I know if I add too much synthetic N I can get very bushy plants with less fruit. Does organic fertilizer do this?

I would suspect not since, like grass, the plants don't get a large dose all at once.

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A couple of thoughts...

Synthetic fertilizers are salty and change the osmotic pressures in the root zone. I'm not sure what chemicals move where, but it is a consideration.

Second thought: Plants (and animals) have a biological signalling system. This is very well documented in human cellular physiology. Picture a revolving door with a chair blocking it from turning. If someone kicks the chair in they can move the door. When they get to the other side of the wall they put the chair back at the edge to block the door. Then someone from outside moves the chair and goes through the revolving door to get inside. The same thing happens in cells. When a cell needs something (and cells have needs for fluids, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, etc), they have these types of doors in the cell membrane. They will send out certain materials that fit into certain "doors" just like a key fits into a lock. When the inner material gets outside the cell, that becomes a signal to the outside that the cell needs something particular. Whatever that is also happens to fit into the same lock and triggers the door to revolve. In the case of roots, the plant generates sugar in the roots. Certain sugars are used by bacteria outside the cell which then return the favor by providing plant food to the root cells. The point of this (if anyone is still reading) is that the plant actually tells the soil bacteria what it needs, when it needs it, and how much it needs. In order for this to work, the bacteria outside the roots must be well fed with organic food (fertilizer). This is a cellular driven process, not an outside osmotic pressure driven process. Well, osmotic pressures do affect the natural biological process, but the organic fertilizer does not create the salty environment like synthetic does. -Sorry there must be a million better ways to say what I just said. It makes sense to me.

MorpheusPA wrote:Not that I've ever noticed--but I raise flowers. Still, too much N equals leggy growth and no flowers. I get the opposite, strong growth and tons of flowers.

Yes it can but depends on the type of fertilizer you use. If you use something like blood meal or chicken manure, you can burn your plants up just like synthetic.

I was thinking UCG or alfalfa pellets or cracked corn for both the fertilizer and OM addition.

Either make your own like I have listed in other post, or there is an excellent organic fertilizer made especially for Tomatoes and Peppers called Tomato Tone 3-4-6

texasweed wrote:...make your own like I have listed in other post...

I want to grow tomatoes using TW's recipe just so see the reactions from the family when I chop up bananas into the planting holes.

cactus wrote:

texasweed wrote:...make your own like I have listed in other post...

I want to grow tomatoes using TW's recipe just so see the reactions from the family when I chop up bananas into the planting holes.

Well there is one work around, slice up the bananas with the skin on, and then put them in a slow oven for about 5 or 6 hours until they are crispy critters and dehydrated. If you have one and the patience use one of the food dehydrators. Personally I just use over ripe bananas, save them, dry them, and use when needed.