Punchie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I went to the garden store tonight to get some stuff so I could transplant my tomatoes. I couldn't find the bonemeal and asked for help. An older gentleman found it for me and commented, "tell me you're not using this for tomatoes, young lady." I responded that it was a general garden additive. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Why would he say not to use bonemeal? I have always put some in the hole when I plant my tomatoes in the ground. It just seemed odd. I wasn't about to ask him why b/c of the tone of his voice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemLights Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I went to the garden store tonight to get some stuff so I could transplant my tomatoes. I couldn't find the bonemeal and asked for help. An older gentleman found it for me and commented, "tell me you're not using this for tomatoes, young lady." I responded that it was a general garden additive. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Why would he say not to use bonemeal? I have always put some in the hole when I plant my tomatoes in the ground. It just seemed odd. I wasn't about to ask him why b/c of the tone of his voice. :confused: Huh? My mom always does this and so does my MIL. You should have asked him why not. ;) Now you have me curious... a quick google search turned up nothing bad about bonemeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Could this be what he was worried about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I have heard some concerns that bonemeal itself might carry that cow brain disease, and since it's so fine it's hard to work with it without inhaling some. Personally I have been avoiding it since then. It's supposed to be good for root development, and so it is probably more worthwhile for tree transplants than anything else. To promote root development in tomatoes the best thing is to plant them very deep. That means that the stem is under the earth, almost up to the top full set of leaves. It will send out roots from a larger surface area that way, so more of them faster. I have also found that in a typical tomato plant the roots are rootbound. If I rinse them gently and separate them a bit, sifting the dirt around them to spread them out, the plants grow much faster and more vigorously (I actually experimented with that, and proved it right, using three tomato plants with different treatments.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Could this be what he was worried about? Hmm...that would make sense. He did comment that it's nasty stuff if you breathe it in. Easily taken care of w/a mask. I know this is probably dumb, but I didn't know it promoted root development. That's good to know for when we do plant trees/shrubs. I use it to stave off blossom end rot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium, so it makes sense that bonemeal would prevent it. Most soil has enough calcium, but the plants can't access it, if not watered on a regular basis. The best thing to do to prevent blossom end rot is to water on a regular basis and not let the plants dry out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Do crushed eggshells provide accessible calcium to prevent blossom end rot as well?hh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 crushed egg shells do have calcium, but they need to break down enough that plants can absorb the calcium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 The uneven watering blossom-end rot problem we have is due to too much rain! I can evenly water all I want but a week of continuous downpours will ruin every tomato on the plants. I finely crush 6-12 eggshells per tomato plant (I save eggshells way ahead of time so that they are very dry and easy to crush) which I place deep in wide planting holes. I plant the tomatoes deeply, up to the level of the first leaves. I've found that if I use less than 6 eggshells I get blossom end rot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 I definitely don't have enough eggshells, but I'll make a note so I can use them next year. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I store all my eggshells year round in a ziplock bag in the freezer because my soil is so bad, I end up using shells from 18-24 eggs per tomato when I plant and at least 1 or 2 more doses during the summer (that I sprinkle on top of the ground. And since my boys love tomatoes, I end up plannting close to a dozen plants a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I've learned something this morning, and finally know what happened to my tomatoes for the past two years...Thank you ladies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 With all the rain we've had this year, tomatoes especially need that extra calcium.... Maybe he was just kidding around with you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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