Dear all:
Mary Sue and Lyn raised an interesting point. Perhaps we should
abandon the concept of tomato fertilizer (in the English sense) meaning a
fertilizer low or very low in nitrogen and high in potassium. Bananas,
tomatoes, bulbs of all sorts, African violets, etc. are all plants that take
important quantities of potassium from the media or soils. Perhaps it is too
simple to mention tomato fertilizers for them. High potassium would be
better?
Chlorides are toxic to most plants. Its curious effect on tobacco
is what makes most fertilizers have potassium in some other form.
Again, muriate of potash (K2SO4) is the same as potassium
sulphate (K2SO4) and contains no chloride in any form (or it would be a
chloride instead of a sulphate!).
Sea water is toxic due to the sodium (besides the Cl).
While information from great experts like John Lonsdale or Jane
McGary are based on an enormous amount of practical experience, I must
mention that although his comments on virus manifestations related to stress
are 100% true and undisputable it is also true that a hygiene program and
the continuing production of plants from seed minimizes virus incidence to
very low rates. There exist nurseries that excel in the production of virus
free material, Dirk Wallace for instance. Another case is that Rust-en-Vrede
in South Africa, run by Dr Alan Horstmann: I have grown tenths of species
from them obtained as bulbs and corms and in over a decade NEVER EVER a
single virus case appeared in his plants. Of course there are other bulb
firms producing superb material but there are others that amply distribute
heavily virused material. As John says so well, these show up under stress
(like changing hemispheres). So, always maintain newly introduced material
in a separate spot and very carefully watch the development of new foliage:
it is most often at their tips that viruses show up, then becoming masked
and acting as dangerous carriers.
Best
Alberto
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