Everyone knows about the benefits of zucchini for the human body. To grow a vegetable in the garden and get a rich harvest, you must adhere to the rules of agricultural technology. They indicate what to feed the zucchini during flowering and fruiting so that the fruits acquire a good taste.
Vegetable crop needs feeding organic and mineral fertilizers.
Basic feeding of zucchini
Zucchini is considered unpretentious in care, but quite demanding on the quality of the soil. Plants need to be planted in pre-fertilized soil. To do this, it is best to use organic means - manure or humus.
The type of fertilizer depends on the condition of the soil. If the soil is sufficiently loose and light, then manure is added to it, and dense and heavy soil is diluted with humus and sand. When young plants are already in the beds, and not in boxes as seedlings, you need to feed them correctly and in a timely manner.
Feeding zucchini takes place in several stages. The first fertilizer is applied at the seedling stage. For these purposes, a water-soluble complex mineral preparation is used. The product is prepared in advance and young seedlings are watered with it once a week. This will stimulate shoot growth and properly form the root system.
The drug contains microelements such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, arginine, tryptophan and phytohormones. You can fertilize the seedlings with the solution before planting them in open beds.
The second time the crop is fed at the stage of inflorescence formation. Often at this stage, gardeners use a yeast mixture. It enriches the soil with nutrients and vitamins.
Yeast contains vitamins B, E and H. It also contains compounds of copper, iron, calcium and phosphorus. Yeast dressing is prepared in the following way: dissolve 200 g of fresh yeast in 1 liter of water and add another 10 liters of warm water. This solution can be used to water any vegetable crop. Some gardeners also add wood ash to the mixture. For 10 liters of water, 0.5 kg of dry matter is enough.
Yeast-based fertilizing should be applied carefully, trying not to get on the foliage and flowers. Vegetables grow quite actively after such fertilizer.But this method also has its drawbacks - canning zucchini fed with yeast does not always turn out to be of high quality. You definitely shouldn’t overdo it with this type of feeding. It is enough to apply it once during the formation of flowers.
The third time fertilizing is done during the main flowering period. You can use organic fertilizers or complex mineral products intended for zucchini, melon and watermelon.
Sometimes medications are used for these purposes. In particular, they fertilize with ammonia and ammonia; ammonia can be used to fertilize not only vegetable but also flower crops. Ammonia is diluted in water in the following proportion: 50 ml of alcohol per 5 liters of water.
Some vegetable growers prefer to use a weaker ammonia solution. It is prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. ammonia. The principle of using the product is that this drug is a nitrogen compound that is easily processed by plants without attracting bacteria. Characteristic signs that zucchini lacks nitrogen are the following:
- Yellowed leaves of the bottom row.
- The greens are small and misshapen.
- Stems and leaves become brittle and brittle.
- A large amount of greenery in the absence of inflorescences.
- Fungal infection of bushes.
- Small number of fruits. Zucchini wilts and yellow spots appear on them.
- The foliage turns yellow and curls at the edges.
An ammonia solution promotes active growth of planting material. When using it, seed germination increases and accelerates, and the formation of the root system occurs without disturbance.
Treatment with boric acid is carried out on grown seedlings.The drug accelerates the process of production and processing of nitrogenous substances by plants, increases the synthesis of chlorophyll in greenery. Boric acid improves the taste of fruits. They increase the amount of sugar and increase the level of amino acids and vitamins.
Thanks to fertilizing with boric alcohol, the bushes grow well. They form a large number of ovaries and strengthen the root system. The plant's immunity to various fungi and pests increases.
There is a wide variety of fertilizers that can and should be used in zucchini farming. The culture responds well to nitrogen and potassium substances. The plants fertilized with them give a rich and high-quality harvest. The main thing is to administer medications correctly and in a timely manner. An excess of fertilizers can also lead to the opposite effect. An increase in fertilizing provokes active growth of foliage and a complete absence of fruits.
How to feed zucchini after planting in the ground?
After planting seedlings in the beds, they need to be properly cared for. First of all, this is competent watering, which has its own specifics. And no less important is feeding zucchini in open ground. It also consists of several stages.
The first application of fertilizers occurs 7-10 days after planting the seedlings. By this time, the roots of the seedlings will adapt to the soil and will begin to actively absorb nutrients from the soil.
It is better to use complex fertilizers. During this period, the young plant needs additional nutrition and a set of nutrients. At this stage, the use of inorganic fertilizers is the safest.
With the appearance of inflorescences on the bushes, you can perform a second feeding. Here, organic substances or traditional methods are most often used.Natural, organic preparations are the most effective in supplementary plant nutrition. These include: humus or compost, manure, chicken droppings, wood ash, peat, silt, sawdust and tree bark, green manure.
Depending on the terrain and soil conditions, gardeners select the type of organic fertilizer. Most often, wood ash is used for squash crops. It enriches the soil with useful substances such as potassium, boron, magnesium, iron, silicon, sulfur, manganese and calcium. Ash can be obtained by burning various types of wood, but even here you have to apply basic skills and knowledge.
Thus, the ash remaining from the combustion of young branches contains a large amount of potassium. What remains from the old branches is mostly calcium. The ash left over from various herbs, foliage and plant roots is rich in potassium and iron.
The gardener should know that using ash from burning household waste is strictly prohibited.
Ashes are applied to the soil at the rate of 4-5 kg per 10 m². You can prepare a solution from wood ash, which is used to water or spray zucchini bushes. For this, 2 tbsp. l. The ashes are dissolved in 1 liter of hot water, mixed well and allowed to cool to room temperature.
After planting, young seedlings always need mineral enrichment and additional nutrition, as they go through a period of adaptation to a new place.
How to feed zucchini during flowering?
During the flowering period, it is important to choose the right fertilizer for zucchini. Experienced vegetable growers advise using only organic additives, but often combined application of fertilizers has a greater effect.
For example, you can use a solution of wood ash together with superphosphate.An ash solution is prepared from 2 tbsp. l. ash and 5 liters of warm water. Add 1-2 tbsp to it. l. phosphate and mix well.
Foliar feeding of zucchini is popular among gardeners. It consists of watering a nutrient solution around the beds and spraying the plants themselves. The solution is prepared from 0.5 liters of mullein and 1 liter of Nitroammophoska.
The most popular top dressing among gardeners is Nitroammofoska. It contains 3 main components: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. For watering around the beds, you can also use boric acid with the addition of bird droppings.
Using manure during the flowering period of plants is quite effective, but it is important to adhere to safety rules. The fact is that manure, getting on foliage or flowers, can lead to burns on the plant. It is recommended to dilute it with water and apply it carefully at the root, trying not to touch the stems and greenery of the bush.
How to feed zucchini during fruiting?
Fertilizing zucchini during the period of fruit ripening should be carried out only with safe or organic substances. Vegetables at this stage actively absorb all microelements and minerals, which have a direct impact on their taste and quality.
During the fruiting period, it is best to use substances such as:
- superphosphate;
- potassium preparations;
- urea
From organic materials, wood ash, bird droppings and compost are well suited for feeding zucchini.
It is imperative to enrich the soil, since the plant spends a lot of energy during this period. In order for the bush not to wither, but to produce a rich harvest, it is necessary to provide the zucchini with the necessary minerals.
How to additionally feed zucchini for growth?
To increase the growth of vegetable crops, ready-made solutions are most often used, which serve as plant growth stimulants. Such drugs can be purchased in specialized stores.
For the growth of zucchini, boric acid or urea is popular; the use of boric acid together with iodine also gives excellent results. Plants respond well to this type of nutrition and increase in growth.
The solution can be prepared in the following proportions: take 0.5 tsp per 10 liters of warm water. boric acid and add 10 drops of iodine. Everything is mixed. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
Iodine acts as a kind of antiseptic. For prevention, iodine spraying is carried out several times during the growing season. This will prevent the appearance of fungi and harmful insects.
Iodine is mixed with milk. The effect of this solution lasts for a long time. Plants gain immunity from infections and pests.
When zucchini is fed, it helps the plant develop from a small seed into a large and fertile bush, the vegetables of which will contain useful substances and vitamins.
