About the drug
Means for combating late blight on tomatoes are prepared from a 5% iodine solution . It looks like a red-brown liquid with a characteristic odor. The product is used for external use and is sold in 10 ml dark glass bottles.
Prices for the solution vary, depending on the manufacturing company and the policy of the pharmacy chain. On average, it can be purchased for 9-55 rubles.
The product has the following effects:
- antiseptic;
- antimicrobial;
- annoying;
- bactericidal.
Iodine is used to treat the skin for inflammatory and infectious lesions, wounds and cuts. often taken orally to prevent atherosclerosis .
How to determine iodine deficiency
The lack of iodine in a plant can be determined by its appearance and the processes that happen to it:
- Poor harvest, small number of ovaries.
- Thin and weakened shoots.
- Sluggish, pale leaf blades.
- Slow development (and sometimes shedding) of ovaries.
- Wilting of bushes, severe inhibition of development during prolonged cold weather.
- Susceptibility to late blight, various types of rot, mosaic.
The development of late blight itself is preceded by a number of unfavorable factors:
- Increased air humidity in a greenhouse.
- Sudden changes in temperature: changing from hot to cool weather and vice versa.
- Insufficient air circulation.
The most favorable conditions for the development of late blight on the site are greenhouses. In the greenhouse, air circulation is difficult, condensation forms on the internal surfaces, and air humidity is increased.
When to start using?
It is important to start treating tomatoes as quickly as possible, then you will be able to get rid of the disease in a short time without losing the plant.
Iodine-based products should be used after detecting signs of late blight. These include:
- elongated dark brown spots and stripes on the shoots and petioles of bushes;
- grayish-brown spots on the foliage;
- brownish-white hard spots on fruit;
- the flowers turn black and gradually dry out.
The disease begins to spread throughout the tomatoes from the lower tiers of foliage, rising higher and higher. During dry periods, the affected parts of the bushes dry out, and during wet periods they rot.
Iodine in the greenhouse
One of the simplest available remedies to help cope with the scourge for most summer residents is iodine, a common pharmaceutical product. The use of cheap medicine on tomatoes allows you to simultaneously solve several problems:
- suppress the development of late blight and other dangerous diseases;
- protect plants from pests;
- prevent ovaries from shedding under unfavorable weather conditions;
- increase resistance to weather changes;
- reduce fruit ripening time;
- increase crop productivity;
- extend the shelf life of fresh tomatoes.
How to process it correctly?
Processing rules:
- Choose a dry and calm day.
- Remove all affected leaves, remove bushes that can no longer be saved, and burn.
- In the morning or evening, prepare the solution and start spraying the plantings.
- Repeat the procedure after another 4 days.
- For preventive purposes, spraying can be done once every 2-3 weeks.
How is iodine useful for late blight?
The advantage of this product lies in the presence of numerous positive qualities:
- safety for humans;
- availability;
- high efficiency;
- variety of processing options.
Iodine is an important element, without which various biological processes cannot occur.
The benefits of this chemical include the following characteristics:
- participates in biological processes;
- improves nitrogen metabolism;
- is an excellent top dressing for increasing yield;
- has antimicrobial effects.
- promotes rapid ripening of tomatoes.
Iodine is used in the form of a solution to perform the following agricultural activities:
- spraying;
- root feeding;
- air saturation.
With wood ash
To prepare this product, mix:
- water – 10 l;
- wood ash – 250 g;
- iodine – 10 drops.
Before treatment, plants are watered abundantly with warm, settled water. This must be done so that the active solution, absorbed into the soil, does not burn the roots of the tomatoes.
The prepared “medicine” is watered on the ground in the circle of bushes around the trunk. I use about 0.5 liters of product per plant. Iodine will disinfect the soil and destroy fungal spores, and the ash will nourish the crop with useful microelements, strengthen the immune system and increase resistance to disease.
Why do tomatoes need iodine?
It turns out that there is quite a lot of this element in the composition of chernozem, chestnut and floodplain soils, which podzolic, gray soils, solonchaks, brown and other types of soils cannot boast of. How is iodine useful, that it has become a very popular fertilizer for tomatoes among gardeners, and for what purposes is this drug used?
The microelement is necessary for the plant and serves not only as a nutritional supplement, but also as an excellent prophylactic against various diseases. This is a strong natural antiseptic.
| Reference. It has been established that tomatoes are very sensitive to the addition of this microelement. After feeding, you will immediately notice the benefits of the drug. This is expressed in the abundant growth of above-ground organs, activation of fruiting at an earlier date and increased resistance to diseases, primarily to root rot and late blight. |
Tomatoes need a little of this substance, which is why it belongs to microelements. Unfortunately, you will not find special preparations on sale that contain this element in the required quantity due to its microscopic necessity. Therefore, you have to prepare the fertilizer yourself.
| On a note. The iodine content in manure, ash and phosphate rock is quite high. |
First of all, iodine solutions are used for fungal diseases and late blight, which affects all nightshades everywhere. As soon as you notice the first signs of the disease, immediately begin a merciless fight. The main thing is not to be late, because external manifestations will become noticeable after the plant disease.
Photo: Natural fertilizer has a positive effect on the growth and development of plants.
The benefits of iodine supplements for tomatoes
Tomatoes respond well to iodine-containing fertilizers:
- Nitrogen metabolism improves. Often used as an alternative to nitrogen fertilizers. Used in small doses, this eliminates the process of accumulation of nitrates in vegetables.
- Stimulates early fruiting.
- Increases plant immunity, improves their growth and development.
- The application of the drug will have a beneficial effect on the human body when the resulting fruit harvest is used in nutrition.
- Due to the content of potassium iodide, the soil is also enriched with this macronutrient.
With dairy products
Milk and dairy products contain large amounts of microelements that plants need for healthy growth and fruit formation. Drinks create an impermeable film on the surface of leaves and shoots, so the fungi die due to lack of oxygen. And lactic acid bacteria speed up the process by infecting spores.
Use one of the solution preparation options:
- Combine a liter of whey with 40 drops of iodine, add 15 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide and dilute in a bucket of water.
- Pour a liter of skim milk and 20 drops of iodine into 10 liters of water, then mix thoroughly.
- Add half a liter of kefir, yogurt or sour milk to a bucket of water along with 10 drops of iodine.
Thoroughly spray the plantings with one of the solutions so that the composition gets on all parts of the plants. The procedure can be performed once every 10-14 days.
It is better to use natural farm products. They will show higher efficiency than store-bought milk.
How to water tomatoes with iodine in open ground
Let's look at the use of the drug at subsequent stages of plant development. The algorithm of actions here is almost the same for plants of any growing method: open ground and greenhouse structures.
Root treatment of tomatoes with iodine
Let's consider the methods and frequency of fertilizing tomatoes in open ground.
- First feeding. The most optimal time is the formation of the second pair of true leaves of the seedlings. Pour a little solution under each root: add one drop of iodine to 3 liters of warm water. Don't worry, this is quite enough at first.
| Important! It is very important in the matter of feeding to comply with the measures. With such a weakly concentrated solution, you can water slightly dried soil in a pot once, replacing the next watering. |
- Second feeding. The initial stage of tying the first brush. Water with warm water (about +20 degrees) with iodine dissolved in it in the proportion: 10 liters of water and 3 drops of the drug. Consumption depends on the size of the bush and is 0.7–1 liters for each root.
| Recommendation. Do not use chlorinated cold tap water. |
- Third feeding. Carried out if necessary.
You must determine this yourself by carefully examining your pets. If there is still not enough iodine, feed it during the fruiting phase with a solution richer in nutrients.
Photo by ru.depositphotos: Prepare fertilizer according to recipes and water the tomatoes.
Boric acid and iodine for feeding tomatoes
Boric acid gets along well with iodine. Recipe for feeding tomatoes with nutrients:
- Dissolve 3 liters of ash powder (it’s good that now you can often find it in gardening stores and don’t worry about where to get it) in 5 liters of hot water.
- Cover and cool for about an hour.
- Now you can pour in a regular pharmaceutical bottle of iodine and a bag (10 g) of boric acid.
- All that remains is to increase the total volume of the solution to 10 liters by adding warm water. Leave the resulting composition for a day, during which do not forget to stir it regularly. This solution is used as a stock solution and with additional dilution in warm water 1:10 l. Water at the root.
| Recipe for feeding tomatoes with iodine and boric acid |
| Thoroughly mix 8 liters of boiling water and 2 liters of ash sifted through a sieve. After cooling, pour in a regular bottle of iodine and 10 g of boric acid. To use, take 1 liter of the solution, which has been brewed for half a day, and dilute it in a bucket of water. Due to the rich composition of micro- and macroelements, this solution can be used as the main root feeding of tomato bushes. The recipe is good for preventing late blight. |
The combined application of iodine and boron is especially welcome for the treatment of tomatoes during the fruiting period. This is an excellent stimulant. Often, even a single application is sufficient for the normal development of plants during further growing season. Everything will depend on the overall nutritional composition of the soil and plant development.
| Note! Do not under any circumstances overdo it with the proportions of iodine! This will only harm your harvest. Root overfeeding will immediately affect the quality of the fruits, causing them to deform and worsen the taste. |
Photo pixabay/kie-ker: Don't overdo it with fertilizer to get tasty fruits.
Foliar spraying of milk with iodine for tomatoes
Foliar spraying is carried out early in the morning or after sunset. For the solution, you can use the following recipes, giving the plants not only iodine, but also other trace elements. Recipes based on dairy products:
- Mix 1 liter of warm water, 1 glass of low-fat milk and 5 drops of iodine. Choose the finest mesh nozzle for the sprayer, creating a damp mist when treating plants. Try to lightly wet the leaf surface, otherwise this may lead to burns. Often there is a need for additional treatment with a solution when late blight or other fungal diseases develop. A thin milky film forms on the leaves, preventing the colonization of fungal pathogens.
- Water (9 l) and milk (1 l) are diluted, 10 drops of iodine are added. Effective against powdery mildew. Can be used as a prophylactic every 2-3 weeks.
- Dissolve 20 g of laundry soap, 1 liter of sour milk in a bucket of water, then add 10 drops of iodine.
| Recipe for feeding pododors with the addition of hydrogen peroxide |
| To prevent and treat late blight, treat tomato leaves with a solution: dilute 10 liters of water with 1 liter of whey, add 40 drops of iodine and a spoon (10 ml) of hydrogen peroxide. Used for treating seedlings and adult bushes. |
Greenhouse treatment
Many gardeners think about the likelihood of late blight in advance and, for the sake of prevention, treat greenhouses with iodine solution. The same product can be used to spray a greenhouse if the disease does appear.
Mode of application:
- 60 drops of iodine are diluted in 20 liters of water.
- Half of the solution is sprayed on the walls of the greenhouse, and the soil is treated with the remaining volume.
- One procedure is enough, but if the damage is severe, you can repeat it 2-3 more times with an interval of 2 weeks.
Agronomists recommend washing the walls of the greenhouse with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate before treating with iodine.
Prevention and iodine
Most summer residents are aware of the existence of diseases and take preventive measures in advance.
Greenhouse
In the greenhouse, the walls and soil are treated before planting. To do this, prepare a solution of 20 liters of water and 60 drops of antiseptic. Walls and beams are washed and sprayed in hard-to-reach places. Some people add a couple of crystals of potassium permanganate to the mixture for treating walls.
If the greenhouse was exposed to late blight a year earlier, the treatment is carried out twice, two weeks apart.
Priming
It is also recommended to disinfect the soil in the greenhouse and in open beds. Dilute 10 drops of iodine in 10 liters of water, pour plenty of soil and dig up.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any product, iodine-based solutions to combat late blight have their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
- safe for humans, the environment and pets;
- when used correctly, it gives decent results;
- low cost;
- easy to prepare;
- does not contain hazardous chemicals.
Flaws:
- less effective than commercial fungicides;
- may harm people with hypersensitivity to its components.
How does iodine affect tomatoes?
Regular use of the drug has an amazing effect on tomatoes, since the microelement is important for all basic physiological processes.
For example, thanks to it, amino acids are produced, pathogenic microflora is suppressed, metabolism in plant tissues and photosynthesis are improved.
If you water tomatoes with iodine, it will speed up the germination process and have a beneficial effect on the immunity of tomatoes. Thanks to the regulation of internal metabolic processes, fruit set indicators, as well as their ripening period, improve. Tomatoes tolerate both drought and low temperatures better.
In what cases is it contraindicated to use iodine for tomatoes?
Precautionary measures
Iodine belongs to hazard class 2, it is toxic and flammable, but can only cause harm in higher concentrations than the solution available in pharmacies.
However, it is worth understanding that the product has an irritating effect:
- on the respiratory tract;
- eyes;
- mucous membranes;
- skin (burns and causes dermatitis).
For protection when preparing and using iodine-based mixtures, it is enough to use gauze bandages and rubber gloves.
Rules for processing tomatoes
In case of tomato disease, treatment is carried out at intervals of two weeks in a greenhouse, in open ground once every 3-4 weeks. To prevent the occurrence of fungus, the product is used once every 15 days.
The mixtures are effective at all stages of tomato development and are suitable for open and closed ground.
Basic rules of application:
- Use the diluted product immediately after preparation, spraying the plants through a fine sprayer.
- When spraying, try to get the liquid on the underside of the leaf, where the mixture is better absorbed.
- Pre-water the soil with plain water.
- Spray tomatoes early in the morning or evening to avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
- If tomatoes are grown outdoors, monitor the weather. During and after treatment for three days, it is advisable that there is no rain or strong wind. If necessary, repeat the treatment immediately after rain.
- When spraying in the greenhouse, ventilate thoroughly to avoid condensation.
The composition of the prepared solutions is safe for humans if the minimum protection requirements are met. The drugs are available and inexpensive. But people with hypersensitivity to the components used should use gauze bandages and rubber gloves. Care is required when working with iodine tincture, which, if spilled heavily on the skin, causes a slight burn.
The fruits can be eaten immediately after processing.
For prevention
Gardeners often use the compositions discussed above for preventive purposes. They increase the resistance of tomatoes to various diseases, repel pests and nourish the sprouts with useful substances.
Treatment is carried out once every 3 weeks or only after planting; the soil and greenhouse are treated before placing the crop.
What else do you need to know?
To get the maximum effect from an iodine solution, you should consider some tricks:
- combining iodine for disinfection with other aggressive substances (potassium permanganate, aspirin, trichopolum, acidic or alkaline components) is strictly prohibited;
- solutions for feeding or spraying must be prepared from clean water (without chlorine impurities);
- preventive measures with iodine-containing agents should be carried out in an open space using a respirator and safety glasses;
- the temperature of the liquid for treating plants is about 25°C, be sure to pay attention to the air temperature, which should not be lower than 20°C;
- Tomatoes should be sprayed early in the morning or in cloudy, windless weather;
- for tomatoes growing on soil enriched with iodine, the content of this element must be reduced to prepare the infusion;
- prevention must be carried out once a quarter;
- for medicinal purposes, components with milk are added every 3 days for a month;
- You cannot fertilize tomatoes grown indoors with iodine when 10 days have not passed since they were planted in the soil - first wait until the plant has taken root.
Reviews from gardeners
- Sergey Ivanovich, Lipetsk . Homemade products have a significant drawback - they are ineffective and require a large number of treatments. Therefore, I use iodine solutions only for preventive purposes and they do their job perfectly. But I think that if late blight has already taken hold, tomatoes can only be saved by chemical means.
- Anna, Ekaterinburg . She used iodine in the treatment of late blight and achieved success in this matter. At the same time, she noted that the fruits ripened earlier than expected. Now once a month they add art. a spoonful of iodine in a bucket of water and use this solution to water the tomatoes at the root.
- Ivan, Omsk . I use a solution of iodine and ash as a preventative and fertilizing agent. But it did not help me in the fight against late blight; the disease receded only after treatment with a fungicide.
Is it possible to feed tomatoes with iodine outside the schedule?
Typically, regulated fertilizing completely provides tomatoes with the necessary microfertilizer. However, it happens that if the fertilizer application schedule is properly followed, plants still experience iodine deficiency. This is determined by the following criteria:
- a proven tomato variety produces few flower clusters for no apparent reason;
- the fruiting phase begins later than usual;
- poor seedling growth;
- thin stems, drooping foliage, the color of the green parts is dull and pale.
Although these manifestations often accompany other problems, attentive gardeners immediately notice subtle details of plant development and use additional feeding, root or leaf feeding, diluting 4-5 drops of iodine in a bucket of water.
Plants are also treated outside of normal hours when symptoms of late blight, powdery mildew, and viral mosaic are detected.
And more about the drug
Iodine is used not only to protect plants from diseases, but also to treat them. This drug often acts as a top dressing for adult bushes and seedlings. Lack of iodine leads to rotting of the ovaries and delayed fruiting.
But fertilizing with this product must be done strictly according to the rules.:
- It is prohibited to use perennial plants during the dormant period.
- Take no more than 1-2 drops of the drug per 2 liters of water, otherwise it can destroy beneficial bacteria in the soil and burn the roots.
- Seedlings and young shoots are watered with iodine-based solutions only after they have taken root in a new place after transplantation.
- The liquid should not get on the root collar of the bushes.
- Before fertilizing, the bed is watered generously with warm water.
- Wood ash will allow you to increase the efficiency of the fertilizer; it is added to an aqueous solution of iodine in a ratio of 1:10.
- When foliar feeding, it is recommended to spray the product through a fine spray bottle. Then the plants will absorb up to 65-90% of the nutrients.
Who would have thought that an effective remedy for late blight could be found in a regular home medicine cabinet. Iodine will not only protect the plantings from this unpleasant disease, but will also nourish the tomatoes with useful microelements and increase their immunity.
What is late blight and how to recognize it on tomatoes
Late blight (late blight) is a fungal disease that can affect all nightshades, which include tomatoes. The causative agents of the disease are very tenacious. Their spores can be found in the soil and, under conditions favorable for the development of the fungus, tomatoes become infected.
The occurrence of late blight is promoted by:
- dense plantings, untimely removal of leaves;
- excessive watering;
- excess nitrogen and lime in the soil;
- temperature changes;
- insufficient fertilizing.
Late blight usually develops in the second half of summer, when the nights become cold and there are fogs in the morning.
The leaves of tomatoes affected by late blight first turn brown, and then dry out and fall off. Brown spots appear on the stems.
Tomato leaves affected by late blight
The fruits of affected plants become covered with brown spots. The danger of a fungal disease is that the crop can be destroyed in just a week.
Fruits affected by late blight
About the benefits of iodine for plants
The main advantage of iodine is its harmlessness to vegetables. In gardens and garden plots, this drug is used not only as a fertilizer, but also as a disinfectant. At the same time, it prevents the development of various fungal and viral diseases, while at the same time the plants’ immune system is strengthened.
Iodine solution in alcohol (5%) is used in small doses, usually 1-3 drops are used per 2 liters of liquid
. Sometimes vegetable growers simply pour iodine into plates and place them at different ends of the greenhouse. Due to their volatility, vapors of alcohol, and with it iodine, instantly spread inside the greenhouse structure during its heating.
Late blight disease on tomatoes - photo
In addition, special drugs are used in the treatment of late blight:
- Disinfectant Farmayod
• Volume – 85 ml; • Cost – 180 rub. - +7 iodine
• 10 g of the drug per 100 liters of water; • price – 20 rub. - Garden iodine
• 10 ml; • Price 185 rub.
When using these drugs, it must be borne in mind that iodine acts not only on pathogens, but also on plants and soil microorganisms. It is important to find out the cause of the disease, and only then prescribe this remedy.
Iodine and brilliant green - against late blight of tomatoes and other diseases - video
For what purposes can it be used?
Iodine can be used throughout the entire growing season of tomatoes, from growing seedlings to filling and ripening fruits in the beds. This folk remedy is used to disinfect seeds before planting, treat young seedlings to strengthen their immunity and quickly adapt after planting.
Equally important is iodine supplementation for tomatoes at the flowering and budding stage. It promotes the formation of a large number of ovaries. Also, adding an iodine solution helps improve the appearance and taste of fruits, making them more juicy and sweet.
As a top dressing
Fertilizers based on pharmaceutical iodine are very useful for tomatoes at any stage of development. They can be used both immediately after transplanting into open soil or a greenhouse, and throughout the entire growing season.
Iodine as a fertilizer is used as a stand-alone product or combined with other components. Most often, vegetable growers use a standard composition for feeding, prepared from 10 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water.
If tomato bushes suffer from a lack of nutrients and microelements, prepare a top dressing of 10 liters of water, 12-13 drops of iodine, 10 grams of superphosphate and 15 grams of potassium salt.
For the treatment of diseases and pest control
Iodine is an antiseptic used to disinfect wounds and various surfaces. That is why this remedy is used to combat fungal and bacterial diseases, as well as various insect pests.
Effective remedies for tomato diseases:
- Late blight - mix 10 liters of water with 1 liter of whey, sour milk or kefir. Add 35-38 drops of iodine to the mixture, mix and spray the affected tomato bushes up to 4-5 times a week. To increase the effectiveness of the product, you can add 18-20 ml of hydrogen peroxide, a handful of chopped garlic or table salt.
- Fusarium - heat 500 ml of water, add 1 drop of iodine and half a finely chopped garlic head to the liquid. To prevent and treat fusarium, spray tomato foliage with this mixture.
- Powdery mildew - various iodine-based recipes are used to control powdery mildew on tomatoes. For example, you can grate 25-30 grams of laundry soap and add 11-12 drops of iodine. Pour all 1 liter of sour milk and spray the tomato foliage every day for 7 days.
- Brown spotting - pour 15 grams of potassium chloride into a bucket with 5 liters of heated water and add 20 drops of pharmaceutical iodine. Spray the tomato bushes with the prepared solution every 2 days.
- Gray rot - to combat the disease, finely chop 500 grams of garlic cloves and add to a bucket of water. Add 30 drops of iodine and spray the tomato bushes with this mixture.
- Tobacco mosaic is an incurable disease. Pharmacy iodine is used to prevent mosaic. Mix 9 liters of settled water with 1 liter of fresh milk and 10 drops of the drug. Use this mixture to soak tomato seeds or seedlings before transplanting into open or closed soil.
Iodine is used by vegetable growers to combat not only diseases, but also insect pests. The most effective iodine remedy is against weevils, chafers and aphids. To prepare the solution, use 15 drops of pharmaceutical preparation per bucket of water. For effective control, each plant must be watered generously with this solution, pouring 1 liter of product under each bush.
