Tomatoes with real lycopene — Step by step to fruit that really tastes like tomato

The tomato is the most sensitive vegetable you can grow in your garden or field. It immediately shows what is missing in your soil — and it rewards good soil care with a taste, color, and nutrient density that a supermarket tomato will never achieve.
A tomato with 10 °Brix is more than twice as nutritious as one with 4 °Brix. It contains more lycopene, more vitamin C, more potassium — and it tastes the way a tomato should taste.
This guide shows you how to achieve this. Step by step. For farms with acres of land and for gardens with ten tomato plants in a raised bed.

Why tomatoes react more strongly to soil than other crops

The tomato is one of the plants that reacts most strongly to mineral supply and soil health — and shows improvements fastest and most visibly. Darker leaves after a few days. Firmer fruits. More intense color. Less blossom end rot. Earlier ripening.
At the same time, the tomato is susceptible: Calcium deficiency directly leads to blossom end rot — one of the most common and frustrating problems in tomato cultivation. The black spots at the blossom end of the fruit are a direct signal: too little calcium, poor stomatal regulation, disturbed water transport in the fruit.

If you understand the system, you can prevent it. And if you prevent it, you harvest tomatoes that deliver on their promise of redness.
You can learn more about why lycopene and Brix value are so closely related — and why the tomato is the world's most emotional food — in our article on tomatoes, lycopene, and nutrient density.

The system — three time levels, a rich harvest

As with onion cultivation, the same applies to tomatoes: the complete system beats the individual product. The three time levels work together:

Long-term — Steinkraft Basalt with its paramagnetic properties builds up trace elements and soil structure over years and triples the microbial environment.

Medium-term — Steinkraft Zeolite stores water and nutrients in the soil and releases them exactly when the tomato needs them.

Immediately — Grünkraft Calcium works directly via the leaf. Immediate CO₂ supply for photosynthesis, direct calcium for cell walls — and thus less blossom end rot, more lycopene, higher Brix value.

AM+PLUS Active Microorganisms connect all three levels — they make minerals plant-available and build real soil life.

Step 1 — Soil preparation: Incorporate Steinkraft Zeolite

Timing: 2 to 4 weeks before planting.

Zeolite is indispensable for tomatoes for a special reason: it buffers water fluctuations. Tomatoes react extremely sensitively to uneven water supply — the result is fruit cracking, blossom end rot, and loss of flavor.
The unique lattice structure of zeolite absorbs water during dry periods and releases it evenly. The soil remains balanced — even if it doesn't rain for days or a heavy downpour suddenly occurs.

At the same time, zeolite binds calcium in the root area and releases it as needed. Calcium is the crucial nutrient for tomatoes — and zeolite ensures that it is not leached out before the root can absorb it.

You can find more about how zeolite works in the soil — and why it is the most natural soil improver there is — in our comprehensive guide: How to properly use zeolite in the garden.

Application in farming: 200 kg Steinkraft Zeolite per hectare, incorporated during plowing or harrowing.

Application in the garden: A generous handful of Steinkraft Zeolite per planting hole, thoroughly mixed into the soil. All garden products can be found in our garden collection.

Step 2 — The paramagnetic soil activator: Steinkraft Basalt

Timing: Simultaneously with zeolite, before planting.

Steinkraft Basalt is much more than a trace element supplier. Its very high paramagnetic property — researched by scientist Philip S. Callahan — makes it the most active soil improver known to nature. Paramagnetic soils react to the natural Earth's magnetic field and transfer this energy to the root zone.

The result is spectacular: paramagnetic soils triple the microbial environment. Three times more active microorganisms mean three times more nutrient mobilization — and for the tomato, this means three times more trace elements that are converted into lycopene, vitamin C, and polyphenols.
Particularly valuable for tomatoes: Basalt supplies silicon, which strengthens the plant's cell walls and thus increases resistance to fungal diseases like blight.

Everything about paramagnetism and why basalt is so special — in our blog article on paramagnetic basalt rock flour.

Application in farming: 300 to 500 kg Steinkraft Basalt per hectare, incorporated into the soil. For initial application on depleted soils, up to 1,000 kg.

Application in the garden: 0.5 kg per square meter, sprinkle into the soil 1 to 2 times annually.

Step 3 — Build soil life: AM+PLUS Active Microorganisms

Timing: At planting — and then every 3 to 4 weeks.

AM+PLUS is the original solution made from organic Austrian herbs, based on lactic acid bacteria, refined with homeopathy and spagyrics. Regional, living, highly concentrated.
For tomatoes, AM+PLUS is important for a very special reason: tomatoes benefit enormously from mycorrhizal fungi, which greatly expand the root network. These fungi form a symbiotic relationship with the tomato root — they supply phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements from soil areas that the root alone would never reach.

The result: More minerals in the fruit. More lycopene. More vitamin C. Higher Brix value.
Customers also report: With the combination of basalt, zeolite, and AM+PLUS, slugs disappear from the garden — orange slugs simply stay away, even in wet spring seasons.

Application in farming: As a soil drench at planting, then weekly as a foliar or soil treatment.
Application in the garden: Add a splash of AM+PLUS to a watering can of water — pour directly into the planting hole before setting in the young plant. The roots immediately come into contact with the microorganisms. Then repeat watering every week.

Step 4 — First foliar fertilization: Grünkraft Calcium at the young plant stage

Timing: As early as possible — when the first true leaves appear, even before the plant begins to grow.

This is the moment that determines the entire tomato season. Young tomato plants have particularly active, wide-open stomata. The calcite particles of Grünkraft Calcium penetrate most effectively at this stage — they immediately decompose into CO₂ for photosynthesis and calcium for the cell walls.
A tomato plant that is optimally supplied with calcium from the start develops more stable cell walls from the beginning. This means: less blossom end rot, less fruit cracking, less blight — and more lycopene, because the plant invests its energy not in stress response but in nutrient production.

By the way: Grünkraft Calcium can easily be used in a single spray application along with all other plant protection and fertilizers. We use it together with microorganisms.

How to properly care for young plants and give them a stress-free start — our blog article on young plants shows you how.

Concentration: 0.3% solution — 3 grams of Grünkraft Calcium per 1 liter of water. First dissolve in a small amount of water — this is not entirely correct, it is rock — more precisely, stir well and then top up.

Spray as a fine mist early morning or late afternoon — not in midday heat or strong wind. Obviously. We do it in the morning so that the moisture in the evening doesn't attract slugs and encourage reproduction.

Step 5 — The repeat schedule for tomatoes

Interval: Every 14 to 20 days — throughout the entire growing season.

For tomatoes, consistency is key. Each application strengthens cell walls, supplies the plant with CO₂, and extends the active growing season. Treated tomato plants flower longer, set more fruit, and ripen more uniformly.

The treatment schedule for tomatoes:

Treatment 1 — Young plant stage, first true leaves: 0.3% concentration. Treatment 2 — Active growth phase, 14 to 20 days later: 0.3% concentration. Treatment 3 — Flower formation begins: 0.5% concentration. Particularly important — fruit quality is decided at this stage.
Treatment 4 — Fruit set and development: 0.5% concentration.
Treatment 5 — Ripening phase: 0.5% concentration. Extends ripening time and increases lycopene synthesis.

In case of stress: Immediately increase frequency. Heat waves, heavy rain, sudden temperature drops — at these moments, the tomato particularly needs calcium for stomatal regulation. Treat without interruption.

Quantity required: 2 to 3 kg Grünkraft Calcium per hectare per season.

For the garden: 10 tomato plants in the bed or raised bed

The complete system also works on a small scale — and especially in the garden, the results are most noticeable.

Soil preparation: Mix a handful of Steinkraft Zeolite and a handful of Steinkraft Basalt granules well into each planting hole — or scatter both products evenly over the bed and rake in 10 cm deep.

AM+PLUS when planting: Add a splash of AM+PLUS original solution to a watering can of water — pour directly into the planting hole before setting in the young plant. The root immediately comes into contact with the microorganisms.

Grünkraft Calcium as a spray: Fill a small spray bottle with a 0.3% solution — 1.5 grams of powder per 500 ml of water. As soon as the first true leaves appear, finely spray over leaves and stems every two weeks. For 10 tomato plants, a short spray of a few minutes is sufficient. Can be combined with all other plant care products.

What you will observe in the garden: Just a few days after the first Grünkraft Calcium treatment, the leaves will become noticeably darker — intensely dark green instead of light green. The plant appears stronger, more upright. Earlier and more abundant flowering. And at the end of the season: tomatoes that are deep red, intensely fragrant, and deliver that special moment when you bite into them.

You can measure the difference — with a simple refractometer. A treated tomato with 9 or 10 °Brix next to an untreated one with 4 or 5 °Brix — the difference is visible in seconds. And the difference in lycopene content, vitamin C, and taste follows directly.

What makes the difference in lycopene — the physiological connection

When Grünkraft Calcium is sprayed on the leaf, the micro and nano particles decompose in the leaf:

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂

The CO₂ immediately enters photosynthesis. More photosynthesis means more sugar in the fruit. More sugar means more energy for the formation of lycopene and other secondary plant compounds — these are exactly the substances that give the tomato its intense red color and its health benefits.

The calcium oxide simultaneously strengthens the cell walls — and stable cell walls mean less water dilution in the fruit. Less water, more of everything else. More nutrient density per bite.

Studies by the Oekomineral Group in France show: Treated tomato plants develop more chloroplasts, a higher polyphenol content in the tissue, and a measurable increase in dry matter content. Earlier ripening on the vine — the moment when lycopene reaches its peak value.

The complete program at a glance

Links — all products and further knowledge

All products for the garden — Zeolite, Basalt, AM+PLUS and Grünkraft Calcium — can be found in our Garden Collection.

For larger farms and professional tomato cultivation — all products for agriculture can be found in our Agriculture Collection.

Why microorganisms are better than any organic fertilizer — and how AM+PLUS truly builds soil life — in this blog article.

What paramagnetism means and why Steinkraft Basalt is so special — everything about basalt rock dust.

Zeolite in raised beds — how the volcanic mineral stores water and nutrients — the raised bed article.

And why lycopene from real ripe tomatoes works — but not from pill form — the big tomato nutrient article.

Sources:

Oekomineral Group / Tribo Technologies, Technical studies and field trials Plantos Verde 2011–2014 | Philip S. Callahan, Paramagnetism — Rediscovering Nature's Secret Force of Growth | AOK Magazin, Tomatoes and Lycopene | Universidade Federal do Ceará, Organic Tomatoes Vitamin C Study