Foliar feeding of potatoes during flowering plays an important role in the development of the crop. The level of plant productivity depends on this. To increase crop fertility, you need to know when is the best time to apply fertilizer. It is also important to know the selection rules.
Foliar feeding
Fertilizers must be applied in several stages:
- after landing;
- during the period of bud formation;
- after flowering;
- before harvest.
Flowering of the crop means that half of the microelements have already been absorbed, so it is important to choose the right fertilizers for feeding.Treatment is usually carried out in the morning or evening. It is not recommended to spray the drug in hot weather. The air temperature should not be lower than +15 degrees.
The prepared solution is sprayed onto the bush. The procedure is no different from spraying potatoes in pest control. After processing the crop, nutrients penetrate the potato through the stem and leaves. If you use this type of feeding, you can not only supply the plant with useful substances, but also protect it from many diseases.
After landing
2 weeks after planting, the crop begins to actively grow and develop, at which time the growing season begins. The plant is very young, so for active growth it needs to consume a sufficient amount of microelements. At this time, the vegetable primarily needs nitrogen. The development of the bush depends on it.
What to feed?
It is very important that the crop does not need micro- and macroelements during the formation of tubers. Potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus take an active part in the development of root crops throughout the entire life cycle. The greatest effect will be brought by fertilizing, which was carried out during the formation of the first ovaries. You need to be careful not to miss this period.
Superphosphate
Before flowering it is advisable to use for feeding superphosphate. To prepare the solution, do the following:
- Take 20 g of superphosphate, 2 g of ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride and 0.1 g of copper sulfate.
- Mix all ingredients.
- Pour in warm water and leave for 3 hours.
- Strain the resulting liquid.
- Dilute with plain water, keeping the proportions 1:1.
- The spray solution is ready. After this, it can be poured into the tank.
It is better to prepare the composition based on rainwater.Foliar feeding of potatoes with superphosphate can improve plant photosynthesis. Penetrating into the plant’s body, the components trigger important biological processes. As a result, growth and development are accelerated, and disease resistance is increased.
Other feeding methods
Folk remedies can also saturate potatoes with useful substances. Nettle is used to create fertilizers. The herbal solution is very beneficial for potatoes. How to prepare it:
- All you need is plant stems with green leaves. The roots need to be removed.
- The nettle is placed in a container and completely filled with water. The liquid should cover the plant.
- Cover with a lid and leave in a warm place.
- The solution must be infused until the fermentation process occurs.
- The finished liquid is filtered and diluted with rainwater.
- Now you can start processing the crop.
The prepared product contains calcium, iron and nitrogen - useful substances that potatoes need. The spraying procedure can be repeated several times. Be sure to maintain an interval of 2 weeks between fertilizing. Spray the crop as soon as potato shoots appear.
Nettle is a plant that is rich in nitrogen. A solution prepared from nettle is a natural organic fertilizer.
The next stage of feeding
After flowering, the crop needs two feedings, which are carried out sequentially. Their main goal is to improve the taste of potatoes. They also affect the size of the tubers and this increases the yield. Various means can be used for feeding.
Microfertilizers
To ensure that the tubers have a bright, rich taste, the crop is sprayed with manganese.Since root crops ripen in the soil, a person cannot be 100% sure that the crop has tubers. To prevent voids from forming, boron is used. For open ground, you can use the drug Mag-Bor, as it contains these two components.
To prepare the solution, take 1 tbsp. l. products and diluted in 10 liters of water. The culture needs nutrients. Therefore, for 1 potato bush you need 5 liters of prepared liquid. You'll have to prepare a large amount of solution, but it's worth it.
For foliar feeding, use the same Superphosphate as before flowering. Fertilizer is applied a month before harvest. Typically, the time for digging up tubers falls at the end of August and continues until the beginning of September. For foliar feeding of potatoes, 350 g of the drug per 1 hectare is enough. The granules do not need to be diluted in water; it is enough to scatter them around each bush.
Thus, the nutrients that are in the leaves will go to the tubers. At the same time, their value will increase.
Foliar feeding of potatoes can be done by spraying the green mass of the vegetable with a preparation that contains phosphorus. Take 100 g of product per 10 liters of water. This amount is not enough to treat the entire potato plantation; it will be necessary to further dilute the product. Phosphorus absorption occurs through leaves and stems, which increases its sugar content and starchy content.
Vegetable growth
For good development of the crop, mineral fertilizers are needed. The most basic:
- Nitrogen. If there is not enough of this substance in the soil, young shoots stop growing and the leaves become lighter. If the situation is not corrected, the ovary will fall off.
- Magnesium. Affects exclusively the growth of bushes.
- Copper.If there is a deficiency of the component, the leaves dry out and curl into tubes.
- Phosphorus. A small amount of phosphorus is not able to saturate the crop; over time, it stops growing and the leaves die off. It promotes good development of the root system. Strengthens the protective properties of the plant.
- Manganese. Responsible for the movement of sugars in the vegetable, stimulating growth.
- Potassium. The growing season is not complete without potassium. It not only strengthens the root and stems. Also prepares the vegetable for the dry season.
- Bor. Regulates the degree of crop resistance to various diseases.
- Iron. From a lack of iron, the edges of the leaves turn yellow very quickly.
From this list, you can understand how important minerals are for potatoes. A person must always monitor the appearance of culture. Any changes for the worse indicate a lack of certain components. To provide the vegetable with good conditions for growth, it is enough to treat it with affordable and simple preparations.
Foliar feeding plays an important role in the development of potatoes. If you regularly apply fertilizers at all stages of crop growth and development, the vegetable will not need microelements. At the end of the season, potatoes will delight you with a large harvest. The tubers will be large and tasty. Therefore, we feed the potatoes!
