Formation And Feeding Of Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers And Eggplants

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part. ← Growing cucumbers and nightshades in a greenhouse

If tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini are not formed, then they will continue to grow and branch indefinitely, form very small fruits, most of which obviously will not have time to ripen (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) or not bloom at all (cucumbers, zucchini). To top it all, in conditions of thickening, diseases and pests attack them.

You will have to take time to form cucumbers and tomatoes at least once a week; with eggplants, peppers and zucchini, everything is easier - you can bypass them and break out extra stepsons and fruits about once every 10-14 days.

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Tomatoes:

- once a week break out all the stepsons, leaving 2-3 of the most powerful and well-placed at the very beginning of their appearance, provided there is light space; - 3-4 weeks after planting tomato seedlings in the greenhouse, you need to start regularly trimming the lower leaves, up to the first brush at the moment - at one time you can trim no more than 1-2 leaves on the plant;

- at the beginning of August, the tops and flowers are pinched to give an opportunity to fill up and ripen the already set fruits.

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Pepper:

- from the moment of the intensive appearance of the stepsons, the extra ones are removed, especially those located in the lower part of the stem;

- all sterile and weak shoots are removed during the summer;

- from mid-August, small fruits are cut out and flowers are removed, which also cannot produce a crop.

Eggplant:

- immediately upon appearance, most of the stepsons are removed, leaving 3-4 shoots;

- when they appear, remove numerous flowers, leaving about 5-7 fruits on the plant;

- when the first flowers appear, remove all the shoots below the flowers;

- during the entire growing season, yellow leaves and diseased leaves are removed.

In cucumber hybrids:

- at the very beginning of the growing season, ovaries and stepsons are removed from the first four leaves;

- as other stepchildren grow, each side lash is pinched over the second-third-fifth sheet;

- during the entire growing season, remove the old leaves that fed the already removed cucumbers, and the stepchildren that bear fruit.

Cucumber varieties:

- at the very beginning of the growing season, the main stem of the cucumber plant is pinched over 3-4 leaves as soon as it appears; the first 3-4 stepsons are pinched over the fourth or fifth sheet. Further, all the lateral branches are pinched over the 5-6th

- the fruit, provided that the bushes are thickened. If there are barren shoots, then they are plucked out completely;

- during the entire growing season, remove the old leaves that fed the already removed cucumbers, and the stepchildren that bear fruit.

Zucchini:

- with the growth of the bush, the inflow of sunlight to its center decreases, and to restore the light regime, 2-3 old leaves are removed about once a week, near which the zucchini have already been removed.

How to feed properly

1. In cold weather (at temperatures below 10 ° C), liquid fertilizing is completely useless. Dry dressing can be done.

2. When carrying out root dressings, it is necessary to feed the fertilizer solution gently under the root so that the fertilizing solution does not get on the leaves, otherwise there may be leaf burns.

3. Top dressing with liquid fertilizers on dry soil leads to root burns, so you first need to moisten the soil with water and only then feed it.

4. In cold and rainy weather, the metabolism of plants is disturbed and the consumption of potassium fertilizers increases, so the dose of potassium should be increased during such periods.

5. In rainy weather on our podzolic soil there is a strong leaching of fertilizers, so you should not apply large doses of mineral fertilizers at one time - it is better to feed a little. To the greatest extent, this concerns nitrogen and potash fertilizers.

6. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the leaves of plants. If you notice on them a sign of a lack of some kind of nutritional element, then it is most effective to carry out a comprehensive feeding: a more concentrated solution under the root and a weak one - on the leaves.

7. If by external signs you find it difficult to determine what the plant lacks, then, most likely, we are talking about some macro- or even microelements (the lack of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is quite simple to determine), then carry out foliar feeding with any liquid preparation with a complex of trace elements and huminates.

8. Do not abuse any fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers, as they promote the accumulation of nitrates, reduce the keeping quality of vegetables and increase their susceptibility to diseases.

9. Liquid dressings are absorbed much faster and, as a result, are more effective than dressings in the form of dry mixes. Liquid dressing should be used only during the period of active plant growth - in late spring and summer.

10. Phosphorus fertilizers, due to their chemical characteristics, are never applied superficially, but are well embedded in the soil.

11. Do not feed diseased plants, it is better to wait with feeding and treat them with growth and root stimulants and drugs for diseases. And only after you are convinced that the plants "come to life", you can apply a weak feeding.

How often should you feed the plants?

- tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers - once a week until the end of August (subject to protection from diseases; otherwise, it all depends on the circumstances - perhaps until mid-August);

- watermelons and melons - once a week until mid-August;

- squash and pumpkin - every 2 weeks until mid-August;

- garlic and onions - every 2 weeks until the end of July;

- cabbage - every 2 weeks until mid-August;

- carrots and beets - 2 times per season.

- green for cutting (parsley, perennial onions, chard, etc.) - after each cut;

- lettuce, radish and other early ripening vegetables are not fed.

How to avoid nitrate buildup

- Do not apply large doses of nitrogen fertilizers to the soil. Nitrogen fertilizers are necessarily applied in the spring, and then they are applied only as needed and in small doses.

- Give preference to complex fertilizers, and apply monofertilizers (separately phosphorus, potassium or nitrogen) only when the plants clearly lack the appropriate nutrients.

- During periods of prolonged rains, do not forget about potash fertilizers, the need for which increases at this time.

- Try not to feed mullein, bird droppings, or slurry to salad, watercress, spinach, cabbage, rhubarb, parsley, etc. (these plants accumulate nitrates to the greatest extent), and if necessary, do not harvest for 2 weeks after feeding.

- Use compound fertilizers with molybdenum, which prevents nitrate build-up.

- Provide regular watering and good lighting of the plants.

If the plant is missing something

Nitrogen

With a lack of nitrogen, the lower leaves of plants turn yellow (nitrogen-poor plants transfer nitrogen from the old lower leaves upward, to the younger ones, and as a result, the lower leaves wither and turn yellow) and fall off, and the total vegetative mass is clearly insufficient.

Excess nitrogen leads to the development of too fleshy deciduous part of the crop, which, in turn, delays the formation of flowers (roots or tubers) and reduces yields; in this case, the plants must be fed with phosphorus and potash fertilizers.

Phosphorus

With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves turn dark green or bluish with a red tint, dry out and almost black. Flowering and fruiting are delayed. Plants complete growth quickly. The harvest is minimal.

Potassium

With a deficiency of potassium, the leaves of plants darken very much, and then their edges "burn" from the middle to the top of the plant. If the lack of potassium is not compensated for, then the leaves, including those that are just beginning to appear, turn brown and deform, shrink and fall off. The yield falls dramatically.

So that the ovaries do not fall

Alas, pollen is able to pollinate flowers only under certain conditions (a certain temperature, a certain humidity). As a result, ovaries of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkins and other crops fall off in large quantities either due to the fact that it is too hot in the greenhouses on sunny days, or due to the fact that the weather, on the contrary, is too cold and / or humid …

But there is a way to force plants to set fruits even in unfavorable conditions - once every 7-14 days, spray them with fruit-forming stimulants (Gibbersib, Bud or Ovary).

How to improve the mood of plants under adverse conditions

Our Ural region belongs to the zone of risky farming: short and rainy summers, cold nights in August, little sun and too little heat. Even cauliflower is not enough heat, and even more so for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Gardeners in many other regions of Russia are in the same conditions. How to be?

Growth stimulants such as Epin, Silk, Novosil, humic preparations and a number of others will help the plants to better adapt to the conditions of development that are not suitable for them, to actively grow and produce crops. Under their influence, plant cells will produce hormones of “good mood”, which are formed in natural conditions only in very good weather. As a result, the plants will delight you with a larger and more delicious harvest.

It is necessary to spray heat-loving vegetables (cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.) with stimulants once a week, and in favorable weather - once every 2 weeks.

Less heat-loving crops can also be sprayed, and not only vegetables - one or two sprays per season are enough for them:

- potatoes - at the beginning of flowering and at the time of active filling of tubers);

- cauliflower - in the phase of 3-4 leaves and at the moment when the head starts tying;

- white cabbage - in the phase of 3-4 leaves and at the moment of active head formation;

- onion - at the time of active feather growth;

- apple, cherry and plum - in the budding phase and at the time of dropping the ovary;

- flowers - before flowering, then there will be more flowers (however, the flowers cannot be sprayed after the buds appear, otherwise they will bloom very quickly).

Read the next part. How to accelerate the ripening of vegetable crops →