Contents
For active development, tomatoes require comprehensive care. This includes watering the plants and foliar work. A universal remedy for feeding tomatoes is milk. Based on it, solutions are prepared that saturate plants with nutrients. An additional effect of the use of milk is the repelling of pests, protection against late blight and other fungal diseases.
The benefits of milk for plants
Milk contains a number of useful substances that have a positive effect on the development of tomatoes:
- potassium, phosphorus, copper, calcium, iron and other trace elements;
- lactose;
- amino acids.
Potassium is required by plants for photosynthesis. With its deficiency, tomato leaves sag, darken and acquire a bluish tint. In the future, this leads to the drying of the foliage along the edges, while the stems become thinner.
Phosphorus controls the metabolic processes of plants and serves as their main source of energy. The lack of this element leads to slow development, a change in the shape and color of the foliage. Phosphorus is especially important in the flowering and formation of tomato ovaries.
Due to calcium, the structure of plants is provided, as well as the passage of nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism. With a lack of calcium, the upper shoots of tomatoes die off, the leaves curl and turn pale.
Feeding tomatoes with milk can provide complex nutrition with elements that are vital for plants. All components of milk have a natural form, so they are easily absorbed by tomatoes.
Another component of milk are amino acids. Their task is to activate the growth process of tomatoes.
As a result, dairy top dressing brings the following benefits to plants:
- improves metabolism;
- useful components from the soil are well absorbed;
- plants receive complex feeding;
- the effectiveness of organic fertilizers increases;
- milk-based preparations are environmentally friendly and safe;
- after feeding, the content of nutrients in the fruits increases.
The choice of milk for feeding
Tomatoes should be treated with solutions based on raw milk. It contains a maximum of useful components that are not preserved after boiling or other processing. It is allowed to use pasteurized milk, however, its effectiveness will not be as high.
Whey is a derivative of milk. It is obtained during the preparation of cottage cheese, when liquid is separated from the final product.
You can prepare whey for feeding tomatoes at home. This requires 1 liter of milk, which is placed overnight in a warm place. The resulting yogurt is poured into a saucepan and heated until the required substance is separated. The product is filtered through gauze to get a liquid without any impurities.
Serum is especially effective in combating fungal diseases. Beneficial microorganisms contained in it, capable of resisting pathogenic microbes.
The serum can be used as an insect trap. To do this, a container with this liquid is suspended in a greenhouse overnight. The serum attracts caterpillars, butterflies and other pests.
Other components
Milk is a natural product that goes well with other substances. The use of various components for the solution allows you to get a balanced composition for feeding tomatoes.
Ash addition
Ash is a combustion product of wood and plants. It is not allowed to use ashes from burning garbage, building materials, plastic or magazines for fertilizer.
The composition of the ash includes many compounds based on calcium, potassium and magnesium. Solutions based on this substance help to saturate the tomatoes with the missing elements, and also protect them from pathogenic bacteria.
Top dressing with ash can be carried out throughout the life cycle of plants. Additionally, it is added to the soil before watering. The use of ash improves the taste of tomatoes, as the fruits become sweeter and juicier.
Compositions with iodine
iodine is a universal means for disinfecting the soil and the plants themselves. With iodine deficiency, tomatoes grow slowly, which negatively affects fruiting.
To prevent fungal diseases, tomatoes are sprayed with a solution containing milk and iodine.
Iodine is used only in combination with skim milk. It is not recommended to add it to the serum. Otherwise, the beneficial bacteria that the serum contains will die.
With an excess of iodine, tomatoes will get a burn of the root system or foliage, depending on how they are processed. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the indicated concentrations for watering and spraying plants.
Irrigation compositions
Tomatoes are demanding on watering, which should be carried out rarely, but plentifully. This scheme allows you to strengthen the root system. With a lack of moisture, the roots do not develop, but receive the necessary substances from the soil surface.
Excessive watering leads to cracking of fruits and loss of taste. High humidity creates a favorable environment for the development of diseases.
In cloudy weather, it is better to replace watering with loosening the soil. The plant should be watered once every week.
You need to feed a tomato with milk in several stages:
- The first recharge is made at the seedling stage. This requires 1 liter of low-fat milk and a bucket of water. 15 drops of iodine can be added to the solution. This composition strengthens the tomatoes and prevents the development of fungal infections.
- After planting tomatoes in a greenhouse or soil, the concentration of the solution increases. For 4 liters of water, 1 liter of milk is required. Each well requires up to 500 ml of the mixture. Feeding is done every three days. It is allowed to add up to 10 drops of iodine solution.
- During the fruiting period, top dressing is performed twice every week. It is recommended to alternate several types of dressings based on ash or iodine.
Top dressing should be done after watering the tomatoes. Thus, nutrients are absorbed faster. The procedure is performed in the morning, so that during the day the liquid is absorbed without the formation of high humidity.
Spray formulations
Foliar processing is a more effective method of feeding tomatoes. Spraying is carried out using special spray guns. For processing tomatoes, a device with a fine nozzle is selected.
When spraying, a useful solution falls directly on the leaves and stems of plants. The result of the procedure can be seen within a few hours after the procedure.
When added to a solution of milk, a protective film forms on the surface of the leaves. Thus, an obstacle is created for the penetration of pathogenic bacteria.
If tomatoes grow in open ground, then before processing you need to make sure that there is no rain and wind.
For spraying, a solution is prepared based on water and milk (whey) in a ratio of 4: 1. Additionally, you can add 15 drops of iodine and a glass of ash to milk.
With the normal development of plants, it is enough to spray them every week. To keep the solution better on the foliage, you can add 30 g of soap chips.
Remedies for diseases
Milk-based formulations allow you to fight fungal infections of tomatoes. When the first signs of disease appear, immediate action should be taken. This is the only way to save the plants themselves and the crop. Fungus spores spread very quickly and can be found in greenhouses, seeds, and garden tools.
The fight against phytophthora
Phytophthora is one of the most dangerous diseases of tomatoes. Its first symptoms appear as small spots on the lower leaves of tomatoes, which can not always be determined by external examination.
Three days later, late blight affects the leaves, stems and fruits of tomatoes. Then dark spots appear on them, which disrupts the life processes of the plant and makes the fruits unsuitable for consumption.
To get rid of late blight, tomatoes are sprayed with complex compounds:
- milk – 1 l;
- wood ash – 2 tbsp. l.;
- iodine solution – 20 drops;
- water – 10 l.
First you need to remove the affected leaves and fruits. It is best to burn them to avoid further spread of malicious spores.
Preparatory measures will help to avoid the disease: compliance with the planting scheme, disinfection of seeds, soil, garden tools.
Preventive spraying of tomatoes from phytophthora is carried out every week. Additionally, you need to monitor the level of humidity in the greenhouse, provide access to air and sunlight.
If there are signs of phytophthora, treatment is performed every 3 days. Spraying should be alternated with other methods of controlling the disease. You can use Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, special preparations, infusions of garlic and yeast.
brown spot
Brown spotting appears when the humidity in the greenhouse rises to 90%. Tomatoes are especially susceptible to the disease in the middle of the growing season, when the ovary is formed.
Brown spotting has the appearance of yellowish spots that form on the leaves of tomatoes. On the reverse side of the foliage, a light bloom grows, which eventually acquires a brown tint.
To combat brown spotting, a solution based on milk (1 l), water (10 l) and iodine (10 drops) is used. The product is applied by spraying on the leaves and stems of tomatoes. The procedure is repeated every three days.
Be sure to reduce the frequency of watering and humidity in the greenhouse. Therefore, spraying with milk is done at the beginning of the day.
Compositions from pests
Garden pests cause no less damage to tomatoes than diseases. To protect plants, you need to periodically spray them with a solution based on milk or whey. Lactobacilli repel aphids, scoops, spider mites and other insects.
Juicy leaves and shoots of tomatoes attract aphids, which can parasitize them for a long time. This insect appears in greenhouses, greenhouses and plantations growing in the open field.
You can determine the presence of aphids by deformed leaves and shoots, as well as by sticky dew on plants.
In such cases, you can not dilute it with water, but immediately use it for spraying. For watering tomatoes, the concentration of whey and water is taken with a ratio of 1: 1.
Another method of struggle is a solution of 1 liter of milk, 10 liters of water and 20 drops of iodine. Processing is carried out by spraying tomatoes.
Conclusion
Milk serves as a source of useful elements for tomatoes. Processing of plants is carried out at each stage of their development, starting from the seedling stage. Fertilizers can be applied by watering or spraying. Works are carried out during non-hot hours of the day. Milk or whey is diluted with water in the required proportion. It is allowed to add iodine or ash to the solution.
An additional benefit of milk is the ability to repel insects. Tomatoes should be regularly treated for diseases and pests. Fungal diseases are especially dangerous for plants.