So that home-grown cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers or other vegetables produce a stable and large harvest, first of all, you need to choose good seeds and properly prepare them for sowing, and after planting - on time water. But most amateur vegetable growers miss such an important aspect as feeding, containing minerals, salts and other nutrients that are so necessary for young immature plants.
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Fertilizers
All seedling fertilizers can be divided into two main groups. Let's consider several options for each of the groups.
Self-cooked
Factory
Fertilizing seedlings
- Root dressing. In this case, dry or liquid fertilizers are delivered directly to the roots. For this method, experienced farmers use a syringe or watering can with an elongated spout.
- Foliar. Liquid types of top dressing and fertilizers are sprayed onto the trunk and leaves of the seedlings.
Clear signs of fertilizer shortages
You don't need to be a psychic to recognize what your seedlings need, just look at it.
- Phosphorus. Seedling leaves rise to the stem, curl inward, acquire a purple hue. Their edges dry up. The trunk becomes thin and breaks easily, the roots do not grow.
- Nitrogen. The stem becomes soft. Leaves turn yellow and shrink. Yellowing is especially evident in the lower part of the seedlings. Plants stretch out and look sick.
- Potassium. The leaves turn bluish-green, the edges are covered with burns, spots and wrinkles. The plant loses its ability to tolerate hypothermia and lack of moisture.
Feeding time
10 days before sowing seeds, you can use any of the above feeding options. The next feeding of seedlings is carried out after the appearance of the 2nd true leaf, and then no more often than once in 7-10 days. If the bait is factory, then the fertilization rules are indicated on the package.
Useful Tips
- Seedlings are irrigated in the evening and fertilized in the morning.
- It is imperative to dilute fertilizer concentrates to avoid possible burns of young shoots.
- Don't overdo it with fertilizers. If the seedlings are growing rapidly, and the leaves are large and do not turn yellow, then there is no need for fertilizers.
- Do not store self-prepared dressings for a long time. Spoiled top dressing may not help the plant, but rather destroy it.
Do you know how and how to feed seedlings correctly?
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