Seeing the endless fields where the melon harvest is ripening, summer residents are trying to grow sweet fruits on their plots. If seeds fall into wet and cold soil, they simply do not germinate. Even when sprouts appear, it is not a fact that melons and watermelons will ripen. In addition to sun and warmth, such plants need nutrients. Tender leaves curl when aphids appear and are killed by fungi and bacteria. Is it really possible to spray watermelons with boric acid? Summer residents ask when they hear that the antiseptic used in the household also functions as an insecticide.
What is boric acid
A colorless substance, which is naturally found in mineral springs, is produced artificially by mixing borax with hydrogen chloride, resembles scales in appearance, is odorless, and has a layered lattice.
Boric acid is used in medicine for disinfection, in the food industry as an additive, in nuclear reactors, in foundries and ceramics. White powder is used to destroy cockroaches and ants, it is used to control bedbugs, and it is used in agriculture as fertilizer.
What is good for watermelon?
To grow tasty and large fruits, the melon crop needs to be fed at each stage of growth. If a plant is deficient in any microelement, it develops poorly and produces an inferior harvest.
One of the simple and inexpensive mineral fertilizers is boric acid, which is used:
- during sowing of seeds;
- to strengthen seedlings;
- during flowering and ovary formation.
The main element of the substance is boron, which is involved in all processes that occur in garden and melon crops, accelerates their growth and development, helps absorb calcium, supplies sugar to the leaves, improves root formation, and promotes plant adaptation to the external environment.
Fertilizing with boric acid allows you to increase the size of watermelons, as it stimulates the formation of flowers and ovaries, and directly affects the amount of chlorophyll.
Signs of lack or excess of boron in watermelons
Lack of microelements negatively affects the condition of plants.The growth of melons slows down, the leaves become distorted, become whitish and dry out if they lack boron.
If there is a component deficiency:
- Flowers are falling.
- The stems die.
- The ovary does not develop.
Watermelons, even if they ripen, are light in weight and have no taste. With an excess of boron, the crop grows poorly and suffers from toxicosis. The trace element accumulates in the leaves, this leads to them turning yellow and curling, the fruits do not develop, but dry out.
If watermelons receive enough phosphorus and calcium, the toxicity limit for boron increases.
When its presence in the soil exceeds 30 milligrams per 1 kilogram, melons and melons begin to suffer.
Preparing boric acid fertilizer at home
Of all the chemical compounds, the substance obtained from hydrogen chloride and borax causes the least harm to plants. When concentrated, it gives the leaves a bright green tint and adds sweetness to watermelons.
Boric acid, which is often sold in powder form, must first be poured into a small amount of hot water and stirred until no sediment remains. The concentrated solution is diluted and used for feeding.
In order for watermelon seeds to germinate faster and take root better, they are soaked for 12 hours, preparing a product from 5 grams of the substance and 5 liters of water.
Before flowering and the formation of the ovary, the same amount of boric acid is taken, and the liquid is 10 liters. The crop is sprayed a second time a week later. One teaspoon contains 5 grams of powder, 1 gram is a quarter of it. If the antiseptic is used with other components, the concentration is approximately halved.
Methods of feeding plants with boric acid
The substance serves not only as a mineral fertilizer, but also as a growth stimulant. The seeds are soaked in its solution. For melons and melons, foliar feeding is more suitable, since the result is noticeable almost immediately, the composition goes directly to the leaves. Before sowing and planting in open ground, water the area by mixing 5 grams of powder in a bucket of water. A liter of solution is used per square meter. Land cultivation is carried out to prevent boron deficiency.
Root feeding
If watermelons grow slowly, bend, their leaves turn white, the ovary falls off, the stems dry out, this may indicate that the plants are experiencing a lack of boron, since the soil is infertile, and this component is present in it in insufficient quantities.
In this case, root feeding is recommended. The plants must first be watered and then treated with boric acid. Two tenths of a gram of powder is mixed in a liter of hot water, the solution is used when cooled.
This method of feeding is effective if watermelons are planted on podzolic or sandy soil.
Foliar
When spraying melons, the flowers are preserved, the ovary falls off less, the yield increases by at least 20%, and larger fruits grow.
In addition to soaking seeds, foliar feeding watermelons using boric acid is carried out several times per season, namely:
- when buds appear;
- at the beginning of the appearance of flowers;
- during ripening.
The spraying solution is prepared at the rate of 1 gram of powder per liter of water. Spray the composition on both the inside and outside of the leaves. After this treatment, melons are less susceptible to disease.
Application errors
In order for watermelons to enjoy a harvest, you need to learn how to properly use and dilute boric acid. Many summer residents complain that treatment with this product did not bring the desired result.
This happens for various reasons, but mainly:
- Increased concentration is used.
- The composition is not prepared correctly.
- The solution is not distributed over the entire surface of the leaves.
In cold water, the crystals do not stir, but settle to the bottom. When sprayed with this product, the plant can be burned. Unlike phosphorus or nitrogen, when sprayed, boron does not reach the inside of the bush, so leaves need to be treated on both sides.
If all requirements for the preparation of the composition and the correct concentration of the main substance are met, the yield of watermelons increases by at least 20%.
- It is necessary to spray melons in the evening or during the day, when there is no sun and it is cloudy.
- A sprayer for use in a garden or vegetable garden is selected with a fog effect.
- Young plants need to be treated over the entire surface of the leaves, paying attention to growth.
- You cannot take more than a gram of acid powder per liter of water.
At specialized retail outlets you can buy fertilizers that contain boron. Ripe watermelon has low calorie content and a pleasant taste. When consumed, thirst goes away, toxins and waste are removed from the body. The sweet berry is rich in folic acid, which is necessary for pregnant women with anemia. Watermelon eliminates swelling; decoctions are prepared from the peels of the ripe fruit, which alleviate the condition of rheumatism and colitis. The seeds are used in the fight against worms.
