From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Gone With The Win

Just curious

8/11/2019 8:46:35 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Depends on how much you would give it. One grain...i think the plant will not even blink. Just curious..why do you want to push P so hard...I think K is the better push.

8/11/2019 8:57:14 PM

Gone With The Win

Just gave a table spoon to a small big marley per gallon of water.. I got to see what works for me I guess.. I have some o-0-60. Murate of potash. I topped the plant and will see what happens.. This year started out great and then the june rain and high heat put it to a stop like every year.. I had nice first truss megas from megazac and spaz seeds.. my mega flowers either didn't pollinate because of heat or they got a a crack on top of them and fell off?? So frustrated I had high hopes thus year I definitely learned alot.. ok rant done lol.

8/11/2019 9:37:37 PM

Grittyville, WA

They wont set well in rain it will certainly cause aborts. I think I will cheat and grow under a plastic growhouse cover next yeair.

8/11/2019 11:39:20 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Too high of a dose will make the plant grow crazy.
Weird leaves and growth.
I learned that the hard way.
Burned up one of my Big Marley that way.
I think a lower dose at the right time will produce benefits though.
I’ve always had trouble figuring out what to feed a big Zac anyway.
It doesn’t seem to react to the same nutrients I feed my Domingos.
I’m no expert though.
Lol.

8/12/2019 9:48:37 AM

Gone With The Win

Ok thanks for the input guys..So more k is better for fruit growth. Vs. P. On NPK values

8/12/2019 6:44:26 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Soil chemistry is too complex to just say...add one thing and your dreams will all come true. I was trying to remember why I decided that potassium sulfate was my preferred choice for K. I havent found the my original reason yet but came across this site. Getting a bit too involved for my limited knowledge.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_the_application_of_MOP_as_K_fertilizer_has_impact_on_soil_pH_and_Cl-in_the_fertilizer_interfere_with_nitrification

Esheel, I believe your observation is correct. During my winter grows, I have killed many plants by trying to push nutrient levels past their breaking point. Most common symptom...curly top new growth. Some varieties handle the high levels better than other varieties. This might account for the different growers having success with different varieties.

I could be wrong, but i think after a fruit is set...K will give you the biggest gains. Too much K, will increase the chance of BER. P appears to me to influence root growth and also increases the number of megas.

I have decided on my next years winter grow area...hydro's in the laundry room where I have water. Wont be able to kill too many plants..not enough space. Hope to still learn something. Crossing plants in soil in utility room. Full winter grow...far in the future.

I wish more growers would share their experience with what they feed plant and how the plant reacted. Our knowledge of best care for these plants is very limited.

8/12/2019 7:14:46 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Bnot, your diaries during your winter grows are what confirmed it for me.

I also think that if you hit the plant at just the right time with a certain amount of P that you can force the plant to ribbon.

It’s a fine line though.
Too much will fry the leaves.
I think Big Zac is really susceptible to that.

8/12/2019 7:58:43 PM

Bloomington, IN USA

NPK is one issue.

What about hormones?
What will stimulate ribbon formation, kinetin, auxins or gibberellins?

8/12/2019 11:02:34 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I know pumpkin growers have experimented with those Materdoc. I wonder if any have tried it with tomatoes. I do know of one grower that has tried gibberelic acid. It would really take some dedication to set up a controlled test area.

8/13/2019 7:21:18 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I think high P and K will force a ribbon.
I tried it on 7 plants.
Got one on 3 of them.
Burned the hell out of one of them.

8/13/2019 8:36:32 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Ok Ben, I am interested. You pushed a ribbon on 3 out of 7,no effect 3 out of 7 and killed one. What levels did you push it to, and was it on soil. If so what was your plan for flushing after the effect. Winter grow is soon coming...I wish, I already had enough wattage of electricity,water and natural gas to the pole barn. I would like 50 plants in the winter to experiment with during the winter hydroponically. Future, I have the space..need to get the utilities. This winter will be a very reduced grow. Dont read my diary...Ben...now you are killing plants.

8/13/2019 9:12:02 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I used a basic bloom booster (10-30-20) in soil.
The first time was by accident and I overfertilized one plant.
Right before the first truss set.
All new growth came in deformed and fern like.
But the first truss ribboned and formed a mega.
It didn’t pollinate all the way so I cut it off.
Fed the plant straight water for about a month before growth begin to look normal again.

Second time I dosed another variety,not as strong,right before first truss.
Ribboned again and got a multi fused blossom.
That tomato failed to pollinate.
Different variety.

Third time I did the same,and produced a ribbon with multifused blossom.
That tomato set,but flashed at 28 days.
2.06.

Have tried to force 2 others(one big zac,one DelBrut) but no luck.

Have not tried to force any other trusses or plants.

Maybe I’m wrong and I’m just cooking the hell out of them.

8/13/2019 10:34:07 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Ben...if it is ok with you...after I decide for sure how many plants I can grow, I would like to shoot you an email...to get an opinion of what I could try. You are the only one I know, that has tried the killing fields. My thought right now...is it P or K. I would like to push K to extreme level and leave P low. I think I will have 3 plants deep water hydro..can make two starts to weigh by the first day of spring if I can kill the first by Jan 1...total of 6 plants to kill. I have to choose a seed...maybe 2 per cycle for experimentation...my best seeds..not high enough F number to be stable. Stable seeds that I have...Delicious, BIg Zac and Brutus Magnum. I dont have Domingo seeds. Brutus Magnum, does not do well indoors. Its leaf structure is such, that artificial lighting does not feed it well enough. It needs full sunshine. I am thinking about using my 5.60 big zac from last year (grown from the 8.36) or its offspring currently growing in my garden. My best success with forcing ribbon megas was from a big zac...i still have secondary genetics from that line also.

8/14/2019 10:13:21 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Sure Bob.
I think the Big Zac is most susceptible to it,but is also the most easily burned.
The other two that produced were Domingos.

8/15/2019 7:04:53 PM

Beverly

From my reading, it seems too much K may stunt height, lower Nitrogen/Magnesium/Calcium uptake(Needs Supplementation) and may cause Blossom End Rot due to low Magnesium. Excessive Potassium also lowers Zinc/boron/iron uptake when Sulfur is low, so maybe Potassium Sulfate is the best choice of K.

9/24/2019 7:03:49 PM

Beverly

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.ipni.net/publication/bettercrops.nsf/0/DD30AA083C1F782A8525798000820361/%24FILE/Better%2520Crops%25201998-3%2520p12.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjJq8HPxurkAhXHrFkKHTOTB8oQFjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw0kso5JBsSG97cLFB4p0y3i&cshid=1569366430399

9/24/2019 7:06:09 PM