Contents
Everyone who grows tomatoes in the garden wants to receive a lot of delicious vegetables in gratitude for their work. However, on the way to getting a harvest, a gardener may face many troubles and problems. One of them is low soil fertility and lack of trace elements for plant development. You can correct the situation of “starvation” with the help of various top dressings and fertilizers. So, for feeding tomatoes, farmers often use calcium nitrate.
What is calcium nitrate
Saltpeter is widely available to farmers. Its use has been established on an industrial scale for feeding various agricultural plants. Fertilizer is a mineral based on a salt of nitric acid. There are several types of nitrate: ammonium, sodium, barium, potassium and calcium. By the way, barium nitrate, unlike all other species, is not used in agriculture.
That is why when applying fertilizer, it is necessary to observe the terms and dosages of use. This will eliminate the accumulation of the substance in plants and fruits, and prevent the negative impact of the substance.
When feeding a tomato in everyday life, ammonium and potassium nitrate are often used, emphasizing that these substances are most important for plant growth and fruiting. However, not many people know that calcium is also important for tomatoes. It allows better absorption of other substances contained in the soil. Without calcium, feeding tomatoes can be pointless, since the transport and absorption of trace elements will be impaired.
Calcium nitrate, or as it is also called calcium nitrate, calcium nitrate, contains 19% calcium and 13% nitrogen. Fertilizer is used to feed tomatoes at various stages of cultivation, from growing tomato seedlings to harvesting.
The fertilizer is granules, white or gray crystals. They are odorless and quickly become caked if the storage regime is violated. In a humid environment, calcium nitrate exhibits hygroscopicity. The fertilizer is highly soluble in water, does not oxidize the soil when used. Saltpeter can be used for feeding tomatoes on any type of soil.
The effect of the substance on plants
Calcium nitrate is a unique fertilizer because it contains calcium in a water-soluble form. It allows you to easily and quickly assimilate the second mineral of the fat – nitrogen. It is this combination of calcium and nitrogen that allows tomatoes to grow lush and healthy.
It should be noted that nitrogen is responsible for the growth and development of plants, but calcium itself plays an equally important role in the process of plant vegetation. With its help, the roots absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil. In the absence of calcium, the roots of tomatoes simply cease to fulfill their function and rot. In the process of reducing the concentration of calcium in the soil, the transport of substances from the root to the leaves is disrupted, as a result of which the old leaves wither and the young leaves dry out. With a lack of calcium, dry edges and brown dots appear on the tomato leaf plates.
A sufficient amount of calcium nitrate in the soil has a number of positive effects:
- accelerates seed germination;
- makes plants more resistant to diseases and pests;
- gives tomatoes resistance to low temperatures;
- improves the taste of vegetables and increases yield.
Thus, it is possible to restore the lack of calcium in the soil and activate the growth of tomatoes, to make the harvest tasty and plentiful, with the help of calcium nitrate.
Seed dressing
The properties of calcium nitrate are especially valuable for tomato seedlings, because it is young plants that need an active increase in green mass and successful, fast rooting. Use nitrogen-calcium top dressing after the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the plant. The substance is used in dissolved form for root dressing and leaf spraying.
It is necessary to spray the leaves of tomato seedlings with a solution prepared according to the recipe: 2 g of calcium nitrate per 1 liter of water. The spraying procedure can be repeated many times, with a frequency of 10-15 days. Such a measure will allow tomato seedlings not only to develop better, but also protect them from the black leg, fungus.
It is rational to use calcium nitrate for feeding seedlings of tomatoes at the root in combination with other mineral microelements and nutrients. So, fertilizer is often used, prepared by adding 20 g of calcium nitrate to a bucket of water. Urea in the amount of 10 g and wood ash in the amount of 100 g are used as additional components in the solution. This mixture is complex, since it contains all the substances necessary for tomatoes, including potassium and phosphorus. The nutrient mixture should be used twice in the process of growing tomato seedlings: when 2 leaves appear and 10 days after picking the seedlings.
Application after planting tomatoes
In the process of preparing the soil for planting tomato seedlings, calcium nitrate can be used. This substance is introduced into the soil during spring digging or during the formation of holes. Fertilizer consumption is 20 g per plant. Saltpeter can be added to the soil in a dry form.
It is necessary to fertilize tomatoes in open and protected ground with calcium nitrate after 8-10 days from the day of planting seedlings. Apply the substance by spraying. To do this, prepare a 1% solution by adding 10 g of fertilizer to a liter of water. Exceeding the concentration negatively affects young plants. It is recommended to carry out such foliar top dressing of a tomato regularly every 2 weeks. During the period of active formation of ovaries, such foliar top dressing of tomatoes is not used.
In the process of formation of ovaries and ripening of vegetables, calcium nitrate is used as an additional component in complex fertilizer. For example, many gardeners use a solution obtained by adding 500 ml of mullein and 20 g of calcium nitrate to a bucket of water to feed tomatoes. After mixing, the solution is used to water the plants. Such a fertilizer significantly improves the composition of the soil, makes the structure of heavy soil more acceptable for plants. At the same time, the roots of tomatoes receive more oxygen, the growth of green mass accelerates, and the process of root formation improves.
Fertilizing adult plants with calcium must be carried out periodically, since as tomatoes grow, they absorb substances, depleting the soil. Also, during the growing season, tomatoes may show signs of calcium deficiency. In this case, root dressing is used to restore plants: 10 g of calcium nitrate per bucket of water. Watering is carried out on the basis of 500 ml per plant.
Drip irrigation of plants with a solution of calcium nitrate under the root is a convenient and affordable method of fertilizing large areas of tomato plantings.
Vertex Rot
This disease often affects tomatoes in the open field, but sometimes occurs in a greenhouse environment. The disease manifests itself on unripe, green tomatoes. On the tops of such fruits during formation and ripening, small watery, brown spots form. Over time, they begin to grow and cover more and more areas on the surface of the tomato. The color of the affected parts changes, becoming light brown. The tomato skin dries out and resembles a dense film.
One of the causes of blossom end rot is a lack of calcium. You can correct the situation by applying any type of top dressing with the addition of calcium nitrate.
You can learn more about the disease and methods of dealing with it from the video:
Storage Rules
Saltpeter with calcium is widely available to the average consumer. It can be found on the shelves of agricultural stores in sealed bags, weighing from 0,5 to 2 kg. When it is not necessary to use all the fertilizer at once, then you need to take care of the proper storage of the substance, given its hygroscopicity, caking, explosion and fire hazard.
Store calcium nitrate in sealed plastic bags in a room with a moderate level of humidity. It is necessary to place packages with the substance away from sources of open flame. When working with calcium nitrate, you should take care of personal protective equipment.
Calcium nitrate is an affordable, inexpensive, and most importantly, an effective means of feeding tomatoes. It can be used at all stages of the vegetation of plants, starting from the moment 2 true leaves appear. Apply the substance to feed the tomato in the greenhouse and on the open ground. With the help of fertilizer, young plants take root well after transplantation, successfully and quickly increase their green mass, and form many tasty fruits. However, to obtain such a result, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules and norms for applying the substance in order not to burn the plants and get not only tasty, but also healthy vegetables without nitrates.