Content
It is recommended to feed broccoli up to 3-4 times per season. It is best to use ready-made mineral compositions, alternating with liquid organic matter. Fertilizers are given every 10-15 days, and the last time is three weeks before harvest. The basic rules and application schedule, as well as dosages are described in the article.
Is it necessary to feed
Broccoli is one of the varieties of cabbage that is quite demanding to care for. It needs to be fed regularly even when grown on fertile soil. Fertilizer application allows you to achieve several goals at once:
- rapid growth of leaves and shoots;
- strengthening the root system;
- strengthening immunity;
- increasing cold resistance;
- increase in productivity;
- improving the taste of cabbage heads;
- normalization of soil composition;
- strengthening the fertile soil layer;
- optimization of soil pH.
If you do not feed, the broccoli will begin to grow weaker, and it will taste worse. Another disadvantage is that the inflorescences will not be as dense, they will become less durable and transportable.
Signs of nutritional deficiency
If a plant lacks certain elements, it will be clearly noticeable by external signs. Nitrogen fertilization is carried out in the presence of the following symptoms:
- growth slowdown;
- paleness, yellowing of foliage;
- small heads of cabbage;
- Reddish tints are noticeable on the underside of the leaves.
Feeding broccoli with phosphorus is required if the following signs are noticeable:
- the leaves become dark green, with a bluish tint;
- petioles acquire a purple or violet color;
- maturation processes occur with large delays.
In case of potassium deficiency, you may notice the following signs:
- the foliage becomes “scorched;
- leaves turn yellow and wither;
- some leaf blades acquire a bluish or bronze tint.
What to feed broccoli for head tying
In order for broccoli to form heads together and produce a good harvest, it is necessary to regularly apply fertilizers.
It is best to give complex mineral compositions, alternating them with organic matter. You can also use folk remedies - the main composition options are described below.
Mineral supplements
To quickly form heads, it is recommended to use two components as a top dressing - superphosphate and potassium. They are applied by root method during watering. Composition options may be different, for example (for 10 liters of water):
- superphosphate – 40 g;
- potassium sulfate – 30 g.
Another option (also for a bucket of water):
- superphosphate – 40 g;
- potassium salt – 25 g.
After cutting off the central head, you need to stimulate the growth of the lateral inflorescences. To do this, add another composition (per 10 l):
- superphosphate – 20 g;
- potassium sulfate – 30 g;
- ammonium nitrate – 10 g.
Organic fertilizers
You can feed broccoli after planting it in open ground with organic compounds. They use liquid organic matter, which you can purchase or prepare yourself. For broccoli, an infusion of mullein or bird droppings is suitable. You can prepare it in literally two weeks:
- Take the raw materials and place them in a container, fill them with water 5 times.
- Allow to stand at room temperature for 10-12 days, stir regularly.
- After this, the infusion is diluted with water. Litter by 20 times, mullein by 10.
Fertilizing is applied using the root method, i.e. pour into rows, using 500 ml of liquid for each plant. The product cannot be stored for a long time, so it needs to be prepared in small quantities so that it can be used at a time.
Potassium humate is also used as a top dressing. This is a liquid organic fertilizer. It stimulates root growth, strengthens the immune system, and increases the content of vitamins and chlorophyll. To prepare the solution, it is enough to take 70-100 ml per 10 liters of water. Application is done both by root and foliar methods.
Potassium humate is produced in liquid form
Folk remedies
You can also feed broccoli using folk remedies. They are quite effective, easy to prepare, and cost almost nothing. It is based on aqueous infusions of yeast, bread, cut grass or other available ingredients. There are quite a lot of feeding recipes, among them the following can be listed:
- One of the simplest compositions is dry or fresh yeast. Take 10 g of raw material and put it in 10 liters of warm liquid. Add 2 tbsp. l. sugar and mix evenly. Leave at a temperature of 23-27 degrees overnight. Stir occasionally. Broccoli is fertilized at the rate of 1 liter per adult plant.Fertilizer is used up to three times per season with a break of two weeks.
- As an alternative to yeast, you can feed broccoli with bread. It is especially useful for use in acidic soils as it allows the pH to increase. To prepare, take a loaf of fresh or stale bread, dissolve it in 10 liters of water and after a day add 30 drops of pharmaceutical iodine. Stir and dilute three times, then water the cabbage at the root.
- Broccoli can also be fed with onion peels. It contains beneficial flavonoids, as well as substances that repel pests. Take yellow and brown husks, fill half the volume of the pan and pour boiling water over them for four days. Stir occasionally, then filter and dilute with water 10 times.
- Another good fertilizer for broccoli and other varieties of cabbage is an infusion of wood ash. It is used to strengthen the root system, increase cold resistance, and also to repel pests. To prepare the infusion, take 200 g per 10 liters, leave for several days, stir regularly. If you need to do foliar feeding, the amount of ash is reduced by half.
- You can feed broccoli to set a head of cabbage with boric acid. Take 2 g, dissolve in a small amount of hot water, mix thoroughly and bring to a total volume of 10 liters. Spray during the initial period of fork formation.
For feeding, it is enough to use 1 packet of yeast per 10 l
Timing and rules for applying fertilizers
Fertilizing must be applied several times per season:
- Two weeks after landing.
- After 10 days.
- In another 10 days.
- Three weeks before harvest (only for late varieties).
Application schedule
Even during planting, humus or a complex composition, for example, nitroammophoska (5 g), is placed in the hole. If this is not done, the first feeding after transplanting the seedlings is given two weeks later. You can use different compositions (per 10 l):
- urea – 30 g;
- mullein – 1:10;
- ammonium nitrate – 20 g;
- potassium humate – 20 g;
- urea and potassium chloride (10 g each) with superphosphate (20 g);
- wood ash (200 g) and superphosphate (60 g).
After 10-15 days, a second feeding is applied. You can use any of these recipes:
- mullein 1:10 with 30 g of azophosphate and 15 g of complex fertilizer (“Sortvorin”, “Kemira”, “Kristalon”);
- nitrophoska (30 g);
- bird droppings 1:20;
- 200 g of ash with droppings 1:20.
After another 10 days, they give the third fertilizer for broccoli. You can choose from the following recipes:
- Mullein 1:10 with 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of complex fertilizer.
- Superphosphate 30 g and complex fertilizer 15 g.
- Mullein 1:10 with superphosphate 30 g and potassium salt 20 g.
Basic rules for application
Regardless of what kind of fertilizing you plan to apply, it is recommended to follow several rules:
- Overfeeding is more dangerous than underfeeding. Don’t think that the more fertilizer you give, the better the harvest will be. In fact, it is important to carefully follow the dosage and application schedule.
- The compositions must be balanced. For example, if you overfeed with nitrogen, the plants will quickly gain green mass, but if with potassium, they will grow poorly.
- If signs of deficiency of phosphorus, nitrogen or another element are too obvious, 1-2 foliar feedings should be carried out at intervals of one week.
- It is better to apply fertilizer in the evening, and the weather should be without rain or strong wind.
- After heavy watering, the soil should be thoroughly loosened before fertilizing.
- If the soil is fertile enough, fertilizers are still needed. But their number is reduced by 1.5-2 times.
Fertilizers should be applied strictly according to instructions
Conclusion
It is recommended to feed broccoli cabbage regularly, as this will increase yield and taste. When applying fertilizers, it is important to follow the dosage according to the instructions and schedule. After planting in the ground, fertilizing is given up to four times per season, but no more.
