Many multitude are unfamiliar with foliar feeding , but it really is a great way to get added nutrition to your plant life .
While most gardeners only feed at the grime , feeding a works through its leafage has advantages . This is especially true for distressed plants or 1 that are lacking in a single food .
Let ’s take a look at what it ’s all about , and how to put it to best force .
What is Foliar Feeding, Exactly?
The promiscuous way to explicate it is by comparing foliar alimentation to skincare . We know that our skin will be tidy , glowy , and dewy if we feed the right foods and get plenty of water . That articulate , it ’ll be even healthier , balanced , and happier overall if we humidify it on a regular basis . what is more , anything absorbed through our skin will make its way into our bloodstream . From there , it will travel into the catgut , as well as os , cartilage , etc . plant life are the same way . Yes , they soak up oodles of nutrients through their ascendant , drawing them up and dispersing them through the entire plant body via the xylem and bast . That ’s not the only way they can draw in nutrient , however . Much like our own cutis , industrial plant foliage also imbibe nutrient . By feeding plants ’ aery parts as well as their roots , you ’ll be nourishing them from top to bottom and all the room through .
How Does it Work?
As cite , industrial plant leaves are holey and ingest nutrient the same way our peel does . Another way to think about it is like when we dissolve medication beneath our tongues , rather than just swallowing them . Depending on the medication , it can get into our blood stream much more quickly than slorping its fashion through our total digestive piece of land and then circulating through our bodies . Examples of this let in nervines and sum medications ( like nitroglycerin ) and certain sedatives and minor tranquilizer , like benzodiazepines . When it comes to plants , the major nutrients they need are nitrogen ( N ) , phosphoric ( P ) , and potassium ( K ) . This is why almost all commercial fertilizers will have their N - P - K ratios printed on their label . These are the building blocks for plant wellness and are postulate in unlike amounts by various species .
The same goes for atomic number 12 . If you find that your plants are yellowing badly , do a filth examination to determine Mg levels . You may have to mold some Epsom salts in there to ensure that they ’re getting themagnesiumthey want .
All of that say , your plants also needothernutrients to keep them healthy , such as atomic number 30 , calcium , and iron . Here ’s the guileful part : the aforementioned N , P , and K are best take over through the plants ’ root word , but iron , zinc , and calcium are more well absorbed through the leaves . This is because they ’re trace minerals , so they ’re in much lower absorption in the soil , as well as in received fertilizers . These are the nutrient that you may spritz onto your plants ’ foliage by means of foliar eating .
What Should I Use for Foliar Feeding?
Well , since you ’re going to be applying this in liquid / mist grade , it ’s best to apply a smooth fertilizer . you could use a commercial - grade melted fertilizer , or you could brew up a passel of your own . Personally , I love to foliar feed with acompost teathat I make with a admixture of vermicompost ( worm ! ) castings mixed with water and a bit of molasses . If my wormy friends have n’t produce enough ninny to brew into fertiliser , however , then I purchase a near liquid fertiliser instead . In fact , there areliquid fertilizersthat are specially give voice for foliar feeding . If you’re able to get your hand on one of these , capital ! Otherwise , dilute the liquid fertilizer at a proportion of 1:10 of fertiliser to H2O . you may also try comfrey tea leaf if your plants are showing sign of nitrogen deficiency . Think of this as a diluted green smoothy , but for your plant . fundamentally , take a couple of fistful of invigorated , healthy comfrey leave and toss those in a liquidiser . fill up the rest up with water system , and liquefy the hatful .
Then strain out the chunky bits and reduce it at the same 1:10 ratio for a nice foliar feeding shower .
Tools Needed for Foliar Feeding
So , here ’s a steer that others might not continue when it follow to foliar feeding technique : get yourself a key sprayer .
Seriously .
Those hand - throw pump sprayer are nice and all , but are only useful if you just have a few potted flora on your balcony to tend to . If you ’re cultivating a heavy garden space , do yourself a party favour and get a paint sprayer .
You ’ll be able to hose down large field and lots of plants without your hands pine or going asleep . take aim for a sprayer that has a mist option , as this is idealistic for fine atom distribution . Oh , and see add a couple of drop of horticultural grievous bodily harm or oil color to the liquid you ’re hose your flora with . trust it or not , this allow the nutrient - heavy spray to adhere to the leave of absence for good absorption.*Note : Remember to get the undersides of the leaf too !
When and How to Feed This Way
Just as important as knowing what to put up your plant life via foliar alimentation is knowingwhento bung them . For example , you should only foliar feed inflorescence plants during their vegetative country . Once the plants start to bud , the nutrients offer topically can in reality do more harm than adept . Similarly , if you ’re using foliar feeding to fend off yield like bloom goal rot in tomato or squash plants , then only spray locally when the fruits are tiny . After that , it ’s better to drench at the root grade every week to add together surplus calcium . render to spray either first matter in the morn , before the sun rises wholly , or in the late good afternoon / early eve as it ’s setting . Remember that liquid droplets can act as mini magnifying glasses .
The sun ’s ray are necessary for healthy works growth , but they can do unbelievable burn damage to the leave-taking and fruits when magnified through all those droplets .
How Often to Feed
This really depends on what you ’re growing , your plants ’ overall health , and the growing conditions . For example , when my partner and I were cultivating a garden in the very hot , dry Sierra Nevada mountains , we did foliar feeds a few times a week . We watered the plants at the stem level every break of day and evening and gave them root - layer plant food weekly . This was because the desiccate environment made liquids evaporate chop-chop , so the plants often did n’t have enough time to suck up all the nutrients they were being offered . In dividing line , the conditions where I ’m homesteading here in the Quebec Laurentians are very dissimilar . It ’s cool and damp here , and the plants that thrive best in these conditions are very hardy . As a result , I only do foliar feeds every couple of workweek and/or if some plants look as though they ’re doing poorly . Make a note of the following factor :
Then gauge your feeding cycle accordingly . If you ’re in a hot , dry zona where your plants are prone to droop , feel free to give them a foliar feed encourage every 4 Clarence Day or so . In contrast , if the locus is nerveless and damp , you may only need to feed this elbow room if your plants start looking peaky .
Potential Problems
As mentioned , some people make the mistake of doing their foliar alimentation once buds are recrudesce and/or initiative . This can create damp condition inside flowering promontory , and they might rot and fall off instead of originate into yield . That will unwrap so much hard workplace ; it ’s not even fun to think about . Speaking of damp , many people can also get overly enthusiastic about how much they ’re hosing down their plant . Aim for a illumination misting and stop as soon as you set out to see the liquid particles bulge out to edge together and dribble a bit . They should n’t be soaked and pouring . Drenching them like this can do more harm than good , as it can produce the types of environments where soil - stand pathogens can fly high . Once again , think of this like gently humidify your own skin : you ’re aiming for a thin coating that will create a healthy luminescence , not slathering with a trowel . depend on the nutrients that you ’re offering , you may also find that you ’re saturating the plants with too much of a proficient matter .
For deterrent example , if the liquid fertilizer you ’re using for foliar feeds is high in N , your yield - bearing plants may pour all their energy into produce leafage rather than yield . lavish tomato plant plants count great , but they wo n’t be much good if they ’re only produce piddly little edible offerings here and there . likewise , hose down down your spinach , chard , and kale with a fertilizer that ’s high in phosphoric wo n’t do much estimable . Do your inquiry to make up one’s mind what your various species take most of , and tip them consequently .
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