Well, my question is what is the best mixture for my tomatoes? How should I measure it all? I brought osmocote for the crf. Do I mix it in with the soil?

I don't know what the *best* mix is, but I use:

1 part Turface MVP
1 part spaghnum peat
2 parts pine bark fines

Yes, the CRT gets mixed into the growing mix.

QUESTION What is crf and mvp and what are they for. What do they do for plants. Are they used for other plants too.

CRF= controlled release fertilizer. Products like Osmocote are CRF. They are coated fertilizers whose release rate is governed by (soil) temperature. The cooler it is the slower they release and the warmer it is the faster they release. They are usually sold as lasting 3, 4, 6, 9 months. This assumes an average soil temperature of 70F.

CRFs are used to fertilize container plants (Also ground plants if one wishes). In a container they can be useful in situations where the grower doesn't wish to have plants depend solely on timely fertilizer applications. They are not necessary if one will fertilize their plants in a timely manner, but many can't or do not wish to do this.

MVP is a type of Turface. It is a fired clay product sold as a sports field amendment. It is used in containers as a potting mix ingredient. It functions similar to perlite in that it promotes good aeration and drainage, but it also retains a fair amount of water (more than perlite). It is more expensive than perlite and for 'general purpose' use perlite is often easier to find and cheaper and will work well enough.

Hi Neighbor,

I'm in St. Pete. You'll have a hard time finding MVP here in Florida. If you do decide to go that way you'll probably need to find your local Lesco dealer and settle for Allsport, just be aware that some have stated that it's slightly finer than MVP, which probably means it will hold a little more moisture, something that can be detrimental in our humid environment unless you compensate by reducing the amount used.... Having said that, look at this site but be aware that's a northern environment, who's to say Al's 5:1:1 won't work as well for us here as a 7:2:2. I wish I could give you better advice but I'm a newbie too, just moved into containers last year after giving up fighting nematodes in the Florida soil. I had moderate success with the spring crops because I bought a bagged mix that held too much moisture and had my containers above ground where the Florida sun literally cooked the soil mix, stressing the plant roots. My yield for this fall, remember - we here in Florida get TWO veggie seasons, has been substantial in comparison to last spring due to moving to Al's 5:1:1 mix and going to a pot-in-pot model, burying the larger pots in the ground simply to keep the soil mix in the plant pots cooler. BUT, now I'm thinking of moving into SWCs to diminish the amount of time I'm spending watering since I work 50 hours a week, and to reduce the water waste, something inherent to a fast draining mix in a hot environment.

Happy Gardening!

Tom

There is a tomato forum here, and you will find lots of help there.

Thanks everyone.
That's quite a long work week Tom, I'll let you know how everything turns out!

Patty

Hi Patty,

My choice, given the situation with our economy I'm determined to get everything paid off as quickly as possible, and salt away some extra money before retirement. I've been doing this now for three years so I'm rather used to it, just makes time in the garden that much more enjoyable.

Tom