The role of mineral fertilizers in growing a good potato crop is difficult to overestimate. One of the most popular and effective among them is azofoska, which includes elements indispensable for the growth of culture: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulfur. Below will be discussed in detail how to apply azophosca fertilizer for potatoes.
appointment
Thanks to its perfectly balanced composition, azophoska is able to fully meet the nutritional needs of growing potatoes. This helps to increase the strength of the root system and activate growth in general. The overall strengthening effect of the fertilizer makes the bushes more resistant to various negative weather conditions, such as frost or drought. After applying azofoska, which is convenient to apply both as a main and as an additional fertilizer, potatoes gain protection from many diseases. Thanks to this, the final yield is significantly increased, and the minerals obtained from top dressing increase the nutritional value of tubers. Another useful feature of azofoska is the ability to increase the shelf life of the final product – this will prevent the potatoes from rotting. Applying it once, you can get nourished soil for a long time, because azophoska is practically not affected by precipitation and is preserved by soil for a long time.
In addition to a positive effect on planting, azophoska for potatoes is incredibly convenient to use, completely soluble in water, and the granules do not stick together during storage. However, it is important to remember that the period during which the drug retains its properties is quite short, and therefore it does not make sense to stock up on azophos for a long time. Another negative point that manifests itself in its application is the formation of nitrates in the treated soil. Also, do not forget that, despite its great usefulness for potatoes, azofoska belongs to the third hazard class, and therefore a person should handle it carefully and follow the recommended storage conditions to avoid ignition.
Application
Fertilizer has gained special recognition due to its versatility. Azofoska for potatoes is effectively used on any type of soil. Despite this, for each species individually there are specific recommendations. Soddy-podzolic soil necessitates spring fertilization, as fall fertilization will be less effective. Chernozem will equally accept both single and fractional application of azofoska for potatoes, and irrigation on chestnut soils and gray soil will improve the quality of application.
Correctly determining the timing and volume of application of azofoska is very important for the yield of the site. It is usually advised to apply fertilizer at the rate of 20 g per 1 m2. To increase the efficiency of nutrition, it is advisable to put up to 4 g of azofoska in each well when planting.
Azofoska can also be used for foliar application, for seasonal top dressing. In the latter case, it is used in small doses, dissolving in 10 liters of water up to 2 tablespoons. For autumn and summer top dressing, it is also possible to use fertilizer in undiluted form, but only at high soil moisture. In both cases, contact of the drug with the roots of potato bushes should be minimized.
If for some reason azophoska is not available for purchase, it can be successfully replaced by analogues. The main among them is nitroammophoska, which has an almost identical composition.
The only difference between them is that the latter has a certain proportion of sulfur. Despite this, their effect on potatoes is the same. But the drug with the similar name “nitroammophos” differs significantly from the listed fertilizers, since it does not contain potassium. This limits the scope of its use. When choosing a mineral fertilizer, it is worth paying special attention and not confusing these seemingly similar preparations.
Another good fertilizer that can replace azofoska is ammophoska. In its composition, in addition to the main elements, sulfur is also present. Magnesium is an additional component. A distinctive feature of the drug is the possibility of application on closed ground. Nitrophoska, unlike its counterparts, does not contain sulfur and is easily washed out of the soil, and therefore cannot boast of a duration of action.
Video “Mineral fertilizers for root and foliar feeding”
The video tells about the types of mineral fertilizers, their purpose and application features.
Author: Svetlana Galitsina
Loading…