Fertilizers

9 years ago

Was wondering what you think salt on tomato plants(diluted) and iron water took rebar pieces and have been soaking in h2o ????

Featured Answer

chickencoupe

9 years ago

A soil testing would be best prior to application. Both iron and salt can become toxic to plants if there is too much. If your soil has a healthy biome, you probably won't see any signs of toxicity for a long time. Additions like these are not something I would take unless soil test comes up with showing a deficiency or the plant itself is showing signs of deficiency. I'm a huge supporter of "let the plants tell ya".

But i do agree that soaking iron in water and drenching the soil is effective at adding iron. But I can never know if it is in a form readily available for plant uptake. That's where compost comes in. Anything well composted is readily available and you can pretty much trust it to have all the needed macro and micro nutrients available for you plants if you have added a diverse amount of material throughout the composting time.

Anecdotally, many have had good results of foliar applications of magnesium salts on tomato plants as well as pepper plants. (There might be studies, but I don't know.) I wonder if this success is because the magnesium makes the salt readily available while simultaneously providing a means for it to break down quickly avoiding toxicity (too soon. It will become toxic if applied too frequently or heavily, at least locally.) I'm not suggesting you're over-ferting, but thinking out loud of the success of magnesium salts. It is a salt, after all.

If you post this question in the soil/compost forum, you'll probably get a really well-read response.

otherwise, I'd trial their application in one spot and see how everything response.

bon

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Comments (9)

AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years ago
I wouldn't use salt in the garden. Do you think you're low on iron in the soil? Here's an article that shows what deficiencies look like.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
A fertilizer or chemical salt (ie, Epsom salts, magnesium sulfate) is NOT at all the same as table salt, sodium chloride. Table salt has no place in the garden!! While these elements are present and used by plants, they are consumed in infinitesimal quantities - far less than just a sprinkling of table salt (or table salt diluted in water) would provide.

I wouldn't worry about the iron - what you are creating is essentially ferrous oxide - rust - and this is insoluble in the garden, so not able to be taken up by plants.

Why would you not want to use a proper packaged fertilizer, either organic or synthetic, to provide your plants with the nutrients they actually need and can use? And have you ever tested your soil to see if these nutrients are already available?
okcst1300
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the reply I guess I'll stick oz and mir
Nancy RW (zone 7)
9 years ago
I had just been reading up on fertilizer today. I gave tomatoes Espoma tomato toner a couple weeks ago, other plants the Espoma plant toner. I think tomorrow in lieu of fertilizer, I'll add a touch of compost to the beds. . . Do you think that'd be an okay idea?
amunk01
9 years ago
Nancy, I dont see how compost could hurt! I add compost anytime i can move some in, even if I've fertilized. Maybe its excessive but ive never burned plants or had excessive foliage growth.

Yesterday, I fertilized all my pots and potted citrus (about 40 pots!) with fish emulsion.

O-M-G

My entire deck smells like a fish market, and boy am I WAY too pregnant for that business! That about killed me, and now I have had to avoid the backyard since yesterday haha. Looks like my plants will be starving this summer.. Compost it is..
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years ago
ROFL Alexis. I fertilized seedlings with fish emulsion once. They were still in paper cops on one of those 4 shelf greenhouses. the dogs were like "look, Mom put fish sauce on the salad". I think they ate plants , cups and dirt. I'm careful what I fertilize with it now. It must be out of reach.

I hit the pepper plants with some liquid seaweed today. THAT is what I put on seedlings these days. In a couple of days, I'm going to do the whole garden with Espoma. Alexis, there is a citrus Espoma, too.

Nancy, I think compost is a good option.
Nancy RW (zone 7)
9 years ago
LOL. Actually I use fish emulsion occasionally and plug my nose. Titan and Daffy are SO well-behaved. Either they don't like fish, or they know there will be hell to pay if then mess with my plants. BUT... gotta say, the Espoma toners are pretty stinky, too! Still. Hopefully the nicotiana will overcome. :) . Love ya all!
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years ago
Yeah, my beagle is always sniffing after I fertilize with the "tones". I like to use them before a good rain. There are only low chances of that in the next week. It's time for fertilizing and a deep watering, I guess. I need to decide how I'm going to mulch.