Content
For active development, tomatoes require complex care. This includes watering the plants and foliar processing. Milk is a universal remedy for feeding tomatoes. On its basis, solutions are prepared that saturate plants with nutrients. An additional effect of using milk is to repel pests, protect against late blight and other fungal diseases.
The benefits of milk for plants
Milk contains a number of useful substances that have a positive effect on the development of tomatoes:
- potassium, phosphorus, copper, calcium, iron and other trace elements;
- lactose;
- amino acids.
Plants require potassium for photosynthesis. With its deficiency, tomato leaves sag, darken and acquire a bluish tint. Subsequently, this leads to drying of the foliage at the edges, while the stems become thinner.
Phosphorus controls the metabolic processes of plants and serves as the main source of energy for them. Lack of this element leads to slow development, a change in the shape and color of foliage. Phosphorus is especially important during flowering and the formation of ovaries of tomatoes.
At the expense of calcium the structure of plants is ensured, as well as the passage of nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism. With a lack of calcium, the upper shoots of tomatoes die off, the leaves curl and turn pale.
Top dressing of tomatoes milk is able to provide complex nutrition with elements vital for plants. All components of milk have a natural form, so they are easily digested by tomatoes.
Another component of milk is amino acids. Their task is to activate the tomato growth process.
As a result, dairy dressings bring the following benefits to plants:
- metabolism improves;
- useful components from the soil are well absorbed;
- plants receive complex feeding;
- the effectiveness of organic fertilizers increases;
- milk-based preparations are environmentally friendly and safe;
- after feeding, the content of nutrients in the fruits increases.
Choosing milk for feeding
Tomatoes should be treated with raw milk-based solutions. It contains a maximum of useful components that are not preserved after boiling or other processing. It is allowed to use pasteurized milk, however, its effectiveness will not be so high.
Whey is a derivative of milk. It is obtained during the preparation of cottage cheese, when liquid is separated from the final product.
You can prepare whey for feeding tomatoes at home. This requires 1 liter of milk, which is placed in a warm place overnight. The resulting yogurt is poured into a saucepan and heated until the required substance is separated. The product is filtered through cheesecloth to obtain a liquid without unnecessary impurities.
The serum is especially effective against fungal diseases. Beneficial microorganisms contained in it, capable of resisting pathogenic microbes.
The serum can be used as an insect trap. For this, the container with this liquid is suspended in the greenhouse at night. The serum attracts caterpillars, butterflies and other pests.
Other components
Milk is a natural product that combines well with other substances. The use of various components for the solution allows you to obtain a balanced composition for feeding tomatoes.
Ash addition
Ash is a product of combustion of wood and plants. It is not allowed to use ash after burning garbage, building materials, plastic or magazines for fertilization.
Part ash includes many compounds based on calcium, potassium and magnesium. Solutions based on this substance help saturate tomatoes with missing elements, and also protect them from pathogenic bacteria.
Ash feeding can be carried out throughout the entire life cycle of plants. Additionally, it is added to the soil before watering. The use of ash improves the palatability of tomatoes, as the fruits become sweeter and more juicy.
Formulations with iodine
iodine is a universal agent for disinfecting soil and plants themselves. With a deficit iodine tomatoes grow slowly, which negatively affects fruiting.
For the prevention of fungal diseases, tomatoes are sprayed with a solution containing milk and iodine.
Iodine is only used in combination with low-fat milk. It is not recommended to add it to whey. Otherwise, the beneficial bacteria that the whey contains will die.
With an excess of iodine, tomatoes will receive burn root system or foliage, depending on how they are processed. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the indicated concentrations for watering and spraying plants.
Irrigation compounds
Tomatoes are demanding for watering, which should be carried out rarely, but abundantly. This arrangement helps to strengthen the root system. With a lack of moisture, the roots do not develop, but receive the necessary substances from the soil surface.
Excessive watering leads to cracking of the fruit and loss of taste. With high humidity, a favorable environment is created for the development of diseases.
In cloudy weather, it is better to replace watering with loosening the soil. The plant should be watered once every week.
You need to feed a tomato with milk in several stages:
- The first feeding is done at the seedling stage. This requires 1 liter of low fat milk and a bucket of water. You can add 15 drops of iodine to the solution. This composition strengthens tomatoes and prevents the development of fungal infections.
- After planting tomatoes in a greenhouse or soil, the concentration of the solution increases. 4 liters of water requires 1 liter of milk. Each well requires up to 500 ml of the mixture. Top dressing is done every three days. Adding up to 10 drops of iodine solution is allowed.
- During the fruiting period of tomatoes, feeding is performed twice every week. It is recommended to alternate several types of dressings based on ash or iodine.
Top dressing should be done after watering the tomatoes. So, nutrients are absorbed faster. The procedure is performed in the morning so that the liquid is absorbed throughout the day without the formation of high humidity.
Spraying formulations
Foliar dressing is a more effective method of feeding tomatoes. Spraying is carried out using special spray guns. For processing tomatoes, a device with a finely dispersed nozzle is selected.
When spraying, the beneficial solution goes directly to the leaves and stems of the plants. The result of the procedure can be seen already a few hours after it has been carried out.
When milk is added to the solution, a protective film forms on the surface of the leaves. Thus, an obstacle is created for the penetration of pathogenic bacteria.
If tomatoes are grown outdoors, then before processing, you need to make sure that there is no rain and wind.
For spraying, a solution is prepared based on water and milk (whey) in a ratio of 4: 1. Additionally, you can add 15 drops of iodine and a glass of ash to milk.
With normal development of plants, it is sufficient to spray them every week. To make the solution stick better to the foliage, you can add 30 g of soap shavings.
Remedies for diseases
Milk-based formulations can fight fungal infections of tomatoes. When the first signs of illness appear, action must be taken immediately. This is the only way to save the plants themselves and the harvest. Fungal spores spread very quickly and can be found in the greenhouse, seeds, garden tools.
Fight against late blight
Phytophthora is one of the most dangerous diseases of tomatoes. Its first symptoms appear in the form of small spots on the lower leaves of tomatoes, which cannot always be determined by external examination.
Three days later, late blight infects the leaves, stems and fruits of tomatoes. Then dark spots appear on them, which disrupts the life processes of the plant and makes the fruits unusable.
To get rid of late blight, tomatoes are sprayed with complex compositions:
- milk - 1 l;
- wood ash - 2 tbsp. l .;
- iodine solution - 20 drops;
- water - 10 liters.
First you need to remove the affected leaves and fruits. It is best to burn them to avoid further spread of malicious spores.
Preparatory measures will help to avoid the disease: adherence to the planting scheme, disinfection of seeds, soil, garden tools.
Preventive spraying of tomatoes from late blight is carried out every week. Additionally, you need to monitor the level of humidity in the greenhouse, provide access to air and sunlight.
If there are signs of late blight, treatment is performed every 3 days. Spraying should be alternated with other methods of controlling the disease. You can use Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, special preparations, infusions of garlic and yeast.
Brown spot
Brown spot appears when the humidity in the greenhouse rises to 90%. Tomatoes are especially susceptible to the disease in the middle of the growing season, when the ovary is formed.
Brown spot has the appearance of yellowish spots that form on the leaves of tomatoes. On the back of the foliage, a light bloom grows, which over time acquires a brown tint.
To combat brown spot, a solution based on milk (1 l), water (10 l) and iodine (10 drops) is used. The product is applied by spraying to the leaves and stems of tomatoes. The procedure is repeated every three days.
The frequency of watering and the humidity in the greenhouse must be reduced. Therefore, spraying with milk is done at the beginning of the day.
Compositions from pests
Garden pests inflict no less damage on tomatoes than diseases. To protect the plants, you need to periodically spray them with a solution based on milk or whey. Lactobacilli repel aphids, scoops, spider mites and other insects.
Juicy leaves and shoots of tomatoes attract aphids, which can parasitize on them for a long time. This insect appears in greenhouses, hotbeds and plantings growing in open ground.
The presence of aphids can be determined by deformed leaves and shoots, as well as by sticky dew on plants.
In such cases, you can not dilute it with water, but immediately use it for spraying.For watering tomatoes, the concentration of serum and water is taken in a 1: 1 ratio.
Another method of struggle is a solution of 1 liter of milk, 10 liters of water and 20 drops of iodine. Processing is carried out by spraying tomatoes.
Conclusion
Milk serves as a source of useful elements for tomatoes. Plants are processed at every stage of their development, starting from the seedling stage. Fertilizers can be applied by watering or spraying. The work is carried out during a cool time of the day. Milk or whey is diluted with water in the required proportion. It is allowed to add iodine or ash to the solution.
An additional benefit of milk is its ability to repel insects. Tomatoes should be treated regularly for diseases and pests. Fungal diseases are especially dangerous for plants.
