Rules for feeding tomato seedlings with iodine

When growing vegetables, summer residents try to use as little chemical fertilizers as possible and often use folk remedies. Using iodine for tomato seedlings, you can solve several problems at once. Such feeding will help protect plants from diseases and accelerate the growth of tomatoes. By using iodine as a fertilizer regularly, you can achieve a significant increase in yield.

The positive effect of feeding with iodine

A trace element such as iodine is needed by plants in very small doses, but tomatoes must be provided with them in order to be able to fully develop. The soil does not always contain enough iodine to meet the needs of the crop. That is why it is necessary to periodically apply iodine solution as fertilizer.

This element is involved in the transformation of amino acids and proteins, supports the processes of respiration and photosynthesis. Studies have shown that iodine helps protect the crop from viruses, fungi and bacterial flora, and also improves nitrogen metabolism, which reduces the need for fertilizers in tomatoes containing large doses of nitrogen.

Additional advantages of using this top dressing:

• positive effect on the formation of ovaries;
• reduction of the ripening period of tomatoes;
• increasing the resistance of crops to cold and drought;
• increased productivity;
• improving the appearance and taste of tomatoes.

Iodine protects plants from typical diseases: late blight, powdery mildew, rot, viral mosaic. You can use this top dressing at different stages of plant development. At the seedling stage, iodine fertilizer is used in a very low concentration to increase the immunity of the seedlings. At the same time, you can feed pepper seedlings; iodine will also benefit this culture.

The use of iodine at the seedling stage

Tomato seedlings need picking, which is carried out at the stage of formation of 2-3 true leaves. It is not necessary to fertilize seedlings before picking; all care for them consists in moistening the soil and maintaining the desired temperature in the room. 2 weeks after the pick, the tomatoes are fed for the first time. By this time, 4 well-developed leaves are already present on the seedlings.

If the plants look frail, have thin, elongated stems and a pale color of leaves, it's time to cheer them up using iodine. Such fertilization will also not hurt strong seedlings. In this case, feeding will have a preventive purpose, helping to prevent iodine deficiency and preventing the development of diseases.

It is very important to keep the dosage accurately The iodine solution is pungent and can easily damage the delicate leaves of young tomatoes. The proportions will be as follows: 1 drop of alcoholic iodine tincture is added to a 3-liter jar of warm water. Iodine is purchased in the pharmacy network. The best way to feed tomatoes at the seedling stage is by spraying.

Rules for the use of foliar feeding:

• the solution is used immediately after preparation;
• seedlings should not be in direct sunlight during processing;
• spraying is carried out in the morning, so that the leaves dry until the evening.

For pepper, top dressing is used according to the same rules and at the same time. For strong seedlings, root feeding can be applied. The safe concentration of the solution is 0.5 ml per 1 liter of water. It is easy to measure the required amount of iodine with a medical insulin syringe. It is better to apply the composition along the edge of the glass, avoiding direct contact of the dressing with the roots.

Iodine dressing recipes

In the future, iodine can be added every two weeks as part of combined dressings or when signs of iodine deficiency appear (fungal disease, pale color and lethargy of leaves, stress symptoms during drought or cold snap).

Feeding tomatoes with iodine in combination with other components:

1. At the beginning of the formation of ovaries for tomatoes, root feeding based on iodine, ash and boric acid will be useful. To prepare a solution for 10 liters of water, add 2 tsp. iodine, 10 g of boric acid and a 3-liter can of ash. Initially, ash is added to 5 liters of boiling water and allowed to brew for an hour. After the allotted time, pour in the remaining water, add iodine and boric acid, mix thoroughly and leave the composition for a day. The resulting concentrate is diluted with warm water in a ratio of 1:10 before use. It will be necessary to water the tomatoes, spending 0.7–1 liters of such feeding for each bush.
2. At the beginning of fruiting, you can also feed the tomatoes with iodine in combination with yeast. This recipe is not easy to prepare, but it is highly effective. In 0.5 l of warm milk, add 50 g of fresh yeast and let the composition stand in a warm place for 5-6 hours. Then the volume is brought to 5 liters by adding lukewarm water, and 15 drops of iodine are added to the composition. Use the solution above 18 ° C, otherwise the yeast will not work.
3. In the future, you can periodically feed the tomatoes with iodine in combination with skim milk. A glass of milk and 5 drops of iodine tincture are added to 1 liter of warm water. You will need to spray the entire aerial part, evenly distributing the solution.

In principle, iodine can also be added to an ordinary solution of complex fertilizers. For example, add 20 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate and 1 tsp into 10 liters of water. pharmacy iodine. For each bush of tomatoes, 0.5 liters of such a composition is consumed, adding to the root zone.

To prevent the development of fungal and bacterial infections, iodine is used in a different combination. At the same time, the risk of pest damage is reduced.

The recipes are easy to prepare and highly effective:

1. For the prevention of late blight, a solution based on iodine and milk whey is used. Prepare a composition of 10 liters of warm water, 1 liter of whey and 15 drops of iodine. This solution can be used as a preventive measure once every 2 weeks.
2. Another disinfecting solution is prepared from hydrogen peroxide, serum and iodine. Add 2 tsp to a bucket of water. 3% peroxide, 40 drops of iodine and 1 liter of milk whey. The composition protects tomatoes well from fungal infections and pests, at the same time feeding the bushes. Having prepared the solution, it is used to spray tomatoes.
3. A folk remedy based on iodine and brilliant green is also an excellent prevention of late blight. To prepare a disinfecting mixture for 10 liters of water, you need to add 40 drops of both agents, then the composition is thoroughly mixed and applied to the tomato leaves from a spray bottle.

All solutions are used for processing on the same day. If spraying was carried out in a greenhouse, the building must then be ventilated to quickly remove excess moisture.

Top dressing based on iodine is affordable, cheap, efficient and environmentally friendly. However, iodine tincture requires careful handling and exact adherence to the dosage when preparing the working solution, otherwise, instead of benefit, the plants will be harmed.