How to fertilize carrots after germination?
With the advent of spring, many summer residents begin to work hard in their gardens in order to feed their families and get natural and eco-friendly vegetables on their table. For proper and rapid development and growth, they must be properly cared for and fed. The result is good products that meet the quality and have a lot of vitamins. Each owner plants as many vegetables as possible on his plot, among which there are also carrots.
There is no doubt about the useful qualities of this root crop. Sowing a crop is a simple matter, but in order to get a good harvest, you need to take care of it accordingly, which not every summer resident can handle.
Why is it necessary?
In order for carrots to sprout well, and in the future to get a good and rich harvest, the soil should be periodically fed with special compounds. She needs elements for the formation of a root crop, and timely feeding makes it possible to increase the amount of nutrients in root crops and make them of better quality, which ensures long-term storage. As a result, carrots will not rot and be subject to disease. The root crop will become large and juicy. For good growth, timely watering in sufficient volume is also required.
In many ways, the taste of root crops also depends on top dressing. Top dressing should be applied at a certain time, and it is also worth remembering the dosage. This plant does not like an overabundance of top dressing, which can adversely affect its taste, appearance and shelf life. Fertilizers at the moment can be both organic and mineral. They differ from each other.
Minerals are applied 15–20 days before planting. They fall asleep in a certain place, after which the bed is plowed. Potassium will need to be added a little later.
It is usually diluted in liquid, as it is better absorbed. And also you need to make sure that the mixture does not contain chlorine components, which can inhibit the plant.
Organic components are introduced into the soil in the fall at the place where the crop will grow. Often fertilized with humus, which allows you to increase the amount of nutrients in the soil. This can be compost or peat, which is applied in different proportions to the soil in autumn or June, after which the earth rolls and wakes up with ash. In this state, it is left for the winter. When top dressing, make sure that lime does not get into the soil, which may be present in poor composts.
Fresh fertilizers also need to be applied on time so that the soil can accumulate nutrients that will contribute to the growth of the root crop.
When the summer is dry and hot, then carrots require phosphorus for rapid growth. This substance affects the restoration of the qualities of the product and the growth of its tissues. If there is little phosphorus, then this is determined by the poor appearance of the plant - purple or red stripes appear on the leaves, and then they change color and begin to dry out. Such plants lag behind healthy ones in growth, while the fruits will be thin and weak and with pointed edges, and the taste will be poor.To prevent this from happening, phosphorus top dressing should be applied, which are sold in the store and bred in accordance with the instructions on the package. The main thing is to observe the accuracy of the dosage and not exceed it so that the plant is healthy.
Potash top dressing is done 3-4 times throughout the entire period of vegetable growth. It is especially important to add this component during intensive growth, when the plant needs potassium. Such a fertilizer can provide good plant synthesis. Often used to protect their roots from fungi and viral infections. If potassium is not enough, then this is determined by the type of bush - it will be bronze in color and with brown leaves.
Frequency and time
Each nutritional ingredient plays a specific role in the formation of the fetus. An excess or lack of such elements can adversely affect the vegetable. For planting carrots, you need to properly prepare the place. You need to start work in the fall - you need to add compost to the soil that has become scarce over the season. These mixtures are diluted in a ratio of 10: 1. Then the prepared mixture is poured onto one square meter of land. If the soil is very weak and depleted, then you can additionally add chalk, sawdust or cake.
In the spring, before sowing, the earth must be dug up and watered with warm water. Carrots will be sown in the prepared soil after it is warmed up. To speed up the warming process, you can cover this piece of land with a film. If for some reason it was not possible to fertilize the soil in autumn or spring, then this can be done right before planting the crop. To do this, add a tablespoon of wood ash to 1 liter of water and put a bag of seeds in this solution.There they should lie for a day, then the seeds should be dried and can be sown in a bed under a film.
You can also prepare a flour-based paste, in which the seeds are then placed for 10–12 hours, after which the composition is sprayed with a confectionery syringe directly into the garden. After germination, carrots must also be watered with the addition of nitrogen components. The processing period is from shoots to the appearance of the first root crops. Carrots with such care will be distinguished by good taste and healthy appearance. It will also help it last longer.
Spraying and watering carrots should be done 3-4 times a day after germination, especially in soil that is weakened and does not have enough nutrients, or if the climate is unfavorable in the area of residence, and there are often droughts or rains. If the climate is good, then top dressing begins to be applied no earlier than 3 weeks after the appearance of sprouts. Then, after 2-3 weeks, additional feeding will be required using special complexes.
To improve the result on the site, it is necessary to remove all weeds and weeds. The second feeding is carried out after the first shoots appear.
Will definitely need to do weeding. In this case, there will be 2-3 leaves on the vegetable, which will help to better absorb the feeding components into the root crop.
Rules
When planting, you should follow the rules for applying nutrients, and soil care is also important both in spring and autumn. It is in the spring that the main preparatory work begins. Saltpeter, potassium chloride, superphosphates and other elements are introduced into the soil. If the soil is clay, sand must be added there.It should be noted that carrots love a lot of water, so it is necessary to water the beds constantly so that there are no troubles with the plant during the ripening period.
There is a standard scheme for watering and fertilizing vegetables, which includes several stages.
- Initially, top dressing is applied when thinning the beds. During this period, the plants already have several leaves. It is recommended to use magnesia, superphosphate and urea, which are diluted in a ratio of 1: 10 in ordinary water.
- The next top dressing should be done in 2-3 weeks. To do this, use ready-made fertilizers, which can be purchased at the store. They are also diluted in water in a proportion of 60 g per 10 liters of water.
- The next top dressing is carried out in the summer, when the root crop is gaining strength. At this point, ingredients are added to improve the sugar content and palatability of the product. Usually, an infusion of ash or dry ash is used, which is scattered over the site.
- Lastly, top dressing must be done in order to reduce the amount of nitrates in the product that were collected from the ground during germination, which should be done a month before the start of collection. Potassium chloride and wood ash solution are usually used.
If you follow these rules for caring for tubers, you will get an excellent result, and the vegetable itself will be large, bright, silky and sweet. The tops will become green and beautiful, and the roots will also have a lot of nutrients. To make the vegetable sweet, in August you can add manganese or boron to the soil, which will increase not only the amount of sugar in the root crop, but also vitamins.
To do this, boron or manganese is diluted in a ratio of 5: 10 with water and watered with the composition of the plant.When spraying is carried out from above, it is necessary to moisten the tops with a clean liquid. You can use for fertilizer and purchased chemicals. They should be diluted according to the instructions that are presented on each package.
How to feed?
If carrots will be grown in open ground or in a greenhouse, then top dressing is applied in the same proportions and in the same size. You have to feed properly. To do this, put ash in the well and add phosphates there. After that, the bed should be watered according to the above scheme with additional components and clean water.
Useful material
Each fertilizer has in its composition a sufficient amount of useful substances that have an excellent effect on the growth of the product and its formation. It is necessary to make such fertilizers in the morning or in the evening so that it is cool outside. Before applying fertilizers to the soil, it must be loosened. The soil should be balanced and have a lot of nutrients. But few people know what fertilizers should be used, what features this or that fertilizer has.
Fertilizers often contain the following substances:
- humates give root crops sweetness;
- sulfates are used for tillage in places where magnesium is deficient;
- urea gives strength to the root crop, and also increases its growth; carrots during their growth require the presence of nutrients in the soil, which, according to agricultural technology, will increase growth and improve taste;
- nitrogen affects the appearance of the green mass of the plant and increases the size of the root crop;
- potassium improves plant immunity, makes them resistant to various diseases, and is also responsible for photosynthesis;
- phosphorus is introduced into the soil when carrots are planted in open space; in this case, the vegetable will better tolerate heat and lose less moisture, which will ensure better development; lack of phosphorus in the soil is manifested in the fact that the leaves are curled and covered with stripes, and the fruits become tasteless;
- manganese and boron increase sugar content and improve metabolism, so the plant should be watered with boric acid when it is planted in open soil; as well as plants themselves can talk about the lack of these components, which is manifested in the death and yellowing of the edges of the leaves.
Important! All fertilizers must be selected depending on the composition of the soil or its origin. It is worth giving preference to natural components, such as bird droppings, peat, deciduous manure, humus and others.
Folk recipes
Most modern gardeners prefer to use non-mineral products for feeding carrots, which can be bought at the store, and compositions prepared on their own. For this, various components are used, among which the following are often found:
- grass;
- ash;
- yeast.
Nettle infusion is especially popular, as this herb contains a large number of trace elements. To prepare the mixture, it is necessary to chop the stems and fill them with water, and then close hermetically and leave for 24 hours so that the mixture ferments. To improve fermentation, it is worth adding a little yeast. The resulting product is diluted in 10 liters of water, 60 ml of the drug.
If the tops have an ugly appearance, then you need to apply intra-root top dressing. It is made from ash, which is diluted with water, and then the plant is sprayed with it. This will help not only improve the appearance of the plant, but also protect against pests.
On the open ground, top dressing of carrots is also done with ordinary ash. To do this, the earth is sprinkled with ashes, and then watered. And you can also dilute the ash immediately in water and then pour it over the soil. 50–70 g of ash should be diluted per liter of boiled water. The resulting solution must be infused for 24 hours. The ash contains all the components necessary for the vegetable, as well as substances that repel pests. To prevent insects from infecting carrots, ash should be watered every 10 days.
With the help of yeast, the plant is also fed, since they make up for the lack of phosphorus in the soil and enrich it with minerals. The yeast base has a good effect on root crops and improves soil microflora. You can use dry or fresh yeast. To prepare the mixture, you will need to take 500 g of raw materials and dilute it in 3 liters of water, then the composition is mixed in clean water in a ratio of 1: 10. You can also take 5 g of dry yeast and dilute them in 35 g of water with sugar, add the mass to the water in proportions 1: 5. Such top dressing must be done in warm weather.
Chicken manure has a great effect on tubers. To do this, it should be diluted in water and insist 5 days. Then the resulting component is diluted in water in a ratio of 1: 1 and poured onto the plant. Carrots also need to be further processed with compounds that contain iodine. It has a good effect on the taste and growth of root crops, which become more juicy, and the appearance of the tops also improves. To prepare the composition, you need to take 2 milligrams of iodine and 1 liter of water.
Milk with ash will protect carrots from diseases and germs. Each leaf will be wrapped in a film after watering, which will avoid various kinds of diseases. And you can also process carrots with mullein.
But before that, it is recommended to dilute it with a little nitrates.Such a composition will add splendor to the greenery, and the root becomes thick.
Tips
Many are wondering what to do if the root crop does not sprout well. To do this, you must first choose the right piece of land. It should be located in an open place where there is no blackout throughout the day. A vegetable planted in such a plot will be strong and firm. The soil must also be well drained. If in the process it is not clear for what reasons the appearance of carrots is unhealthy and what element it lacks, then complex feeding should be carried out. For this, the concentration of any composition is doubled.
Watering is done only in the morning and evening with warm water. It is also worth remembering that carrots do not like being flooded, but even without water they cannot grow well. As can be seen from the above, culture can be fed by various means. This must be done for proper growth and improved immunity.
The further taste properties of the vegetable, its appearance, as well as the duration of storage depend on the correctness of the selected component and its timely introduction into the ground.
Knowing these points, everyone can make the right choice and purchase the appropriate components to improve plant growth. As you can see, the very process of fertilizing the soil for carrots is simple, but quite important if you choose the right fertilizers and apply them to the soil.
For information on how to fertilize carrots for good growth and excellent harvest, see the video below.