Foliar feeding of potatoes: what is it for, norms, features

The importance of foliar spraying

If you feed a vegetable crop through the soil, the microelements are distributed unevenly. Plants absorb the applied substances in liquid form, so if the fertilizer is dry, the effectiveness of the procedure is noticeably reduced. Therefore, sheet processing is advisable. Its advantages:

• the desired effect is achieved quickly - the fertilizing is absorbed within several hours, then immediately begins to take part in the metabolic processes occurring in the crop;
• profitability - with this method of processing, the yield increases significantly;
• the ability to control the supply of nutrients and adjust it if necessary;
• plants become resistant to various weather “surprises” and parasites;
• vitamin C content increases;
• wide range of fertilizers.

It is not difficult to carry out foliar feeding. All you need is a sprayer and a ready-made solution.

Foliar feeding of potatoes

Foliar feeding of potatoes greatly affects the growth and yield of the root crop. Under the influence of solutions, beneficial elements located on the leaves enter the culture tissue and are better absorbed. Therefore, plants receive vitamins and minerals.

The basic rule to follow when applying fertilizer is to choose the right product. Potatoes need nutrition most during the period of intensive growth, when the tops are growing and the tubers are forming and growing.

Feeding before planting

Many vegetable growers believe that it is necessary to fertilize potatoes after planting. In fact, the procedure is possible before it. In this case, the benefits of feeding will be even greater. There is nothing surprising about this, since in addition to receiving the necessary elements, the potatoes will be protected from possible frosts and insect pests during the entire period of growth and ripening.

This method is also more economical, since there is no need to spread dry fertilizer throughout the area. When choosing foliar feeding, it should be applied to a hole or furrow prepared in advance.

Attention!

A handful of soil must be added to the fertilizer mixture. This approach will avoid damage to planting material, because There will be no direct contact of the root crop with the applied fertilizer.

If you are using organic fertilizer, then you need to add dry humus (700 g) and wood ash (5 tbsp) to each hole. For agrochemicals, the recipe is as follows: 1/2 tbsp. bone meal and 1 tbsp. mix nitrophosphates. This mixture is enough for one potato hole.

The use of ready-made fertilizer is not excluded.

After landing

Potato flowering lasts from 80 to 140 days after planting. It depends on the type of vegetable, care and climate of the region where it grows. Basically, planting and ripening period lasts from May to September. During this period, you should monitor the condition of the root crop and fertilize it. After planting, potatoes need to be fed three times.

It is necessary to fertilize a vegetable crop for the first time after germination. This usually occurs 14 days after planting. During this period, the plant needs nitrogen, the amount of which affects the rate of development of the bush and flower mass.

If you notice that the seedlings are pale or development has stopped, then fertilizing is required because the crop lacks nitrogen. To do this you need:

• mullein – 500ml;
• urea – 15 g;
• water - bucket (10 l).

Attention!

If there is no mullein, bird droppings can be used. You will need 15-25 g per bucket of liquid. Ammonium nitrate can also be a substitute

For one bush you will need 0.5 liters of the resulting solution.

The second time you need to apply fertilizer during the growth of the root crop. This period is important in the development of the vegetable and harvest. The main emphasis in this case should be on potassium and phosphorus. They are the ones that potatoes need during ripening.

To prepare the solution you need to mix:

• potassium sulfate – 15 g;
• wood ash – 125 mg;
• double superphosphate – 15 g;
• water – 10 l.

For one vegetable bush you need 0.5 liters of the resulting fertilizer.

The third feeding is carried out approximately 20 days before digging up the tubers. This requires mineral-organic fertilizers. For the composition you will need:

• superphosphate – 30 g;
• liquid manure – 250 ml;
• liquid – 10 l.

500 lm of the resulting mixture should be added to one well.

The best time to apply fertilizer is morning or evening.

The right approach to fertilizing

Potatoes absorb almost all useful components from the soil throughout the entire season. Therefore, adequate fertilization is recommended. It is better, of course, to change the planting location of the vegetable every year.

They begin to apply fertilizers in the fall, while digging the soil. You can make a composition from humus, simple superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Fresh manure is allowed. Over the winter it will rot and release all its nutrients to the soil. You can use fertilizer made from double superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

If the soil is characterized by high acidity, then in the fall it is recommended to add dolomite flour (the consumption rate is 200 g of dolomite flour per 1 sq. m.). It can be replaced with wood ash.

In the spring, it is preferable to apply the fertilizer directly into the prepared hole before placing the seed potatoes. A composition of humus, ash, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate is ideal.

If you fertilize potatoes after planting regularly and correctly, you can get a good harvest. The number of medium and large-sized tubers with excellent taste and beneficial properties is increasing.

If there is weak growth of tops, you can use a composition of urea, Solution and mullein. All components are filled with water. If the flowering period is delayed, a composition of wood ash and potassium sulfate will help.

Rules for foliar feeding of potatoes

Nutrients are absorbed by potatoes depending on the weather and the chemical composition of the soil. Therefore, it is not surprising that even on well-fertilized soil, a vegetable crop may be deficient in one of the elements:

• at low temperatures, cloudy weather and insufficient lighting, the absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, manganese and zinc is worse;
• during drought in the soil there is a deficiency of potassium, calcium, boron, copper;
• if the soil in which the root crop grows is acidic, then phosphorus and molybdenum are poorly absorbed. In the case of alkaline soil - boron;
• a lack of copper and molybdenum is felt on acidic sandy and peaty soils.

Attention!

Foliar feeding will help replenish the deficiency of useful minerals and vitamins. Vegetables of early varieties need it more, because the early flowering period does not allow them to obtain the necessary substances from the soil.

To carry out foliar feeding, you should follow the rules:

• Do not use concentrated solutions - this will damage the leaves. Excess fertilizer also harms the plant;
• at least 10-14 days should pass between feedings;
• The best time for the procedure is late evening. It is better to carry it out during the day only in cloudy weather;
• before frosts it is forbidden to apply fertilizers;
• In order for the plant to quickly absorb the fertilizer, you need to add laundry soap to it - 50 g per bucket of liquid;
• the solution should be applied to the back side of the leaves;
• drops should be small;
• To create the solution, settled or rainwater is needed.

If the leaves turn yellow prematurely, they will not be green after receiving the fertilizer. But the new leaves will grow healthy and strong.

Why fertilize potatoes?

Potatoes, like tomatoes, are vegetables of the same family, Solanaceae. In science, the crop is called tuberous nightshade (Solanum tuberosum) - a herbaceous tuberous perennial.

Reference. We owe the appearance of “earth apples” in Russia to Peter I. The Russian Tsar brought a bag of tubers from Holland at the end of the 17th century. Gradually, by the mid-19th century, the root vegetable literally became the second bread.

Due to the “kinship”, the requirements of potatoes for basic nutrition and seasonal feeding are very similar to those for fertilizing tomato seedlings. But still, some features of growing, planting and care exist.

Let us dwell in more detail on the important factors and features of seasonal fertilizing that directly affect the full ripening of a high-quality and rich harvest.

Factors affecting yield

Let us highlight the mandatory procedures that directly affect high potato yields:

1. pre-sowing soil nutrition with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (autumn or spring);
2. preparation of planting material (processing of tubers before planting);
3. nutritional mineral supplements before and after potato flowering;
4. pre-harvest desiccation (drying of tops);
5. preventive feeding (adding a complex of microelements and fungicides).

Feeding potatoes before flowering

When the first shoots have sprouted, the vegetable crop needs to be supplemented with microelements. Before the growing season, ovaries form and tubers fill, so additional vitamins are needed.

When buds form on the potatoes, fertilize with a solution of potassium sulfate (1 tbsp), wood ash (3 tbsp) and a bucket of liquid (10 l). Bushes can be treated with urea: dilute 30 ml of this substance in 300 ml of liquid. Superphosphate will also not be superfluous. Should be diluted with 3 tbsp. of this substance in a bucket of liquid.

To prepare a complex fertilizer you need to mix:

• ammonium nitrate – 2 g;
• potassium chloride – 2 g;
• superphosphate – 20 g;
• copper sulfate - 0.1 g.

Pour warm rainwater over the ingredients and let sit for at least 3 hours.

Mix the resulting solution with liquid in a 1:1 ratio. This mixture can be sprayed on the crop before the growing season, which will accelerate growth and increase resistance to various diseases.

You can also fertilize with nettles. For this purpose, chop the upper part of the plant, add water in a barrel and leave for 7 days. Strain the resulting solution and sprinkle the tops. It will saturate the potatoes with potassium and nitrogen.

The best fertilizers for potatoes

Fertilizers are conventionally divided into mineral, organic (natural base) and complex (specially developed formula for the ratio of elements, according to the needs of the crop).

Mineral

Basic mineral fertilizers for potatoes:

1. Calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate) is an alkaline fertilizer containing completely soluble calcium and phosphorus (up to 9%), nitrogen (more than 25%). Calcium ensures the absorption of nitrate nitrogen. Fertilizing stimulates tuber growth and rooting.
2. Ammophoska is a basic NPK complex, containing more than 9% nitrogen, up to 20% phosphorus and 15% potassium. Feature – does not contain chlorine, the components are present in ammonium form. Autumn application of fertilizers to the soil and scheduled fertilizing give a start to the growth processes of tubers and contribute to the growth of the bush. The granules are used as an accelerator additive for preparing compost.
3. Potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) is a multifunctional potash fertilizer (more than 50% potassium in the composition), applied throughout the season, suitable for all types of soil. Completely absorbed by chlorophobic crops (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers). Ensures uniform development of tubers. It is considered an anti-stress drug due to the presence of sulfur (more than 15%), increases resistance to temperature changes, summer drought, and resists fungal infections.

Complex fertilizing during the flowering period of potatoes

During the growing season, it is better to feed the root crop with folk remedies. This will help not harm the crop and maintain productivity.

You will need:

• onion peel;
• walnut leaves;
• tobacco;
• leaves from poplar.

Attention!

The use of fertilizer will be safe and effective if it is specifically designed for a particular crop. In this case, the likelihood of overdose is minimized.

Complex mineral fertilizers should be applied at the root.

Feeding potatoes after flowering

During the formation of tubers, it is important to apply foliar fertilizing. They are needed twice so that the vegetable is large and ripens well:

1. For the first time, fertilizers are needed to improve the taste of potatoes. Therefore, they should be applied at the beginning of tuber setting. For this, boron (improves the quality of the product) and manganese (improves the taste) are used. It is allowed to use ready-made fertilizer.
2. About a month before harvest, another superphosphate-based fertilizer should be applied. You can use it in two ways: spread the granules under each bush or prepare a solution for spraying. For the second option, dissolve 100 g of the product in a bucket of liquid. This is enough to process one hundred square meters of land. As a result, potato yields will increase.

After the growing season, potato tops begin to be attacked by parasites. Ash and tobacco ash will help get rid of them and saturate the soil with potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Ash solution is also allowed for use. It is necessary to stir 100 g of ash in 1 liter of water. For one potato bush you will need 1.5 liters of the prepared product.

Expert secrets for increasing your harvest

1. The Dutch planting method saves up to 25% of the harvest even in small areas. The scheme is simple - the distance between holes in a row is 20-25 cm. The distance between rows is at least 80 cm. When loosening, wide paths protect the integrity of the root space (this zone is not trampled).
2. Radishes are sown along one edge of the row with tubers, and peas on the other . Radishes, like all Cruciferous green manures, disinfect the soil, and peas enhance the productivity of potatoes.
3. You can hill up young bushes only in the early morning or late evening . Hot, heated soil under the sun injures green shoots. The tops will turn yellow and stop growing. Green stems can withstand temperatures up to 45-50 C. Moreover, sprouts need to be spudded once when they grow to 12-15 cm. Next, you just need to loosen the soil.

Foliar feeding with mineral fertilizers

Before the growing season, the root crop grows tops, so during this period it needs nitrogen fertilizers. Often used are urea. It’s easy to prepare them: dissolve 50 g of urea in 10 liters of water. You can replace it with complex fertilizers: dissolve 50 g of nitrophoska in a bucket of liquid. .

The first treatment should be carried out 14 days after the sprouts appear, and the second after another such interval. You can add 75 g of potassium monophosphate and 5 g of boric acid to the mixture.

Attention!

If the seedlings are exposed to frost or hail, zinc and molybdenum must be added to the soil.

The first feeding should contain a growth stimulator and amino acids.

During the process of bud formation, potato beds should be fertilized with phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and copper.

After the growing season is over, the plant needs potassium. With its help, potatoes accumulate water, which is important during drought. Some vegetable growers replace potassium with potassium chloride. But in this case, the growth of tubers slows down.

How to determine which element is missing

Foliar feeding is necessary to nourish the crop with essential microelements and vitamins, in case of deficiency of these substances. The appearance of the plant will help determine which element is missing.

Attention!

Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers should be applied simultaneously - together they are much more effective.

If at least one of these elements is insufficient, then not only the potato yield will decrease, but also its quality.