What nutritional elements need to be added to the soil before planting, as well as how to fertilize peas during the period of active growth and at the stage of ripening of sweet, healing blades, can be found in the presented article. The topic of fertilizers is especially acute for tender peas, since the growing season of the vegetable is very short, and it is important to choose the right nutritional complex in order to maximize the natural qualities without causing harm.
Fertilizing the soil before planting
If the soil has been well cultivated since the fall, then it does not need fertilizing before planting. Typically, caring for a garden in September for planting peas for next year comes down to the following:
- a fertile area of slightly acidic soil is selected;
- the bed is dug up, fertilizers are applied (30 grams of potassium salt + 60 grams of superphosphate per 1 m2);
- The soil is dug up in the spring and fed with saltpeter (10 grams per 1 m2).
But in the event of a cold spring, nitrogen fertilizer must be applied. The formation of nodules occurs in heated soil and nitrogen helps them with this.
Predecessors of peas and its compatibility with other crops
Areas freed up after growing most vegetables are well suited for planting: the pumpkin family ( cucumbers , zucchini , pumpkins ), nightshades ( tomatoes , peppers , eggplants ), cabbages , and any root vegetables (except peanuts).
bad precursors , but also other related legumes - beans, chickpeas, purple beans, lentils, which have common diseases and attract the same pests.
Keeping in mind the rules of crop rotation, it is not recommended to grow peas in one place for several years in a row. The soil should rest for three to four years after it. It is considered a good neighbor for many crops, but in mixed crops with sunflower and corn, when shaded by dense foliage, it becomes much weaker and smaller.
Seedlings develop quickly in open, well-lit areas
In addition to its nutritional value, the plant has a wide range of uses in the garden. Both vegetable and fodder varieties are cultivated on infertile, poor soils as green manure. Field peas with pretty red-violet flowers, called peas, are great for decorative vertical gardening, making hay, making compost and mulch. The above-ground part is used as green fodder for livestock and poultry.
Seed treatment
To protect future plants from diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out the procedure of treating the seed material. To do this, pesticides are applied to it, which can completely destroy external and internal infections and protect the sprouts from soil parasites.
Before sowing, the seeds are treated with useful elements, which, once in the soil, are connected by slightly soluble chains. Thanks to this, plants absorb the necessary substances and develop better.
It is popular among experienced gardeners to treat seeds with elements such as iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, molybdenum, and manganese. The procedure itself is quite simple, and the additives do not harm the future harvest.
Preparing seeds for sowing
Pre-sowing seed preparation is an important stage in obtaining a record pea harvest. First of all, you need to sort out the peas, discarding all the defective ones.
- dissolve 15 g of table salt in 500 ml of water;
- pour pea seeds into the prepared solution;
- good seeds will settle to the bottom of the saline solution, empty or infected ones will float on the surface.
For quick rooting, seed material can be germinated before sowing. To do this, wrap the peas in a cloth napkin or handkerchief, moisten them well and place them in a plastic container. Cover with plastic or a lid and leave in a warm place for 24 hours.
Also, many gardeners warm up the seed material before sowing. Heat the water to about 50°C and pour it over the peas for 4-6 minutes. After this, scatter them in an even layer under the sun to dry or dry with a napkin.
Features of fertilizer on different soils
Peas grow well in many types of soil, but not in acidic, light sandy or saline soils. High acidity of the soil provokes infections in plants; they cannot gain strength. If soil unfavorable for vegetables is found on the site, it must be limed, that is, add 350 grams of lime per 1 m2.
Botanical experts recommend sowing seeds on medium loamy soils, moisture-absorbing and rich in humus. It is necessary to know for sure whether there is groundwater in the area, because pea roots can penetrate deep into the ground. Too much moisture has a negative effect on plants.
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Botanical description
The root system of peas is deep, the stem is hollow, branching, reaching a height of two and a half meters, depending on the variety, ordinary or standard, with odd-pinnate compound leaves, the petioles of which end in tendrils, which, clinging to the support, hold the plant vertically. Pea flowers are sometimes purple, but usually white, self-pollinating, bisexual, blooming 30-55 days after sowing. The first peduncle in early varieties hatches from the axil of 6-8 leaves, and in later varieties - from the axils of 12-24 leaves. New flower stalks appear every two days or even every other day. Pea fruits are beans that have different shades of color, shape and size depending on the variety.
The beans contain from 4 to 10 smooth or wrinkled seeds of the same color as the skin of the pod. Like all legumes, peas enrich the soil with nitrogen: during the growth process, beneficial microorganisms develop on its roots - bacteria that fix the nitrogen they absorb from the atmosphere.
Top dressing
To provide the vegetable crop with sufficient nutrition, it is necessary to apply fertilizers as follows:
- After harvesting in the fall, spread half a bucket of rotted grass onto 1 m2.
- When planting, fertilize the soil with nitrate, potassium salt, superphosphate (40 grams of each type per 1 m2).
- During germination, add a green infusion (nettle plus dandelions).
- When flowering, feed with nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per bucket of water). Consumption - 5 liters per 1 m2.
In the open ground
It is recommended to fertilize peas growing in beds twice per season. The first time fertilizing is required is when the plants begin to flower. To do this, take 1 tablespoon of liquid fertilizer and dilute it in 10 liters of water. 3 liters are consumed per 1 m2. You should water right to the roots, using a watering can without a sieve. To improve growth, peas are sprayed with a natural stimulant. The procedure should be carried out in non-sunny weather, early in the morning or in the evening. The crop is fertilized a second time when the first blades appear.
In the greenhouse
When growing peas under film, you need to feed them 2 times with any complex mineral fertilizers. The first time is when the plant begins to bloom, the second time - before the fruit ovaries appear.
Attention! Aphids love to eat pea leaves, so if you find one, you should wash it off with water. If a crop is affected by powdery mildew, the diseased plant must be destroyed immediately, as the infection spreads quickly.
On the windowsill
Feeding weak sprouts is done using a urea solution, diluting 1 gram of the substance per 1 liter of water. Fertilizer is applied when the peas reach 8–10 cm in height.
To get a good harvest at home, you must follow the following rules:
- do not buy fertilizers that contain nitrogen in nitrate form;
- during sowing, use water-soluble phosphate;
- do not water with potash fertilizers containing chlorine;
- When flowering, water and feed regularly.
Features of feeding peas to get a good harvest
Feeding peas solves many problems: the soil is saturated with important nutrients, the crop grows and develops better, and produces a harvest of good quality and quantity. Various fertilizers are used for peas; they can be applied in several ways.
General rules for fertilizing peas
When feeding peas, you need to follow certain rules:
- Before applying fertilizers in the form of solutions, water the peas generously with clean water. This helps avoid burns to the root system.
- Foliar feeding is best done in the evening when the sun is inactive. On cool days, you can spray the crop early in the morning.
- When sowing, apply fertilizer in water-soluble form.
- You cannot fertilize the crop for the first 2 weeks after planting in the ground. This time is necessary for the peas to begin to grow and get used to new conditions.
- The frequency of fertilizing should be adjusted to the growth phase of the plant. The more active it is, the more nutrition the culture needs.
- Strictly follow the recommended dosages. Excess fertilizer can have a bad effect on the condition of plants and their chemical composition. Too concentrated formulations cause burns to the roots and above-ground parts.
- Do not overuse nitrogen fertilizers. This has a bad effect on shelf life and leads to the accumulation of nitrates in the fruits.
- Remember about personal protection - work with fertilizers wearing gloves and closed clothing, and wash your hands thoroughly after handling.
When making your own mixtures for fertilizing peas, it is important to remember the compatibility of various substances. Some of them can neutralize or enhance the effects of other elements.
Fertilizing the soil before planting
The area for peas needs to be prepared in the fall. Applying fertilizers at this stage has a positive effect on growing crops next year and reduces the need for additional fertilizing.
When digging up beds in the fall, it is effective to use organic matter with the exception of fresh manure. It is recommended to apply 6 kg of fertilizer per 1 square meter. m. One of the options for autumn organic feeding is rotted grass. You need to lay it out on the selected area, distributing 1 bucket per 2 square meters. m.
Types of fertilizers
Peas require fertile soil. Newly bred varieties have a high ability to absorb large amounts of mineral microelements. To get a decent harvest, plants must absorb 3 parts of nitrogen, 1 part of phosphorus, 2 parts of potassium and 1.5 parts of calcium.
Organic
Some gardeners do not recommend using this type of fertilizer. In their opinion, peas begin to grow rapidly and quickly rot. There is also an assumption that peas can only be sown next year after fertilizing with organic matter. Despite this, the vegetable crop loves such fertilizing and feeds well on poorly soluble phosphorus compounds.
Phosphorus-potassium
It is best to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in the fall before digging up the garden. If you follow this advice, then compared to spring feeding, the effectiveness of this increases to 30%, and in dry times - up to 50%. It is recommended to use potassium fertilizer with the least amount of chlorine in its composition.
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Microelements
There is often a need to use boron. Its amount in the soil increases with the application of manure and decreases after liming.
When fertilized with molybdenum, pea yields increase by up to 50%. This element helps the nodules develop better and increases the amount of protein and sugar. Mainly root feeding is carried out.
Copper is very effective on peat and sandy soil. The most commonly used are copper sulfate and copper sulfate.
Peas simply need magnesium. If it is deficient, the yield may drop sharply. If there is little calcium in the soil, then it is safe to say that there is also little magnesium there. Dolomitized limestone or potash fertilizers are used to enrich the soil.
Bacterial
Microorganisms can improve the nutrition of peas. They do not contain any useful elements. Scientists have created several types of such fertilizers - Agrofil, Mizorin, Rizoagrin, Flavobacterin and others . After application, root nutrition increases and biochemical processes intensify.
Agricultural technology for cultivating crops
Peas are a cold-resistant crop, so they should be planted in early spring (late April), but the beds for planting should be prepared in the fall. This is preliminary care for the crop. Dig the ground thoroughly to a depth of 20 to 30 cm. When digging, do not forget to add fertilizer: per 1 sq. meter approximately 4 - 6 kg of humus or compost, 20 g of potassium salt, 30 g of superphosphate. There are no further recommendations on pre-care agricultural practices.
In the spring, before planting, add ash and apply nitrogen fertilizers: 15-20 g of urea or 25-30 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 square meter. meter.
Pea seeds germinate already at a temperature of 4-7 °C, a temperature of 10 °C is considered the most comfortable. Seedlings of grown peas can withstand cold temperatures down to -6 °C. It is better to plant peas in several stages, at intervals of 8-10 days, and it is necessary to finish planting the seeds by the end of May, since this crop requires long daylight hours for flowering and ripening.
Agricultural technology for cultivating the crop recommends planting peas using the tape method: one tape usually has 3 rows (lines), the distance between which depends on the variety. So, for shelling peas, which will be used for preparing canned green peas and for soups, the distance is 20 cm, for sugar peas on a shovel - a distance of 40 cm. The distance between ribbons is 50 cm, and between peas in a row - 4-6 cm .
On heavy soils, seeds are planted at a depth of 3-4 cm, on light soils - at 5-6 cm. The seed sowing rate is 15-20 g per 1 sq. m. m.
During the growing process, it is necessary to carry out 1-2 fertilizing with any complex of mineral fertilizers.
After planting the seeds in the soil, the top layer must be compacted. And to prevent birds from eating the seeds, it is recommended to cover the areas where peas are sown with translucent film until seedlings emerge.
Further, the agricultural technology for cultivating legumes, which includes peas, requires the following care.
While we are growing peas, it is necessary to fertilize them 1-2 times with any complex of mineral fertilizers: the first time before flowering, the second time before fruit set.
Basic care for peas involves proper watering. The first watering should be done before the first greenery appears, the second - at the beginning of color, and then - when the peas are pouring. Be sure to loosen the soil so that the roots have access to oxygen. Also try to carry out weeding in a timely manner so that the crops do not become clogged. When the plants reach 20-25 cm, place a support on the peas, along which it will cling and curl upward.
If you notice aphids on the leaves, remove them with water. But destroy plants that are affected by powdery mildew immediately so that other plantings do not become infected from them.
Processing methods and dosage
The pea fertilization system includes the following recommendations:
- To prevent plants from gaining excess biomass and rotting on the roots, it is better not to use organic matter directly under the bushes.
- Fertilizers with nitrogen are applied in a ratio of 30–45 kilograms per 1 ha2, if the soil has a humus content of up to 1.8%, with a moisture deficit and low temperatures.
- It is better to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers locally.
- Copper sulfate is used if copper is less than 9 mg/kg in peat-bog soils and 3.3 mg/kg in soddy-podzolic soils.
- When sowing peas on acidic soil, it is necessary to lime them in advance in the fall.
When to apply mineral fertilizers in the fall?
Phosphorus penetrates the soil the hardest, and therefore all mixtures containing this component must be applied in the fall.
The microelement will have as long as six months to dissolve in the soil and become saturated. It’s even better if potassium is added to the soil along with phosphorus, which will help it be better absorbed into the soil, but nitrogen will be lost over the winter and will have to be added again in the spring.
Calcium is another component that is preferably applied in the fall; it will help shrubs and trees survive the winter.
Calcium chloride can also be added in the fall, even to those soils on which plants that cannot tolerate chlorine are supposed to be planted. During the winter cold it will weather away and be washed away with the last snow, but its friend calcium will remain and perfectly fertilize the soil.
Urea is an excellent fertilizer for autumn digging, because nitrogen will erode from the soil, and thanks to the amide form, it will linger, and in the spring you will get good soil suitable for planting.
Combined fertilizers
Autumn fertilizers are applied to the soil gradually when digging the garden, it depends on what type they are.
It is advisable to apply potassium immediately after the harvest is harvested. Phosphorus is suitable for an area where you plan to plant root crops in the spring. Shrubs and trees are fertilized every year, regardless of the fruitfulness of that year.
Flowers are fertilized in mid-autumn by laying dry mixtures to a depth of 8 cm, followed by abundant watering. Ready-made mineral mixtures are better suited for flowers.
The end of November is perfect for adding mineral mixtures to the soil; crystals must be embedded in the ground, since microelements will erode under the influence of natural phenomena.
Safety during processing
To avoid negative consequences after using fertilizers, you must follow the following rules:
- Do not weed or loosen the soil while fertilizing.
- Use protective gloves, closed clothing, and respirators.
- Do not increase dosages.
- Wash your hands and face with soap after work.
Peas as fertilizer
Peas have an amazing feature of enriching the soil with nitrogen compounds. Plant nodules that form in the root system are rich in microorganisms. They absorb nitrogen from the air and feed the crop with mineral salts and water. Such valuable properties help peas grow even on depleted soils.
After harvesting, the plants leave the soil, which remains enriched with nitrogen. Therefore, the land no longer requires additional application of manure. It is well known that peas are an excellent predecessor for many garden plants.
Impact on soil
Plants of the legume family are nitrogen suppliers for vegetable crops. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and cucumbers are the main crops grown in household plots, and they require large doses of nitrogen fertilizers. When using mineral fertilizers, there is a risk that the soil fertility will decrease due to a decrease in humus - rotted plant residues. Because of this, the taste component of vegetables will suffer first.
For example, in US supermarkets, vegetables grown with mineral fertilizers are sold separately from vegetables grown with organic additives - manure or green manure.
The former are cheaper, they are just as beautiful as those that grew on humus, but the taste is radically different. According to people, the middle and lower class cannot afford to eat high-quality vegetable products and buy second-class vegetables that taste little different from water.
The goal of domestic summer residents is to stock up on delicious, aromatic produce for the winter, do it cheaper, and not overwork in the garden.
This is possible if you use green manure as fertilizer, which:
The roots loosen the ground, saving people from manual labor.
Restore natural fertility by rotting plant residues. During the fruiting period, vegetable crops take nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and microelements from the soil. In permanently cultivated areas, additional application of basic nutrients is required, and green manure is a cheap and quick way to restore the soil for the subsequent growing season.
Green manure is a reliable way to get rid of weeds. A powerful, deep and branched root system does not allow other plants to reach the soil surface, because it takes away food and water from them. In two years, it is possible to completely remove such harmful weeds as wheatgrass and sow thistle, without resorting to manual labor.
Most green manure plants, including peas, release phytoncides into the soil, which destroy pathogenic microflora and pests. Legumes do this job by storing nitrogen with the help of root-nodule bacteria that live on the roots.
Manure is expensive if you buy it specifically to fertilize your site. In addition, manure contains weed seeds - they are not digested by the digestive tract of animals and end up in the soil, where they germinate. Manure must be transported to the site and spread, which is a labor-intensive process. Green manure seeds are all that is needed to fertilize the land, they are cheap and easy to sow in the garden.
Legume green manures reduce soil acidity after the use of mineral fertilizers. Some plants of the legume family have deep roots, with which they extract nutrients from the lower horizons and supply them closer to the roots of vegetable crops.
The green mass of legume green manure is used in compost and to prepare a nutrient solution for watering young seedlings.