Texas Tomato Food is stronger than you think.
Occasionally we get a customer commenting on how much better value a 20-20-20 powder fertilizer is compared to our liquid Urban Farm Fertilizers. So why should they buy ours?
It’s understandable, just looking at the numbers. But digging deeper you will find that our nutrients are actually stronger. Here’s why.
Those 3 primary NPK numbers are based on percentage by weight. Liquids are much heavier than dry powders, so of course the amount of measurable nutrients compared to overall weight will be lower than the dry powder. The accurate comparison is done by volume. So, if you measure tablespoon-to-tablespoon and then measure the concentration, that is where you learn the real story.
We have done the following test countless times. We dissolve 1 tbls of any of our nutrients in a gallon of distilled or reverse osmosis water and 1 tbls of any generic 20-20-20 powder in another gallon of same water. After stirring for several minutes, measure with an EC (electrical conductivity) meter to see total nutrient concentration. Typically, the powder will come in between 2.1-2.25 mS/cm. Our nutrients will come in between 2.25-2.5 mS/cm. Our nutrients average 10-15% stronger. The numbers on our labels don’t say it, but our nutrients are actually stronger than comparable dry powders.
To give a better idea of our nutrient’s strength in numbers, multiply our NPK by 4 times and you will see an approximate NPK if the product were dry. On top of that, NPK numbers are mandatory minimums, as required by the various State Chemists. We can’t present a product that tests out less than these numbers, but we are allowed to exceed them within reason. In the case of our Texas Tomato Food (4-2.5-6), those numbers are conservative. The formula is more like 4.5-3-6.5. Multiply that by 4 and you have 18-12-26, a perfect ratio for tomatoes and other large fruiting vegetables.
So there you have it. Urban Farm Fertilizers are strong!
2 Responses
Hi, I use a fair amount of fertilizer but may not be able to use all of a container of Texas Tomato Food or your Apples/oranges formula in one season. How long are these products at their ‘freshest?’ Are they just as effective in the next season? Thanks!
Hi…..we have used them successfully up to 2 years. Some of the “aliveness”, as in micro-biologicals, will fade over time, but the core nutrition remains. The only issue is settling and some crystallization from lack of use and long-term storage. These are easily reversible. First off, always store at room temperature or above. Cool temps encourage crystallization. Second, warm the bottle into the mid-90’s (a car with the windows rolled up works very well). Then vigorously agitate for several minutes. It will go back into solution and be ready to go.
If the bottle is full, then the lack of airspace makes agitation difficult. Pour half into an open container. The remaining nutrient in the bottle will then shake up easily. Return all the nutrient to the bottle, shake some more, and you’re ready. Remember, our nutrients should always look like a medium chocolate milk.