots down as much as 10 feet. Deep roots make tomato plants very hardy in areas with limited rainfall and poor soil because of the deep roots. Tomato plants growing in containers or pots have limited roots and need to have adequate regular water and fertilizer to produce a bountiful harvest. Recent interest in growing upside down hanging tomatoes is creating a need for information on how to fertilize hanging or container tomato plants. Presented here is a quick basic fertilizer guide to help you find the right method and fertilizer formula for your “topsy turvy” or other hanging container tomato plants.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tomato plants growing in containers or hanging planters
• Water
• Fertilizer of choice
• to follow instructions on label

1. 
   tomatos grown with maxigro

   There are three major types of fertilizers that can be used on container tomato plants. Methods of use vary depending on the fertilizer brand and formula. Choose from the following methods and fertilizer you would like to use and fertilize the tomato plants according to the label instructions.

2. 
   containers for tomato plants

   Slow release chemical fertilizers. These are pelleted chemical fertilizers that are available at garden and nursery supply stores. There is a wide variety of brands and formulations to choose from. For container plants, to prevent burning and excess fertilizer, choose one that is recommended for tomatoes in pots. If you are very familiar with fertilizers and have some at home then use the one with the longest slow release capabilities. Slow release pellets, osmocote, fertilizers need to be incorporated into the soil before planting. Measure the pot you are going to use to determine the amount of potting soil needed to fill it and add the amount of fertilizer recommended for that cubic measurement of soil. If the plant is already growing you can still add some slow release fertilizers by sprinkling some on the top of the pot. Start out with a small amount first. Pelleted fertilizers will release nutrients to the hanging or container plant with each watering.

3. 
   Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer

   Liquid chemical fertilizers. Another method of using chemical fertilizers is with liquids diluted and sprayed on the leaves of the plant called foliar feeding. This method requires more frequent applications but has the advantages of not burning the roots and the leaves will be able to take up nutrients that may not be available through the roots because of soil conditions or high temperatures. Leaves can be burned so it is best to start slowly with this type of fertilization following the instructions on the fertilizer package. Diluting the first feedings by one half or to one fourth will provide room for improvement and reduce damaging errors. Micronutrients are taken up more readily by the plants with this method as deficiencies can be caused by soil conditions that bind the micronutrients making them unavailable to the plant roots for uptake.

4. 
   organic fish fertilizer product, photo by Seagate

   The third method of fertilization is using organic materials and products. For container plants the best way to feed with organic fertilizers is by mixing with water and feeding when watering the plants. The frequency of adding fertilizers when watering will depend on the strength and the type of organic materials being used and the size of the plants. The most common organic fertilizer used is a liquid made from fish emulsion. Typically these do have a fishy smell but there are some newer formulas now that have added lemon to reduce the odor. Outdoors odors shouldn’t be much of a problem but could attract cats. If you have a good compost pile with adequate nitrogen a compost tea can be made in a bucket and used with each watering.

Tips & Warnings

• Micronutrients are important when there is a limited amount of potting soil for the roots to draw from. Be careful not to overuse micronutrients, they can be toxic to plants too. Follow label directions carefully.
• If you have an EC meter you can monitor the fertilizer salts that leach out of the pot or container to know if you are adding enough or too much.
• Most slow release prill fertilizers depend on temperature for release. The higher the temperature the quicker the release so be very careful using them in hot climates. A large amount of nitrogen can be released very quickly on a hot day.
• Read the articles in resources to help with calculating the volume of your containers or hanging planter.
• When handling any kind of chemical or organic fertilizers and concentrates, read the labels and follow all cautionary statements.
• When using fertilizer more is not always better, be conservative.

Resources

• Calculate pot or container volume
• Hanging tomato planter topsy turvy

[abtex]

on 8/30/2009 nice Article. We have grown tomatoes this way too. 5*

[airving]

on 8/22/2009 Great idea. Well done. Thanks for sharing How to Fertilize Hanging or Container Tomato Plants. 5* and rec.

[mboone84]

on 8/21/2009 My neighbor has a hanging tomato plant which has only produced one or two this year. I should pass this on to them great article on fertilizing hanging tomato plants.

[evgnspaces]

on 8/10/2009 My hanging tomatoes are really suffering too but they are growing in one of the most extreme climates with dot dry temperatures up to 115 F so I don't know how well they do in other places. I will see how they do when the weather cools off to 100F. ;-)

[lighthouse1958]

on 8/10/2009 We grew tomatoes this way this year but they didn't do as good as I thought they would. But I never did them the way you said either. Maybe next time I will. thanks. 5* and rec.