Iodine is a chemical element that is necessary for normal development of both people and plants. In addition to the antiseptic substance, pepper is treated with hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate. To keep the seedlings strong, the plants are watered or sprayed with weakly concentrated solutions. Why is treatment with such means necessary, and in what cases should it be carried out?
Is it possible to water peppers with iodine?
It’s not “possible”, but even necessary. Solutions based on medicinal preparations are used to feed plants and prevent diseases and pests. In addition, iodine has a number of other effects on pepper:
- Increases the content of vitamin C in fruits.
- Increases size and improves color.
It is especially important to treat peppers growing on podzolic soils, gray soils and saline soils, which do not contain enough iodine, with the solution. In regions located near the sea, where black soil or chestnut soil predominates, plants do not need to be treated with iodine.
Since hydrogen peroxide does not contain nutrients, many are perplexed as to how solutions containing this preparation can be used to feed cultivated plants. The liquid that gets into the soil improves aeration, as a result of which the roots more actively draw out the substances necessary for the plant.
Feeding rules
When using iodine to fertilize peppers, you need to take into account the fact that it is a toxic substance. 3 g of the drug taken orally causes serious harm to human health. In order for treatment with an iodide solution, as well as with any solutions based on concentrated preparations, to be safe and effective, you need to remember the following recommendations:
- It is impossible to increase the dosage of iodine, as the peppers become deformed and become dangerous to eat.
- Before root fertilizing with iodine solution, plants need to be watered abundantly.
- For visual safety reasons, peppers should be sprayed while wearing protective glasses.
- Plants are treated in cloudy weather. Carrying out foliar feeding on a sunny day provokes burns on the leaves.
By following these simple recommendations, timely treatment with an antiseptic drug will prevent the development of diseases and increase the yield of peppers.
Methods of use
As mentioned above, solutions from drugs are used for different purposes. Below are the most effective recipes for mixtures for root and foliar feeding.
Seed treatment
Due to the fact that pepper seeds have low germination, planting material simply needs to be soaked in a weak iodine solution. To prepare the stimulant, add 1 drop of the drug to 1 liter of water. Soaking duration is 6 hours. Seeds that have been in such a bath quickly germinate and produce strong shoots.
There are a few more recipes:
- Peroxide is also used to disinfect seeds. Planting material is soaked in 3% peroxide for half an hour, after which the seeds are washed with clean water and dried to a free-flowing state. This treatment not only kills bacteria, but also accelerates the emergence of seedlings and also strengthens the sprouts.
- You can also speed up the emergence of seedlings by spraying the planting material with a 1% peroxide solution. Once on the surface, the active liquid destroys inhibitors that prevent seeds from germinating.
- Seeds are also disinfected with potassium permanganate. To prepare the mixture, add dry powder to 1 liter of water at the tip of a knife.
How to feed peppers with iodine?
Root feeding with a solution of 3 liters of water and 1 drop of iodine has worked well. In order for the seedlings to grow actively and get sick less often, fertilizer must be applied once during the formation of the clusters. Plants fertilized with this solution produce large fruits, the size of which is 15% larger than the average.
The ripening period is also shortened, which is very important in regions with a cool climate, where peppers do not always have time to ripen.
To replenish the supply of nutrients, you can water the pepper with a combination mixture once every 14 days. To prepare the fertilizer, add 10 g of iodine and phosphorus and 20 g of potassium to 10 liters of water.
As a supplement to root feeding, peppers are sprayed with a weak peroxide solution. For 1 liter of water add 1-2 tbsp. l. peroxide. Feeding peppers with iodine is most justified on heavy clay soils, since the substance loosens their structure. And as you know, plants living in a loose environment are practically not susceptible to rot.
As a fertilizer for peppers, iodine is also used for foliar feeding. To prepare a solution, add 2 drops of the drug to 1 liter of water. The bushes are sprayed at intervals of 10 days.
Disease and pest control
In order for the pepper to actively grow and produce many full-fledged fruits, it is important to take care not only of fertilizing, but also of preventive spraying. Only by carrying out regular treatments can you protect a heat-loving crop growing in open ground from the colonization of fungi and insects. The following recipes are very popular among gardeners:
- To prevent fungal diseases and the appearance of scale insects, aphids, peppers are sprayed with a solution consisting of 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. l. peroxide, 40 drops of iodine. The mixture is also used to treat plants.
- Pour 8 liters of water into a large saucepan, place it on the fire and bring to a boil. Add 2 liters of ash, mix well and leave to cool. A bottle of iodine and 1 tsp are poured into a slightly warm solution. boric acid. The mixture is infused for 12 hours and diluted with water based on a ratio of 1:10. Late blight is treated with this remedy.
- Disease prevention is carried out using a solution of peroxide and ash. In a bucket of water stir 1 cup of ash, 1 tbsp. l. peroxide.To achieve a therapeutic effect, the dosage of peroxide is doubled.
- In the fight against diseases and insects, the following remedy is also used: add 50 ml of 3% peroxide to 900 ml of water, 2 tbsp. l. alcohol To keep the liquid on the leaves longer, add 3-4 drops of liquid soap. Several sprays are carried out during the season.
- A product containing peroxide and sugar will help cure peppers and destroy voracious insects. To 1 liter of water add 50 ml of peroxide and 50 g of sugar.
- To prevent fungal diseases, peppers are watered with a solution of iodine and cheese. To 1 liter of water add 100 g of dairy product and 2 drops of antiseptic.
As you can see, you can improve the condition of the bushes and prevent the development of fungal diseases using affordable means that can be purchased at any pharmacy. All that is needed for the treatment to be effective is to prepare the product correctly. It is impossible to increase the dosage of active substances, since the plants can be burned.
