Complex fertilizers are the key to a rich harvest. We fertilize the garden correctly - what fertilizers for what

Early spring- a hot time for summer residents. With the first rays of the sun, they rush to their plots to prepare the garden for summer season: remove last year's foliage and debris, whitewash trunks, prune trees, treat for insects. During this period, the foundations of the future harvest are laid: it is necessary to select and apply fertilizers for the garden and garden in the spring, when the earth is most receptive to organic and mineral fertilizing.

Features of spring fertilizer

Spring is the most crucial period and the most auspicious time to fertilize the soil. At the start, plants especially need nutrients to stimulate their rapid growth and development. It is very important to correctly select garden fertilizers in order to properly start the mechanism of interaction between plants and microorganisms living in the soil. Fertilizing the garden in the spring saturates the earth with useful substances that will nourish it until the fall. After the snow has melted, you can immediately start feeding fruit trees. Flowers and vegetable crops it is best to process immediately before planting.

Fertilizers should be started in early spring.

Fertilizers for the garden and the garden are of organic and mineral origin, as well as combined top dressing. The choice of one or another means depends on the condition of the soil, varieties of vegetable and horticultural crops, and, of course, from the preferences of the gardener himself. Main principle here - do not overdo it, because an excess of fertilizers can also adversely affect plants, as well as their lack. An excess of organic matter of animal origin can cause infection of plants by a fungus. You should also be careful with mineral compositions and strictly follow the instructions when using them.

organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers include manure, peat, bird droppings, ash, compost. They are not absorbed by plants on their own, their main mission is different - to stimulate the activity of microorganisms that are in the ground: bacteria, fungi, worms, which, as a result of their vital activity, improve the condition and quality of the soil.

Undoubtedly, manure is one of the most popular organic fertilizers, but there are certain limitations in its use: it cannot be included in fresh. cow dung collected in a heap, covered with a layer of peat about 20 cm and left in this form for the whole summer so that it rots. Horse before use should lie down for no more than three weeks, if left for a longer period, it may burn out. Experts recommend adding mineral fertilizers to it: for 100 kg - 2 kg of superphosphate. It is useful to apply this composition to the soil every two years.

Manure saturates the soil with useful substances

This is very valuable fertilizer. It contains more beneficial substances that are favorable for soil microflora than manure, and in terms of reaction speed it surpasses mineral compositions. It is considered the best chicken manure, which has in its composition many minerals and biologically active substances, but they do not withstand long-term storage and evaporate quickly. For 1.5 months of "lying" in a pile, the litter loses a significant part useful substances. To avoid this, it is often composted or dried. For autumn or spring digging, fertilizer is applied at the rate of 250 g per 1 sq. m of land.

Bird droppings are great for basic feeding

Ash

Wood ash is an excellent organic fertilizer with a high content of minerals that are easily absorbed by plants. It can be stored for years without losing its useful properties. It is poured when planting a plant in a hole along with compost and manure. The soil fertilized in this way does not need additional top dressing and will nourish the plant with useful substances for several years.

Wood ash is used for root and foliar dressings.

Mineral fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers for garden flowers and horticultural crops help plants survive the winter, not get sick and bring good harvest. They are phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.

Phosphate fertilizers

Phosphorus is necessary for plants to form a strong root system, it also contributes to the formation of flower buds and fruits. Most wanted phosphate fertilizers are superphosphate and phosphate rock. For quick absorption, it is best used in liquid form. Before application, the fertilizer is soaked in water for 72 hours. Superphosphate is an excellent fertilizer for hydrangeas and other flower crops. It is recommended to add it when planting, as well as during the formation of buds.

Superphosphate is produced in the form of large granules

nitrogen fertilizers

All types of nitrate (calcium, ammonia, potassium, sodium), urea (urea) and azofoska are suitable for spring garden fertilizer. They can be used both in liquid and dry state. For watering seedlings and spraying foliage in spring, 10 g ammonium nitrate diluted in 10 liters of water. Dry nitrogen mixtures introduced in the spring stimulate fast growth foliage. Under trees and shrubs, they must be applied twice: in spring, immediately after the snow melts, and at the beginning of summer. Sodium and calcium nitrate are best suited for acidic soil, and ammonium sulfate is used for clay soil.

Nitrogen fertilization enhances plant growth and development

Potassium increases vitality plants, helps them fight pests and survive in difficult weather conditions: frosts and droughts. It is necessary to introduce potash fertilizers into the soil or spray plants regularly, because. they are quickly washed away by rain. This top dressing is best absorbed when mixed with phosphorus fertilizers.

Potash compatible with all types of fertilizers

biological fertilizer

Homeopathic fertilizer developed by St. Petersburg scientists " healthy garden"is an excellent addition to organic and mineral top dressings. It increases the resistance of horticultural crops to many diseases, fungi and pests, clears nitrates, and prevents the accumulation of pesticides that have entered the soil. It is especially recommended for gardeners whose plots are located near the highway. "Healthy Garden" is sold in the form of granules, which are diluted in water in the ratio: 2 pieces per liter of water. The composition can be watered or sprayed on both young and perennials.

Fertilizer "Healthy garden" protects plants from pests and diseases

Every summer resident knows: the more care and attention he gives to his garden in the spring, the more confidence that a good harvest awaits him in the summer. Spring garden fertilizer plays a key role in this. But in everything you need to observe the measure, choose fertilizers in accordance with the type of soil, follow the instructions for the use of drugs, and then you will find excellent result.

Video: chemical fertilizers

Spring is the time for the awakening of plants, their start in new season. In order for this start to be successful, and our “green friends” to please with the splendor of foliage and the beauty of flowering, you need to take care of their “nutrition”. Fertilizer in the spring will give the plants strength to active growth and development. What fertilizers are suitable for spring top dressing, our article will tell you.

The earth, like all living things, requires care. It feeds the plants and gradually its fertility is depleted. Our task is to replenish the spent supplies so that the gardens are beautiful and healthy. Help us with this spring dressing. To begin with, it is important to define suitable look fertilizers and correctly calculate the required rate, so as not to cause harm. Fertilizers are divided into organic and mineral.

To determine which nutrients are not enough in the soil, it is necessary to analyze it in a special laboratory. However, it is possible to notice that the land on the site has become depleted, according to the condition of the plants - small growth, painful coloring of the leaves, weak flowering. Some weeds are also an indicator of soil quality. On nutritious soil, you will find wood lice, quinoa, nettles, and field mustard, euphorbia, chamomile-navel, thistle will report the scarcity of "nutrition".

Woodlouse
Nettle

field mustard
Thistle

In order not to be mistaken with the choice of fertilizers, let's dwell on the properties of each type in detail.

organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers consist exclusively of natural ingredients. They contain all the necessary trace elements. The most common of them are: humus, bird droppings, compost, peat. Less commonly used wood ash, sawdust and others.

Manure considered a good organic fertilizer, it is able to enrich the soil with almost everything necessary. It is brought in exclusively rotted. Fresh manure cannot be used. When it is overheated, gases unfavorable for plants are released, as well as excess heat, which causes burns. Nitrogen and phosphorus in it are in strong compounds, therefore they are not absorbed by plants. There are also many undecomposed weed seeds in the manure, as well as harmful bacteria and larvae.

Manure has 4 stages of rot: fresh, rotted, completely rotted and humus. The last three stages are used. When overheating in manure, the concentration of nitrogen and potassium increases, but phosphorus is noticeably inferior to them. Therefore, manure is mixed with phosphorite flour.

Spring top dressing with completely rotted manure is carried out most often for digging, the amount of its application is determined by the degree of overripe, as well as the type of animal. It is necessary to introduce manure into the soil at intervals of three years.

Humus- the last stage of manure overheating. It also includes rotted straw, leaves and seeds of plants. It is a crumbly dark mass (almost like soil) that does not have an unpleasant odor.
Spring fertilizing with humus includes adding it to planting holes, using it for mulching, and also for digging. It must be buried for digging to a depth of at least 15 cm (even deeper on light and sandy soils).

bird droppings also considered full fertilizer, it contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. However, its decomposition reactions occur very quickly, which contributes to the release of large amounts of nitrogen and heat, and this can significantly damage root system plants.
Most often it is used for cooking liquid dressings. Litter is poured with water, insisted for about 5 days, stirring occasionally. Then, 10 liters of water are added to 0.5 liters of the resulting infusion, and the prepared wells are poured with this mixture (1 liter per 1 sq. M).

Dry litter is ground into dust, then mixed with the ground (40 g per 1 sq.m). You can also add some dry manure to the mulching mix.

Peat – natural material, formed in the process of overheating of plant and animal residues, with minimal access to oxygen and high humidity. Therefore, the place of its formation are swamps, muddy lakes, small reservoirs with a very weak current.

According to the level of occurrence and degree of decomposition, they are distinguished: low-lying (deep, completely decomposed), upland (very slightly decomposed), transitional (average occurrence and average degree of decomposition). Fresh, unventilated peat may contain substances harmful to plants.

As a fertilizer, peat is not very valuable, since only nitrogen is present in its composition in sufficient quantities, but it is also poorly absorbed by plants. Main value peat in a high content of humus (about 60%) and a fibrous structure. If the soil on your site is loose, light loamy, then the introduction of peat will not give a special effect. But sandy or clay soils peat will greatly improve. Such soil will become richer in organic matter, will be more air and water permeable.

In the spring, peat is brought in for digging (with poor soil structure and poverty). With dense and compacted soils, it is advisable to apply it in the snow. Before sowing the lawn, a peat substrate is made. It is also used for mulching, because it retains moisture well and prevents the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.

Low-lying and transitional peat are slightly acidic, therefore they cannot strongly acidify the soil. If you have strongly acidic (moor) peat, then its acidity is neutralized by adding lime, dolomite flour or wood ash.

Most often, peat is used in combination with other fertilizers (organic and mineral).

Suitable soil- this is almost 90% of success in growing any plant, because it is from the soil that representatives of the flora ...

Compost is a vegetable humus with the earth (sometimes with the addition of manure), formed with the help of microorganisms. It is easily absorbed by plants nutrients. It also improves the structure of the soil, it becomes more plastic and permeable.

To get spring fertilizer from compost, you should start preparing it in advance. AT compost bin plant debris is laid out in layers, which is sprinkled with layers of earth. Above compost heap should be covered with something (for example, a film or a piece of slate), in dry weather it is sometimes necessary to water. After 6-12 months, you will have finished vegetable compost.

Compost

There is peat-dung compost. For its manufacture, peat and manure are laid in equal layers (about 25 cm). Sometimes manure compost is made from a mixture of manure, peat and soil (5:1:1). It is desirable to add phosphorite flour.

Vermicultivated is compost made with earthworms.

The most common is compost. All garden and food waste, cardboard, paper, natural fabrics go here. Layers of organic debris are sprinkled with earth and watered with slurry. From food waste, bones, fat, wool should not be put in compost. Please also note that the waste of meat, fish, dairy products when rotting will publish very bad smell. In prefabricated compost, for the correct balance of nutrients, it is desirable to add phosphorus and lime.

Determining the finished compost is easy. It has a forest floor odor as well as a uniform texture much like loose soil.

In spring, compost is used in much the same way as humus. When planting any plants, it is added to prepared holes or pits. Scatter over the green lawn. Used as a mulching material.

wood ash- is a mineral residue after burning wood (straw, haulm). It is an excellent potash-phosphorus and lime fertilizer. It contains many useful trace elements, but it lacks nitrogen.

AT spring period most often, ash is added to the planting holes. The rate of its application will depend on the degree of acidification of the soil. Due to the large amount of potassium, ash has the ability to reduce the acidity of the soil. It also suppresses pathogenic microflora that develops in an acidic environment.

Of course, organic fertilizers have many advantages and can provide the garden with the full range of necessary nutrients, but they require the addition of some mineral components.

The disadvantages of organic feeding include:

- The complexity of the introduction.

- Limited availability.

- Strong concentration (manure, chicken droppings).

- Unpleasant pungent odor.

- With their excessive application in the spring, they can provoke fungal diseases of plants. There is a high probability of the presence of pest larvae.

- Peat and manure, mixed with sawdust or improperly composted, lose nitrogen.

We have reviewed the main organic fertilizers. Now let's figure out what mineral fertilizers can be used in spring garden.

Every day spring reminds of itself more and more. Nature is starting to wake up from its winter sleep. And the gardeners are coming ...

Mineral fertilizers

There are gardeners who do not trust mineral dressing, considering it to be harmful "chemistry" that spoils the earth and plants. But this is a wrong opinion. Of course, mineral fertilizers do not improve the structure of the soil (organics do a great job of this), but they more fully and quickly provide plants with the necessary nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Various complex fertilizers have been created that provide plants with everything required amount nutrients.

Working with mineral fertilizers is much easier and more convenient. They are available in the form of powder or liquid granules. It is only important to strictly observe the necessary dosages indicated in the instructions.

During intensive spring growth, all plants need an increased amount of nitrogen. For this, special complex fertilizers labeled "spring" have been developed. Unlike organics, mineral fertilizers must be applied every year.

All mineral fertilizers are divided into nitrogen, potash, phosphorus.

Nitrogen. Nitrogen provides plants with intensive growth, so it is especially important in the spring.

• Urea (carbamide) is an amide form of fertilizer, it contains 46% nitrogen. It is transformed in the soil and is well absorbed by plants. Easily soluble in water. It cannot be mixed with ammonium nitrate. Carbamide is an acidic fertilizer, but after nitrogen absorption by plants, it does not leave acidic residues in the soil.
• Ammonium nitrate is an ammonium nitrate form, which contains 34% nitrogen. Fast-acting, easily soluble fertilizer. Very hygroscopic and explosive. It must be stored in a dry place, away from sources of ignition. Slightly acidifies the soil with a lack of potassium in it. Excessive acidification is neutralized with lime or dolomite.
• Ammonium sulfate (ammonium sulphate) is an ammonium form of fertilizer, it has 21% nitrogen in its structure. Water-soluble, but in soil (especially acidic) it can linger. Significantly acidifies the soil, it is recommended to regulate the acidity with lime and dolomite.

Ammonium nitrate
Ammonium sulfate

• Sodium nitrate - a nitrate form of fertilizer, includes 16% nitrogen. Due to some chemical characteristics, it is used exclusively as a spring top dressing. It is very easily absorbed by plants, but alkalizes the soil. Its use on saline soils is not recommended.

Phosphoric. This kind mineral fertilizers contributes to the formation of a powerful root system and the activation of all metabolic processes in plants. Simultaneously with lime and ash, they cannot be introduced, since the fertilizing abilities of phosphorus are lost.

• Superphosphate - in its composition it has about 20% phosphorus oxide, and sulfur and gypsum are present in impurities. It dissolves slowly in water, therefore it is a slow-acting drug. Very well proven in a mixture with organic matter.
• Double superphosphate - different from simple high content(about 45%) of assimilable phosphorus oxide, as well as the absence of gypsum in the composition, which improves its water solubility.

Superphosphate
Double superphosphate

• Phosphorite flour - phosphorus oxide in it is present a little more than 20%. Insoluble in water. Therefore, to improve solubility, it is used in a mixture with other mineral fertilizers. Effectively used in the preparation of humus and compost. Well absorbed only on acidic soils.

Potash. Increase the resistance of plants to diseases, promote active flowering. All fertilizers of this type are highly soluble. Most often used in combination with nitrogen and phosphorus.

• Potassium chloride - it contains up to 60% potassium oxide. Contains chlorine, which can be harmful to some plants. Therefore, in the spring it is recommended to place it in the wettest soil layer. When snow melts, as well as with spring precipitation, harmful chlorine is washed out.
• Potassium salt - is a mixture of potassium chloride with kainite and sylvinite. It contains up to 40% potassium oxide, in addition, chlorine and sodium salts. Its action is similar to that of potassium chloride. This fertilizer is more suitable for autumn top dressing; in spring it can only be applied on very wet soils.

Potassium chloride
Potassium salt

• Potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) is a very valuable fertilizer. It contains about 50% potassium oxide. Suitable for all plants.

In addition to the simple fertilizers we have considered, complex ones are widely represented - complex.

• • Potassium nitrate is a mixture of nitrogen and potassium oxide. Used as a chlorine-free potash fertilizer. Well soluble in water. Care must be taken when storing as it is flammable.
  • Ammophos is a fertilizer containing about 50% nitrogen and 12% phosphorus. Suitable for almost all plants. Together with manure gives particularly good results.
  • Nitrophos - similar to ammophos, it contains 20% phosphorus and nitrogen. It is successfully used in places that do not require potassium.
  • Nitrophoska - contains approximately 15% nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. In spring it is used mainly on light sandy soils.
  • Nitroammofoska - it contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus (about 15% each) and 2% sulfur. Well absorbed universal fertilizer.
  • Diammofoska – enriched with other trace elements complex fertilizer, which is based on 26% phosphorus and potassium, as well as 10% nitrogen.

Ammophos Diammofoska

Having considered the main mineral fertilizers, we deliberately did not indicate the norms for use. For their correct use, you should clearly follow the instructions that come with the drugs. Failure to adhere to strict application rates can harm plants.

Of course, all microelements necessary for plants are present in the soil, but not always in sufficient quantity and in a form accessible to them. Mineral fertilizers are not an alternative to organic fertilizers, as some people make it out to be. They successfully complement each other - organic matter improves the quality of the soil, improving it, and everything necessary for successful growth and development of microelements provide plants with mineral fertilizers.

Application of fertilizers in the spring

A feature of the use of mineral fertilizers in the spring is their convenient distribution over the snow that begins to thaw. Melt water provides the necessary moisture for dissolution, washes out harmful chlorine from them, food penetrates well deep into the soil. However, if your site has a slope, then mineral supplement should be carried out on wet ground, after the snow has completely melted. Otherwise, all the granules will be washed away by water flows.

All types of fertilizers are also used for spring digging (mineral, humus, peat). Both types of fertilizer are also added when planting in holes, holes, grooves.

Fertilizing trees in spring (as well as shrubs) consists in distributing fertilizers around the trunk according to the diameter of the crown, followed by mulching. Spring mulching with organic matter will protect all plants from excessive evaporation of moisture, late night frosts.

Having considered the main types of fertilizers, analyzing their positive and negative sides, the conclusion is that they are all important and suitable for use. Plants are harmed not by certain fertilizers, but by their incorrect, irresponsible use. Therefore, the spring feeding of the garden must be carried out correctly, using all the necessary organic and mineral fertilizers.

Without fertilizer, plants tend to grow very sluggishly, their fruits are small and not tasty. Therefore, you should choose the best fertilizers for the garden and vegetable garden. Complex fertilizers are compound fertilizers, which include several components useful for plants in reasonable doses. Domestic fertilizers are produced in the form of mixed, complex - mixed and complex compositions. Various fertilizers for different times and periods of plant development. Nitroammophoska, potassium nitrate, ammophos and nitrophoska remain the most popular on the market.

Nitroammophoska

The mixture is grayish-pink granules. It includes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur in a small amount.

Suitable for almost any soil, therefore it is very popular throughout the country. And for plants, its composition is universal. One of important properties of this mixture is an obstacle to the accumulation of nitrates by the plant in its composition. Yields also increase with the use of nitroammophoska.

The environmentally friendly composition is presented in granules, which, in turn, allows you to evenly distribute the fertilizer in the ground. It also dissolves well in water, can be stored for six months, while not caking and not absorbing moisture.

Fertilizer application.

It is suitable both as top dressing and as the main fertilizer. In heavy soils, it is better to make it in the fall. And so it is perfect for protected and open soils, in them nitroammophoska is more in demand in the spring.

How much to contribute?

• 15-20 g/m2 is enough for spring
• 400-500 gr of the composition is enough for fruit trees.
• 30-40 gr for shrubs will be enough.

It is not necessary to pour the mixture into in kind, only before that it is very good to shed the soil, or you can dissolve it in water and water the plants. To do this, 2 tablespoons of fertilizer are diluted in 10 liters of water.

Potassium saltpeter

If you decide to choose complex fertilizers for the garden and orchard, then the information in this article will be useful to you. Potassium nitrate is also a fertilizer that is suitable for any soil. And it is especially good for plants that do not tolerate chlorine, such as grapes, flax and potatoes.

Saltpeter contains 13 percent nitrogen and 46 percent potassium oxides. It must be dissolved in water and you can water both trees with shrubs and vegetables with flowers. Thanks to saltpeter, the respiration of plants and the absorbing properties of their roots improve, and the process of photosynthesis improves. It also improves the taste and size of root crops, and their resistance to pests and diseases.

It is useful both for greenhouse plants and for openly growing cabbages with potatoes. Better feeding carry out in the phase of active growth of vegetables. Potassium nitrate also prevents the accumulation of nitrogen in plants due to its low content in the fertilizer.

Norms of potassium nitrate for various plants.

• For flowers and vegetables, dilute 100-150 gr in 10 liters of water.
• For berry and ornamental crops, 100-200 grams of fertilizer is required per 10 liters of water.
• For watering fruit trees, we breed 250 grams per 10 liters of water.
• And such norms are introduced every 2 weeks.
• As an alternative to watering, you can spray the leaves with a 1.5 - 2% solution of potassium nitrate.

Approximate solution consumption:

• For vegetables and flowers 1-1.5 liters per 10 sq. m.
• On the bushes 1.5 liters each.
• For trees 2 - 8 liters per tree, depending on its size.

Ammophos

Highly soluble in water and excellent for garden treatment. It contains 10-12% potassium and 52% phosphorus. Due to the increased percentage of phosphorus, ammophos leads among phosphorus - potash fertilizers.

It is produced in granules, which, without absorbing moisture, can be stored for a long time. Plants are assimilated with a bang.

Phosphorus is primarily useful for roots, so it is best to use it at the very beginning of plant development. Then it will help to form roots and shoots faster, and makes crops more resistant to drought or diseases.

Without phosphorus, yields will be low, and the fruits will not be as tasty. Fertilizer can be applied in spring and autumn, both in crops and in fruit trees and shrubs. Before sowing cereals, it is advisable to treat the land with ammophos at the rate of 60-90 kg per hectare of land. And in gardening you need 200-350 gr. for every tree.

Nitrophoska

In order to choose a universal fertilizer for the garden and vegetable garden, you need to study this article. Nitrophoska is a granular fertilizer consisting of 11% nitrogen, 11% potassium and 10% phosphorus. It can be used in the form of granules or in a solution diluted with water. The most suitable for acidic or potash soils, in extreme cases, it is also suitable for alkaline soils. BUT the best way appears on clay, peat or sandy soil. You can make it before planting or in the fall after harvesting, if only as a top dressing, then during the entire growth period.

For any crops, vegetables, trees and shrubs, below are the recommended norms:

• Before planting seeds 5-7 gr \ sq.m.
• Before planting seedlings or for potatoes 4-6 g per hole.
• For fruitful bushes 50-70 grams for each of them.
• For fruit trees 200-250g for young trees and 450-600g for mature trees.

Finally

This article helped you learn about what fertilizers are for the garden. Based on this information, you can choose good fertilizer for your yard and garden.

Is your region famous for its fertile black soil? You are very lucky! However, even the most fertile soil after several years of active exploitation gradually loses its beneficial properties. Not in vain in large agriculture the fields are left in turn “under fallow”, giving the land a little rest and “recovering”.

In a small garden with an area of ​​three or four acres, of course, leaving even a piece of land “fallow” is already inappropriate - the site is used to the maximum, which ultimately leads to a decrease in productivity and soil depletion.

And even alternation in the beds different cultures, which differ in the degree of exactingness to the soil, which we described in the article about garden planning, does not always give a noticeable effect.

That is why, in order to increase productivity and make the most of the opportunities small garden, almost every year fertilizers are used. What types of such useful soil additives exist? What is the difference, how and when are they used?

resources, even fertile soil over time, they are depleted and one cannot do without fertilizers either in a large farm or on a tiny personal plot

Fertilizer classification

The word "fertilizer" is used to call a variety of substances in which there are elements that are useful and nutritious for plants. It is not for nothing that fertilizers have such a “speaking” name - their main goal is to fertilize, make the land “kinderer” and more fertile and, as a result, achieve a good harvest.

All fertilizers are divided into two large groups- organic and mineral. Organic, as the name implies, chemicals have nothing to do - these are environmentally friendly fertilizers that arose, so to speak, in a natural way, with little or no human intervention. The composition of organic fertilizers includes organisms contained in the remains of plants and animal waste, as well as various microorganisms that are involved in the process of decomposition of these residues.

Organic fertilizers include: manure, bird droppings, compost (plant residues), humus, peat, wood ash and lake silt.

Mineral fertilizers are inorganic compounds that contain plant nutrients in the form of mineral salts. Mineral fertilizers are divided into nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and complex. Unlike organic fertilizers that occur naturally, mineral fertilizers are products of chemical production and the work of man.

Such ready-made fertilizers produced at chemical plants contain high concentrations of useful substances; complex mineral additives contain several types of substances.

In large farms, fertilizers are scattered using special equipment, and gardeners will have to manually “feed” their plants in the beds

Features of different types of fertilizers

We note right away that usually there are much fewer problems with mineral fertilizers - they are sold in factory-made packaging, already completely ready for use. Gardeners who have chosen just this type of useful additives can only purchase right amount fertilizer in bags and scatter on your site. Convenient and simple, right? In addition, the manufacturer immediately indicates on the packaging what type of soil this type of ready-made mineral mixture is suitable for, for which plants it is intended and in what dosage it is used.

Nitrogen mineral fertilizers are usually represented by ammonium nitrate - this universal view useful additive that suits almost all plants and most different types soil. The use of saltpeter is very simple - it is sold in bags in the form of granules and is usually simply scattered on the beds immediately before planting. Remember, nitrogen is easily washed out with water, so it is useless to add ammonium nitrate in the fall.

Phosphate fertilizers are represented by phosphate rock and superphosphates. Such additives are made from phosphorite or apatite. Phosphorite flour dissolves in the soil gradually, so it will be a useful additive for plants for more than one season. This type of fertilizer is more often used on acidic soils. Superphosphate is phosphorite or apatite treated with sulfuric acid. This fertilizer is sold in granules, it is used directly when planting plants, once a season.

Potash fertilizers are mainly potassium chloride and 40% potassium salt. They are also easily washed out with water, so they can be used several times a season to feed plants.

These white "grains" of ammonium nitrate can be scattered by hand over the beds immediately before planting seedlings, potato tubers or seeds

Organic fertilizers, it would seem, do not need to be produced - here they are, they arose in nature on their own. However, use in original form such organic additives are impossible - special, often quite lengthy preparation is required.

So, fresh manure will only harm the plants and “bring” a lot of weed seeds to your garden. Before using such animal waste as fertilizer, they must lie down and soak for some time (at least a year, and preferably two years). Such aged manure is called humus and it is truly indispensable and universal fertilizer. If fresh manure can only be used to feed cucumbers, pumpkins and cabbages and is usually applied to the beds in the fall, for digging, then all vegetables and flowers, without exception, will definitely be “delighted” with humus, and it can be applied at any time of the year.

Poultry manure is considered the richest in nutrients and the fastest type of organic fertilizer. It can be used even fresh, simply diluted with water or scattered between plants. long time chicken manure can be stored together with earth, peat, straw or sawdust without losing its beneficial properties. A popular way to use this type of organic fertilizer is to dilute it with water in a special container. You can also make already dry bird droppings, directly during planting and during the warm season, to feed vegetables.

Compost, that is, prepared plant residues, also requires a fairly long storage. To prepare this type of organic fertilizer, it is necessary to build a box or other container in a shady place of the site, where all the remains of plants will be poured - roots, leaves, shoots, grass torn from the site. In this pile of plant residues, you can add wood ash, and from above it is necessary to cover with a layer of soil or straw. In this form, the compost is stored for at least a year. In finished form, it looks like a fairly homogeneous dark mass.

Remember - compost is applied to the beds in the fall, before deep digging up the garden. For greater effect, it should mix well with the soil, so such an additive will not only increase the content of nutrients in the ground, but also improve the quality of the soil itself.

The compost bin is an indispensable source of nutrients for plants

The remaining organic fertilizers - peat and lake silt (aka sapropel) - also need to be prepared before use. In particular, peat is recommended to be composted beforehand, like other plant remains. However, it is problematic to stock up on such organic fertilizers on your own. Find a peat bog, remove upper layer land, cut the peat into pieces, bring it to the site ... A laborious process. And the extraction of silt from the bottom of the lake will not give pleasure to any gardener.

Today, most often peat is purchased ready-made, and lake silt cannot be called a popular type of fertilizer precisely because of its inaccessibility. Although there are production facilities in our country that specialize in the extraction from ecologically clean lakes and the subsequent processing of sapropel, so you can also purchase such ready-made fertilizers.

Peat and lake silt are applied to land in spring or autumn, before digging the garden. Remember that sapropel has a very long term actions - bring it into the soil no more than once every ten years!

Lake silt or sapropel is mined only in ecologically clean reservoirs, as it can accumulate heavy metals and other harmful substances

What to choose

So, we figured out that there are many fertilizers. So what to choose? Consider the main advantages and disadvantages of organic and mineral additives.

Advantages of mineral fertilizers:

1. Ease of use, the ability to purchase ready-to-use mixtures with an ideal proportion of useful substances.
2. Due to the high concentration of nutrients, mineral fertilizers require much less than organic ones. Only three or four kilograms ready-made fertilizers 400 kilograms of compost or manure will be replaced per one hundred square meters of the garden.
3. With the help of mineral fertilizers, it is possible to control not only the yield, but even the quality of vegetables. For example, after the application of potash fertilizers, it is the tubers of plants that grow better.

Despite all the above advantages of mineral fertilizers, a huge number of gardeners are distrustful of this "brainchild" of chemical products. Often, nitrates and nitrites are called real poisons, considering that eating vegetables grown using such fertilizers is harmful to health. It is worth recognizing that such an opinion is justified.

Disadvantages of mineral fertilizers:

1. The likelihood of an overdose. Scientists unanimously argue that the harm of mineral fertilizers is greatly exaggerated, and they bring a lot of benefits. However, it has been proven that an overdose of ammonium nitrate and other mineral supplements can indeed cause poisoning, accumulation in plants harmful substances and loss of landings. Mineral fertilizers must be applied very carefully, carefully observing the dosage, following the instructions indicated by the manufacturer.
2. High price. Unlike such "gifts of nature" as compost and manure, mineral fertilizers can only be bought and often ready mixes will be quite expensive, especially considering large area site.
3. It is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers annually, especially for potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, which are quickly washed out with water.

The main advantage of mineral fertilizers can be called the ease of use - it is much easier to scatter finished granules over the beds than manure or compost.

Advantages of organic fertilizers:

1. The use of organic additives increases the content of extremely useful humus in the soil.
2. are also improving physical properties soil: it becomes looser, it is easier to dig such soil, the soil perfectly passes moisture, heat and air, providing good seedling survival, fast seed germination and root crop growth.
3. The application of organic fertilizers allows you to activate all plant resources and soil organisms.
4. Organic fertilizers contain a much larger set of micro and macro elements than the most complex mineral mixture.
5. In addition to useful elements, natural fertilizers also contain physiologically active substances.
6. Organic fertilizers can be prepared by yourself without spending a dime.
7. If mineral fertilizers need to be applied annually, then organic fertilizers should be applied no more than once every three to four years, and in the case of using sapropel, once every ten years. They have a longer lasting effect.

Disadvantages of organic fertilizers:

1. Fresh manure can burn plants and must be used very carefully, such as diluting with water and only watering the soil between plantings.
2. Organic fertilizers are needed more than mineral ones.
3. The introduction of humus or compost is associated with hard work - you need not only to scatter a heavy mass around the garden, but also immediately dig up the beds until the useful nitrogen has disappeared from the fertilizer.
4. It will not be possible to determine the exact amount of nutrients in organic fertilizers, so it will not work to control the quality of vegetables.
5. Growing onions and carrots immediately after fertilizing with manure is fraught with infection of plants by vegetable flies. It is worth planting onions and carrots only two years after using manure in this area.
6. It is often not so easy to get organic fertilizers. Of course, if you have your own poultry house or barn with cows and pigs, then the problem is solved. Otherwise, you will have to contact a poultry farm or farm, spend money on fertilizer delivery, look for sapropel producers or purchase peat. by the most accessible view organic matter remains compost.
7. And finally, yes - manure and bird droppings are not very aesthetically pleasing, and they do not smell very pleasant, and you will have to get dirty. But, admit it, any work on the ground is associated with the need to get your hands dirty!

At the sight of such a trailer with organic fertilizer, you immediately want to pinch your nose and step aside. And plants really like such additives, and how!

To summarize, today, mineral fertilizers are most often used in large farms aimed at obtaining the maximum profit from the sale of the crop. But in relatively small private gardens, organic fertilizers are usually used - they are more affordable and definitely will not cause harm to health.

The choice of the type of mineral fertilizers depends on the characteristics of the soil and the type of plants grown. But when choosing organic fertilizers, farmers are most often guided by their availability - I have a chicken coop, so they will fertilize with bird droppings, no - I will make a compost heap.

In general, if you are a fan organic farming, then the use of mineral fertilizers is excluded immediately. But if the result is important to you - as many vegetables as possible for the family or for sale - then you should not ignore the achievements of the chemical industry.

Anna Sedykh, rmnt.ru

Fertilizers are considered complex, consisting of several substances necessary for the normal growth of crops, and trace elements. Depending on the production technology, they are complex, complex-mixed and mixed. These substances are used to fertilize the garden and vegetable garden in different periods. The most popular complex fertilizers are nitroammophoska, potassium nitrate, ammophos and nitrophoska.

Nitroammophoska

This substance is considered one of the the best fertilizers containing the main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a little sulfur. Represents granules of pinkish-grayish color. It has several brands with different content of the most important elements.

Very often used for fertilizing the garden and vegetable garden. This is due to the fact that the action of nitroammophoska manifests itself to the same extent in any soil. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from it are perfectly absorbed various plants. At the same time, this substance belongs to neutral complex fertilizers. It has a good effect on the growth of crops, increases their resistance to diseases, prevents the accumulation of nitrates, thereby improving the quality of the crop.

Nitroammophoska does not absorb moisture, does not cake, and dissolves well in water. Can be stored up to six months. Does not render toxic action considered as an environmentally friendly substance. The granular form allows even distribution of the fertilizer during its application.

Application of complex fertilizers when sowing mustard

Application of nitroammophoska

This complex can be used both for the main application and for top dressing. It is suitable for open and protected soils. On heavy types of soils, nitroammophoska is often applied in the fall. Light soil types respond better to the spring application of this substance, since when autumn fertilizer during the winter, loss of nitrogen is possible.

Consumption rates:

• to fertilize the garden in the spring, 15-20 grams of nitroammophoska are applied to square meter soil;
• for application under fruit trees, 400-500 grams of granules are used;
• 30-40 grams of nitroammophoska are used to feed shrubs.

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This drug is also suitable for foliar feeding. Often it is used in the form of a solution. When making dry granules, it is necessary to first water the soil abundantly. To prepare the solution, 2 tablespoons of nitroammophoska are added to 10 liters of water.

Potassium nitrate

Potassium nitrate or potassium nitrate is a complex fertilizer suitable for application to different types soils. Plants that do not tolerate chlorine react particularly well to it. These include flax, potatoes and grapes.

Potassium nitrate contains 13% nitrogen and 46% potassium in the form of oxides. Belongs to water-soluble fertilizers. It is used for feeding vegetables, fruit trees and shrubs, flowers and ornamental plants. This substance enhances the absorption properties of the roots, improves plant respiration and accelerates photosynthesis in the leaves. Thanks to this action, the resistance of crops to various diseases and pests increases. In addition, potassium nitrate has a positive effect on the size of root crops and their taste qualities.

Potassium nitrate is perfect for making under potatoes and cabbage. Top dressing is done during the active growth of vegetables. Potassium nitrate protects plants from an excess of nitrogen, since the nitrogen content in it is many times less than potassium. Also used for making under vegetable crops growing in greenhouses.

Application rates of potassium nitrate

This substance is used for root and foliar feeding. Root feed:

• for making under vegetables and flowers, dissolve 100-150 grams of potassium nitrate in 10 liters of water;
• for decorative and berry bushes make a solution consisting of 10 liters of water and 100-200 grams of potassium nitrate;
• for watering fruit trees, 250 grams of dry matter are diluted in 10 liters of water.

Such top dressing is carried out every two weeks.

Foliar feeding involves the use of a 1.5-2% solution. They are sprayed with leaves.

Estimated cost:

• vegetables, flowers - 1.0-1.5 liters per 10 meters of square plantings;
• bushes - 1.5 liters for each of them;
• fruit trees - 2-8 liters per tree, depending on its size.

Ammophos

It is one of the most effective phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, and the amount of phosphorus in its composition is 4 times higher than the content of potassium. Often used to fertilize the garden. Contains 10-12% potassium and 52% phosphorus. The drug has good solubility in water.

It is well absorbed by plants. In appearance, these are granules that practically do not absorb moisture, so they can be stored for a long time.

Ammophos is used to saturate crops with phosphorus at the beginning of their development, since it affects the root system to a greater extent. It is at this time that the roots of plants are still weak and poorly absorb nutrients. The introduction of phosphorus stimulates the development of a full-fledged root system, accelerates the formation of shoots on grape bushes, increases the resistance of crops to drought and diseases.

With a lack of phosphorus, the development of crops slows down, yields decrease and taste qualities deteriorate. Ammophos is suitable for autumn and spring application for cereals, fruit trees and shrubs. Before sowing grain crops, ammophos is fertilized in the soil at the rate of 60-90 kilograms of dry matter per hectare. When fertilizing the garden, 200-350 grams of granules are applied under each tree.

Nitrophoska

The drug contains 11% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 11% potassium. Produced in granular form. Nitrophoska is used both in dry and liquid form. Best suited for application to acidic or neutral soils, but can also be applied to alkaline soils if required. Nitrophoska shows the greatest effectiveness on sandy, clay and peat-bog soil. They are applied before planting crops, in the fall after harvesting and as a top dressing during the entire growing season.

Nitrophoska is used for making under any vegetables, fruit trees, shrubs and herbs.

Application norms:

• before sowing seeds of vegetables and flowers - 5-7 grams per square meter of land;
• for potatoes and before planting seedlings - 4-6 grams in each recess;
• for fruit-bearing bushes - 50-70 grams for each shrub;
• for fruit trees - 200-250 grams for each young tree and 450-600 grams for an adult.

And a little about the secrets of the Author

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