Top dressing of tomatoes with nitroammophos

All gardeners who grow tomatoes in their area are wondering what kind of dressing to choose for these vegetables. Many opted for a complex mineral fertilizer – nitrophoska or nitroammofoska. These are identical substances that improve the quality and fertility of the soil. As a result, tomato yields can be significantly increased. This article contains information on the use of nitrophoska as a fertilizer for tomatoes.

Nitrophosic composition

This fertilizer is a mixture of minerals necessary for the growth and development of various crops. The main components of nitrophoska are potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Without these minerals, no cultivated plants would simply be able to grow. The fertilizer is sold in granular form. It dissolves easily in water and is easily washed out of the soil. This means that the period of action of the fertilizer on the sprouts is very short.

Despite the size of the granules, they contain a whole range of minerals. The composition of nitrophoska includes the following substances:

• ammonium and potassium nitrate;
• potassium chloride;
• ammonium phosphate;
• superphosphate;
• precipitate the phosphorus.

These are the main components to which other minerals can be added for a particular vegetable crop or type of soil. For example, almost all manufacturers of nitrophoska add magnesium or copper, sulfur, zinc, and boron to the fertilizer. You can determine the quantity of each element by the numerical designations on the package.

Disadvantages and advantages

Like all mineral supplements, nitrophoska has some pros and cons. The positive properties of this fertilizer include the following properties:

1. The main mineral substances make up at least 30% of all components. Thanks to this, vegetable crops begin to develop at an accelerated pace.
2. Until the end of the storage period, the fertilizer retains flowability, does not stick together and does not cake.
3. A balanced amount of all constituent substances.
4. The presence of the main minerals – potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.
5. Ease of use.
6. Easy solubility.
7. Yield increase.

Depending on the plants themselves, yields can increase by 10% or 70%. Of course, nitrophoska also has some drawbacks, but many gardeners are so fond of this fertilizer that they do not attach much importance to them. So, the obvious disadvantages of nitrophoska include the following factors:

1. All components are purely chemical.
2. Promotes the accumulation of nitrates in the soil.
3. If the rules of use are violated, it can lead to the appearance of nitrate compounds in the fruits themselves.
4. Fertilizer can be stored for no more than 6 months.
5. Explosive and flammable.
6. The need to follow precautions when using fertilizer.

Types of nitrophosok

The composition of nitrophosok may be different. There are such main varieties:

• sulfuric acid nitrophoska. From the name it immediately becomes clear that sulfur is present in this fertilizer, which helps plants synthesize vegetable proteins. This fertilizer is used to feed cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes and legumes. By applying fertilizer directly when planting plants, you can strengthen their immunity and protect them from pests;
• phosphorite. Such a nitrophoska is prepared on the basis of phosphorus, which is simply necessary for the formation of fiber in vegetables. This nitrophoska is most suitable for fertilizing tomatoes. After using this fertilizer, you should expect tasty and large fruits. In addition, such tomatoes are stored longer and remain fresh;
• sulfate nitrophoska. Such a fertilizer, in addition to the main components, contains calcium. It is this mineral that is responsible for the flowering process, the size of the leaves and the splendor of the flowers. Such properties make sulphate nitrophoska just an ideal fertilizer for ornamental flowers and other flowering plants.

Application of nitrophoska

As you can see, nitrophoska, like its counterpart, nitroammophoska, is suitable for fertilizing a wide variety of crops. It can be applied before planting, directly during planting, as well as for top dressing throughout the growing season.

Nitrophoska should also be chosen based on the general condition of the soil. It is necessary to determine which elements are needed. Basically, gardeners use nitrophoska with an equal amount of the three main components – phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Such top dressing has a positive effect on the soil as a whole, and also helps plants in the development of the root system and green mass.

If the soil is very poor, then you can pick up a fertilizer that will even out the mineral composition and increase the fertility of the soil. For example, soil with high acidity needs more phosphorus. Therefore, when choosing a nitrophoska, you should pay attention to the content of this element in it. If you notice that the plants in your garden often get sick, which can be manifested by yellowing of the leaves and lethargy, then it is better to opt for nitrophoska, which includes magnesium and boron.

You can apply nitrophoska or nitroammophoska in the following ways:

• scattering granules over the surface of the soil;
• placing fertilizer at the bottom of the hole when planting seedlings;
• in the form of aqueous solutions, making watering.

The first method is more suitable for loose and light soil. In this case, nitrophoska can simply be scattered over the surface of the soil in the spring. This will prepare the soil for planting various crops. If the soil is quite hard, then they begin to feed in the fall, digging it into the soil when digging.

It is customary to fertilize various fruit trees, perennial berry bushes and grapes with nitrophoska in autumn and spring. Feeding plants in the fall helps prepare trees and shrubs for winter, so they can easily adapt to new weather conditions. Spring top dressing will help the plants form buds, and later fruits. Nitrophoska will make up for the lack of essential trace elements and give strength to perennial shrubs. Many gardeners use this fertilizer when growing indoor ornamental plants. Nitrophoska is great for garden flowers, especially roses.

The main thing, when using such supplements, is not to overdo it with the dosage. Remember that nitrophoska is a chemical fertilizer that contains nitrates. Excessive use of fertilizers will contribute to the accumulation of this substance not only in the soil, but also in the fruits themselves. Such vegetables are unsafe and can adversely affect human health.

Regardless of the form in which top dressing is applied (dry or soluble), this should be done no more than 2 times during the entire season. Only in this case, you can achieve good results without harm to health. Using dry granules to fertilize the soil, no more than 1 grams of nitrophoska can be taken per 100 square meter of beds. And for 10 liters of solution there are only 40 to 60 grams.

The use of nitroammophoska for fertilizing tomatoes

Nitrophoska is great for feeding tomatoes. This fertilizer fully meets all the needs of this crop. It is able to provide tomatoes with all the necessary nutrients. When growing tomatoes for industrial purposes, it is easiest to simply sprinkle dry fertilizer on the ground. It is better to do this in the spring to prepare the field for planting tomato seedlings. In areas where the tomato is grown a little, you can pay more attention to the culture. In such cases, top dressing is applied to the wells at the time of planting.

When using fertilizer, care should be taken not to exceed the correct amount. It is very easy to fertilize tomatoes with nitroammophos, because the fertilizer is sold ready-made, and does not require the addition of additional minerals. To feed tomatoes, you need to mix a tablespoon of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska with the ground, and then place the mixture at the bottom of the hole. After that, you can immediately start planting tomato seedlings.

You can also feed with a solution of this fertilizer. To do this, 10 liters of water and 50 grams of nitrophoska are combined in one container. The solution is stirred until the granules are completely dissolved, and then pour it into each well. For 1 tomato bush, you will need about a liter of such a solution. The next and last top dressing with a similar mixture is carried out only 2 weeks after planting the tomato.

“Relatives” of nitrophoska

To date, there are a large number of mineral complexes, in their composition reminiscent of nitrophoska. The difference between these substances lies in the presence of additional minerals or in the ratio between the main components. The most common are the following fertilizers:

Azofosca

This fertilizer, like nitrophoska, has three main elements – nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Therefore, some refer them to the same class. The difference in these mixtures is really insignificant. The differences include the fact that phosphorus in azofoska is completely absorbed by plants, but in nitrophoska only partially. Azofoska also contains sulfur, and it is included in the composition of nitrophoska in the sulfate form.

Ammofosca

This fertilizer also consists of three main components, as in previous cases. But there is one significant difference that makes gardeners give preference to ammofoska. Nitrogen in this case has an ammonium form, due to which nitrates do not accumulate in the fruits. The fertilizer contains at least 14% sulfur. It also contains magnesium. The advantages also include the fact that ammofoska does not contain chlorine, sodium and ballast substances. This allows you to use fertilizer on different types of soil. Ammofoska is great for feeding plants in greenhouses. Due to the fact that there is no chlorine in the composition, it can be safely used for plants sensitive to this substance such as currants, potatoes, tomatoes, gooseberries and grapes.

Nitroammophoska

As mentioned above, these fertilizers are almost identical. They consist of the same main components and differ only in the ratio of the amount of some of them. The differences also include the absence of magnesium in the composition. But at the same time, NPK fertilizer contains a large amount of sulfates. It is not so quickly washed out of the soil, due to which it can affect plants longer.

Nitroammophos

This fertilizer differs from the previous one in the absence of potassium in its composition. Such a composition does not allow a very wide use of this mineral complex. Applying it on your site, most likely, you will have to additionally add potassium to the soil.

Ammophos

This fertilizer is also a two-element fertilizer. It contains phosphorus in large quantities, as well as nitrogen. This concentrated fertilizer is obtained by neutralizing phosphoric acids with ammonia. The advantage of ammophos over nitrate fertilizers is that all its components are easily absorbed by plants.

Although these fertilizers do not differ significantly from each other, but thanks to such a variety, you can choose exactly the complex that is most suitable for your soil. Manufacturers have done their best and satisfied the needs for any type of soil.

Storage of nitrophoska

It has already been mentioned above that nitrophoska is an explosive substance. The fertilizer must never be heated. The substance should be stored in cool concrete and brick rooms. The air temperature in such places should not exceed +30°C. Also an important condition is the humidity of the air, which can reach no more than 50%.

It is difficult to predict the consequences of the interaction of nitrophoska with other chemicals. Therefore, such fertilizers should be stored separately. Wrong proximity can lead to fire or explosion. In the room where nitrophoska is stored, there should not be any heating devices and appliances. Fertilizer should not be near an open flame.

Attention! After the expiration date, the substance becomes even more explosive.

The shelf life of nitrophoska is no more than 6 months. After the expiration of this period, the fertilizer simply loses its properties. Fertilizer can be transported both packed and simply poured into containers. It is advised to use only ground transport for these purposes.

Conclusion

Nitrofoska or nitrofoska is a universal complex mineral fertilizer, which includes all the substances necessary for the growth of tomatoes. With its help, you can achieve high yields and increase soil fertility in your area.