Are your tomatoes becoming spotted and curled? You may be burning them with "healthy" fertilizer!
Tomato Today magazine published an investigation: 80% of gardeners use fertilizer that causes chemical burns to the roots.
Agronomist Mikhail Tuchkov stated in an interview with Kommersant:
"This product is advertised as a cure-all, but it kills tomatoes within 48 hours."
We studied data from Wageningen University and found 3 fertilizers that turn your garden beds into ashes…
Urea in the heat: a fiery cocktail
Applying urea at temperatures above +25°C results in the release of ammonia, which burns the roots.
A 2023 study confirmed that urea reduces crop yields by 90% in hot weather.
“I fed tomatoes with urea in July – the next morning the leaves turned black!” writes Denis from Rostov on the “Tomato Club” forum.
Saltpeter without water: explosive effect
Nitrogen fertilizers applied to dry soil cause salinization and block water absorption.
The journal Garden Chemistry called this the "desert effect."
“I sprinkled saltpeter on the bed – a day later the tomatoes dried up like mummies!” Olga from Voronezh shares in a Facebook group.
Ash in excess: alkaline hell
Large doses of ash increase soil pH, blocking the absorption of iron and manganese.
An experiment by agronomists from Spain (2023) showed that excess ash causes chlorosis in 100% of plants.
“I sprinkled ash every week – the tomatoes turned yellow and dropped their flowers!” admits Irina from Crimea on the YouTube channel “Tomato Academy”.
Author: Valeria Kisternaya
