Content
Every gardener is interested in growing high-quality and environmentally friendly crops from cultivated plants such as tomatoes. In view of this, you need to stock up on everything necessary to fertilize the beds in advance, during the so-called off-season period. This article will talk about many different products used for microfertilizing, feeding and treating tomatoes from diseases and pests.
Microfertilizer epin
In order to plant healthy and strong tomato seedlings, the seeds should be disinfected and saturated with useful substances. You can soak tomato seeds in Epin, Zircon or Gumate.
The brand name of the herbal product, which is a natural adaptogen and growth stimulator of tomatoes, is called Epin.Thanks to its effect, tomatoes more easily adapt to changes in humidity, temperature and lack of light, as well as to waterlogging and drought. If process tomato seeds Epin solution, then shoots will appear faster. In addition, microfertilizer increases the resistance of tomato sprouts to various diseases.
Soak
As a rule, Epin is available for free sale in small packages - 1 ml. Store the tomato fertilizer in the cold and in the dark, for example, in the refrigerator. So, after Epin is removed from the refrigerator, you need to warm it up at room temperature for half an hour or hold it in your hands for 2-3 minutes. This way, the sediment will dissolve and the tomato processing liquid will become clear. Shake the contents of the fertilizer ampoule and add 2 drops of the product to 0.5 cups of water. Tomato seeds need to be treated with this solution.
Soaking time 12–24 hours. It is important to stir the tomato seeds periodically. Then the solution needs to be drained, and the treated planting material should be dried and put for germination or sown.
Application of succinic acid
Succinic acid is part of many growth-stimulating drugs. They are used for spraying tomato seedlings and adult plants. The beneficial effects of succinic acid are manifested in increased flowering of tomatoes and productivity.
Treatment with fertilizer diluted in a proportion of 1 g per bucket of water will help increase the amount of tomato ovary.This solution should be sprayed on each tomato bush. The procedure should be repeated every 7–10 days during the period of greatest activity in the formation of buds on tomato bushes. Three treatments are enough. Spraying tomatoes fertilizer containing succinic acid will also improve the plant’s resistance to bacteria, diseases and insects. The quality and quantity of fruits largely depends on the formation of chlorophyll in tomato leaves. It neutralizes the effect of nitric acid if there is too much of it. Succinic acid does not have a negative effect on the body, and therefore is a safe type of tomato fertilizer. In addition, an overdose of the drug is not dangerous, since tomato bushes absorb only the amount that they need. Still, precautions are important because, if succinic acid gets into the eyes or stomach, it will provoke inflammatory processes.
Instructions for use
To make the necessary fertilizer from succinic acid for tomatoes, you should follow the instructions, which you can read in this subsection. This tomato fertilizer is sold in crystalline powder or tablet form. If you purchased succinic acid in tablets, then before preparing a solution for processing tomatoes, they must be crushed. So, to prepare fertilizers for tomatoes you will need water and acid. There are 2 ways to prepare the solution:
- For 1 liter of water there is 1 g of fertilizer for tomatoes, and the concentration of the powder can be increased or decreased, depending on the required intensity of impact on the tomatoes.
- To prepare a less concentrated solution, you should make 1% succinic acid, and then dilute it with water in the required proportion.
Processing tomatoes with brilliant green
Another product widely used for fertilizing and processing tomatoes is brilliant green. It has an antiseptic effect on tomato bushes and soil due to the copper content in it.
Treating tomatoes with brilliant green may include lubricating tomato wounds that form accidentally or during small pruning. By dissolving 40 drops of brilliant green in a bucket of water and spraying tomato bushes, you can rid them of late blight. In order not to measure out the brilliant green drop by drop each time you need to fertilize the tomatoes, the bottle can be diluted in a liter of water, and then a little (by eye) added to the water for spraying or fertilizing. If you water the tomato beds with a weak solution of brilliant green, you can get rid of slugs.
Ammonia as a means for processing tomatoes
Ammonia contains 82% nitrogen and has no ballast substances, which is why a solution made from it is actively used in fertilizing plants, including tomatoes. Essentially, ammonia is an aqueous solution of ammonia.
Nitrogen is very important for the full growth and development of tomatoes in much the same way as bread is for people. It is worth noting that all plants greedily absorb nitrates, but this does not apply to ammonia. This means that it is impossible to overfeed tomatoes or other crops with ammonia. To form nitrates from organic matter, which is usually not in the required quantity in the garden, an active soil biocenosis is required, while air is sufficient to break down ammonia.This means that ammonia is more useful as a fertilizer for tomatoes and other cultivated plants than organic matter. The number of microorganisms on an intensively used plot of land decreases, causing the soil to become less fertile. Recultivation of soil or application of fertilizers to it can be carried out using different methods. The most familiar to every summer resident is the addition of humus. However, in this situation, the soil will be saturated with the amount of microelements it needs only after a few years, which will have a bad effect on growing tomatoes. To speed up this process, you can fertilize it with a solution of ammonia and water.
When an acidic reaction occurs, it is necessary to lim the soil.
Ammonia fertilizer recipes
Fertilizer dosages for tomatoes may vary, depending on the method of application. Below are the recipes:
- 50 ml of ammonia per bucket of water - for spraying garden plants;
- 3 tbsp. l. on a bucket of water - for watering at the roots;
- 1 tsp. per 1 liter of water - for watering seedlings;
- 1 tbsp. l. 25% ammonia per 1 liter of water - if there are signs of nitrogen starvation, such a concentrate is used for emergency watering.
Spraying and watering methods
Ammonia is a volatile substance, so you need to water the tomatoes with a solution of ammonia using a watering can. It is best to water tomatoes in the morning after dawn, at sunset or in cloudy weather at any time of the day. It is important that watering tomatoes is carried out with a nozzle that produces visible splashes, otherwise the ammonia will simply erode and not get into the soil, which means it will not be fertilized.
Fertilizer "Athlete"
This type of fertilizer helps plants to withstand diving more easily and helps accelerate the development of the root system and the growth of seedlings. Manufacturers recommend that athletes process the following crops:
- tomatoes;
- eggplant;
- cucumbers;
- cabbage and others.
How to use
In the case of the Atlet fertilizer, everything is extremely simple. It must be diluted according to the instructions indicated on the package. This fertilizer can be sprayed on the green part of the tomatoes or applied to the soil. “Athlete” is recommended to be added to tomato seedlings grown in a greenhouse. Such conditions lead to the fact that seedlings of tomatoes, and other crops, stretch upward without having time to develop leaves, root systems and trunks properly. After the active substances of the fertilizer enter the tomato cells, the growth of the seedlings slows down. As a result, there is a redistribution of microelements entering the tomato cells through the root system.
As a result, the root system of tomatoes is strengthened, the stem becomes thicker, and the leaves increase in size. All this contributes to the development of a healthy tomato bush, which, in turn, leads to increased fertility.
If you decide to apply fertilizer to the roots of tomatoes, then you need to do this once, after 3-4 adult leaves appear on the seedlings. When processing tomatoes with a spray bottle, the procedure should be repeated 3-4 times. Usually 1 ampoule is diluted in 1 liter of water. The interval between spraying tomatoes with Atlet fertilizer should be 5–8 days.If after the third treatment the tomato seedlings were not planted in open ground, then after a week after the last spraying, the procedure should be repeated a fourth time.
Iron chelate
It is worth noting that this fertilizer, like Atlet, is absolutely harmless to the human body. Iron chelate is used for preventive purposes and to combat chlorosis or iron deficiency in the soil on which tomatoes and other crops grow.
There are several signs of iron deficiency in tomatoes:
- the quality and quantity of the harvest deteriorates;
- new shoots are stunted;
- young leaves are yellow-white, and old leaves are light green;
- growth retardation;
- premature leaf fall;
- buds and ovaries are small.
Iron chelate helps increase the amount of chlorophyll in tomato leaves. As a result, the process of photosynthesis in tomatoes improves. In addition, the iron content in fruits increases. Metabolic processes in tomato bushes are restored. The absorption of nutrients by plants is normalized.
Application
Iron chelate as a fertilizer is used both for root feeding and for spraying tomato bushes. To prepare a solution for root treatment of tomatoes, you will need 25 ml of iron chelate per 5 liters of water. Consumption is 4–5 liters per 1 hectare of land planted with tomatoes.
For spraying you will need 25 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water. Sick tomato bushes are sprayed 4 times, and for preventive purposes the procedure is repeated twice. There should be 2-3 weeks between tomato treatments.
Folk remedies for late blight. Garlic infusion
Smart gardeners also resort to folk remedies in the fight against tomato diseases.So, an excellent remedy in the fight against late blight is an infusion of garlic. I would like to note that the causative agent of this disease is oomycete fungi, which have microscopic dimensions. The causative agent of the disease can enter tomato beds at any time during the growing season. Moreover, signs of the disease on tomato bushes may not appear immediately.
The main symptom of late blight is the appearance of spots on the leaves and stems of tomatoes. Over time, these spots darken and harden. Late blight affects the entire bush, including the root system and fruits. This is a dangerous disease as it can destroy the entire tomato crop.
Preventive measures
Oomycete spores are activated by high humidity, primarily penetrating tomato leaves. It is as preventive measures that experienced gardeners recommend promptly ventilating the greenhouse, thinning out the tomato bushes and removing the lower leaves. Tomatoes should be planted on the sunny side of the garden, as dampness and cold provoke the proliferation of fungi. If possible, tomatoes should be planted in a new place every year. The fact is that the fungus can overwinter on the site and become more active in the summer season.
Gardeners use different mixtures to combat late blight on tomatoes. Thus, a decoction or infusion of nettle, tansy, mullein infusion, a solution of salt and potassium permanganate, yeast, calcium chloride, milk, iodine and tinder fungus are often used. It is worth noting that garlic has the most powerful antifungal effect. It contains phytoncides that suppress the reproduction of oomycete spores, the causative agents of late blight on tomatoes.
Preparing garlic mixtures
To prepare a medicine for tomatoes against late blight, you need to purchase all the necessary ingredients.There are several recipes that you can use to prepare the medicinal mixture:
- Grind 200 g of garlic in a blender. Then add 1 tbsp to the mixture. l. mustard powder, 1 tbsp. l. red hot pepper and fill it all with 2 liters of water. Leave the mixture for a day and let it brew. After this, the composition must be filtered and diluted in a bucket of water. 2 weeks after planting tomato seedlings in open ground, they need to be treated with garlic infusion. The procedure is repeated every 10 days. By treating tomatoes with this medicine, you will also protect the plants from pests such as aphids, mites, cutworms and white moths.
- Make 1.5 cups of garlic pulp, mix it with 2 g of potassium permanganate and fill it all with a bucket of hot water. Treat tomatoes with this mixture every 10 days.
- If you did not make the garlic mixture in time and the first signs of disease have already appeared on the tomatoes, then chop 200 g of garlic into a pulp and pour 4 liters of water into it. Leave the solution for half an hour, then strain it and pour it into a spray bottle. Treat all tomato fruits with this mixture.
- To prepare this infusion, chop 0.5 kg of garlic, which will need to be poured into 3 liters of water. Cover the container and leave in a dark place for 5 days. After this time, the concentrate should be diluted in a bucket of water and 50 g of pre-grated laundry soap should be added to it. With the addition of this ingredient, the adhesion of the product to the leaves and stems of tomatoes improves. Thus, tomato tops treated with garlic infusion will not be affected by oomycetes for a longer time and repeated spraying can be carried out after 3 weeks.
- If you have little time, then chop 150 g of garlic, stir this pulp in a bucket of water, strain it and generously spray all the tomato bushes.
Using one of these recipes, you can save your tomato plantings from the destructive late blight.
Conclusion
So, with a competent approach to gardening, even a novice summer resident can grow a bountiful harvest of tomatoes and other vegetable crops. We also invite you to watch a video on the topic of caring for tomatoes:
