The possibility of obtaining a high-quality tomato crop is a reality, but only if the plants are properly looked after. To ensure that they are healthy and bear fruit, you can use iodine. This medicine has proven itself and is extremely beneficial. Feeding seedlings with iodine can be carried out both in the greenhouse and on the open ground, and in each case, nourish the tomatoes, helping plants to strengthen.
- protects the crop from fungi;
- strengthens the immune system and serves as a prophylaxis against diseases;
- replaces saltpeter and acts as a fertilizer;
- forms a quality ovary and enriches the soil, making it more fertile.
Iodine for tomato seedlings should be used even if the plants are healthy and bear fruit well. However, if there is a lack of this element, you can immediately notice this problem, since the seedlings:
- looks stunted;
- has thin stems;
- may get sick root rot, late blight and other things.
Understanding the importance of using iodine for tomatoes, you need to learn how to feed properly and regularly. There are two ways to apply iodine – root and extra-root, each of which is desirable to alternate between each other. This allows you to achieve both a therapeutic and a preventive effect that lasts for a long time.
The root method of applying iodine
It is recommended to use root watering with this important trace mineral for the first time, when the seedlings release a couple of leaves. It is necessary to prepare a solution that nourishes the plant well. Experienced gardeners suggest using 3 liters of water mixed with 1 drop of iodine for irrigation. Despite the fact that the solution seems to be low concentrated, it excellently nourishes young plants. In order for the tomatoes to get their necessary portion of nutrients, you need to water each plant under the very root. The benefit of such manipulation is doubled due to the fact that, together with iodine, seedlings receive the water necessary for their vital functions.
After some time, a second top dressing can be performed. Iodine for tomato seedlings is used at the stage of ovary. The solution recipe is recommended to be changed: now the drug is diluted according to the scheme 3 drops per 10 liters. warm water. For each bite, it is recommended to pour about a liter of solution, and if the plant belongs to undersized varieties, then 700 ml is enough for it.
The third root top dressing is carried out in a phase when seedlings begin to bear fruit. In this case, gardeners recommend using an even more concentrated solution based on iodine. For watering, you need to use about 3 liters of ash powder, which is added to 5 liters of hot water and immersed in a container. Having covered the solution with a lid, he is allowed to infuse for about an hour. Then another 5 liters is added. water, after which it is recommended to pour a bottle of iodine and 10 g of boric acid. The “ingredients” placed in the liquid should dissolve well in water, so it is important to mix them. Means with iodine for tomato seedlings need to be insisted for a day. After the specified time, it is necessary to dilute the infusion again from a proportion of 1 liter. iodine funds per 1 liter. water. Water the tomatoes to the root. This will help the bushes to bear fruit and strengthen their immunity.
Foliar method
Spray the plants very carefully
The ability to feed the tomatoes can be carried out not only under the root, but also by the non-root method. This is especially true when dealing with late blight and other diseases that can affect leaves, shoots and stems, making seedlings fragile, weak and unstable to bacteria and parasites. Iodine is for fertilizing tomato seedlings, which will never fail with the right dosage.
For watering, you need to dilute 5 drops of iodine with a glass of milk and 1 liter of warm water. It makes sense to try another recipe: 4 liters of warm water are mixed with 1 liter of milk or whey, and then 15 drops of iodine are added. The resulting solution should be mixed well and used as a spray. The optimal time of day is early morning or evening, after sunset. The day should be calm and dry, otherwise the rains will simply wash the watering and make it ineffective. It is impossible to spray heavily on plants, since this can lead to harm, and not the benefits, so necessary for seedlings. Reviews say that it is important not to increase the amount of iodine, otherwise you can get not a fruiting plant, but tomatoes with burnt leaves and a spoiled vegetative system.
In order to avoid late blight, you need to water the seedlings with iodine about once every 15 days. If you use only milk, without the use of iodine solution, then you can spray plants with it much more often, up to daily treatment. The milk mixture improves the growth of vegetables, strengthens them and nourishes them well. It is recommended to alternate the treatment of leaves with serum without iodine with solutions based on this useful element.
If you still find the first signs of late blight in tomatoes, you need to increase the dosage of the drug so that the effect of the treatment is as noticeable as possible. To combat the disease, you need to take 1 liter of whey, 40 drops of iodine and 10 liters. water. Will also have to add 1 tbsp. lhydrogen peroxide. Having mixed the “ingredients”, it is required to water the seedlings and observe how the plants behave. It is important to do this carefully, making sure that the leaves are well saturated on all sides. Ideally, if the bushes are wet after treatment and the liquid drains from them.
When feeding, aimed at getting rid of late blight, it is also worth using a gentle recipe that can be used more often than in the case of prophylaxis. To do this, take 250 g of milk, 1 liter of water and a couple of drops of iodine. This solution can be used to treat seedlings once every two weeks.
Tips from experienced gardeners for the proper feeding of tomatoes with iodine
In order for tomato processing to be successful and the seedlings get what they need saturation, you must adhere to the rules verified by experienced farmers.
- You can not use iodine or any other elements if the seedlings are in the soil for no more than 10 days. The thing is that after a dive, tomatoes, like any other plant, get stressed, and they need to get used to the new place in which they will grow and develop.
- Iodine concentrate must be introduced with serum throughout 1 month with an interval of 3-4 days, if there is a need for the treatment of already sick tomatoes. In the case of prophylaxis, you can do it once a quarter.
- When phytophthora appears, spraying should be increased, and it is advisable to make the solution as concentrated as possible.
- If you are working with an iodine-based solution, you do not need to use drugs such as aspirin. The best option would be a mixture of manganese grains with iodine at the rate of 100 ml of the product per 0.5 crystals.
- Intending to irrigate the tomatoes with boric acid or hydrogen peroxide, you need to remember that this is done only 4-5 days after spraying iodine. Otherwise, the effect of the iodine solution will be minimized, and the tomatoes will not receive all the necessary nutrients.
- When adding milk with iodine against phytophthora, only fat-free dairy product should be taken from the tomatoes, which mixes and combines much better with iodine-based preparations.
Now you know how to water your plants to achieve a flowering appearance and a rich harvest. You can prepare a solution for tomatoes at home, so it’s worth take this opportunity.With the right dosage and infrequent, but gram With iodine supplementation, the tomatoes will answer you with yield and health.
