How to feed seedlings for good growth - the best folk remedies

Folk remedies for feeding vegetable seedlings will allow you to get healthy plants that will give an excellent harvest in the future. You can find many of the products described at home or easily buy them in a store or pharmacy.

In addition to naturalness, folk remedies have one more advantage - they are not so saturated, so if you have prepared the drug correctly, then the likelihood of harming the plants is very small. Of course, in any case, you should not water the seedlings with these fertilizers too often. Maintain moderation and you will soon notice that the seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbage are filled with juice and are growing well.

Let's look at what folk remedies can be used at different stages of seedling development.

Ammonia - fertilizer for seedlings

During this period, it is advisable to fertilize with ammonia, which contains 82% nitrogen and is easily absorbed by plants. Nitrogen will strengthen the stems of seedlings and increase leaf mass.

• Several ways to use ammonia in the garden

  It turns out that the usual ammonia can be useful not only in the home medicine cabinet, but also in the garden.

  Read also:  All potato varieties approved for use in the Russian Federation

To prepare the drug, dissolve 1 tsp. ammonia in 10 liters of water, mix well and carefully pour the seedlings under the root.

Mole crickets and wireworms do not like ammonia, so it can be used to protect plants even after planting in the ground. Dissolve 3-4 tbsp. product in 10 liters of water and pour 0.5 liters into each well.

What funds are needed?

Gardeners, especially beginners, often ask the question: “How to feed seedlings for growth if they are at home in the window? How often should I do this? When to apply fertilizer for tomatoes and how much is needed? Below is a list of some of the best fertilizers for tomato seedlings among vegetable growers.

Banana peel

Banana peels are a natural food for tomatoes. Bananas and their peels are rich in potassium and also contain some phosphorus. For long-term transportation, their shell is treated with substances containing growth hormones within acceptable limits, which has a beneficial effect on the development of seedlings.

Recommendation. Before eating bananas or preparing fertilizer from the peel, they must be washed with hot running water and soap.

It is recommended to add fresh banana peels to the bottom of the container when picking tomato seedlings. Some summer residents dry the peel of this fruit, crush it and mix it with soil when sowing seeds (you can use the whole dry peel, but in this case it must be placed at the very bottom of the container for seedlings).

Others infuse banana skins in water (the peels of 2-3 bananas are poured with 3 liters of water and infused for 3 days, then diluted with more water in a ratio of 1:1) and add this infusion to seedlings that are 1.5 months old.

Read more about how to use banana peels and other organic matter for feeding and proper growth of tomatoes here.

Spilled coffee

Coffee contains a large amount of useful substances and minerals (including nitrogen, potassium, magnesium), and it also makes the soil structure looser, saturating the fragile root system of sprouts with oxygen. To feed seedlings, use brewed grounds, mixing them with soil until the seeds are sown. The coffee cake is washed, dried, and mixed with soil in a 1:1 ratio.

Urea (urea)

Urea is the basis for fertilizing tomato seedlings, as it contains up to 46% nitrogen, a mineral without which normal growth and high fruiting are impossible. But the issue of fertilizing with nitrogen must be approached extremely carefully.

You need to know in moderation in everything: it is better to underfeed the seedlings than to overfeed them. An excess of nutrients is no less destructive for her than their deficiency.

Many agronomists recommend adding urea before planting seedlings in the ground (1-2 g per box). Then seedlings that are 15 to 30 days old and already planted in the soil are watered with urea (25-30 granules per 10 liters of water at room temperature), until the first ovary begins.

Eggshell

It is rich in calcium, silicon, phosphorus, potassium, which certainly has a positive effect on the growth of seedlings. Dried shells from 3 to 4 eggs (preferably raw) are soaked in 3 liters of water for 3 days.

Another option:

1. The shells of 4 eggs, pre-washed and dried, are crushed in a coffee grinder, 1 liter of boiling water is poured in and infused for 4 - 6 days, then the infusion is diluted in 10 liters of water.
2. The resulting suspension is poured under the roots of the seedlings.

During the infusion process, an unpleasant smell of hydrogen sulfide may appear, which should not be feared - this is a completely natural reaction. This method is recommended for the first feeding.

Yeast

It’s not without reason that people use the phrase: “It’s growing by leaps and bounds.” This substance, unique in its composition, is a source of natural bacteria that help strengthen the immunity of seedlings. They are an excellent and inexpensive tomato growth stimulator.

1. 10 g of “live” yeast are dissolved in warm water, add 4 tbsp. Sahara.
2. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water (1:10) and added under the roots of tomatoes during the first feeding.

Another option: dilute 5 g of bread yeast in 5 liters of water, leave for 1 day, and then you can add seedlings. Yeast should be used for tomato seedlings that are 1-2 months old.

From the video you will learn how to fertilize with yeast for an excellent harvest:

Epin

This drug is a stimulator of seedling growth, it is a kind of plant hormone. The active substance is a solution of ebiprassinolide in alcohol 0.025 g/l. The composition contains a shampoo that produces foam for better “sticking” of beneficial substances to the foliage. The main purpose of Epin is to strengthen the immunity of tomato sprouts and promote rapid rooting of seedlings.

Epin strengthens the plant's defenses (cold, drought, diseases, pests), but does not fertilize it!

This drug can be used at any stage of plant growth: it can be used to treat seeds, spray seedlings, and then during flowering and fruiting. When preparing a solution for spraying, you must strictly follow the instructions. As a rule, an ampoule of the substance is diluted in filtered water and stored for no more than 24 hours. For seedlings of the “2 – 4 leaves” phase, the consumption rate is 1 ampoule per 1 liter of water, during picking 3 drops per 100 ml of water.

Beer

Beer solution is considered a good biostimulator for seedling growth. It is most often used in the phase of the appearance of the first leaf. It is preferable to use “live” beer for feeding (1 liter per 10 liters of water), avoiding contact with the tender leaves of the sprouts. Seedlings grown in this way will be stronger, more resistant to diseases, and will be easier to tolerate picking and transplanting.

Feeding seedlings with eggshells

Eggshells contain a lot of calcium, which promotes cell division and, accordingly, active growth of seedlings. An infusion of shells is used as a top dressing.

Take the shells of 3-4 chicken eggs, pour in 3 liters of warm water and leave to infuse in a dark place. To prevent the smell of the infusion from spreading throughout the house, cover the container with a tight lid. After 3 days, when the infusion becomes cloudy and “fragrant,” dilute it in a ratio of 1:3 and water the seedlings.

Eggshells can also be used to protect seedlings from blackleg. To do this, finely chop the shells and sprinkle the soil in containers with seedlings.

How to feed tomato seedlings

In order for seedlings to grow healthy, they need to be fed correctly:

• It is better to give a smaller dose of fertilizer than a larger one;
• fertilizing is carried out in the morning, on a damp substrate;
• all drugs must be thoroughly dissolved in water;
• temperature of liquid fertilizers – from 22 to 25° C;
• Use filtered or settled water.

It is imperative to fertilize tomato seedlings. It is important not to overdo it and maintain a balance of nutrients. It is better if the main fertilizers are mineral, and folk remedies are used only as auxiliary ones.

Feeding seedlings with coffee grounds

Coffee grounds saturate the soil with nitrogen. And although there is not as much of it in it as, for example, in ammonia (only about 2%), plants will like this feeding. Thanks to the thickness, seedlings will be able to quickly absorb other nutrients from the soil. Before feeding the plants, rinse the coffee with clean water, dry it, and then carefully embed it in the soil.

Dormant coffee grounds can also be added to garden beds. This will improve the soil composition and attract earthworms and beneficial microorganisms.

How to feed seedlings if they are thin and grow poorly

Although growing tomato seedlings is considered a less troublesome task compared to other nightshades, it can also create problems for the gardener. Namely, plants are stunted, look pale and frail with thin falling stems - these are signs of nitrogen deficiency.

Feeding with preparations with a high nitrogen content, such as urea, is necessary.

Seedlings will react to a lack of phosphorus by turning purple on the undersides of the leaves and stems. Add nitrophoska.

Due to the lack of magnesium, the leaves become marbled in color. Use magnesium nitrate or magnesium sulfate.

Iron deficiency causes chlorosis. Spraying with Ferovit 2 weeks after the dive will help.

The lack of these nutrients in the tomato diet, both in combination and individually, causes growth retardation and very often leads to the death of seedlings.

Feeding seedlings with yeast

Yeast feeding for seedlings is very popular, because... Yeast promotes the growth of green mass, significantly accelerates the growth of plants, increases their immunity and endurance. After applying such fertilizing, the root system receives a strong impetus to development. Yeasts also benefit the soil microflora. Therefore, if you want to get an excellent harvest, be sure to use this fertilizer.

Pour 100 g of yeast into 10 liters of water, add 2 tbsp. sugar and leave for a day. Dilute the finished product in a ratio of 1:5 and water the plants at the root.

Before flowering begins, fertilizing with yeast can be repeated.

General scheme for feeding tomatoes

At the stage of growing seedlings, tomatoes are fed several times. Fertilizer is first applied when the first true leaves appear. Then the fertilizer is applied half a month after the dive. The last fertilizing is carried out 1.5 weeks before planting in the ground.

Additionally, seedlings can be fertilized if they grow poorly or there are signs of a lack of any substance.

Tomatoes must also be fertilized throughout the growing period. On average, this must be done 4 times according to the following scheme:

1. The first feeding is needed approximately half a month after planting the bushes in open ground.
2. The crop needs to be fertilized a second time after another half a month, when the second inflorescence blooms.
3. The next feeding is carried out during mass flowering.
4. The crop also needs to be fertilized during fruiting. It is necessary to stop fertilizing half a month before harvest. During this period, you should limit yourself to root feeding only.

This feeding scheme is a generalized option. The plant may need additional measures.

By the appearance of the crop, you can determine what substances it lacks. In this case, it is necessary to additionally apply the necessary fertilizer:

• nitrogen when the lower leaves fall off;
• phosphorus when leaves darken and purple color appears in the veins;
• potassium with a yellow-green or orange border on the leaf blades;
• magnesium for fragility of seedlings;
• calcium for reduced stem growth, yellowing and falling leaves.

It is important to focus the feeding of tomatoes on the characteristics of the soil, the variety of the crop, and its condition. For problem plants, fertilizers should be applied once every half month, when in standard situations fertilizing is required 2-3 times less often.

Root feeding should be carried out according to the standard scheme. Additionally, they resort to foliar feeding, which can be done once a week.

Feeding seedlings with onion peels

Onion peels are an invaluable fertilizer for seedlings and are as accessible as banana peels or eggshells. It is especially useful to water weakened plants with onion infusion, because... The husk contains many antioxidants that strengthen the immune system. Phytoncides are no less beneficial. Fungi and pathogenic bacteria fear them like fire! And in terms of the amount of nutrients, onion peels are not inferior to other folk remedies; they also contain vitamins A, C, PP, group B, potassium, phosphorus, iron, etc.

To prepare the infusion, you will need 2 glasses tightly filled with onion peels. Pour 2 liters of boiling water over them and leave for about 2 days. Then strain and dilute in a ratio of 1:3.

If the plant looks lethargic, you can feed it with onion infusion already on the 3rd day after planting.

When do tomatoes not need fertilizing?

On sunny days, fertilizing should be done in the early morning or evening. Otherwise, liquid getting on the leaves can cause sunburn.

Tomatoes should not be fed for about half a month after picking. The plant needs such a break to restore its root system.

You should also wait half a month after transplanting the seedlings into the ground. This interval is necessary for rest and adaptation of the culture.

There is no need to feed the plants often. It is important to follow the standard pattern; light weekly feedings are also acceptable. Exceeding the norm of nutrients can be just as harmful to the crop as their lack.

More information about how and what to fertilize tomato seedlings is described in this video:

Feeding tomato seedlings is an important component of their cultivation. With the help of fertilizers, you can provide the plant with the necessary nutrients, accelerate its growth and formation of ovaries, increase productivity and taste. Properly selected fertilizers also help reduce the risk of various crop diseases.

0

0

Copy link

Ready-made compositions for fertilizing

Most often, summer residents, when the first signs of disease or mineral deficiency appear, resort to the help of professional agrochemicals.

There are a huge variety of universal formulations that provide the plant with a full range of essential minerals. How to feed tomato seedlings at home:

1. Athlete for processing tomato seedlings. It is the most optimal solution in its composition. The drug slows down the growth of leaves, but at the same time, promotes the active growth of the root system. A positive effect is evidenced by a noticeable thickening of the stem and normalization of the color of leaves, veins, and petioles.
2. Sturdy. A very popular complex, which includes not only minerals (sulfur, nitrogen, potassium), but also an organic component. The main mechanism of action of this composition is to enhance the metabolism of the terrestrial part. The result can be assessed by the thickening of the stem, the growth of green mass, and the enlargement of the leaf blade.

Also very well-known mineral-organic compositions include Izumrud, Zdraven Turbo. Some drugs are produced in the form of liquid compounds with humic acids, due to which the active components acquire proper solubility and adhesion.

You can fertilize seedlings by watering the soil, spraying the ground part, or watering at the root.

The main thing is not to rush!

Some gardeners sin by rushing to feed seedlings prematurely - as soon as the first shoots appear above the surface of the ground. Meanwhile, the rapid flow of fertilizers and nutrients can only do harm. The root system of seedlings is still too weak to absorb large amounts of micro- and macroelements.

It is better to feed the seedlings for the first time when 3-4 true leaves appear on the plants, 2 weeks after picking. We are talking not only about fertilizing, but also about growth stimulants/regulators (Epin, Atlet). Most drugs are recommended to be used (and the instructions say so) after picking, in the phase of 3-4 true leaves.

Organic fertilizers

In addition to the already mentioned mullein and poultry droppings, tomato seedlings are fed:

1. Ash. Dust the greens with a dry product. Pour over ash infusion (boil a glass of raw material in a liter of water for up to half an hour, cool, filter and pour over the next day). Ash, dry on the sheet or infused, is a source of potassium. Sprinkled plants are protected from attack by pests.
2. Potassium humate. The drug contains the basic NPK complex and microelements in a form that allows plants to easily and quickly receive the nutrition they need for growth.
3. Gumi Kuznetsova (OZhZ series). The same principle of humic acids as the previous fertilizer.
4. “Krepysh”, which contains NPK, humates, is rich in a set of microorganisms, is considered an organomineral fertilizer.

5. Based on vermicompost - “Ideal”.
6. "Vermicompost". Liquid – for watering or leaf processing.

When feeding seedlings with organic matter, it is important to remember: natural does not mean that the more the better. The dosages specified in the instructions for the drugs or the recipes of experienced gardeners will protect the plants from overfeeding, burns and other risks.

Mineral fertilizers

Gardeners accustomed to agrochemicals introduce complex formulations balanced according to the needs of the period. Fertilizers contain all three macros, some are enriched with micros:

1. Azofoska (+ sulfur). The peculiarity is that nitrogen is in two forms - nitrate and ammonium, each of which is necessary for plants in its own way.
2. Nitroammophoska (NPK only).
3. Ammophoska (+ sulfur, + magnesium).
4. Nitrophoska (+ magnesium).
5. Diammofosk (+zinc, iron, sulfur, calcium, magnesium). The advantage compared to the previous complex is the ammonium form of nitrogen. The macroelement in this form is not washed away with each watering.
6. Nitroammophos. The name alone makes it clear: there is no potassium in the composition.

For the first feeding after picking, choose the macro balance:

• still with an emphasis on nitrogen;
• in equal parts.

By strictly observing proportions and alternating mineral supplements with organic or folk fertilizers, the gardener will not harm either the plants or himself with chemicals.

Subsequent complementary feedings, which are carried out over a period of a couple of weeks, change the dosage ratio in favor of phosphorus-potassium components.

For self-assembly of fertilizers, the most popular preparations are used.

As you can see, after diving, not a single fertilizing can be done without a shock dose of phosphorus, potassium in one form or another, and the nitrogen component, albeit in smaller volumes, is definitely present.

The nuances of fertilizing are in a video from an expert:

When is it better to use not ready-made complexes, but self-assembled ones or single preparations?

If seedlings show nutrient deficiencies:

1. Purple spots if phosphorus starvation.
2. The plate between the veins turns yellow - you should choose an option with iron.
3. The edge of the leaf looks burnt and curls - add potassium.

That is, the reason for the change in color or deformation of the leaf is determined by its appearance and targeted fertilizing is carried out.

And vice versa: there are signs that the seedlings are overfed with one element, and the time of scheduled feeding requires fertilizing again. The drug, a source of overfeeding, is removed from the compound recipe.

What to consider if seedlings are grown in soil from the garden

In addition to crop rotation, the composition and fertility of the soil are taken into account if the planting soil is garden soil. But most summer residents still use garden soil. There is an argument in favor of this method: it is easier for seedlings to adapt to a bed with the same soil composition. Therefore, the choice of fertilizers is approached more carefully.

For example, chernozem is abundant in nitrogen and humus. Therefore, the emphasis is on monophosphates or monopotassium phosphate. And sod-podzolic soils need nitrogen. In areas where the soil is too light, with a high content of sand or peat, potassium preparations are relevant.

Fertilizers and pH balance

The hydrogen reaction of the local soil is of fundamental importance when choosing a fertilizer. Ammophos and azofoska are used without taking into account the acidity of the soil: these are universal preparations.

About the importance of the acid-base composition of soils and ways to find out and change the balance, in a video from an expert:

For acidic soils, which form the basis of the planting mixture at the seedling stage and after - in the garden, it is more useful than other options (in parentheses - the percentage of element content):

1. Potassium sulfate. Its pH is not lower than 5.5, and it contains potassium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium (50/18/3/0.4).
2. Sodium nitrate. “Sour” in the name does not mean the balance, which in the drug reaches 7, that is, a pronounced alkaline character. Sodium and nitrogen are the main components (25+15), useful additives are molybdenum with manganese, boron with zinc.
3. Calcium nitrate. Calcium (19) + nitrogen (13), and the reaction is 6-7.
4. Phosphorous flour. In addition to phosphorus (10), it contains oxides of calcium (19) and potassium (1.5), plus calcium carbonate. The product is famous as a deoxidizer.

If the soil is highly alkaline, then gardeners using mineral fertilizers will prefer:

• urea;
• superphosphate;
• ammonium sulfate.

The main principles of safe application of agrochemicals:

1. Strictly follow the instructions - dosages, volumes, water temperature and solution preparation.
2. Apply only on damp soil, and then water again.

This applies to the use of mineral fertilizers at any stage - seedlings or gardening.

Seedlings, what do you need?

Nitrogen plays a significant role in the formation of the above-ground parts of plants . It is this macronutrient that ensures active growth and the rich green color of the leaves. Enough nitrogen means the seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and other plants look plump, vigorous and strong. But you shouldn’t overfeed either - the plant will begin to fatten, increasing green mass, instead of forming ovaries and producing fruit.

In addition to nitrogen, young plants need a number of other substances: phosphorus, potassium, manganese, iron, boron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, calcium . And, in order not to rack your brains about what specific substance the plants lack, the easiest way is to fertilize them with a complex mineral fertilizer. And the plants themselves will take from the soil what they need. And if you still want to get to the truth, why your plants look this way and not otherwise, a hint sign will help