In addition to the fact that beets are a favorite vegetable and a frequent ingredient in winter preparations, their tops can be used as a growth stimulant for other crops. In this article, we will consider the beneficial effects of beet tops on the development of tomatoes.
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What are the benefits of placing the beet tops under the tomatoes?
Boron is perhaps the most important element for the development of beets. A crop suffering from a lack of this component in the soil will never give a bountiful harvest. In such conditions, signs of disease appear on the tops, and the flowering process is postponed indefinitely.
Boron helps to accelerate metabolism, stimulates the formation of chlorophyll and provides the root system with oxygen. Lack of boron is most detrimental to beets in dry times: under such conditions, young plants may die altogether.
Tomatoes also need boron feeding, for them you can use the same fertilizers as for beets. Such dressings are especially important during flowering, this is directly related to the quality of the crop.
An alternative to purchased formulations is leftovers after growing beets (small weak plants, tops with foliage). This natural material can be embedded in a tomato garden, which will significantly increase the boron content of the soil.
Growing juicy and tasty beets is not so easy: along with its requirements for boron content, the culture needs a certain soil acidity. Ignorance of the state of the soil on your own site is a gross mistake that can reduce the yield of not only beets, but also other plantations.
One of the ways to determine the acidity of the soil is to buy special indicator strips. But gardeners usually prefer planting young beets: it is easy to understand the type of soil from the plants, and then quickly adjust this indicator.
- If the foliage of the beets has a reddish tint, this indicates a high acidity of the soil.
- If not the leaves are red, but only the veins, the soil is weakly acidic.
- Green foliage with red petioles will indicate a neutral soil. This is the best indicator for growing the vast majority of crops.
To reduce the acidity of the soil, you need to add lime to it. The best way is to close up humus in the beds.
Note: nightshades, legumes, cucumbers, pumpkin, carrots, herbs (parsley, celery and rutabaga) do not tolerate high lime content in the soil. In order for the plants to develop comfortably and fully, it is necessary to lower the acidity level with the help of chalk, dolomite flour or slaked lime no later than a year before planting the mentioned crops.
Do you use beet tops as a top dressing?
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