In order for the radish to grow large and juicy, you need to properly care for the crop, including making timely necessary nutrition. You need to clearly know what types of fertilizers should be used, when and in what doses they should be applied.
The need to feed radishes
Radish grows and forms root crops quickly, in just 1-1.5 months. He does not need large doses of fertilizers, but in order for the gardener to be able to get high-quality root crops, and not just one green tops or plants that have started the arrow, he must know the peculiarities of agricultural culture.
Radishes have modest nutrient requirements. Over the entire growth period, he carries out from the soil only 8 g of microelements from 1 square. m of soil. But it is not worth hoping that root crops will grow completely without fertilizers. Without the nutrition the plants need, they cannot get a good crop from them.
In well-groomed and fertilized soil, radish is smooth, juicy, large, without voids. If there is not enough fertilizer in the ground for the normal development of plants, small vegetables with dry and rough pulp will grow on it.
Fertilizing beds with radishes, fertilizing should be done according to the norms recommended for this crop. Increasing the dose in the hope that a large number of fertilizers will help to collect more root crops is a wrong decision. When overfeeding, the effect of the intake of the main nutrient elements in plants will be directly opposite to the expected:
- if there is a lot of nitrogen in the soil, radish actively grows tops;
- if there is a lot of phosphorus - throws the arrow out, without forming root crops.
Frequent dressing of radishes is also not needed and will not give him benefits. Unlike other garden vegetables, 1-2 radishes are enough for the whole growing season.
When do you need to fertilize?
It is possible to fertilize radishes in three stages:
- When preparing beds. If you properly fertilize the beds under radishes in the fall during their preparation or in the spring, shortly before sowing the seeds, then they will no longer need to be fertilized. At this stage, it is permissible to use organic matter and fertilizers of mineral origin.
- At the beginning of radish growth. Top dressing at the appearance of the first seedlings is possible only if fertilizers have not been applied to the soil before. At this stage, it is desirable to use not simple mineral, but complex fertilizers.
- During plant growth. By applying fertilizers directly during the growing season, you can adjust the development of plants in the event that any problems are found.
Types of fertilizers for radish
To feed the radish, the same fertilizers are used as for all other garden crops:
- organics;
- ash;
- mineral simple, mixed and complex fertilizers.
The amount of fertilizer required for application is indicated in the instructions attached to them. Dosing them is the easiest way, measuring out a tablespoon or teaspoon, matchbox or glass with a volume of 200 ml.
Table of contents of the most popular fertilizers (in grams):
Fertilizer | 1 tbsp. l | 1 tsp | Box | Glass |
Saltpeter | 17 | 4 | 17 | 170 |
Superphosphate | 17 | 5 | 22 | 220 |
Potassium sulfate | 20 | 6 | 26 | 260 |
It is important to consider the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the mixture of fertilizers. For radish, it should be 38:12:50.
Nitrogen fertilizers
Of this class of fertilizers, gardeners most like to use:
- saltpeter (35% nitrogen);
- urea (46%).
They can be applied both at the stage of preparation of the beds, and when the first shoots appear, while urea is preferably used in the fall, and saltpeter in the spring. The thing is that in nitrate, nitrogen is in nitrate and ammonia form and therefore is better absorbed by plants than from urea, in which part of it is in the amide form, inaccessible to plants.
It takes time for the urea nitrogen to go into digestible forms. It is due to this that urea has a longer nutritional effect than nitrate.
Amide nitrogen is better retained in the soil, it is worse washed out by water, which is another argument in favor of the use of urea in the fall, as well as in areas with waterlogged soil. In autumn, urea is also introduced because it is effective only in warm soil. In spring, in cold land, there will be no benefit from it. Saltpeter can be scattered directly in the snow, which will increase its melting.
Application rates:
- 10 g of urea per 1 square. m;
- 15 g of saltpeter per 1 square. m
When making urea, you must remember that you can’t just scatter granules on the surface of the beds - when interacting with oxygen, a reaction takes place, as a result of which nitrogen is lost. Granules need to be mixed with the ground, that is, dig it.
In spring, fertilize the earth with mineral nitrogen fertilizers at least a week before sowing. If you add granules with the seeds, you can reduce their germination due to the increased concentration of nitrogen.
In addition to nitrate and urea, you can fertilize radishes with ammonium sulfate, potassium, sodium, calcium nitrate. Nitrogen is easily digestible in all these fertilizers; they dissolve well.
Gardeners who prefer a radish with an intense smell and taste can be recommended to fertilize it with sulfur-containing fertilizers. Sulfur is part of mustard oils that make the radish fragrant and pungent. For these purposes, ammonium sulfate (sulfur content - 26%) and potassium sulfate (18%) are well suited. They are introduced before sowing.
Potash fertilizer
It is advisable to water plants with potash fertilizers after the appearance of 2-3 leaves. You can use any mixture - even those in which there is chlorine. The presence of this element radishes well.
The rate of application of potash mixtures:
- the main application is 40 g per 1 sq. km. m;
- when feeding at the stage of radish growth - 10-15 g per 1 sq. m
Phosphate fertilizer
Any phosphoric mixture can be used for radishes, but superphosphate remains the most popular. It can be applied during the preparation of beds, and at the stage of plant growth. In the first case, per 1 square. m consumes 50 g of fertilizer, in the second - 15 g.
In addition to superphosphate, you can make:
- ammophos;
- diammophos;
- potassium monophosphate.
Additional feeding
You can additionally fertilize radishes if external signs of a deficiency of an element are noticed:
- If the leaves of the plant are excessively pale, this indicates a nitrogen deficiency. It is necessary to feed it with saltpeter or urea as soon as possible. This can be done by watering the plants under the root or by spraying them on top with a solution of nitrogen mixtures in low concentration. A solution for feeding is prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. fertilizer on a bucket of water.
- If the foliage is booming, this indicates an excess of nitrogen. In this case, potassium and phosphorus should be added under the radish. This will help the plant in time begin to form root crops. You need to take 10 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water or dissolve 1 glass of ash in a bucket.
Complex fertilizers
It is convenient to feed garden crops with complex fertilizers that contain all 3 batteries at once.
In home farming, the use of nitroammophoski is popular. It is introduced in the preparation of beds of 25-30 g per 1 square. m and 15-20 g during the period of plant growth.
In addition to nitroammophoski, you can use ready-made complex fertilizers, which also contain a set of trace elements (Crystal). From them, radish receives all the chemical elements necessary for growth in a balanced ratio. The dosage of complex fertilizers is indicated in the instructions for use.
Watch the video about feeding radish at the stage of the first emergence of complex fertilizers Rost Concentrate and Baikal:
Before watering the top dressing solution, you need to water the beds with plain water. This will avoid root burns in contact with the liquid.
After irrigation, when the soil dries out a little, beds must be loosened up. In loose soil, fertilizers are much better absorbed by plants. In dense soil, root crops form small, irregularly shaped.
Ash
Replace potash and phosphorus fertilizers with ordinary ash. For 1 square. m will require up to 0.5 kg of ash with the main application and 0.25 kg of substance per 10 liters of water, if you pour with an ash solution during the growth period.
When applying ash, it is necessary to remember the rules for its manufacture and application:
- it is undesirable to mix ash with fertilizers containing nitrogen;
- you can use only the ash left after burning organic residues: branches, leaves, vegetable debris from the garden;
- furnace ash and ashes from burning household waste, painted boards, newspapers, magazines should not be brought in.
Foliar top dressing
In addition to the root, you can also feed the sheet with a 2% solution of urea and ammonium molybdate (1 mg per 1 liter). Such a fertilizer will increase the mass of root crops. Radish is sprayed no later than 2 weeks before digging the crop.
Organics
Manure is brought in the fall or in the spring. You can take it from under any domestic animals or birds, but it must be rotted. This is an affordable and effective fertilizer, which is preferred by adherents of natural products grown not on chemicals.
For 1 square. m when digging beds make 3-4 kg (or about 0.5 buckets) of manure. This is enough to provide radish with nitrogen at the initial stage of growth.
An already growing radish is watered with slurry dissolved in water. Prepare it from 1 kg of rabbit, pork, goat, cow, sheep or horse manure, diluted in 1 bucket of water. The same volume of bird droppings is dissolved in 15 liters of water. After infusion, which takes 3-4 days, the liquid is again diluted in a ratio of 1 to 10. The consumption of this organic fertilizer is 1 bucket per 1 sq. Km. m. area of beds.
Fresh manure for radishes, as well as for any other root crops, is strictly prohibited. There are several reasons for this:
- in fresh manure there is a lot of nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green tops instead of the formation of root crops;
- too much fresh manure leads to the accumulation of nitrates in root crops;
- pests are introduced in fresh manure, which can quickly damage the roots and root crops that are forming.
Herbal infusions
Radish responds well to feeding infusion of green grass. In the spring, young nettles are great for herbal dressing.
It is very simple to prepare the fertilizer: it is enough to cut the plant into small pieces, put the mass in a volumetric barrel up to half, add water, cover and leave for fermentation. After about 1.5-2 weeks, when the fermentation process stops (this is indicated by the absence of foam and darkening of the liquid), the infusion can be used for feeding. For radishes, nettle infusion should be mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 for irrigation or 1 to 20 for spraying on a leaf. m area of beds consumed 1 bucket of herbal infusion.
In addition to nettles, weeds, tops, mowed grass can be used. To enhance the effect, you can add ash (1 glass per bucket), onion husk infusion to the green fertilizer. The proportions in the preparation of the infusion and its use are similar.
Herbal infusions can not be compared with slurry and, all the more, chemical fertilizers in terms of the amount of nutrients they contain, but they contain vitamins, enzymes and chlorophyll, which improve the condition of plants and enhance their protective functions aimed at combating pathogens. So, nettle-onion infusion will help protect radishes from cruciferous fleas.
Growing radishes in greenhouses or in beds can be successful only if the land is properly prepared and fertilized. Top dressing with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mixtures will make it possible to get a decent harvest of tasty root crops without voids, diseases and damage by pests.