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Fertilizers for tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse. Guidelines for growing peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse: from planting and care to harvesting. Growing seedlings

Golovin D.S.

Tell me, can peppers in a greenhouse do without fertilizers? And without what top dressing it will not be possible to grow a crop?

It is almost impossible to get a good pepper crop and not to add any fertilizing, because pepper is very picky about the soil, and if it is not fertile enough, then this vegetable will simply refuse to grow and bear fruit in it.

The composition of mineral fertilizers directly depends on the timing of application, the variety of plants and even the weather.

So, during the active growth of stems and leaves, pepper is simply necessary nitrogenbut as soon as the pepper bush has formed and the time has come to bloom and form the ovaries, an excess of nitrogen already only harms the plant. If pepper continues to grow stems and leaves at a loss of flowering and ovaries, it is necessary to spray the bushes on top with a solution of superphosphate and significantly reduce the dose of nitrogen introduced.

But phosphorus fertilizers  can be applied throughout the entire period, from the first shoots of pepper seedlings to the very ripening of fruits, because this substance has a beneficial effect on the development of the root system, and accelerates the growth and development of fruits.

Like phosphorus, the whole period is equally important magnesium with calcium. But the amount of potassium must be adjusted with regard to the weather. On warm sunny days, the dose must be reduced, and on rainy and cloudy days increase.

But organics, unlike mineral top dressing, it is always welcomed, regardless of the speed of the bush, weather and anything else. The main rule is to introduce organic matter in small doses and never use fresh manure that can burn pepper bushes.

In the fall, manure or compost at the rate of 5 kg per square meter of your greenhouse is brought into the prepared pepper beds. And immediately before planting pepper make humus.

Two weeks later produce first feeding. The first is better to add organic matter - bird droppings or manure, diluted in water. It would be nice to add wood ash there. The concentration of manure 1: 5, litter 1:10 should be observed.

If you do not have the opportunity to add organic matter, then you should use complex mineral fertilizer. Or here is a solution:

  • ammonium nitrate - up to 20 g;
  • potassium sulfate - up to 30 g;
  • superphosphate - up to 40 g;
  • water - 10 l.

Two weeks later second feeding  mullein solution with the addition of mineral fertilizers.

IN   third time  root dressing is carried out after the first fruits are harvested. In composition, the third top dressing is similar to the second.

If the pepper lacks some special elements, they are additionally fed. Pepper will tell you exactly what the deficit is:

  • if the edges of the leaves began to curl - pepper signals a deficiency of potassium;
  • purple shade of the underside of the sheet - phosphorus deficiency;
  • gray is a lack of nitrogen.

As an ambulance, foliar top dressing can be introduced, because the aerial parts of pepper are able to absorb nutrients much faster than the roots. So spraying the plant with a solution of the desired element is much more effective in emergency situations.

For the most part, additional dressing is aimed at stimulating specific processes, such as flowering, the formation of ovaries, growth and ripening of fruits. They are able to speed up or improve certain processes, but do not replace complex organic and mineral fertilizing.

Feeding greenhouse pepper: video

Pepper is a heat-loving plant that requires care. Its beginning comes from the warm regions of America. But what if the harsh climate prevails? There is a way out in this case too. In the northern regions of the country, it has become a habit to grow many vegetables in greenhouses. Feeding and growing peppers in a greenhouse is easy, but you need to approach this process with all seriousness and responsibility. Fertilizer is selected based on age, variety, condition, weather and more.

Pepper refers to those plants that like to receive mineral fertilizers. Most they like nitrogen and potassium but not chlorine. This is worth watching. Fertilizer is chosen with a low content of chlorine or its complete absence. It also requires fluoride in the ground. If the soil has a deficiency of this component, then it is necessary to introduce it artificially throughout the growth and development. Mandatory components for peppers after planting:

  1. Nitrogen. It stimulates the plant to grow and develop both the fruit and the plant itself.
  2. Phosphorus. Vitally necessary at the very beginning. Fertilizer with phosphorus affects the formation of the future crop, the formation of fruits.
  3. Potassium. Participates in the formation and setting of fruits.
  4. Calcium. Necessary for both man and plant. First of all, it strengthens the plant, helping it to develop and bear fruit properly. Required throughout the growth period.

It should be understood that feeding pepper in greenhouses will differ slightly from that carried out in the open. The plant needs more care and diligence. In order for the pepper to grow fruitfully and delight the crop throughout the entire period, mineral and organic fertilizers are applied. Mineral fertilizer is responsible for plant growth, and organics stimulate fruit development and productivity.

How to feed pepper after planting in a greenhouse?

Pepper nutrition in the greenhouse should not take place immediately, but after a few weeks. At this point, the plant will grow stronger and will be ready for the absorption of fertilizers. You can feed after planting with a solution:

  • Ammonium nitrate - 40 grams.
  • Superphosphate - 40 grams.
  • Potassium sulfate - 20 grams.
  • The water is warm - 10 liters.

Stir all ingredients thoroughly. Water must be warm, approximately 25 degrees. But before applying fertilizer, you should also water each bush with warm water. When fertilizer is applied, the ground is loosened. Opponents of chemistry have the option to use natural fertilizer in the form of mullein or bird droppings. Mullein is bred in a ratio of 1:10 and insisted for a week, and litter 1: 5 for about 5 days.

You can also feed with herbal solutions. To do this, you need to collect the entire weed on the site, grind and pour into some container. In general, about 6 kg of grass should be obtained, but without seeds and roots. The crushed grass is poured with 10 liters of Koryak, a bucket of ash, water and mix thoroughly. The resulting solution should be infused for about a week and you can use it. Pepper feeding in the greenhouse occurs according to the same scheme as in open ground. For each bush, spend 1 liter of solution, without touching the bushes.

The next feeding will take place at the time of fruit set. Approximately 2 weeks after the first. For the second top dressing, fertilizer is used from organic substances. To choose the right fertilizer, you need to examine the plant itself. The lack of nitrogen in the earth affects the appearance of the plant. If the stems and shoots are thin and fragile, and the foliage has a dark green color, then you should prepare a solution that will saturate them with the missing components. Prepare a solution:

  • Sodium Sulfate - 1 tsp
  • Superphosphate - 1 tbsp.
  • Water - 10 liters.

All ingredients must be mixed in warm water and pour peppers. Throughout the growing season, plants require spraying and foliar top dressing. Peppers can be fed with diluted ash, in which there are all the necessary substances.

Fertilizer for peppers in a greenhouse: lack of minerals

Shortage or oversupply of mineral fertilizers adversely affects the condition of the plant. Even if top dressing is made on time, pepper is susceptible to diseases. There are external signs by which it becomes clear what to focus on and how to treat. Diseases in appearance:

At the seedling stage, peppers need to be fed about 2 times. The first time they do it in the initial stage of development, when a couple of leaves appeared. And the last subcortex is done when planting in the greenhouse is planned. During this period, it is advisable to feed exclusively with mineral fertilizers.

Topping pepper in a greenhouse: planting and care

Planting seedlings is done in accordance with the recommendations for a particular variety, but mainly most peppers don't like intimacy. Peppers of large-fruited varieties, weighing about 500 grams, are recommended to be planted at a distance of 70 cm from each other. Such planting will facilitate future care of the fruits and the plant itself.

When a plant is planted in a greenhouse, then holes are prepared in advance. It is worth remembering that pepper does not need deep holes. This may adversely affect development. Usually planted at the same depth that they had in the tank. The root system in most cases does not exceed the place of cotyledon leaves.

It is also worth noting that peppers are heat-loving plants, therefore, before planting, the soil must warm up. If planted in a cool land, they will stop in development, and the fruiting period will come soon. The deeper the hole is made, the greater the likelihood of root cooling. When planting, the main role is played by temperature, not in the greenhouse itself, but in the soil. So that the seedlings do not die, it is better to wait until the earth is completely warmed up.

During the preparation of the holes, an important condition is fertilizer. It is not necessary to lay the mineral components in the hole itself, it is better to distribute them throughout the garden and dig. So the fertilizer mixes with the ground and does not burn the roots. It should be taken into account that the optimal temperature inside the greenhouse should be about 25 degrees. Drafts are undesirable, pepper likes high humidity. Water only with warm water. In general, over the entire period of growth until fruiting should be avoided hypothermia of this plant.

Conclusion

So that pepper grows well in the greenhouse and delights the fruits, need to feed him on time, and also properly looked after. Greenhouse conditions can adversely affect seedlings, especially in the initial period. Spring weather is not stable: it is hot in the afternoon and too cold at night. Such temperature changes affect the plant badly. So that they do not stop in development, you need to help them relieve stress. Well in this case, covering material helps. It maintains a stable temperature, and the earth does not have time to cool overnight.

When determining the timing of the first feeding of bell peppers after transplanting seedlings into the greenhouse, proceed from when and how much fertilizer was applied to the planting ridge itself. So, if in the autumn you did a digging of the soil with embedding humus or compost in it, and in the spring, when digging, additionally added mineral fertilizers, then the first top dressing of young bushes can be, if not completely missed, then at least postponed and performed to a lesser extent.

In small greenhouses and greenhouses, sweet peppers are fed less often - about 1 time in 15-20 days.

First feeding

The grown seedlings of peppers are transferred to a greenhouse at a constant place at a time when its height is 15-25 cm, 7-8 real leaves have formed on the plant, and the first buds begin to plant. Based on this, somewhere in 15 days after transplanting, the bushes begin to bloom. It was at this moment that the first top dressing of bell peppers was made. The consumption rate is 1-2 liters for each plant.

Option 1. The solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 1 to 15, insist 5-7 days before use!

Option 2. Liquid mullein in a ratio of 1 to 10, insist a week.

Option 3. Dissolve in 10 l of warm soft water 40 g of superphosphate, 40 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of potassium sulfate.

Option 4. Make “herbal tea” - collect any weeds from your site without roots and seeds (wood lice, dandelion, nettle, coltsfoot, plantain), cut them into small fractions and send the resulting grass pulp to a barrel of water. For 100 liters of water you need 7 kg of gruel. Add 1 cup of wood ash and 1 bucket of mullein to the mixture. The contents of the barrel are thoroughly mixed and left to infuse (mature) for 7-10 days.

Second feeding

Repeatedly sweet peppers are fed after 2 weeks after 1 feeding. At this time, the ovaries should actively form on the plants and the first fruits should develop.

If mineral fertilizers were used in the first feeding, it means that the second time you should use organics.

Dilute 2 buckets of bird droppings, 1 bucket of cow manure last year and 1 glass of urea in a 100 liter water barrel. Composition insist before use 7 days. The consumption rate is 5 liters per 1 m2.

If you notice that the stems and shoots have become brittle, and the leaves have turned an excessively saturated green color, then there has been an overdose of nitrogen fertilizers. In this case, it is better to feed peppers like this: 10 liters of water + 1 tbsp. l superphosphate + 1 tsp potassium sulfate.

Foliar fertilizer

Throughout the growing season, peppers need calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iodine, boron, zinc, molybdenum, manganese and some other trace elements. Foliar top dressing will help to timely fill up their shortage (all the solutions described below should be filtered through gauze before use and poured into a spray bottle for subsequent spraying):

Option 1. Dilute in 10 l of water 1 tsp. urea. Such top dressing will accelerate the growth and development of pepper bushes when they grow poorly.

Option 2. Dilute in 10 l 1 tsp. boric acid. Used for spraying in cases when the bushes drop ovaries and flowers.

Option 3. Dilute in 5 l of water 1 tsp. superphosphate. Such top dressing will help improve the situation with poor fruit formation.

To protect greenhouse peppers from aphids, spider mites, other pests, as well as to increase the resistance of plants to various diseases, periodically spray bushes with an ash solution.

Fruits on the plant appear 2 weeks earlier than in open ground. Moreover, this result can be achieved even when using an unheated design. In addition, tomatoes in a greenhouse are less susceptible to such a common disease as late blight.

Therefore, the total yield is higher quality and larger. In this case, it is necessary to solve problems with drip irrigation in advance.

TOMATOES in a greenhouse: planting, pinching, garter, top dressing

However, it is not difficult to organize it.Following competent recommendations and careful care, full trust in a professional and courage in experiments - all this will lead to ripe fruits. Growing tomatoes in your greenhouse or in the open field is not a big deal if you know the basic requirements for growing this vegetable.

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is somewhat different from growing them in open ground. You need to start with the fact that the tomatoes in the greenhouse are in a confined space, not receiving anything from the outside except sunlight. They need to be watered and aired in a timely manner.

And the correct feeding of tomatoes in the greenhouse will be the key to a good and plentiful harvest. It is best to plant tomatoes in the greenhouse when the seedlings are strong enough, reach a height of 20-30 centimeters, and 10-12 pieces will appear on each plant leaf. By timing, tomato seedlings are planted in the greenhouse in the first decade of May.

Fertilizer beds

For each bed of loamy or clay soil, it is necessary to add 1 bucket of peat, sawdust or humus for each square. meter. If peat is already in the beds, they are placed on a bucket of humus, sod land, sawdust or small shavings.

Half a bucket of coarse sand is also laid. On top of all this add a spoonful of potassium sulfate and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate. Then everything is well dug up.

Vegetative top dressing

The soil for tomatoes must be properly prepared by introducing the necessary fertilizers into it. In terms of 1 square meter of land should be added: 2 tablespoons of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate, as well as half a bucket of coarse sand.

Dig the soil well and prepare the holes. The next fertilizing of tomatoes in the greenhouse is done after 20 days. It is carried out with organic or mineral fertilizers.

Fertilizers are best used liquid, watering plants at the rate of 1 liter of water per plant. The second feeding of tomatoes grown in the greenhouse is carried out 10 days after the first feeding. It is carried out with complex fertilizers, such as "Ideal" or "Fertility." After 12 days, you can carry out another fertilizer application.

This time, you can use special tools that improve the fruit ovary, and you can use this fertilizer composition: 2 tablespoons of wood ash and 1 tablespoon of superphosphate per 10 liters of water. Each plant is poured with such a solution at the rate of 2 liters under the root. When the tomatoes enter the phase of active fruiting, they are fed sodium humate and nitrophos.

Pollination of tomato flowers

The fruits appear due to the fact that the bees pollinate them. But in the closed system of the greenhouse there are no bees. Therefore, it is necessary to solve this problem.

In sunny warm weather, flower brushes must be shaken slightly. The main thing is to do it carefully. For germination of pollen on the pistil, after pollination, it is necessary to sprinkle water on the flowers with a fine spray and water the soil.

After a couple of hours, you can reduce air humidity by opening the door and the window in the greenhouse. Pay more attention to airing. It is of great importance in the flowering phase of tomatoes. It is important to prevent condensation from appearing on the film.

Due to waterlogging of the soil, the content of dry matter and sugar in the fruit is reduced. Because of this, they become acidic and watery, such as on the market. Thanks to the proper watering of tomatoes in a greenhouse, the crop will not just be high. You will also receive quality fruits. Use the following scheme for watering tomatoes in a greenhouse:

  • Before the flowering of plants begins, water the seedlings of 4-5 liters of water per square meter. meter every 5-7 days. Prior to fruiting during flowering, more abundant watering is needed. It will take 10-15 liters of water per square meter. meter.

In this case, you should consider that water should have a temperature in the range from +20 to +22 degrees. This is a very important point. You can water only in the morning hours.

At other times, watering is harmful. So you can prevent the appearance of harmful excess moisture. Thus, for the successful cultivation of tomatoes in greenhouse conditions, irrigation and competent dressing of plants is of great importance.

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More articles about the cottage and garden

Pepper, like tomatoes, eggplant, belongs to the nightshade family. All these vegetable crops respond very well to mineral fertilizers applied to the soil, especially potassium and nitrogen, only pepper needs them slightly higher than tomatoes.

Chloride does not tolerate pepper well, therefore, fertilizers should use fertilizers with a minimum chlorine content, and even better, without it at all. The composition of the mineral fertilizers that are applied to the soil depends on both the variety of planted seedlings and its age, weather conditions and the size and quantity of the formed ovaries. It should be understood for what purpose certain mineral fertilizers are applied. So for normal growth and development, from the time of the appearance of the first sprouts to the beginning of fruit formation, pepper needs phosphorus fertilizers.

Peppers need nitrogen and calcium throughout their growth, development, and fruiting periods. During the period when the plants actively form ovaries, in order for them to develop normally, it is necessary to feed the plants with potash fertilizers. So, if the weather is cloudy for a rather long time, the weather is not very sunny, then you need to increase the amount of potash fertilizers by about 20%. In the case of constant sunny weather, reduce the amount of potash fertilizers also by 20%.

Spring preparation of the earth in the greenhouse

Before embarking on the planting of pepper seedlings in beds, they must be specially prepared and fertilized. The following fertilizers must be introduced into the greenhouse soil, based on 1m2:

  • 1 hour a spoonful of potassium sulfate; 1 glass of wood ash ;? buckets of humus or compost (last year).

The mineral fertilizers listed above can be replaced with a complex mineral fertilizer, preferably specialized, making about 1-2 tbsp. tablespoons per m2. Before applying, carefully read the composition indicated on the package.

If the fertilizer contains a large amount of chlorine, then it is better not to use it, since pepper very poorly tolerates this substance. (See. Fertilizing a tomato in a greenhouse) After fertilizing has been made, it is necessary to loosen or not dig a shallow bed, then spill it with warm water and cover it with a clean transparent film. In this state, the prepared ridge is left for several days, up to the time of planting.

Basic rules for feeding peppers

  1. Peppers are fed every two weeks. Dissolve organic and mineral substances in warm, standing water. Its temperature should be close to the soil temperature in the greenhouse (approximately + 250C). Before fertilizing, each plant should be poured with warm water, and only then fertilizer should be applied. After fertilizing, the soil around each plant should be lightly loosened, if it is not mulched. It is necessary to alternate fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers. Any fertilizing should be carried out. only on wet soil. Therefore, a couple of days before dressing, plants must be properly shed.

Important: do not give the pepper an excess of nitrogenous fertilizers, as this will lead to the plant building up a large green mass, to the detriment of the setting and development of the fruit.

Organization of feeding during the season

When to feed?

The timing of the beginning of feeding depends on at what time and in what volume, how and by what, the ridge on which the pepper was planted was refueled. If in the autumn compost or humus was laid in the soil, and in the spring during digging, the earth was fertilized with mineral fertilizers, then there is less need for fertilizers and fertilizing can be carried out somewhat later. Peppers planted in small greenhouses can be fed less frequently - every 15-20 days. Consider in more detail than to feed pepper in a greenhouse. (See also Topping Tomato)

First feeding

Planting pepper seedlings in a greenhouse is carried out when the height of the plant reaches 15-25 cm, on it there are at least 8 real leaves and buds are already laid. So after about 14-15 days  after transplanting peppers to a permanent place, the plants begin to bloom. It is at this time that the first top dressing of peppers is carried out in the greenhouse.

You can use a solution of any bird droppings in water in a ratio of 1:15, which has been infused for at least 5 days, or a liquid mullein in a ratio of 1:10, which has been infused for a week. If organic fertilizers are not available, then you can dissolve 40 g superphosphate  and ammonium nitrate, add 20 g of potassium sulfate, in 10 liters of warm and settled water. Tip: a so-called “herbal tea” is a very good fertilizer containing all the micro and macro elements necessary for plants. Making it yourself is very simple: nettle, wood louse, dandelion, plantain or coltsfoot, that is, any weeds that you remove from your site, are finely chopped or cut. It is important that there are no seeds and roots on the plants.

All this green “pulp”, the weight of which should be about 6-7 kg, will fit in a 100 liter barrel. There they lay 1 glass of any ash and a bucket of mullein. Water is barrel-boiled, and then all its contents are thoroughly mixed. The resulting composition should be infused for at least a week.

The first feeding of tomatoes in the greenhouse, and of any other crops, including pepper, is carried out in 1-2l per plant. Two weeks after the first feeding, during the formation of the ovaries and the development of the fruits, the second feeding is carried out.

Second feeding

In the event that the first feeding of pepper in the greenhouse was carried out with mineral fertilizers, the second should contain organic substances. To do this, you can dilute 1 glass of urea in a 100 liter barrel,? buckets of any bird droppings, 1 bucket of last year's manure.

All components are filled with water and left to infuse for 5-7 days. Then it is used at the rate of 5-6 liters of solution for every 1 m2. In the event that you notice the fragility of the stems or shoots of peppers, as well as saturated dark green leaves, indicating an excessive amount of nitrogen in the soil, you can feed the plants by dissolving 1 hour .spoon of potassium sulfate and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate in 10 l of water.

Foliar top dressing

Throughout the entire period of growth and development of peppers, plants need both calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, as well as trace elements such as iodine, molybdenum, zinc, boron, manganese. A good way to bring all these necessary and important substances to the plant is foliar top dressing, in other words, spraying the entire plant with a fertilizer solution. If the plants grow poorly, foliar top dressing will help to stimulate the growth and development processes. To do this, dilute 1 teaspoon of urea in 10 liters of water. In the event that the plants began to shed flowers and ovaries, foliar feeding of peppers with a solution of boric acid can help (solution of 1 teaspoon in 10 liters of water). When the fruits are poorly formed, you can spray with a solution of 1 hour. tablespoons of superphosphate into 5 liters of water.Before starting to spray, the prepared solutions should be filtered and then sprayed with a spray gun. In order to protect peppers in the greenhouse from pests such as spider mites and aphids, as well as to increase the resistance of this crop to various diseases, it is recommended to periodically perform foliar dressing of plants an aqueous solution of ash, which contains all the necessary elements.

For each person, it is obvious that it is not always possible, even with the maximum effort expended, to get a decent harvest. It is not a matter of the quantity and total weight of the fruit, although this is also an extremely important indicator.

But you can collect a mountain of vegetables, the taste of which will not be up to par. Why does it depend? There are no trifles in growing vegetables, everything is important here: the timing of planting seedlings in the soil or greenhouse, an irrigation schedule, and proper pinching.

But nothing affects the taste of the fruit like fertilizer. Therefore, in this article we will talk about how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open ground. The scheme for feeding tomatoes in greenhouse conditions and in open ground conditions is almost the same, the only difference is that there is no one-time fertilizer application immediately after transplanting.

general informationSome inexperienced gardeners ask themselves the question: "Why think out how to feed tomatoes for growth?" A certain part of people has a clearly formed opinion: fertilizer is bad. There are reasons for such a statement: if there are a lot of fertilizers, they not only badly affect the plants, but also are deposited in the fruits, making them tasteless, inedible or unsafe for human health.

Therefore, it is extremely important to adhere to the recommended concentration. However, you still have to think about how to feed the tomatoes. Indeed, in order for one centner of tomatoes to form, the plant must process about 0.25 kg of nitrogen, 0.15 kg of phosphorus and up to half a kilogram of potassium.

Non-root top dressingWhen the question arises of how to feed tomatoes, most people choose only root dressings. However, there is a way to add all the beneficial substances, bypassing the root system.

By analogy with humans, it looks like this: drugs introduced through the stomach (into the soil) act more slowly than those that enter the body through the blood (absorbed from the surface of the leaves). Foliar top dressing is carried out with special preparations, for example, "Master" or "Plantafol ", Conventional mineral or organic mixtures are not suitable for this. Such top dressing is very convenient to combine with spraying from various pests and diseases. What to feed tomatoes: the classic fertilizer application schedule The fertilizer application schedule is compiled individually for each particular case, but you must follow a few general rules: - tomatoes fertilize 4-5 times per season; - very timely watering is important: useful substances should not lie dead weight in dry soil, but should be delivered to plants along with water; - plenty of moisture leads to leaching of fertilizers, so in rainy summers or in trouble In soils, the number of top dressings is doubled, but the amount of introduced substances decreases by about a third; - root dressings can be carried out both with special mineral mixtures and independently made from potassium permanganate, egg shell crumbs, wood ash, humus, chicken droppings, etc. So, you have received full information on how to feed tomatoes. It remains only to put this knowledge into practice and grow a rich, tasty and healthy crop.

Topping tomatoes in open ground and a greenhouse

Tomatoes grade EupatorSo, two weeks have passed since you planted tomato seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground. It's time to feed the plants. Topping tomatoes in open ground or a greenhouse - is there a difference? What types of top dressing are there at all?

In recent years, gardeners (those whom I know) give preference to organics, trying less to use mineral fertilizers. Very popular is home-made cheap, but very effective “green fertilizer”. But about him, a little lower.

Types of fertilizing tomatoes

There are two types of top dressing. Root and extra root. Most gardeners use root top dressing. It feeds plants through the root system, that is, it is watering with a nutritious mineral or organic solution under the root.

Many people know about foliar, but they use it less often, but in vain. Foliar - this is when we apply the same nutrient solution directly to the leaves of plants. This type of fertilizing tomatoes with mineral or organic fertilizers has several advantages.

Firstly, it saves fertilizer. Because when we bring them under plants, a significant part of the nutrients is washed out with watering, during rain, not all nutrients go to the plant.

And when we bring the solution to the surface of the leaf, then all the nutrients pass through the leaf into the plant. Moreover, this happens very quickly. Therefore, foliar top dressing is much faster than the root.

Secondly, it is used to promptly help a plant suffering from a deficiency of one or another microelement. I try to use foliar top dressing more often for seedlings, for plants recently planted in open ground or a greenhouse, that is, for younger seedlings. For foliar top dressing, lower concentrations of solution are used than for root seedlings, so as not to cause leaf burns.

Fertilizers are used for it, which are completely dissolved without sediment, which do not contain chlorine. Usually these are liquid forms of fertilizer mixtures, no matter what they are - mineral or organic.

Try to use non-chlorinated water for preparing nutrient solutions - rainwater or at least well-maintained tap water. Both root and foliar top dressings are equally useful for tomatoes that grow in open ground, and for greenhouse ones. In the first half of the growing season, plants should be alternated.

In the second - go to the root dressing. A greenhouse with high humidity should be ventilated more often, especially after spraying. In order for the plant to get the maximum benefit from any top dressing, you need to know when - in the morning, afternoon, evening - it is better to carry them out.

When to feed tomatoes

A very important point: if you are doing foliar top dressing or root dressing, then this should be done in the morning or evening. Why is that? If we are talking about foliar, then the nutrient solution should be on the surface of the leaves for as long as possible so that it can absorb.

And in bright sunshine, spraying leaves can cause a burn. This is the first. And secondly, the sun will quickly dry the droplets of the nutrient solution, it will not have time to completely absorb in the leaves.

When foliar top dressing, you should make sure that the solution falls not only on the outside of the leaf, but also on the inside. Under the root, water the plants with a mineral or organic solution, too, in the early morning or evening. I prefer evening watering, and my neighbor in the country waters her cucumbers, tomatoes in a greenhouse or open ground only early in the morning.

The reasons, too, seem to be clear: water or a nutrient solution that has fallen on the leaves during the day can cause a burn of leaves. You should not force the plant to waste energy on healing or healing wounds.

How often should feeding be done?

The question is usually asked, how often do you need to fertilize tomatoes with mineral or organic fertilizers? The short answer is not very often. And, more precisely, then I spend them, both root and non-root after 10-15 days. That is, about 2-3 times a month. I alternate them.

Once - foliar top dressing, next time - I feed my tomatoes at the root. I do foliar top dressing (spraying) in the first half of the growing season, that is, as soon as I noticed that the first fruits were full, they started to turn white, I stop feeding. And I continue to make root roots during the entire period of vegetation (development) of tomatoes. The first time is to feed the tomatoes 10-12 days after transplanting.

When the flowering of tomatoes begins, do not miss the deadlines - the number of ovaries and the crop will depend on this. In the greenhouse or open ground, top dressing is carried out as follows. It is necessary to feed each plant individually.

If the soil under the plants is dry, it is necessary to moisten the soil a little before top dressing. Water the tomatoes with clean water, the temperature of which is not lower than 20-22? C. When watering in a greenhouse, try to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves - there is no need for excess moisture there.

Water in the morning - after this, be sure to ventilate the greenhouse. And after watering, pour half a liter of nutrient solution under each tomato bush. I try to do foliar top dressing of tomatoes in the greenhouse in the morning, so that by the evening the nutrient solution is absorbed. Plants should be dry at night.

How to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse or open ground

For the first feeding after transplanting seedlings, I use liquid fertilizer based on humates. This year it is GUMI Kuznetsova (a natural fertility elixir). For 10 liters of water - 2 tablespoons of elixir. But you can proceed from the assortment of your shops for gardeners and gardeners.

It’s nice to use Gumat-80, Gumat + 7, Gumat-Universal, Emerald, Ideal. For 10 liters of water, 1-2 tablespoons of fertilizer is enough.

Add 1 tablespoon of instant mineral fertilizer (for example, Fertika Universal) to each plant. 0.5 liter of solution is enough for each plant. Tomatoes in open ground or in a greenhouse are better to undernourish than to overfeed. Therefore, when planting seedlings from mineral fertilizers I use only ash and compost.

After planting - humate-based fertilizer with Fertika Universal. And that’s all. The following dressings are organic only.

How to make organic "green manure" yourself

I really like the positive reaction of my tomatoes to "green manure". How do I cook it? Very simple. There are a lot of recipes for this “green fertilizer”. Its base is mowed green weed grass. I have an old metal 200 liter barrel.

But they do not advise using a metal barrel for the preparation of this fertilizer, apparently, the process of metal oxidation adversely affects the quality. I don’t have a plastic barrel. You know yourself, there are almost no hopeless situations.

I bought a huge 300-liter plastic bags. I put one bag in another (for strength), placed them inside the barrel. Filled 1/3 with water so that she straightened them.

The polyethylene was slightly warmed up by the sun, became elastic, stretched out, the bags were tightly clad outside on the edge of the barrel. I got a metal barrel with a plastic liner. So, I already had a little water in the barrel, I add mowed grass there.

Experienced gardeners are advised to fill the barrel with mowed nettles. But I didn’t have so much nettle, so I threw an almost full (2/3) barrel of different weeds, and nettle was there too.

I threw about 1 kg of wood ash, half a bucket of chicken manure on top, added 2 liters of milk “store” whey (natural, they say, 1 liter is enough), a pack of baker’s yeast (100 g). I added water almost to the top. This recipe was taken long ago from the book “Sense Agriculture” by Yu. I. Slashchina.

He calls this solution an infusion of microbial organisms. The author instead of yeast recommends adding mash - 3 liters of non-chlorinated water, insist 150 g of sugar for 2-3 days. The solution in the barrel wanders very actively and stink, sorry for the details, not the most pleasant one.

And you need to mix the fertilizer at least once a day. All this is insisted weeks 1,5-2. Then I take out the fermented grass. When it dries, I put it under the zucchini. Why zucchini - I do not know.

Somehow it happened from the very beginning. Zucchini is very grateful. You can try using this mulch on other plants. A little more than half of the nutrient infusion in the barrel is obtained.

Top up the barrel. I take a ready-made infusion (500 ml), add it to a watering can with water (6 liters), water tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkins - half a liter of solution per bush. Yes, I almost forgot. The effect will be better if the soil under the plants is moist.

That is, before root dressing, be sure to water the tomatoes in open ground or in a greenhouse. I like the result of such organic dressing very much - the plants are always green, they look healthy, they tolerate bad weather, they grow very quickly, a lot of fruits are tied and, it seems to me, less pain , that is, their immunity has increased. With this solution, root and foliar top dressing can be carried out. I usually spend foliar planting on young plants planted in open ground or a greenhouse.

Watering under the root - every 10-12 days. I have enough of this solution for a long time. But everything, of course, depends on the number of plants planted. If I feel that “green fertilizer” is not enough, then after less than half of it remains in the barrel, I fill the barrel with new grass.

I’m not adding anything else except water. I wait 10-15 days - a new nutrient solution is ready. This "green fertilizer" works well against late blight.

At least, it seems to me that after I started using it, there were almost no cases of late blight on the leaves or fruits. Last year (2013), only a few tomato fruits (5 pieces), growing in open ground, were thrown from one bush.

I did not notice any signs of late blight on the remaining bushes. But this garden year (2014) began with rainy weather. Humidity in the greenhouse and in the garden is high.

To prevent late blight on tomatoes, powdery or downy mildew on cucumbers, zucchini, I additionally treat the plants with a solution of milk whey (1 liter per 10 liters of water), to which I add 10 drops of iodine. This solution is especially beneficial for tomatoes.

Iodine helps to increase the number of ovaries, and whey has a depressing effect on pathogenic fungi. To prevent late blight on tomatoes, I alternate processing. Once with a solution of whey, and another with a solution of Fitosporin.

This drug not only protects tomatoes from the development of late blight, it also nourishes plants with bioactive microelements, especially its new modification - Fitosporin-M. Sometimes I skip lactic acid treatment, but I always replace it with Fitosporin solution, which well inhibits the development of fungal and bacterial diseases on plants. Do not forget that moisture, high humidity in greenhouses or in the garden during the rainy season have a beneficial effect on the development of late blight and others fungal, bacterial diseases.

Be sure to treat your seedlings, do not wait for the first signs of the disease to appear. If the disease has begun to manifest itself, then fighting it is already late and almost useless. So, the answer to the main question.