Fertiliser choice is the key factor in improving sweetness and flavour
When Thompson & Morgan assessed over 140 tomato varieties at its Suffolk trial grounds last summer, the aim was to gauge the plants against indoor and outdoor growing conditions. What they weren’t expecting was to hit on a simple way of vastly boosting the sweetness and flavour of home-grown tomatoes.
One aspect of the trial compared the results of different plant feeds on Tomato ‘Sweet Aperitif’. In terms of health, vigour and yield, incredicrop® stood out as the best feed for tomatoes. A single application of this season-long feed at planting time led to the best plants both in a greenhouse setting and out in the field. This was all set to be a key message at an end-of-trial event attended by gardening press, bloggers and industry figures.
Tomato ‘Sweet Aperitif’ and incredicrop®
John Burrows, director of ProVeg Seeds – a major UK trade supplier of tomato seeds and plants, attended the event with his Brix meter in hand, ready to test the sweetness levels of each variety. While passing the fertiliser trial patch, fruits of Sweet Aperitif grown with incredicrop® and another market leading fertiliser were tested – with amazing results! Fruits grown with incredicrop® registered at 12.4 Brix against a level of 10.1 from those grown with the market leader.
A taste test by those present confirmed the finding. Even organic growers among them, normally reluctant to use manufactured fertilisers, had to admit that using incredicrop® made fruits sweeter.
John Burrows and Paul Hansord – Brix Testing Tomatoes
T&M horticultural Director, Paul Hansord, said: “We already know Sweet Aperitif is the sweetest red cherry on the market, the first to consistently score over 10 on the Brix scale. We couldn’t believe the sucrose levels could be boosted even further. The findings add to an already impressive list of benefits for incredicrop®, setting it well ahead of other feed options on the market. Brix levels for Sweet Aperitif were unchanged by other feeds. Our exclusive vegetable fertiliser not only encourages stronger and healthier plants with impressive yields – the produce will also taste better.”
Notes to editors
What are Brix Levels? The Brix score for any fruit or vegetable is the number of grams of sucrose per 100 grams of solution (specifically the juice from a tomato in this study). Higher brix means better flavour and better nutrient value and is an indication that plants have been grown in a healthy soil, with sufficient nutrients and water. The measure is used widely by commercial growers but the equipment needed for testing is costly and is not a viable option for most home growers.
How does incredicrop® work?
This controlled slow-release feed utilises Double Nitrogen Technology to promote vigorous green growth and bumper crops – a single application at planting time will support strong healthy growth for 7+ months. Nitrogen is released in two phases in perfect sync with plant needs, avoiding wastage, which is often a problem with other fertilisers. Part of the nitrogen is stabilised to gradually break down over the first eight weeks to kick-start plants into piling on growth. The second part is released through polymer coated granules that deliver less or more nutrients depending on temperature and moisture levels, again matching plant needs for optimum flowering and cropping. (£12.99 for 750g tub)
Available from www.thompson-morgan.com or call 0844 573 1818
Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.
just a small point- how much do you use!.
Hello
If applying to the open soil then it can be sprinkled at a rate of 30g per m2. For pots and containers, use 3g per litre of compost.
All the best
Sue
I have established fruit trees in poor soil, can I use this on all my trees It includes apple,pear, cherry, apricot and plum. Will it have any effect and will it reach the root system and how.
Roger
Hi Roger,
yes this is perfect for use on fruit trees. The best way is to lightly turn it into the soil around the base of the trees, the nutrients will reach the roots when you water the plants and the incredicrop dissolves slowly into the soil.
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
Hi, sorry if this is a daft question, but I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere. Is this product suitable for organic gardening?
Hi Myriam, unfortunately as it’s an artificial fertiliser, I doubt it would be classed as Organic – Graham
Is suitable for use on all veg? Many thanks
Hi Laura
Yes, Incredicrop has been formulated to help all fruit and veg in your gardens and allotments! 🙂
If you put incredicrop on tomato plants at planting time would that mean you dont have to feed them for the rest of the season and you would only have to water
Hi William,
It depends on how often you water them. If you water them frequently, the occasional use of liquid feed would be beneficial.
Kind Regards
Holly
Hello I’ve planted quite a lot of herbs this year to create a large herb garden. They are all perennials (mostly mints, lemon balm, rosemary and sweet cicely) and biennial parsley and also plug lavenders so no annuals. Can you tell me if incredicrop is suitable as they have already been planted? Keen for them foliage wise to put on the beef so there will be limited ground gaps. Could you tell me how to apply if this is suitable and also if it is too late in the season to apply to already planted vegetables such as beetroot and courgettes. Many thanks
Hi Aileen, thank you for your comments. Having spoken to our horti expert he has said that it is a good idea to put the incredicrop around the top inch or of your crop and dig in. They should flourish and you should get a bumper crop of your herbs. Do let us know how you get on, and I think this winter you will have all the herbs you would wish for. Kind regards Wendie
Many thanks will do!
Can you tell me if this can be used with fruit trees in pots?
Hi Lorraine, I have spoken to our horticultural expert who has said yes you can apply it now. In the future apply it in spring once a year. I hope this helps but do come back if you need any help. Wendie