The home gardener should start to fertilize (quarter strength) as soon as the cotyledons (seed leaves) are flat out.

Commercial growers, especially those growing in greenhouse, do it to make money for a living not as a hobby. They constantly research to improve their productivity on square basis of greenhouse. They also follow similar method growing in the field. Pruning is often a common practice among commercial growers.
You can visit the Market Gardeners forum here on GW. Sometimes they discuss this and similar topics.

So, Yeah ! What can we learn from the big boys ? !

BriAnDaren I posted some pics on "Sungold and sweet 100, do you let them grow crazy?" 2 or 3 posts down on this forum.
I do grow in a greenhouse I guess you can call it a "local commercial" I do about 400 plants in a green house and 500 out side..
I use liquid fertilizer right from the start.. this is a pic from my germination chamber ..sry pic is blurred.

here is some that were planted 3/6/14

Jean: Why should the home gardener delay fertilization until cotyledons are flat out? Why not emulate the commercial growers? Do you know something that I don't?

Seysonn: Don't you think ~1 leaf per tomato is a bit extreme?

Boston: Yay! I'm talking to a Real Grower. Why do you fertilize so early? What is the gain over using plain old water?
I saw your pictures earlier today, it sort of looks like you prune to 1 leaf or so per cluster of cherry tomatoes.

I do woodworking so I have several garbage bags of pine sawdust sitting in my basement. I'm tempted to use them like they did in the link. I've read about straw bale gardening, so it's not too much of a stretch to apply it to sawdust.

Boston (and any one else), how do you thoroughly wet a garbage bag full of sawdust? I suspect just pouring feed water on top of it for a week won't wet it thoroughly.

Daren

The article you linked to is about hydroponic growing in rock wool. Fertilization is a very different issue in hydroponics than in soil growing. So I guess I am missing how the info is applicable?

Let's not make the mistake of assuming that all the "big boys" do it the same way. :)

There are many commercial growers that are regulars here and I know based on the many past discussions that many of us have a very different opinions on when and how to start fertilizing seedlings. I know mine is very different from Boston's description of his.

Doesn't make any of us right or wrong, just that many different methods have been proven to work.

Dave

digdirt is right we all do things different. I fertilize at planting because my soil is sterile and I want to get as much nutrients in to the soil..

also I am far form a "BIG BOY" grower when it comes to tomatoes. we are a third generation potato farm that grew 200 acres of potatoes till about 15 years ago. then we down-sized to about 25 acres of potatoes and started growing other stuff.
I just started growing tomatoes about 5 years and I learn something new everyday..i just grow a lot because I have the ability to move that much product witch helps..lol

you said " it sort of looks like you prune to 1 leaf or so per cluster of cherry tomatoes. " ... there are lot of reasons for doing this, but I will be here all day explaining why. put it this way, I do a lay-down method and I am trying to get my plants '15 to '20 tall.

you asked "how do you thoroughly wet a garbage bag full of sawdust? I suspect just pouring feed water on top of it for a week won't wet it thoroughly"
I have no idea but if you try it that way I think you will get a bag of mold..i know nothing about that type of growing..sry

Seysonn: Don't you think ~1 leaf per tomato is a bit extreme?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brian,
Where did I say that ? If I evere said such a thing anywhere, anytime that would be waaay off the line. hehe

brain,
wants to find a way to grow with no leafs. they keep getting in the way! :)

Oh no, my faith may have been shaken, but I'm in no way turning over to the dark side. I don't prune healthy leaves!

Boston: I'll experiment with the sawdust this coming season. According to the article, it can be done. I just need to find out how, because Lord knows, sawdust is just not useful for a bonfire.

Dave: You're right, a lot of the content in the article is not applicable to a home gardener like myself. However I do think some of the ideas presented in the article are interesting, may be useful, possibly worthy of discussion?

I've read people describing tomatoes as having vegetative and reproductive states. This has always confused me since I have never seen these states. Instead, all my tomatoes produce new shoots and leaves, and at the same time produce new flowers and fruit.

My understanding of the article is that a particular plant can be viewed as either more vegetative or more generative depending on the ratio of leaves to fruit; and that you can get a balanced plant by raising or lowering the temperature.

This is not immediately useful for a home gardener as temperature is beyond our control, but a better understanding of tomatoes and the effects of temperature might come in handy.

Daren