Omg thank you!! We got really hot and humid quick, and I had no idea why my blooms were dropping off! I thought I had a disease. Whew what a relief. The plant is still nice and green, good looking leaves. I was really confused.
@SaraQuigley - I've heard that before but in my case I think it has to be something else because it is mid season here and all my other plants are producing more or less (cucumbers and tomatoes etc.) I have loads of bees and I have all my veggies intermingled. Maybe it is too hot? I've given up on that zucchini plant. It was a volunteer that came up in an old former compost area. The squash bugs have discovered it and it doesn't seem worth battling the pests if it is just going to keep producing more male flowers and leaves. I might get a starter zucchini and try planting it somewhere else. Thanks for your response though.
Thanks so much for this information! I am in the high desert of Arizona where we recently had a 10-day heat wave with 100+ temperatures. I used some shade cloth as a cover to shelter my plants from the sun and the temperature. Is this something you consider effective, or is it only to prevent burning? Some of my varieties do better than others--the Early Girl has the most blossoms dropping off, but my Prescott Heirloom set a lot of fruit, though only the size of cherry tomatoes. I am feeding them Fish Fertilizer every two weeks, and they have compost as a mulch. I have been watering them almost every day and only water if the soil is dry 2 inches below the surface. Should I back off on the watering (the high temps are in the low 90s)?
When temperatures are that high, you may need to water more, especially in really dry climates like yours. Shade cloth will help protect the leaves so it's okay to use that. If you notice your tomatoes tasting watery, then make a note to water less next year. That's usually where it shows up first. And if you can get away with deeper but less frequent watering, that will help flavor.
Thanks for the video. I have a determinate tomato plant. I have lots of fruit growing. My question is a majority of them aren’t getting bigger. While a couple are big. The smaller ones are fairly small and haven’t changed in growth for awhile. Any advice ? Thanks
Check your nutrient levels to see if anything is lacking in the soil. Also be aware that with the wacky weather we've all been having this year, the garden is a bit off kilter. It's running late here in Southern California by about a month. Cooler temperatures can hinder the size of tomatoes.
@@Gardenerd thanks for help. Same here I’m in Northern California. Bay Area, July finally started off warm. I did plant my tomatoes in Mid May and May-June was much cooler. I should take in effect of soil testing. I did add organic compost and have been using organic fertilizer as well. Slow release though
So in the beginning of season I had three indeterminate tomato plants and when they started producing they produced tons and tons of tomatoes but now they're still producing but they're little itty bitty tiny tomatoes when they used to be fist-sized tomatoes have you run across this before also I live in Sacramento where it gets very hot and now it's going into fall and I remove my shade screens and I very rarely fertilize maybe twice the whole season chemical fertilizer
First, I recommend switching to organic fertilizers for so many reasons I won't go in to here. Next, hot weather causes pollen to go sterile so tomatoes drop instead of setting fruit. Along those lines, smaller tomatoes are a response to stress. Heat, dryness, inspect pest pressure, lack of phosphorus and potassium, these all contribute to stress on the plant, causing them to produce smaller tomatoes later in the season. You could try pruning back the plant to reduce the burden, and give it some food. As the weather cools down you may see renewed production with larger tomatoes again.
my tomato blossoms are dropping off. its sad after such hard work. but few plants are growing tomatoes. one guy suggests to put wood ash into container. what is your advice?
I almost never recommend wood ashes because they make soil more alkaline, which tomatoes don't want. Blossom drop can be an indicator of low phosphorus and potassium. Best to do a simple NPK soil test to find out what your soil is missing and then amend from there. Rapitest is a good at home test kit. It's like driving with your eyes open. If the nutrient levels are fine, then it usually comes down to an environmental disturbance, like temperatures over 90 degrees F, or sudden temperature changes or other stress on the plant. Pollen becomes sterile at temps above 90 degrees F, and blossoms drop. I'm not sure where you are located, but if it's summer where you are right now, that is likely the cause.
Thanks@@Gardenerd I am located on Pakistan Punjab. temperature is between 21 F to 30 F. I have used NPK. Plants are grown effectively I have shown in my videos. one guy suggested in his video to cut off the top and let plant to produce fruit now. I did it with one plant last week. I have little home garden. its my second experience. How can I give P&K to my plant? can I use Egg shell? potato skin/shell
@@bilalarifbaig the sources of P and K I prefer are seabird guano for phosphorus and kelp meal for potassium. Egg shells are calcium and take a really long time to become available to the plant, so I don't both with those. Worm castings are also a great source of a broad spectrum of micronutrients and benefits the plants and soil food web microbes as well.
I'm having issues where even though my temps are above 90F during the day(9A/9B), but the tiny fruits are showing... but they seem to look like they are rotting and then fall off after a day or so, with no real growth on the fruits. I've been having this issue for 2 months or so now. I added a bunch of potassium sulfate and gypsum for calcium but no change. Watering is sporadic as it can rain here every few days, or not at all for awhile. I do have a bunch of tomato plants in a relatively small planter (45 gallon smartpot, not fully filled though), and they are HUGe 4+ feet fall, but they aren't producing fruit... it sucks! I'm getting some new beds set up and was thinking of transplanting them. I also am going to add more dirt to the current bag, and Ifigured new roots would pop out of the tomato plant so that might work out, but i have like 8 plants in this one bag so I think they might just be starved of nutrients. My fault, I was desperate for a lot of tomatoes and I didn't have the funds to get more soil amendments and beds at the time (I amend my own organic/chemical-free soil together, which is expensive compared to store-bought nutrients). Maybe I will just remove a few plants when it's time to set up the beds, but keep a few as well. It would be a shame ot lose these plants, but I will try to start some new ones too. I will say, I also had a watermelon and Jalapeno plant where the fruits were very small "Jalapeno was maybe 1" max on 2 of them.... I definitely think i'm missing something nutrient-wise. Maybe I'll spray some fish liquid fertilizer and some other stuff to see if that will help. I'm not sure if I want only potassium-rich fertilizer though, or phosphorus is needed too? Thank you!
It sounds like you've tried a few things already, but I highly recommend doing a soil test to find out more about what's lacking in your soil. It's like driving with your eyes open - essential. Over fertilizing can cause problems too, so you don't want to over do it. And yes, definitely thin out those tomato plants next year. They are heavy feeders and so one per bag is the right configuration. Most soil mixes are weak and need additional fertilizer, and plants in pots need regular feeding since nutrients drain out with watering. But start with a test for your NPK and go from there.
beefsteak tomatoes that are kept to a single stem tend to keep the flower production/fruit more active as well due to the concentration of energy. We have plenty of insects as well though temperatures/humidity are the biggest causes.
my plant will flower and die. it's a huge plant, though lol it's taking over. i did notice a reflection off a nearby window burning other plants so maybe this is killing the flowers, too.
Do a soil test to make sure you have enough Phosphorus and Potassium. Also consider pruning the tomato plant back a lot. The overgrowth is taking away from fruiting and flowering. That's where I'd start, with those 2 things.
It is HOT here 90s and 100s. All my tomatoes are in partial shade. They are managing and I've been harvesting the cherry tomatoes and am waiting for the Cherokee Purples to ripen. But do you by any chance know the reasons a zucchini doesn't produce female flowers? Do you have a video on that? I have never been able to grow zucchinis even though the plants seem large and healthy with lots of male flowers. The problem is there are no female flowers. I have grown winter squash without a problem. I'm in Zone 8a in SC.
Male flowers usually appear first but then female flowers open after that. If they aren't appearing, it's generally because there is a lack of phosphorus and potassium available to the plant. You might want to do a soil test for levels in your zucchini patch and amend accordingly. That will generate some new growth and female flowers.
Hope this helps: Early in the growing season, there tends to be only male flowers- this is basically a way for the plant to tell the local pollinators that it’s there and to please come visit. As the season progresses the production of male and female flowers is more balanced. Low temperatures, lack of sunshine and adverse growing conditions can also be accountable for lack of female flowers. Good luck!
Might be time to do a soil test or dig to inspect for invading tree roots. We have another video on the #1 reason why raised beds become unproductive. If your tomatoes are in the ground, the same thing can happen. You may want to test for high zinc too, because zinc binds up nutrients and prevents plants from growing. All the fertilizer in the world won't help that situation.
Here's what I found: high carbon (like fresh chip bark) can actually foster growth in this pathogen. So composted mulch is a better option for soils with Southern Blight (Sclerotium rolfsii). Also according to Clemson University, you could fallow your garden space for 6 months to kill it off. University of Florida lists biological controls as: Trichoderma harzianum, Gliocladium virens, Trichoderma viride, Bacillus subtilis, and Penicillium spp.. Trichoderma species are readily available (Gardenerd.com sells BiotaMax, which contains these species) for sale and can be applied with a home sprayer (see our nematode video for application guidance). I hope this helps.
It sounds like the container lacks the nutrients the tomato plant needs, or it wasn't big enough to support a full root system. They like deep planters - 18-24" deep. And they are heavy feeders, meaning you might need to fertilize them every other week during the growing season.
I have a big beautiful some type of heirloom I grew from a tiny plant. It’s big beautiful in a raised bed. Flowers no tomatoes. It looks healthy. I have fertilized it. Still nothing. Watering has to be daily. It’s 100 plus where I live. What’s the problem?
As usual, the answer is "it depends". Have you done a soil test to see what is already present in your soil? That will give you the answer you are looking for. There are simple soil tests available online and at your local nursery. They test for NPK and pH. It's much less expensive than sending soil into a lab and you'll get recommendations for how much to add based on the results.
I am in a hot climate - New Mexico and it in the 90s almost every day , although it goes down to the sixties nightly , I must water once or twice a day or they’ll burn and wilt and die. I killed all my tomatoe plants at first -😿now I plant in front of. overgrown wall to the west and this gives the plant the reprieve it needs as evening temperatures are highest from the west sun . This year I have a new pest - a very small beetle that sleeps on the leaves at night and goes out in large numbers during the day running around . Does anyone know it ? , please .
If you are coastal, tomatoes may be smaller in size than they would be in warmer inland climates. Also, check your soil nutrients to see what is missing, then amend accordingly. That should help a lot.
Ok, so, let me correct, straight and clear some things about watering tomatoes. This women says she lives on coast with high temperatures, and i also live in mediterranean climate in europe. So, being tomato fanatic over 20 years, i tested numerous tomato types and their watering needs. Every tomato, once 90F or 30C temeperatures start in early june, that does not get watered every second day, it dies. I can pull it every 3 days watering in May, if its still cloudy, but thats about it. In july when temperature goes 35-38-40C, if you do not water every day, tomato will die. Lets be real here, zucchinis and peppers are already wilted before noon. So those, as we call it in europe "cool hunting stories", like saying that field tomatoes need watering between 5 and 10 days, is at best comical and laughable. Ofc. tomato will wilt on strong sun and in the night it will recover, but do it 2 more days and tomato will push its flowers thinking its going to die, you will start water and fruit will be dispoportional to the plant and plant wont grow and it can die before fruit ripens. To be honest, im not expert, but i tested so many things and i can asure you, in +30C, water every 2 days, minimally.
@@beverlycharles6534 If you did everything correctly with planting, sometimes you do not even need to fertilize. When you are preparing hole for tomato, you need a handful of humus, compost, NPK, KAN and bone meal. That is the most important step. When you put all of that in hole, cover it with soil and water it few days so it breaks down. Minerals are salts, they can not touch the roots. Salt sticks to roots and plant cant absorb the water and suffocates even if watered. So, the real trick is to plant it in garden as earlier as possible. So the plant can grow to its potential before 30-35 C° temperatures come. When ground heats up that much and if the roots are shallow, the plant stops taking nutrients and stops daily growth. That is why fertilizing after that point is useless. That is why you need to grow the plant to its potential before the heat starts. So the plant develops long roots and can take water and nutriens from deeper soil, regardless of heat. Now to the point of your question. If plant developed long root then i fertilize twice. First time when it starts to form flowers and second time when fruit are half ripe. And i mix NPK and KAN in ratio 50/50, throwing less than handful around the plant. I also spray a lot with milk and liquid fertilizer, every second week. Especially good when unexpected heats come and the plant is still not fully grown so it can take nutrients by leaf.
Well presented, brief to the point along with underlying reasons! Great video! I’m subscribing
Thanks. Welcome to Gardenerd!
Omg thank you!! We got really hot and humid quick, and I had no idea why my blooms were dropping off! I thought I had a disease. Whew what a relief. The plant is still nice and green, good looking leaves. I was really confused.
Glad you found this video helpful!
Im in NW GA and it is definitely the heat. Tomatoes and cukes are all stunted from the high temps😢
Thanks for this video! I now know why my tomatoes have all died in this Arizona weather (despite providing shade). 😅
@SaraQuigley - I've heard that before but in my case I think it has to be something else because it is mid season here and all my other plants are producing more or less (cucumbers and tomatoes etc.) I have loads of bees and I have all my veggies intermingled. Maybe it is too hot? I've given up on that zucchini plant. It was a volunteer that came up in an old former compost area. The squash bugs have discovered it and it doesn't seem worth battling the pests if it is just going to keep producing more male flowers and leaves. I might get a starter zucchini and try planting it somewhere else. Thanks for your response though.
Thanks so much for this information! I am in the high desert of Arizona where we recently had a 10-day heat wave with 100+ temperatures. I used some shade cloth as a cover to shelter my plants from the sun and the temperature. Is this something you consider effective, or is it only to prevent burning? Some of my varieties do better than others--the Early Girl has the most blossoms dropping off, but my Prescott Heirloom set a lot of fruit, though only the size of cherry tomatoes. I am feeding them Fish Fertilizer every two weeks, and they have compost as a mulch. I have been watering them almost every day and only water if the soil is dry 2 inches below the surface. Should I back off on the watering (the high temps are in the low 90s)?
When temperatures are that high, you may need to water more, especially in really dry climates like yours. Shade cloth will help protect the leaves so it's okay to use that. If you notice your tomatoes tasting watery, then make a note to water less next year. That's usually where it shows up first. And if you can get away with deeper but less frequent watering, that will help flavor.
Thanks for the video. I have a determinate tomato plant. I have lots of fruit growing. My question is a majority of them aren’t getting bigger. While a couple are big. The smaller ones are fairly small and haven’t changed in growth for awhile. Any advice ? Thanks
Check your nutrient levels to see if anything is lacking in the soil. Also be aware that with the wacky weather we've all been having this year, the garden is a bit off kilter. It's running late here in Southern California by about a month. Cooler temperatures can hinder the size of tomatoes.
@@Gardenerd thanks for help. Same here I’m in Northern California. Bay Area, July finally started off warm. I did plant my tomatoes in Mid May and May-June was much cooler. I should take in effect of soil testing. I did add organic compost and have been using organic fertilizer as well. Slow release though
I will try some of the the things you have mentioned.
Let you know how it goes from there.
Thank you😊
So in the beginning of season I had three indeterminate tomato plants and when they started producing they produced tons and tons of tomatoes but now they're still producing but they're little itty bitty tiny tomatoes when they used to be fist-sized tomatoes have you run across this before also I live in Sacramento where it gets very hot and now it's going into fall and I remove my shade screens and I very rarely fertilize maybe twice the whole season chemical fertilizer
First, I recommend switching to organic fertilizers for so many reasons I won't go in to here. Next, hot weather causes pollen to go sterile so tomatoes drop instead of setting fruit. Along those lines, smaller tomatoes are a response to stress. Heat, dryness, inspect pest pressure, lack of phosphorus and potassium, these all contribute to stress on the plant, causing them to produce smaller tomatoes later in the season. You could try pruning back the plant to reduce the burden, and give it some food. As the weather cools down you may see renewed production with larger tomatoes again.
my tomato blossoms are dropping off. its sad after such hard work. but few plants are growing tomatoes. one guy suggests to put wood ash into container.
what is your advice?
I almost never recommend wood ashes because they make soil more alkaline, which tomatoes don't want. Blossom drop can be an indicator of low phosphorus and potassium. Best to do a simple NPK soil test to find out what your soil is missing and then amend from there. Rapitest is a good at home test kit. It's like driving with your eyes open. If the nutrient levels are fine, then it usually comes down to an environmental disturbance, like temperatures over 90 degrees F, or sudden temperature changes or other stress on the plant. Pollen becomes sterile at temps above 90 degrees F, and blossoms drop. I'm not sure where you are located, but if it's summer where you are right now, that is likely the cause.
Thanks@@Gardenerd I am located on Pakistan Punjab. temperature is between 21 F to 30 F. I have used NPK. Plants are grown effectively I have shown in my videos. one guy suggested in his video to cut off the top and let plant to produce fruit now. I did it with one plant last week. I have little home garden. its my second experience.
How can I give P&K to my plant?
can I use Egg shell? potato skin/shell
@@bilalarifbaig the sources of P and K I prefer are seabird guano for phosphorus and kelp meal for potassium. Egg shells are calcium and take a really long time to become available to the plant, so I don't both with those. Worm castings are also a great source of a broad spectrum of micronutrients and benefits the plants and soil food web microbes as well.
I'm having issues where even though my temps are above 90F during the day(9A/9B), but the tiny fruits are showing... but they seem to look like they are rotting and then fall off after a day or so, with no real growth on the fruits. I've been having this issue for 2 months or so now. I added a bunch of potassium sulfate and gypsum for calcium but no change. Watering is sporadic as it can rain here every few days, or not at all for awhile.
I do have a bunch of tomato plants in a relatively small planter (45 gallon smartpot, not fully filled though), and they are HUGe 4+ feet fall, but they aren't producing fruit... it sucks! I'm getting some new beds set up and was thinking of transplanting them. I also am going to add more dirt to the current bag, and Ifigured new roots would pop out of the tomato plant so that might work out, but i have like 8 plants in this one bag so I think they might just be starved of nutrients. My fault, I was desperate for a lot of tomatoes and I didn't have the funds to get more soil amendments and beds at the time (I amend my own organic/chemical-free soil together, which is expensive compared to store-bought nutrients).
Maybe I will just remove a few plants when it's time to set up the beds, but keep a few as well. It would be a shame ot lose these plants, but I will try to start some new ones too.
I will say, I also had a watermelon and Jalapeno plant where the fruits were very small "Jalapeno was maybe 1" max on 2 of them.... I definitely think i'm missing something nutrient-wise. Maybe I'll spray some fish liquid fertilizer and some other stuff to see if that will help. I'm not sure if I want only potassium-rich fertilizer though, or phosphorus is needed too?
Thank you!
It sounds like you've tried a few things already, but I highly recommend doing a soil test to find out more about what's lacking in your soil. It's like driving with your eyes open - essential. Over fertilizing can cause problems too, so you don't want to over do it. And yes, definitely thin out those tomato plants next year. They are heavy feeders and so one per bag is the right configuration. Most soil mixes are weak and need additional fertilizer, and plants in pots need regular feeding since nutrients drain out with watering. But start with a test for your NPK and go from there.
Great video! To the point but LOTS of good information, and in the comments as well!!!😊
beefsteak tomatoes that are kept to a single stem tend to keep the flower production/fruit more active as well due to the concentration of energy. We have plenty of insects as well though temperatures/humidity are the biggest causes.
I feel like I just went BACK TO SCHOOL 😳🚶🏃🏃🚶 actually VERY informative awesome thank you young LADY
my plant will flower and die. it's a huge plant, though lol it's taking over. i did notice a reflection off a nearby window burning other plants so maybe this is killing the flowers, too.
Do a soil test to make sure you have enough Phosphorus and Potassium. Also consider pruning the tomato plant back a lot. The overgrowth is taking away from fruiting and flowering. That's where I'd start, with those 2 things.
It is HOT here 90s and 100s. All my tomatoes are in partial shade. They are managing and I've been harvesting the cherry tomatoes and am waiting for the Cherokee Purples to ripen.
But do you by any chance know the reasons a zucchini doesn't produce female flowers? Do you have a video on that? I have never been able to grow zucchinis even though the plants seem large and healthy with lots of male flowers. The problem is there are no female flowers. I have grown winter squash without a problem. I'm in Zone 8a in SC.
Male flowers usually appear first but then female flowers open after that. If they aren't appearing, it's generally because there is a lack of phosphorus and potassium available to the plant. You might want to do a soil test for levels in your zucchini patch and amend accordingly. That will generate some new growth and female flowers.
Hope this helps: Early in the growing season, there tends to be only male flowers- this is basically a way for the plant to tell the local pollinators that it’s there and to please come visit. As the season progresses the production of male and female flowers is more balanced. Low temperatures, lack of sunshine and adverse growing conditions can also be accountable for lack of female flowers. Good luck!
I’ve done all that but my tomatoes plants have been one foot tall for months now
Might be time to do a soil test or dig to inspect for invading tree roots. We have another video on the #1 reason why raised beds become unproductive. If your tomatoes are in the ground, the same thing can happen. You may want to test for high zinc too, because zinc binds up nutrients and prevents plants from growing. All the fertilizer in the world won't help that situation.
Yeah, not touching that root ball (shiver). I'll just put them in bigger pots right away next year.
What is the treatment for the southern blight?
Here's what I found: high carbon (like fresh chip bark) can actually foster growth in this pathogen. So composted mulch is a better option for soils with Southern Blight (Sclerotium rolfsii). Also according to Clemson University, you could fallow your garden space for 6 months to kill it off. University of Florida lists biological controls as: Trichoderma harzianum, Gliocladium virens, Trichoderma viride, Bacillus subtilis, and Penicillium spp.. Trichoderma species are readily available (Gardenerd.com sells BiotaMax, which contains these species) for sale and can be applied with a home sprayer (see our nematode video for application guidance). I hope this helps.
Great info thanks for sharing
I plant cherry tomatoes from seeds in containers It about 6 months and saw a couple fruit...it is normal?
It sounds like the container lacks the nutrients the tomato plant needs, or it wasn't big enough to support a full root system. They like deep planters - 18-24" deep. And they are heavy feeders, meaning you might need to fertilize them every other week during the growing season.
Thanks 🙏
I have a big beautiful some type of heirloom I grew from a tiny plant. It’s big beautiful in a raised bed. Flowers no tomatoes. It looks healthy. I have fertilized it. Still nothing. Watering has to be daily. It’s 100 plus where I live.
What’s the problem?
Temperatures over 100 degrees will make flowers drop instead of setting fruit. When the weather cools down you'll start to see fruit set.
Hello mam how much potash and phosphorus is needed by a tomato plant.
As usual, the answer is "it depends". Have you done a soil test to see what is already present in your soil? That will give you the answer you are looking for. There are simple soil tests available online and at your local nursery. They test for NPK and pH. It's much less expensive than sending soil into a lab and you'll get recommendations for how much to add based on the results.
I am in a hot climate - New Mexico and it in the 90s almost every day , although it goes down to the sixties nightly , I must water once or twice a day or they’ll burn and wilt and die. I killed all my tomatoe plants at first -😿now I plant in front of. overgrown wall to the west and this gives the plant the reprieve it needs as evening temperatures are highest from the west sun .
This year I have a new pest - a very small beetle that sleeps on the leaves at night and goes out in large numbers during the day running around . Does anyone know it ? , please .
Sorry to hear about your new pest. If you post a picture of it to our Gardenerd.com Facebook page we might be able to ID it.
My tomatoes are making fruit but they are very small
If you are coastal, tomatoes may be smaller in size than they would be in warmer inland climates. Also, check your soil nutrients to see what is missing, then amend accordingly. That should help a lot.
Ok, so, let me correct, straight and clear some things about watering tomatoes. This women says she lives on coast with high temperatures, and i also live in mediterranean climate in europe. So, being tomato fanatic over 20 years, i tested numerous tomato types and their watering needs. Every tomato, once 90F or 30C temeperatures start in early june, that does not get watered every second day, it dies. I can pull it every 3 days watering in May, if its still cloudy, but thats about it. In july when temperature goes 35-38-40C, if you do not water every day, tomato will die. Lets be real here, zucchinis and peppers are already wilted before noon. So those, as we call it in europe "cool hunting stories", like saying that field tomatoes need watering between 5 and 10 days, is at best comical and laughable. Ofc. tomato will wilt on strong sun and in the night it will recover, but do it 2 more days and tomato will push its flowers thinking its going to die, you will start water and fruit will be dispoportional to the plant and plant wont grow and it can die before fruit ripens. To be honest, im not expert, but i tested so many things and i can asure you, in +30C, water every 2 days, minimally.
How often do you fertilize?
@@beverlycharles6534
If you did everything correctly with planting, sometimes you do not even need to fertilize. When you are preparing hole for tomato, you need a handful of humus, compost, NPK, KAN and bone meal. That is the most important step. When you put all of that in hole, cover it with soil and water it few days so it breaks down. Minerals are salts, they can not touch the roots. Salt sticks to roots and plant cant absorb the water and suffocates even if watered.
So, the real trick is to plant it in garden as earlier as possible. So the plant can grow to its potential before 30-35 C° temperatures come. When ground heats up that much and if the roots are shallow, the plant stops taking nutrients and stops daily growth. That is why fertilizing after that point is useless. That is why you need to grow the plant to its potential before the heat starts. So the plant develops long roots and can take water and nutriens from deeper soil, regardless of heat.
Now to the point of your question. If plant developed long root then i fertilize twice. First time when it starts to form flowers and second time when fruit are half ripe. And i mix NPK and KAN in ratio 50/50, throwing less than handful around the plant. I also spray a lot with milk and liquid fertilizer, every second week. Especially good when unexpected heats come and the plant is still not fully grown so it can take nutrients by leaf.