EarthBox Fertilizer Comparisons 2020

[Ginger2778]

Thank you Marsha!

I just got a book on how to grow marijuana organically. Figured if anyone knew how to supplement with organics those people do!

Now if only Florida would make it legal (ain’t gonna happen) I would be all set to make a fortune!

Some of those Marijuana growers are excellent gardener/farmers. I learned about Tomato Russet Mites and what to do from them.
I must buy a copy of Charles Wilbur's book, I never heard of him before you. I'm intrigued.

[Ginger2778]

Really not thst impressed with the Jack's Classic Tomato FeED. Never had this much iron deficiency this early. Newer leaves stunted and very pale.
I sprayed a foliar citrus nutrition spray, it greened them up in about 2 days, thank goodness. Now I'm just putting water in the box for 3 applications, no supplement. Let them use just Tomato Tone in the enclosed fert strip for a while.

The Jack's is giving me excellent peppers and eggplant, so I'll use the rest on them. I had some extra that I put on some Vanda orchids, now they are blooming again, in 3 months time, so they seem to like it.
Funny about the tomatoes getting an iron deficiency, when Fe is part of the name.

[MsCowpea]

Something is making the iron unavailable. pH or something. You could google iron deficiencies in a soilless mix and search for clues. So many things lock out nutrients. At least you were able to correct it with iron in the micronutrients. Maybe it will limit itself to just a few boxes.

[MsCowpea]

Charles Wilber’s book Is great but it is a bit disjointed. It is a system he perfected using compost to fertilize record breaking tomatoes. You don’t have to grow 27 tall feet tall plants or want yields like 100 pounds of tomatoes from one plant in a whiskey barrel to enjoy the book. As I said he is like a drill Sargent and doesn’t suffer fools. He is very precise in his method.

[peebee]

Charles Wilber’s book Is great but it is a bit disjointed. It is a system he perfected using compost to fertilize record breaking tomatoes. You don’t have to grow 27 tall feet tall plants or want yields like 100 pounds of tomatoes from one plant in a whiskey barrel to enjoy the book. As I said he is like a drill Sargent and doesn’t suffer fools. He is very precise in his method.

I just ordered it from my local library branch as there was only 1 copy available in the L.A. county if you can believe that. So I'm waiting for an email telling me it's here for pickup. Can't wait!

[MsCowpea]

Oh, maybe you can start the West Coast Charles Wilber fan club if you like it . I am self appointed president of the East Coast CW Groupies. Membership: one member.

[Ginger2778]

I tried to order it from our library. Not available. ☹

[MsCowpea]

This is the 8-5-5 organic fertilizer box with chocolate stripe. You can’t tell but it has grown beyond the 5 foot cage. One branch had tomatoes but it broke from the weight and was hanging by a thread. I ‘bandaged’ it back together like a graft. Now sure if that will work but we needed additional support so we wove strong bamboo sticks through the cage. Next year I will make some cages taller with zip ties. The orange material is just to protect exposed tomatoes from too much sun. I had some get sunburned in another box.

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[SusieQ]

Impressive!

[MsCowpea]

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2 cups 8-5-5, 1 cup BioActive/ supplemented with hydroponic fert. And then switched to TTF . 1/4 cup Once a week.
Barlow Jap. ( 1/24/20). I did this box has a comparison to one that would not have synthetic supplement added.


UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE (Final) Feb 4

This plant did very well. Barlow Jap. Many good sized tomatoes — 20 plus in total. But it has beginnings of Early Blight which advances pretty quickly.

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[MsCowpea]

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1/24/20- 1 cup TT, Dr Earth, 8-5-5, Supplemented with organic Bloom, started 2 weeks ago.

[Ginger2778]

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2 cups 8-5-5, 1 cup BioActive/ supplemented Y hydroponic fert. And then switched to TTF . Once a week.
Barlow Jap. ( 1/24/20)

Yours look so vigorous, lush, green. Mine are looking anemic and liked the season will be over by mid February for some. Probably time to change out some potting mix finally. Will do for next season. I am not happy with this year's health.

[MsCowpea]

Well, you did get many, many years out of it. My season is over for some plants because of the diseases. Also decided we won’t be able to plant so much in areas that now get too much shade. That means I have to fork over to Derek some primo garden space from my allotment. He crammed in so many plants in his area it is like an impenetrable jungle.

[MsCowpea]

These are chocolate stripe from the box with all organic fertilizer. That one off to the left is 20.8 oz. Very nice tomato, I liked it a lot , sweet. Even better when I salted and ate with mayo. Stunning looking as well. Unfortunately I am picking diseased leaves off but it still did better compared to some of my other plants.

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[Ginger2778]

It's one of my favorites. Its a tomato machine.
I think next year I'm going to plant only 1 tomato per Earthbox, now that I see the fruit sizes you achieve. Nothing gets to 20 oz this year in my garden.

[MsCowpea]

You could try one in some and two in others and see how they do. The thing is you love to try so many new varieties that two still might suit you better. At Earthbox center they plant two. For me , I just found from very early on they were huge and too crowded and I don’t want to prune (except the bottom). If they needed to be pruned to prevent diseases for airflow I would do it but one per box is not crowded. Also , I need the leaves to protect tomatoes from sunscald and leaves to develop the sugars but I know the value of pruning, particularly growing hydroponically.

Also I am learning this year that some look OK with 2 and others would need to be pruned to grow properly as they are too dense.

The thing is I have a big garden with lots of other vegetables. So time-wise Pruning would definitely fall by the wayside.
But it would be fun to take identical plants and do a prune vs no prune smack down.

This is hard to see what you are looking at but this is Glick 18 and two are crammed in the box with little airflow. Short ,dense plants. Maybe 4 feet. We just pruned the bottom. Not many tomatoes but hoping for more. (used that triple mix of organic fert. And TTF). Unless this is a determinate it should have been pruned with 2 in box or just plant one.

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[MsCowpea]

Just tried to find some info on Glick 18 as I don’t remember anything about it. There is Brandywine Glick —I will have to go back and see what I ordered.

[MissS]

Just tried to find some info on Glick 18 as I don’t remember anything about it. There is Brandywine Glick —I will have to go back and see what I ordered.

I have not heard of a Glick 18 either. Please let us know what it is that you are growing. I am curious.

[peebee]

I've gotten several KBXs over a lb last year & the biggest was almost 2 lbs. I'll try to post the pic later but my phone battery needs recharging. Grown 2 to a box.
I'd love to do a comparison of 1 vs 2 in a box as suggested above but I can't afford the space. I need to cram as many varieties as I can around my small garden & you enablers here aren't helping

[MsCowpea]

Glick 18 from SSE exchange yearbook
75 days,indet.,regular leaf, 2.5-3 inch red fruit, sweet excellent flavor, productive, from Mr Glick, an OhioMennonite Farmer

I ordered it because I was going for anything smaller but it has to be sweet and productive.