How to successfully apply fertilizers with trace elements for foliar applications. Foliar nutrition - plant health

Foliar feeds. Major misconceptions and mistakes

The level of training of agronomists of specialized agricultural enterprises is growing every year, as is the level of technological equipment of agriculture. The use of fertilizers is now firmly established in intensive cultivation technologies as one of the main components that ensure a high yield. The volume of fertilizer use per hectare of arable land and the variety of ways to use them are also growing. Even during the years of the financial crisis, when many farms experienced a shortage of working capital, they found money for fertilizers, because everyone understands that you cannot get a high harvest without them.

But even today, among experienced specialists, there are many misconceptions in the views on the plant nutrition system itself, as well as practical errors in its implementation. And most often they relate to a new method of making mineral fertilizers- foliar dressings. Let's take them one by one.

The first misconception: foliar top dressing is not needed. Back in 1770, A. T. Bolotov outlined the theory mineral nutrition plants, and later Justus Liebig convincingly proved that this nutrition is mainly carried out through the root system. Since then, agronomists have been systematically fertilizing the soil (and they have been doing this since the time of Aristotle). it reliable way, proven by centuries of agronomic practice. That is why there are many supporters of the approach "animals feed on their mouths, and plants feed on their roots - therefore, fertilizers need to be applied only to the soil."

So why apply fertilizer "on the sheet"?

Reason one: modern development energy saving technologies. Minimal tillage, and even more so the zero technology of growing crops, significantly reduces our ability to choose the method of fertilizing in comparison with the classical ones (Table 1).

Application possibilities various methods fertilizer application on field crops depending on the adopted tillage

Application Method	Short description	Technology
		Classical	Mini small	Zero
Main application	Application to the depth of the arable layer with distribution over its entire thickness. Usually 27 - 35 cm. Most often - organic fertilizers, the main amounts of phosphorus and potash fertilizers	Yes	Not	Not
Presowing application	Scattering on the soil surface with further incorporation by pre-sowing cultivation. Usually they contribute part nitrogen fertilizers	Yes	Yes	Not
Application with sowing	Local application slightly below the depth of sowing seeds using fertilizer planters. Complex NPK fertilizers or small amounts of phosphate fertilizers	Yes	Yes	Yes
Inter-row feeding	Local application to a depth of 8 - 15 cm through the cultivator fertilizer lines. Usually nitrogen, partly phosphorus and potassium	Yes	Not	Not
Foliar top dressing	Leaf spray. Almost all nutrients, including trace elements	Yes	Yes	Yes

Thus, the fewer ways we have to apply fertilizers when introducing new technology, the more important becomes the competent use of the remaining methods at our disposal.

Reason two: The intensity of assimilation by plant roots of certain nutrients from the soil depends very much on many factors: temperature, humidity, soil aeration, pH level and salt composition of the soil, development of the root system of the crop. Therefore, the situation often arises when given element is present in the soil in sufficient quantities, but due to low temperatures, for example, the roots absorb it very poorly and the plant suffers from nutritional deficiencies. Optimal solution in this case - foliar top dressing. By applying a small amount of appropriate fertilizer "by leaf" we can get quick result and a significant improvement in plant health.

Reason three: the feasibility of carrying out some dressings when the activity of the root system fades over time. Good example- a classic method of foliar feeding of cereals with urea to increase the gluten content in the grain.

Reason four: the need for plants to feed at times when inter-row treatments are not possible, for example, when the plants of the crop have reached a height that does not allow cultivation with top dressing.

Reason five: saving power consumption. When applied to the leaves (especially if the vegetative apparatus of the plant is already well developed), unproductive losses of fertilizers are practically excluded. Almost everything goes into the plant.

So what happens? If foliar nutrition is so important and convenient, then maybe it’s worth just using them?

Misconception two: only foliar top dressing! It is attractive, of course, but, unfortunately, impossible. And main reason in that the needs of plants in nutrients are tens of times greater than the amount that we can give "by leaf".

Let us compare, for example, the reference data (Table 2) on the removal of nutrients by plants from 1 ha with the number of elements that we can provide with foliar nutrition. To simplify, we took only one element - phosphorus, and as a fertilizer the most concentrated in terms of phosphorus - monopotassium phosphate (52% P2O5).

The removal of nutrients with the harvest of crops (Likhochvor V.V., Lvov, 2002) and the conditional calculation of the number of foliar top dressings to fully compensate for the removal of phosphorus

culture (yield)	Removal of R 2 O 5, (kg / ha)	The need for monopotassium phosphate to fully compensate for the removal, (kg / ha)	The maximum allowable dose of the drug for one foliar application (kg / ha)	Estimated quantity top dressing
Winter wheat (50 q/ha)
Corn for grain (80 q/ha)
Sugar beet (500 q/ha)
Sunflower (30 q/ha)

So, how many foliar top dressings need to be carried out in this case in order to meet the needs of plants on soils with low level phosphorus supply? About thirty! And that's just for phosphorus! And there is also nitrogen, calcium, sulfur and the whole list of nutrients ... It is unlikely that there will be an agronomist who will seriously consider such a “fertilizer application plan”.

So what to do? There is only one reasonable solution to this problem - to competently combine root and non-root nutrition in accordance with the needs of the plant, soil availability and the characteristics of the chosen growing technology.

It follows that universal recipes does not happen for everyone. Mineral nutrition planning is a very responsible and complex calculation, which should be carried out by specialists on the basis of soil analysis individually for each farm and each field.

Thus, it is very important to accurately calculate the amount of required fertilizers, choose the right forms, methods and timing of application. But that's not all. It is important to remember - for foliar top dressing, we use fairly concentrated solutions. chemical compounds that actively affect plants. Any mistake can lead to disruption of the physiological processes taking place in the plant, leaf burns and crop losses. That is why we have no right to such errors.

Error one: exceeding the permissible concentrations of the working solution. An increase in the flow rate of the working fluid by 1 ha during spraying leads to excessive fuel consumption and optimal timing processing, delays the timing of operations. To avoid this, we are forced to use solutions of extremely high concentration. But exceeding these limits always leads to leaf burns.

How to avoid it? Read the label! Professional fertilizer manufacturers for foliar application be sure to write on the packaging not only the recommended doses of fertilizers per hectare, but also the concentration of working solutions or the recommended consumption of working fluid per hectare. If it is not written, look in reference books, ask professional consultants. Don't work randomly!

Consideration should also be given to processing times and weather, because in many cultures the resistance of the leaf surface to burns depends on the thickness of the wax coating, and it is maximum during the heat and minimum after the rains.

Error two: mixing with other drugs. The temptation is great - to save money, not to make unnecessary passes of the sprayer across the field, to carry out top dressing in the form of a tank mixture with plant protection products. Rational decision. But not always. Unfortunately, there are exceptions. One example is in photo 1. Tube A is a foliar fertilizer solution (the blue color comes from the copper it contains). Tube B - fungicide solution with the active ingredient, aluminum fosethyl. This solution is also clear and homogeneous. And in test tube C - a mixture of these substances. It is there that we see the formation of large conglomerates, the actual formation of new chemical compounds, completely undesirable either for our plants or for our sprayer.

On the photo 2 - the result of adding foliar dressings to the herbicide solution. Burn. The selectivity of the action of many herbicides is due to a very fine balancing of doses and concentrations between two "fires" - do not burn the plants and do not leave the weeds alive. Sometimes the addition of a very small amount of another substance to the herbicide solution upsets this balance. And then you should not make claims to manufacturers chemicals. Simply, when deciding on mixing drugs, you need to carefully study the compatibility tables. Usually such tables can be obtained from the manufacturers themselves or from professional consulting companies.

Error three: poor-quality distribution of the working fluid over the surface of the leaves. Because different nutrients behave differently inside the plant. Numerous experiments have shown that all necessary for the plant batteries can be absorbed to some extent through the leaf apparatus. Suction process nutrients, their distribution within the leaf and transportation to other organs of the plant depends on the degree of mobility.

Mobile elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium) move from top to bottom from the point of absorption. They can move to those plant organs that need them most. These are mainly buds, young leaves and growing roots. Elements with low mobility (copper, iron, manganese, boron and calcium) will only be distributed upwards from the point of impact on the leaf (acropetally) and therefore, if we did not cover when spraying lower leaves plants with a solution, certain elements do not get to them.

Mistake four: incorrect calculation of the dose during band application. This issue is becoming more and more relevant withthe growing popularity of band spraying. Band application (spraying only lines with young plants without loss of fertilizers for tillage between rows) allows reasonable savings, especially in the early stages of development, when the plants are still small. But it is necessary to carefully recalculate the dose and amount of working fluid. Because, for example, if our belt sprayer covers only a third of the row spacing with the working solution, then the consumption of the preparation and the solution must be reduced by a factor of three. A mistake will lead to serious consequences, we have heard more than once from the farmers who held the burnt plants in their hands and on the leaves: “Where are the burns from? I gave fertilizer at 3 kilograms per hectare, as recommended.” But I didn’t think that I had actually sprayed not a hectare, but only a third of its net sown area.

Mistake five: erroneous determination of the timing of the introduction. Each plant is characterized by the corresponding dynamics of consumption of nutrients. With foliar nutrition, we cannot give “in reserve”, as is often done when applying to the soil, since here everything that we bring in gets inside the plant very quickly. Therefore, it is very important to understand when a plant needs nitrogen the most, when it needs phosphorus, and when critical periods for micronutrient supply occur. And take this into account when carrying out foliar dressings.

Mistake six: "food cocktail". Or in other words - what fertilizers to apply? The modern arsenal of fertilizers for foliar feeding is very large. These drugs are very different in their composition, forms of the active substance and price. Not always the most expensive drug is the highest quality. All their diversity is briefly classified in Table 3.

Classification of fertilizers for foliar nutrition (abbreviated)

Type of fertilizer used in foliar applications		Examples
Simple macronutrients		Urea
Combined macronutrients		Monopotassium phosphate
Simple trace elements	Solutions of inorganic compounds	Boric acid
	Metal chelates	Iron, zinc chelate, etc.
Combined macro= and micronutrients	Mixture of metal salts	Magnesium borate, potassium permanganate
	Chelated forms of several salts	Novofert, Teraflex
	Polymer-chelate complexes with amino acids	Vuksal

Modern fertilizers for foliar nutrition are not just a fertilizer mixture filled with micro and macro elements. For their production, serious companies use pure chemical raw materials.

The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing a leaf mineral fertilizer is its composition. Simple fertilizers have a rather poor chemical composition, low purity, rather low solubility and poor wettability of the leaf surface. In addition, after their use, salt deposits may appear on the leaves. Their use is justified only on extensive crops, when under any circumstances we cannot count on getting very big harvest, but still need to provide the plants with the appropriate element.

It is equally important to know in what form the active substance is presented. One of the most effective is the chelate form, which provides stability in solution and a high degree of absorption by plants, but is the main component in the price. Sometimes, instead of chelates, a cheaper form of complexones (complexes of organic acids) is used. Such compounds are less stable and slightly less digestible, but in many cases they can help to correct plant nutrition. Modern developments are polymer chelate complexes. These substances practically do not lose their effectiveness when treated at very low or very high temperatures, Moreover, high degree the purity of the compounds ensures their greater efficiency.

Vadim DUDKA

General Director of AgroAnaliz, Kakhovka, Ukraine

Everyone recognizes the high efficiency of foliar top dressing. True, experts - with a caveat: if the soil was not sufficiently seasoned with fertilizers in the spring. But even in this case, there are times when fertilizer on the sheet will be useful.

Abroad, foliar dressings are rarely resorted to. Mostly amateurs. Farmers call in specialists who calculate how much and under what crop fertilizers should be applied so that they do not need anything.

We use them often. Especially when there are signs of a lack of batteries. In this case, foliar top dressing is indispensable - it acts almost instantly and saves the crop.

Taking into account the fact that we do not fill the soil at all or fill it for digging as far as financially possible, spraying on the leaf will be very useful during rapid growth tops, setting and fruit formation.

Let me remind you that by the time of flowering, plants already eat about 60% of nitrogen, 55-58% of phosphorus and more than 50% of potassium from the total need. Therefore, the bulk of top dressing should be carried out earlier. That is, even before budding.

Dope for the underdeveloped

If the plants develop weakly, slowly, or the soil on the site is not quite suitable - too “skinny” to make high doses of fertilizers. Or sandy, where everything introduced falls to a depth inaccessible to the roots. Then in the spring the best top dressing there will be urea on the sheet.

And those who only lightly spray the plants are wrong. They must be carefully treated with a solution. When it dries, go through again, and so on up to 3-5 times. In general, you need to spend 200-300 g of urea per hundred square meters (this is 20-40 liters). You can spend this rate in several doses, within two weeks.

This top dressing is best done in the morning or evening, when there is no wind. Rain is also contraindicated.

The best foliar top dressing for seedlings

Many will be surprised, but in most cases, feeding seedlings is very useful. It is carried out no later than 1-1.5 weeks after germination.

For these purposes the best fertilizer a very weak solution of urea is considered (no more than 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). Fertilized plants become stronger and pass the most vulnerable stage of development with less losses.

If it got cold

In areas where the summer is short or the spring is long (rainy and cold), and also if the plants go into the tops, foliar full top dressing will be very useful. It is prepared from several simple fertilizers: 20 g of urea, 200 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium chloride and 1 g blue vitriol. These fertilizers are thoroughly dissolved, mixed and infused for 3-4 hours. After that, the solution is filtered (superphosphate gives a large precipitate). And you can process landings.

Copper sulfate for foliar top dressing is extremely important. It provides better digestibility of all other components, so it cannot be excluded.

Only one such top dressing per leaf increases the yield by 15-20%. The quality of fruits and vegetables is also increasing. Increased resistance of plants to diseases and pests.

In a drought, drink without water

Get drunk, of course, loudly. Rather, foliar top dressing with a solution of potassium chloride will increase the resistance of plants to soil and air droughts. For 10 liters you will need 100 g of this inexpensive fertilizer.

It is necessary to spray the plants before flowering, during budding. After such a procedure, they will begin to use water more economically and not react so much to drought and heat.

Depending on the dryness of the summer, using such a simple procedure, you can increase the yield by 22-55% (potassium is used by plants as a molecular pump - it is secreted by the roots and absorbed back along with water, "squeezing out" the soil like a sponge). Needless to say, there will be no particular benefit if such top dressing is used in rainy and cold year?

More greater effect potassium foliar top dressing gives on solonets soils.

For everything to dry faster

To accelerate the ripening of potato tubers, root crops and the outflow of nutrients from the tops, foliar top dressing is carried out. phosphate fertilizers 3-4 weeks before harvesting these crops. It will require 400 g of superphosphate per hundred. This increases the yield by 7-12%, improves the taste and keeping quality of root crops.

Always helpful

We did not mention micronutrients. Not because they are not needed - on the contrary, they are very useful. Moreover, with foliar application, it is almost impossible to cause an overdose in plants. They are good in any weather except the heat.

In addition to the usual root top dressing (watering under the root with fertilizer solutions), there is an effective additional way to increase yields - foliar top dressing. This is spraying plants with nutrient solutions that are absorbed through the leaves and stems, and soon - after a few hours - participate in the metabolism. Nutrients with such top dressing go through the same synthesis path in the plant as with root top dressing, but many times faster.

Foliar top dressing make macro-, but more often microelements. Their goal is to enhance the effect of root nutrition, speed up the delivery of nutrients to the plant and correct previously made mistakes when one or another element was not introduced into the soil in a timely manner or it was introduced in insufficient quantities. Foliar top dressing with fertilizers given to plants in the following cases:

1. When a plant has pronounced signs of a lack of a particular nutrient. The lack of these fertilizers inhibits the growth and development of plants, reduces their immunity, as a result, plants often get sick and are damaged by pests.

2. As a help to the plant during periods of intensive absorption of nutrients by them - during flowering and crop formation.

3. When a plant needs treatment for "stresses" from adverse natural phenomena- drought, a long absence of sun, when the plant is damaged by frosts and pests, when the plant is weakened, at low soil temperatures, when the absorption capacity of the roots decreases, etc.

4. When shaping the crop to improve its quality and to lay the future crop.

Rules for foliar top dressing

In practice foliar plant nutrition several rules must be followed.

Be sure to follow the recommendations for the concentration of the nutrient solution of the fertilizer, otherwise you can cause irreparable harm to the plant. The concentration of solutions at foliar top dressing always significantly lower than with root top dressing.

The nutrient solution of the fertilizer should be sprayed to a misty state, droplets should cover the leaves without dripping from them.

The solution must necessarily fall on the underside of the leaf, where the stomata are located, through which nutrients enter the plant.

Spraying is best done late in the evening, on dry leaves, so that the solution is better absorbed into them.

Fertilizer rates

Below are fertilizer rates for foliar top dressing vegetable crops- as a percentage or in the number of grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.

Cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes responsive to a solution of urea - 10 g per 10 liters of water, it is possible with the addition of 1 g of copper sulfate per bucket of water - this is during the period of growth of green mass. Tomatoes, eggplants love a 0.05% solution of potassium permanganate. This is to prevent the female flowers and ovaries from falling off. Spray once a month. Eggplant and pepper well accept spraying once a week with Kemira Lux or Kemira Universal fertilizer - 15-20 g per 10 liters.

Roots during the growth of the leaf mass, sprayed with a solution boric acid- 0.001-0.005% (0.1-0.5 g per 10 liters of water), and in late July - early August, you can spray them with a solution of potassium sulfate at a concentration of not more than 0.1% - to improve the quality and sugar content, as well as keeping quality during winter storage.

Along with the appetites common to groups of vegetables, individual vegetables have their own preferences and characteristics.

cucumbers. In cold weather, it is useful to spray with a 0.5% urea solution, in open field You can increase the concentration up to 1%. Once every 10 days, it is recommended to spray with a weak solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of 0.1-0.2 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water. Once a week, you can feed a very weak solution of mullein infusion. This prevents the female flowers from dropping and prolongs fruiting. If the leaves begin to turn yellow, spray with infusion onion peel: 2 g of husks (from 3 medium-sized onions) pour 1 l warm water, insist 4 days.

tomatoes. In conditions of insufficient lighting, top dressing should be given on the leaves - 10-15 g of calcium nitrate per bucket of water. The same top dressing is given to tomatoes when twisting top leaves and during fruiting. If the plants are skinny and weak, after root feeding with nitrogen, spray them with a solution of urea and calcium nitrate - 10 and 5 g, respectively, per 10 liters of water. During the period of mass flowering, they are sprayed with a solution of boric acid and magnesium sulfate (1 g per 10 liters of water) for better fruit set.

Potato. His love for ashes is known. If sprayed during flowering with an infusion of 1 cup of ash in 1 liter of water for a day, then the potatoes will be very starchy. To accelerate the ripening of tubers, the tops are sprayed with a solution ammonium nitrate- 60 g - and copper sulfate - 40 g per 10 liters. One hundred square meters requires 4 liters of solution. To improve the outflow of nutrients from the leaves, which increases the yield, spraying with superphosphate is done - 3 tbsp. spoons per 10 liters of water, immediately after flowering. Requires 1 liter of solution per 2 m².

Cabbage. All types of cabbage eaten by pests can be supported by spraying - 50 g of urea, 10 g of potassium nitrate per 10 liters of water - every 10-14 days.

white cabbage give top dressing - 0.1 g of boric acid and ammonium molybdate per 10 liters in the event that the edges of the leaves are bent down and the upper bud does not develop - signs of a lack of boron and molybdenum.

Cauliflower . The biggest lover of trace elements, and especially boron. Give 1-2 sprays during the growing season with a solution of boric acid at a concentration of 0.3%, if boron was not applied to the soil before planting. To make the heads tasty and large, during their formation, the plants are sprayed with manganese sulfate (not to be confused with potassium permanganate) - 5 g - and zinc sulfate 10 g per 10 l. Cauliflower also loves cobalt and molybdenum - 0.1%.

Broccoli. This cabbage is favorable for spraying with a set of trace elements - 1-2 tablets per bucket of water.

Beetroot. Prefers sodium. Sprayed with saline solution table salt or sodium nitrate. The quality of root crops will be improved by one or two sprays with boric acid, zinc and copper sulfate - 5 g per bucket of water.
Lettuce head. In phase 2-4 true leaves are sprayed with a 0.02% solution of ammonium molybdate. At the beginning of tying, the head is sprayed with a set of trace elements - 1 tablet per bucket of water.

Zucchini. Spraying at the beginning of flowering and fruiting with urea - 10 g per bucket of water - invigorates the plants, increases the duration of fruiting. In dry or long-term cold weather, it is useful to feed "Kemira Lux" - 10-15 g per bucket of water once a week.

As with minimal cost for plant nutrition to get the maximum yield? The issue is not of secondary importance, given our ability to buy fertilizers and make up for the loss of soil, intensively exploiting it. After all, we all try to grow everything as much as possible on a tiny piece of land. And if you let the process take its course, do not feed the plants, then the harvest will be poorer and poorer every year. We are not happy with this situation. So we are busy, tirelessly, not counting the cost of funds. And it's worth counting!

And one of the ways to save money is foliar top dressing with macro- and microelements. Why are they beneficial? First, the consumption of fertilizers is much less. Secondly, it is foliar top dressing, in addition to supplying plants with the necessary nutrition, that develops immunity to various diseases, resistance to damage by pests. And this means that we will be able to save on means of struggle, which are often very expensive. Thirdly, foliar feeding contributes to the resistance of plants against drought, which means that you can save water, which many summer residents simply do not have enough of, and they are forced to wait for mercy either from nature or from “leftists” water carriers.

Foliar top dressing is carried out during the growing season of plants - through the foliage. Given the absorbing capacity of the leaves, it is possible to significantly speed up the nutrition of the plant, activate photosynthesis.

Let's take, for example, . foliar top dressing(only one!) is able to increase the outflow of plastic substances into tubers by 25-30%. Consequently, the content of starch, protein, and vitamins will increase in the tubers. And if for irrigation with nutrient solutions we prepare a saturated mixture of fertilizers of macronutrients (25 g of nitrogen, 20 g of phosphorus and 40 g of potassium according to the active substance), then for foliar top dressing a dose half as much is enough: for 10 liters of water we take the active substance of nitrogen - 15 g, phosphorus - 10, potassium - 20 g. In practice, it looks like this: 2 tbsp. tablespoons of urea, 3 - superphosphate, 4 tablespoons of potassium magnesia.

The effectiveness of such foliar feeding will increase significantly if microelements are added to macronutrients: boron, copper, manganese, cobalt, zinc. Enough for half a teaspoon of boric acid, copper sulfate, potassium permanganate, ammonium molybdate, cobalt sulfate and zinc sulfate.

If you have a good fine mist sprayer, then feed buckets

quite enough for a hundred potatoes, and for other vegetables even less consumption. So judge: is it profitable? Most importantly, it is beneficial not only for you, but also for the plants. This means that if you use the foliar feeding method, then by saving the amount of fertilizers, you may well carry out two or even three operations, as they say, for the same money, but choosing the most favorable periods in the life of plants. The most important thing: you don’t have to carry buckets of top dressing, crawl under each bush with a bucket of nutrient fluid. Isn't it a relief?

It is also possible to significantly reduce doses for foliar top dressing. For spraying plants, sodium, ammonium and potassium nitrates, an aqueous extract of superphosphate (daily) are used, and at the same time, the doses of mineral fertilizers are reduced by about 10 times. If trace elements are needed (and they are definitely needed), it is enough to add 1 g of potassium permanganate, 3 g of calcium chloride (so that there is no vertex rot) and the same amount of boric acid for each liter of water.

Foliar feeding of fruit, berry plants in the garden increases the yield (by 15-25%) and fruit quality, increases the accumulation organic matter in tissues. Foliar top dressing is most effective 10 days after flowering, it should be repeated after a month, and then after another month.

From nitrogen fertilizers for spraying, it is best to choose urea: in spring - 0.3%, and in summer and autumn - 0.6% solution. From phosphorus, a 2-3% solution is used double superphosphate, from potash - 1% solution of sulfate salt. Trace elements are given in 0.03-0.1% solutions.

By the way, after a harsh winter, there is always a chance of freezing of the root system of both garden and perennial vegetable plants- Foliar top dressing will help out, albeit on still weak foliage: the food will get to the roots and they will be able to recover. In the same way, foliar top dressing also saves during prolonged drought, when the introduction of nitrogen into parched soil is completely pointless, and there is nothing to water. Then the plants are fed with nitrogen through the foliage, and it is instantly absorbed and transferred to the roots.

Foliar top dressing can save plants from diseases. cucumbers, onions recede if the plants are sprayed with infusion of hay or a weak solution of slurry: both top dressing and treatment at the same time.

I think it is unnecessary to say that foliar top dressing should be done on dry plants, and not on dew or post-rain. Time - morning or evening, and if it is cloudy, then it is possible during the day.

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Root dressing of vegetables is carried out by almost all gardeners. But here's what foliar feeding of seedlings is, why it is needed, and when it needs to be carried out - novice summer residents can not figure it out right away. But vegetables, like any other plants grown on the site, require care. And if gardeners want to get good harvest tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, cabbages or other vegetable crops, then they should, in addition to watering and mulching the soil, feed the plants with the most effective ways.

Foliar feeding of seedlings at home

What is foliar feeding

Such plant nutrition is carried out by spraying liquid fertilizer on the leaves of vegetables, berry crops and fruit trees Location on. Nutrients that fall in the form of small droplets on the foliage of vegetables are absorbed by plants faster than when fertilizing under the roots.

If the seedlings start to hurt after transplantation, or the plant is simply weaker than the others, then it needs to be urgently fed. Such a plant has weak not only leaves, but also root system, which is not able to absorb even water. In this case, nutrients introduced under the root can do more harm than good to the root system of a weakened plant.

And foliar top dressing in this case benefits such plants. This is the easiest way for vegetables to supply the missing nutrients, strengthen the immune system. If the introduction of organic fertilizers and other additives into the soil allows the root system to actively develop in the first place cultivated plants, then foliar feeding develops their aerial part. At the same time, the plant grows faster, the amount of foliage increases, flowering and fruit set are more active.

It has been experimentally proven that there is a close relationship between root and foliar nutrition of plants. clearly expressed positive influence foliar feeding on the growth and development of roots. At the same time, the intake of nutrients through the roots increases, which also contributes to the development of plants as a whole.

Rules for foliar feeding

Such top dressing is carried out usually or in cloudy weather, or in the evening to Sun rays do not burn the foliage of seedlings that have been sprayed with fertilizers.

When carrying out such a spraying of nutrients, it is necessary to ensure that droplets of the nutrient mixture fall on the leaves of plants both from above and below the foliage. The foliage should be abundantly moistened with this solution, it is then that the plant will receive required amount necessary chemical elements and other nutrients. It is noticed that the lower part of the foliage takes nutrients more actively than the upper one.

For convenience, seedling dressing can be sprayed in the bath, or several layers of newspapers can be spread on the floor. And if there is time and desire, then it is better to process each cup separately, holding and tilting the plant so as to moisten the entire surface of the leaves. And for those who have a lot of seedlings, it is enough to spray all the plants in bowls:

Typically, such spraying is carried out at least twice. For the first time, foliar top dressing is carried out after the plants have their first true leaves. The next planned top dressing of the aerial parts of plants is carried out during the flowering period. Especially diligent summer residents feed seedlings weekly, because organic fertilizers it is impossible to overfeed the plants. But even more often it is not advisable to carry out top dressing - too much labor.

If the soil is not fertile enough, then it is necessary to combine the application of fertilizers to the soil and foliar top dressing. In open ground, it is desirable to spray the aerial parts of plants several times a month - this will allow the plants to gain strength, resist pests and diseases, and increase the future harvest due to more active flowering of cultivated plants.

Experienced gardeners for such top dressing, special sprayers and mixtures of nutrients are used that dissolve well in water.

Fertilizers for foliar feeding of plants

There are wonderful ready-made dressings for seedlings. These are GumatEM, Energen, lingohumates, organo-mineral mixtures with the addition of trace elements, and so on. You can make an extract from the ash for foliar feeding yourself - it is rich in all minerals except nitrogen. Pour 1 teaspoon of ash into a liter hot water and let it sit overnight. Straining the solution through a napkin, you will get an excellent top dressing.

The composition of foliar nutrition can be improved by adding effective microbes. You can also combine top dressing with the use of biostimulants. Now such drugs are affordable, and they are spent literally in homeopathic quantities. So see which of the stimulants you like. Their list is very wide, here are those that have been used: Zircon, Epin-Extra, Ekopin, Novosil, HB-101, Silk. Do not chase all the drugs at once, one or two stimulants will be enough for you for the season.

After planting seedlings in the ground, be sure to connect weed tinctures to the diet of your plants - they increase the immunity of plants at times, improve the soil environment and will repel pests.

The nuances of feeding various crops

• foliar feeding of pepper seedlings in combination with growth stimulants in the open field, it allows better stress tolerance during fluctuations in air temperature. It is especially important to carry out such spraying if the thermometer drops below 15 degrees - peppers can stop growing;
• especially effective when pulling plants. In low light conditions, the sprouts reach for the light, and the stems of the tomatoes remain thin. Top dressing on the leaf will improve photosynthesis, the stems become stronger;
• foliar feeding of seedlings of cucumbers from our point of view, it is effective in combination with biofungicides, since they are highly susceptible to peronosporosis infection. It is better to prevent an infection than to treat an infected plant;
• foliar feeding of cabbage seedlings from our experience is very effective in combination with bioinsecticides. This protects plants from pest attacks and improves head development;
• foliar feeding of flower seedlings also needed when pulling plants in conditions of light deficiency, as well as at night when the air temperature drops.

Note: do not dilute the nutrient mixture in less water than indicated in the instructions. The concentration of the solution must be done exactly according to the instructions for the fertilizer, so as not to burn the stems and foliage of cultivated plants. In a mixture with other drugs, the dilution rate can be reduced three times - the action of the drugs enhances the effectiveness of each other.

In the practice of natural farming, spraying plants with all kinds of mixtures of biological origin is very actively used. At the same time, you can treat, nourish, and protect plants from pests. Therefore, take this method into your arsenal for caring for the garden and garden, and you will soon see that foliar feeding of seedlings is very useful for plants.