Homemade fertilizers with boric acid and pharmaceutical tincture of iodine are becoming increasingly popular among fans of organic farming. Nutrient solutions with the addition of milk and microelements are prepared in a matter of minutes. They are used in the form of leaf treatments. According to reviews from experienced summer residents, after applying boron twice in the middle of summer, the yield increases by 10-20%, which, you see, is quite a lot.
With a lack of boron, which is most often observed in nightshade plants on soils with high acidity after their alkalization, as well as on carbonate and marshy soils, most of the flowers fall off, and at best, 2-3 fruits are formed on each cluster.
Universal fertilizing with boron can significantly increase the number of ovaries on tomato clusters, regardless of whether you grow vegetables on open plantations, under film covers or in greenhouses. In addition to tomatoes, boric acid in the form of aqueous solutions is also used on other nightshade vegetables - eggplants and capsicums.
Fertilizers with boron are most effective during the mass flowering of bushes, which is observed in June-July. The first time boron fertilizing is done when the lower tier fades and the first ovaries appear on the clusters. The second time, boron is applied leaf by leaf after three weeks, when the fruits on the lower clusters have significantly increased in size, but have not yet filled out, and the upper shoots on the bushes are blooming en masse.
The benefits of boron, iodine and milk for tomato seedlings
Boric acid, sold in pharmacies and gardening stores, is an affordable source of boron for plants. This microelement is directly involved in the processes of flowering, pollen formation and fruit formation, and is also responsible for the productivity of fruiting organs until the end of the growing season of the nightshade crop.
To increase efficiency, experienced vegetable growers must add an alcohol tincture of iodine (5%) to the boric acid solution. Treating bushes with iodine on leaves not only increases the “phytoimmunity” of plants, making them less vulnerable to late blight and gray rot, but also significantly accelerates the ripening of fruits.
The third component of foliar feeding is skim whole milk, which increases the adhesion of the solution and improves the penetration of iodine and boron into the leaf blades. And thanks to the milk, the applied solution, after drying, forms an impenetrable film on the surface of the leaves, protecting the plants from the penetration of phytopathogens.
Recipe for liquid fertilizer for irrigating tomatoes in open and closed ground:
1. Fill the bowl of a garden sprayer with standing water heated in the sun (9 l).
2. Pour in 1 liter of milk (it is better to take a low-fat product).
3. Dilute half a teaspoon of boric acid crystals in a glass of hot water until completely dissolved.
4.Pour the concentrate into the solution.
5. At the end, add 10 drops of iodine tincture and stir the resulting fertilizer.
Features of using the solution
It is recommended to spray tomatoes with a milk-boron solution after sunset or in cloudy weather, otherwise there is a high probability of sunburn spots appearing on the plants.
It is necessary to apply fertilizing from a sprayer generously to the leaf plates on both sides, as well as the stems and brushes with ovaries and flowers.
The resulting amount of solution is enough to treat a large number of bushes (at least 200), so this fertilizer can be classified as a budget fertilizer.
Try feeding your tomatoes with boric acid this season, and you will appreciate the simplicity and effectiveness of liquid fertilizer.
Easy work for you in the garden!
