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Experienced gardeners know how to feed radishes to be the first to open the season of fresh vegetables. Radish is a vegetable of rapid maturation, you need to carefully monitor the growth phase. Fertilizers for radishes are applied with strict observance of the terms and norms of consumption. Otherwise, the fruits will be empty, rough, bitter.
Do I need to feed radishes
The culture prefers slightly acidic or neutral light soils. If the balance is disturbed in one direction or another, the soil must be enriched before sowing. Radishes need nutrition, which are grown in open ground and in a greenhouse, at the planting stage and during the period of active growth.
When do radishes need to be fed?
If the site for planting radishes has been prepared since autumn, the soil does not need to be enriched in spring. It is easy to determine the type of fertilizer that radish needs especially by the appearance of the plant:
- too pale color of the tops, its lifelessness, indicates a lack of nitrogen in the soil;
- a massive vegetative part and small fruits indicate an excess of nitrogen and a need for phosphorus.
Subject to the rules of crop rotation and growing on rich soils in a moderately rainy season, the need for top dressing of radishes in the spring disappears.
When to fertilize radishes
The ideal option for fertilizing the soil for radishes is to fertilize the site in the fall. The bed is dug up and a nutrient mixture is added to the ground.
The first feeding is carried out at the time of sowing the seeds. To do this, spread the fertilizer directly on the bottom of the furrow or soak the crop in a nutrient solution for 12 hours. The second top dressing is carried out during the period of active vegetation of seedlings on the 10-12th day after sowing at the stage of appearance of 2-3 leaves. If the soils are sandy-clay and very poor, radishes are fertilized twice during the period of active growth – on 4-6 and 15 days after sowing.
Types of fertilizers for radishes
Each farmer independently chooses what type of fertilizer to feed the early radish. Gardeners living in the countryside prefer natural fertilizers. Urban dwellers are accustomed to feeding garden crops with ready-made agronomic mixtures.
Any gardener has access to the following types of fertilizers for top dressing:
- organic – humus, chicken, rabbit droppings;
- mineral – urea, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate;
- herbal infusions from fresh herbal hay.
A separate category is wood ash – a natural mineral fertilizer rich in nitrogen. It is forbidden to pour ashes into excessively alkaline soils.
According to the type of fertilizer application, mixtures are distinguished:
- for root top dressing through introduction into the soil;
- for vegetative feeding through foliar spraying.
How to fertilize radishes during planting
The best natural fertilizer for radishes in the spring is a thin layer of ash at the bottom of the seed furrow. Experienced gardeners use another proven method.
For 1 sq. m of land will need:
- 10 g of urea;
- 40 g double superphosphate;
- 1 glass of wood ash;
- 5 kg of humus or compost.
Fertilizer is applied like this:
- Determine the bed for planting.
- Dig the area to a depth of 20 cm.
- Spread the mixture evenly.
- Sprinkle on top with a layer of soil.
Seeds are sown immediately after the mixture is introduced into the soil, watered and compacted to retain moisture.
To wake up the seeds, it is customary to soak them in growth stimulants for 12 hours. It can be Novofert, Regoplan, Potassium Humate, Epin.
How to feed radishes in the spring during active growth
There are several proven recipes for feeding radishes. The choice of the type of fertilizer is carried out in accordance with the age of the plant and the qualitative composition of the soil.
How to feed radishes after germination
The first shoots of radishes appear 4-5 days after sowing. During this period, the sprout begins to actively absorb fertilizers by the root system and accumulate nitrates in the fruits. It is optimal to introduce organic fertilizers these days. Nutrient mixtures are applied during the next watering under the root, preferably in the evening.
There are several recipes proven by gardeners based on chicken manure:
- A liter jar of litter is diluted in 2 buckets of water, insisted for 10-12 hours.
- 1 bucket of manure is poured with 3 buckets of water and mixed, the concentrate is again diluted with water in a ratio of 1:4.
- 1 bucket of litter is diluted with 3 buckets of water, insisted for 3 days, 4 tbsp. spoons of Baikal.
Chicken manure is replaced with rabbit manure and bred in the same proportions. The droppings of small animals contain all the necessary substances to obtain a juicy tasty radish. The composition of the prepared mixtures contains phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium.
An alternative to litter will be foliar feeding of radishes with “Aydar” or fertilizing radishes with urea through spraying. The recipe for the finished mixture is 1 liter of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. The solution is used exclusively for foliar top dressing during the growing season.
How to fertilize radishes in the spring for a better harvest
Too rapid growth of leaves and small root crops indicate a lack of potassium and phosphorus. The following composition will help correct the situation:
- 40 g superphosphate;
- 20 g sulfuric acid;
- 1 glass of ash.
Top dressing is carried out as follows:
- Dry ingredients are mixed in a separate container.
- Dilute the powder in 10 liters of warm water.
- Thoroughly mix the solution and infuse for 20-25 minutes.
- Water the aisles, avoiding falling on the leaves.
How to feed radishes for rapid growth
Stunted leaf growth is indicative of a nitrogen deficiency. It is quite easy to replenish it with urea. The nutritional composition is prepared immediately before use. To prepare a solution, 1 matchbox of urea is diluted in 1 bucket of warm water. Deciduous rosettes are sprayed or watered between rows.
Features of feeding radishes in the open field and in the greenhouse
Beds with early spring, summer and autumn plantings in the open field are fertilized according to the same principle. The introduction of nutrient formulations during autumn digging is considered preferable. Mandatory seed stimulation is carried out before sowing. Top dressing during the growth period is carried out taking into account the fertility of the soil, observing the appearance of the leaves. Foliar spraying of radish for the purpose of fertilization is carried out in the early morning or late evening when the sun is on the horizon. Watering with a nutrient composition is carried out in the aisles, and not on a leafy rosette.
The ripe crop in the greenhouse is harvested throughout the year. The soil in the greenhouse is enriched with mineral and organic fertilizers. If the radish in the greenhouse is sown in rich soil mixtures, dusting with ash is sufficient during the period when the first leaves appear.
Folk methods of fertilizing radishes
Not all gardeners recognize industrial mineral fertilizers for radishes. Many use natural infusions of rotting weeds or medicinal herbs. Such compositions have a number of advantages:
- environmental cleanliness and safety for the soil;
- accelerated absorption by cultivated plants;
- rich mineral content.
For the preparation of folk remedies for feeding vegetables, improvised means are used, so material costs are minimal.
Among gardeners, infusions from freshly picked nettles have become the most popular. Composition recipe:
- Prepare a large container, such as a garden barrel.
- Fill it 2/3 with chopped nettle.
- Pour warm water and expose to the sun.
- Insist 7-10 days, mix daily.
The finished concentrate is diluted at the rate of 1 liter of green slurry per 10 liters of water for inter-row irrigation, and 1 liter of slurry per 20 liters of water for foliar spraying.
A solution based on a multicomponent powder of garden herbs – comfrey, colza, tansy, horsetail and chamomile has proven itself well. The nutritional composition of this infusion is rich in potassium, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. The solution is prepared according to an identical recipe from nettle.
Many gardeners experiment and enrich the composition with onion peel, garlic arrows, chicken droppings. Such ingredients should be added with care so as not to burn the vegetative part of the cultivated plant during watering and spraying.
Conclusion
Feeding radishes in time is the task of any diligent gardener. The fruits after timely application are tasty, juicy, they lack bitterness and voids. When fertilizing, you should follow simple rules:
- Nitrogen is introduced during the growing season, potassium-phosphorus composition at the time of fruit formation.
- Concentrates must be diluted with water to avoid burning the leafy rosette.
- Solutions are introduced into the aisles so as not to inhibit the growth of radicular hairs.
The type and composition of the fertilizer is chosen according to the situation, observing the course and growth phase.
