I just put my tomato plants in the ground and am absolutely giddy that it’s fresh tomato season again. I want my babies to have the best care possible, so to ensure they thrive, I want to make sure they get everything they need. Being living things, they require the same basic essentials as us, namely, food and water.

There are two types of disease factors that affect tomato plants – biotic and abiotic. Biotic factors include the influence of living organisms on the plant such as pests and fungus. Abiotic diseases are caused by non-living factors such as nutrient and moisture deficiencies or excesses — high or low pH soils and misapplication of fertilizer, among others.

Food and water

A tomato plant gets its food from the soil, so a soil test before planting is the best measure in assuring that your soil has the necessary nutrients at the start. Tomatoes are fairly heavy feeders, so it may be necessary to fertilize the soil during the growing season with a method called “side dressing.” This can be done at the first fruit set and again approximately every 6-8 weeks.

As much as under fertilization causes plants to grow poorly, over fertilization causes plant foliage to grow excessively, reducing fruit yield and quality.

The numerical formula that appears on just about any fertilizer refers to the percentage of the three macro-nutrients in that product. A box that reads 4-6-3, for instance, contains 4 percent nitrogen, 6 percent phosphorus and 3 percent potassium.

Nitrogen is most important in nourishing foliage, phosphorus in promoting the growth of flowers and fruits, and potassium in building strong stem and root systems.

How to side-dress

For the backyard gardener with a few tomato plants, apply fertilizer around the base of each plant. Dig a shallow, 1-inch deep ring around each plant approximately 3-4 inches from the base of the stem. Or, if you have many rows of tomatoes, dig a shallow trench between rows about 5 inches from the plant stem.

Carefully sprinkle the fertilizer into the trench and cover with soil, making sure not to get any on the leaves. Don’t apply the material too close to the plant or too deep because it can burn the plant’s roots.

Blossom end rot

Blossom end rot (BER), which is caused by a calcium deficiency, is common and treatable. The deficiency can be intensified by over fertilization, infrequent watering and an incorrect soil pH.

If using fertilizer geared toward tomatoes, chances are the mix will contain calcium and will be listed in the ingredients on the packaging. Treating for BER begins with a soil test and adding lime if necessary.

The next step is to mulch plants, which will help moderate soil moisture, and begin watering on a schedule. Although you can’t control rainfall, you can control when you water.

Proper watering

While going through the Master Gardener Program, we were introduced to abiotic diseases. Two slides caught my attention. One was a lawn with big wide green stripes all over it because the person applying fertilizer didn’t do a really good job of spreading it evenly. The other was a sad plant with wilting, yellow leaves because an overzealous gardener drowned the poor thing.

It was then I realized that abiotic can mean human-error induced. So how much water should we give our tomato plants? Surprisingly, less than you may think, or more accurately, less often than you may think.

I was always the gal who gave her tomato plants just a little sip every morning. Well, that’s wrong because it can cause a shallow root system. Check the soil first. If the soil is wet 3 inches deep, delay watering for another day. One inch of water per week is sufficient if the plants are mulched.

The goal is to water less often but for a longer duration. This will help develop a deep root system that will reduce plant stress during prolonged periods when the weather is hot and dry.

Providing food and water will have your plants returning the favor with plump, healthy tomatoes. Until next week, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. For more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners, visit http://mg.aces.edu/limestone.