Content
All gardeners who grow tomatoes on their site are wondering what top dressing to choose for these vegetables. Many have opted for a complex mineral fertilizer - nitrofosk or nitroammofosk. These are identical substances that increase the quality and fertility of the soil. As a result, you can significantly increase the yield of tomatoes. This article provides information on using nitrophoska as fertilizer for a tomato.
Composition of nitrophoska
This fertilizer is a mixture of minerals necessary for the growth and development of various crops. The main components of nitrophoska are potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Without these minerals, no cultivated plants would simply be able to grow. The fertilizer is sold in granular form. It dissolves easily in water and is easily washed out of the soil. This means that the period of exposure of the seedlings to fertilizer is very short.
Despite the size of the granules, they contain a whole range of minerals. The composition of nitrophoska includes the following substances:
- ammonium and potassium nitrate;
- potassium chloride;
- ammonium phosphoric acid;
- superphosphate;
- phosphorus precipitate.
These are the main components to which other minerals can be added for a particular vegetable crop or type of soil. For example, almost all manufacturers of nitrophoska add magnesium or copper, sulfur, zinc, boron to the fertilizer. You can determine the quantity of each element by the numbers on the packaging.
Disadvantages and advantages
Like all mineral dressings, nitrophoska has some pros and cons. The positive properties of this fertilizer include the following properties:
- Basic minerals account for at least 30% of all components. Thanks to this, vegetable crops begin to develop at an accelerated pace.
- Until the end of the storage period, the fertilizer retains flowability, does not stick together and does not cake.
- A balanced amount of all substances included in the composition.
- The presence of basic minerals - potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Ease of use.
- Easy solubility.
- Increased productivity.
Depending on the plants themselves, yields can increase by either 10% or 70%. Of course, nitrophoska also has some disadvantages, but many gardeners are so fond of this fertilizer that they do not attach much importance to them. So, the following factors can be attributed to the obvious disadvantages of nitrophoska:
- All components are exclusively chemical.
- Promotes the accumulation of nitrates in the soil.
- If the rules of use are violated, it can lead to the appearance of nitrate compounds in the fruits themselves.
- The fertilizer can be stored for no more than 6 months.
- Explosion hazard and flammability.
- The need to follow safety precautions when using fertilizer.
Types of nitrophosphate
The composition of nitrophosphate can be different. There are the following main varieties:
- sulfuric nitrophoska... From the name it immediately becomes clear that this fertilizer contains sulfur, which helps plants synthesize vegetable proteins. This fertilizer is used for feeding cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes and legumes. Introducing fertilization directly at planting plants, you can strengthen their immunity and protect against pests;
- phosphorite... This nitrophoska is prepared on the basis of phosphorus, which is simply necessary for the formation of fiber in vegetables. This nitrophoska is most suitable for fertilizing tomatoes. After using this fertilizer, you should expect tasty and large fruits. In addition, these tomatoes are stored longer and stay fresh;
- sulfate nitrophoska... Such fertilizer, in addition to the main components, contains calcium... It is this mineral that is responsible for the flowering process, the size of the leaves and the splendor of the flowers. These properties make nitrophosphate sulfate simply an ideal fertilizer for ornamental flowers and other flowering plants.
Application of nitrophoska
As you can see, nitrophoska, like its analogue, nitroammofoska, is suitable for fertilizing a wide variety of crops. It can be applied before planting, directly during planting, as well as for top dressing throughout the growing season.
Nitrophoska should also be chosen based on the general condition of the soil. It is necessary to determine which elements are needed. Basically, gardeners use nitrophosphate with an equal amount of three main components - phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Such feeding has a positive effect on the soil as a whole, and also helps plants in the development of the root system and green mass.
If the soil is very poor, then you can pick up a fertilizer that will even out the mineral composition and increase the fertility of the soil. For example, soil with high acidity needs more phosphorus. Therefore, when choosing a nitrophosphate, you should pay attention to the content of this element in it. If you notice that the plants in your garden are often sick, which can be manifested by yellowing of the leaves and lethargy, then it is better to opt for nitrophosphate, which contains magnesium and boron.
You can add nitrophoska or nitroammophoska in the following ways:
- scattering granules over the surface of the soil;
- placing fertilizer at the bottom of the hole when planting seedlings;
- in the form of aqueous solutions, making watering.
The first method is more suitable for loose and light soil. In this case, nitrophosphate can simply be scattered over the surface of the soil in the spring. This will prepare the soil for planting a variety of crops. If the soil is rather hard, then the feeding begins in the fall, burying it in the soil when digging.
Various fruit trees, perennial berry bushes and grapes are usually fertilized with nitrophobic in autumn and spring. Feeding plants in autumn helps to prepare trees and bushes for winter, making them easy to adapt to new weather conditions. Spring feeding will help plants to form buds, and in the future, fruits. Nitrofoska will compensate for the lack of essential trace elements and give strength to perennial shrubs. Many gardeners use this fertilizer when growing indoor ornamental plants. Nitrophoska is great for garden flowers, especially roses.
The main thing, when using such feeds, is not to overdo it with the dosage. Remember that nitrophoska is a chemical fertilizer that contains nitrates. Excessive use of fertilizers will contribute to the accumulation of this substance not only in the soil, but also in the fruits themselves. These vegetables are unsafe and can be harmful to human health.
Regardless of the form in which top dressing is applied (dry or soluble), this should be done no more than 2 times during the entire season. Only in this case can you achieve good results without harm to health. Using dry granules to fertilize the soil, no more than 100 grams of nitrophosphate can be taken per 1 square meter of the garden. And for 10 liters of solution, there is only 40 to 60 grams.
The use of nitroammophoska for fertilizing tomatoes
Nitrophoska is great for feeding tomatoes... This fertilizer fully meets all the needs of this crop. It is able to provide tomatoes with all the nutrients they need. When growing tomatoes for industrial purposes, it is easiest to simply spread the fertilizer dry over the soil. It is better to do this in the spring to prepare the field for planting tomato seedlings. In areas where the tomato is grown a little, more attention can be paid to the culture. In such cases, top dressing is applied to the holes during planting.
When using fertilizer, be careful not to exceed the required amount. It is very easy to feed tomatoes with nitroammophos, because the fertilizer is sold ready-made, and does not require the addition of additional minerals. To feed tomatoes, you need to mix a tablespoon of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska with the ground, and then place the mixture on the bottom of the hole. Then you can immediately start planting tomato seedlings.
You can also feed with a solution of this fertilizer. To do this, 10 liters of water and 50 grams of nitrophoska are combined in one container. The solution is stirred until the granules are completely dissolved, and then it is poured into each well. For 1 tomato bush, you will need about a liter of such a solution. The next and last feeding with a similar mixture is carried out only 2 weeks after planting the tomato.
"Relatives" of nitrophoska
Today, there are a large number of mineral complexes, which in their composition resemble nitrophosphate. The difference between these substances lies in the presence of additional minerals or in the ratio between the main components. The most common fertilizers are:
Azofoska
This fertilizer, like nitrophoska, has three main elements - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Therefore, some classify them in the same class. The difference in these mixtures is really minor. The differences can be attributed to the fact that phosphorus in azophos is completely absorbed by plants, but in nitrophos only partially. Also azophoska contains sulfur, and it is a part of nitrophoska in sulfuric acid form.
Ammofoska
This fertilizer also consists of three main components, as in the previous cases. But there is one significant difference that makes gardeners give preference to ammofoska. In this case, nitrogen has an ammonium form, due to which nitrates do not accumulate in the fruits. The fertilizer contains at least 14% sulfur. It also contains magnesium. The advantages also include the fact that ammophoska does not contain chlorine, sodium and ballast substances. This allows the fertilizer to be used on different types of soil. Ammophoska is great for feeding plants in greenhouses. Due to the fact that there is no chlorine in the composition, it can be safely used for plants sensitive to this substance such as currants, potatoes, tomatoes, gooseberries and grapes.
Nitroammofoska
As mentioned above, these fertilizers are almost identical. They consist of the same main components and differ only in the ratio of the amount of some of them. The differences can also be attributed to the lack of magnesium in the composition. But at the same time fertilizer nitroammofosk contains a large amount of sulfates. It is not so quickly washed out of the soil, due to which it can act on plants for a longer time.
Nitroammophos
This fertilizer differs from the previous one by the absence of potassium in its composition. This composition does not allow very widespread use of this mineral complex. Applying it on your site, most likely, you will have to additionally add potassium to the soil.
Ammophos
This fertilizer is also dual element. It contains large amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen.This concentrated fertilizer is obtained by neutralizing orthophosphoric acids with ammonia. The advantage of ammophos over nitrate fertilizers is that all its components are easily absorbed by plants.
Although these fertilizers do not differ significantly from each other, thanks to such a variety, you can choose exactly the complex that is most suitable for your soil. Manufacturers have tried their best and satisfied the needs for any type of soil.
Storage of nitrophoska
It was already mentioned above that nitrophoska belongs to explosive substances. Fertilizer should never be heated. The substance should be stored in cool concrete and brick rooms. The air temperature in such places should not exceed + 30 ° C. Also an important condition is the air humidity, which can reach no more than 50%.
It is difficult to predict the consequences of the interaction of nitrophoska with other chemicals. Therefore, these fertilizers should be stored separately. Wrong neighborhood can lead to fire or explosion. The room where the nitrophoska is stored should not have any heating devices and appliances. Fertilizer should not be near open flames.
Attention! After the expiration date, the substance becomes even more explosive.
The shelf life of nitrophoska is no more than 6 months. After the expiration of this period, the fertilizer simply loses its properties. Fertilizer can be transported either packed or simply poured into containers. It is advised to use only ground transport for these purposes.
Conclusion
Nitrophoska or nitrophoska is a universal complex mineral fertilizer, which contains all the substances necessary for the growth of tomatoes. With its help, you can achieve high yields and increase the fertility of the soil in your area.
