Content
Each plant prefers "its" soil. However, at their summer cottage, I want to grow different flowers. Therefore, in order for them to grow well and bloom beautifully, it is necessary to fulfill the basic requirements of agricultural technology. When growing gladioli, one of the important points is feeding these luxurious flowers.
The growing season in gladioli is long. At this time, they constantly consume the necessary nutrients from the soil and ambient air. So that gladioli do not need certain components, flower growers carry out regular feeding.
For growth and long-term flowering, gladioli need:
- Nitrogen... It is introduced at the initial stage of flower development. However, the dose must be controlled. Deficiency of the element will lead to poor foliage development with a pale color. Overdose is also undesirable. In this case, the development of fungal diseases, a delay in flowering is possible.
- Phosphorus... More needed for flowers than leaves. Therefore, the optimal time for phosphorus fertilization is the appearance of the 5th leaf and the beginning of budding.
- Potassium... Required to increase cold resistance and disease resistance. It has a good effect on metabolism, it is introduced at the time of budding and flowering of plants.
How to feed gladioli to provide them with the necessary nutrients. You can feed it with organic and mineral fertilizers, which will provide flowers with all useful components.
Types of mineral fertilizers for feeding gladioli
It is best to buy formulations in specialty stores, where you can get answers to all your questions. Mineral fertilizers for gladioli are divided into:
- One-componentwhich contain one nutrient for gladioli. These include nitrogen (in the list - urea, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulfate), phosphoric (of which - simple and double superphosphate, bone meal), potassium (the best - sulfate, chloride and potassium carbonate) fertilizers.
- Complex... They have two components. Potassium nitrate and potassium magnesium are well suited for gladioli.
- Fullcontaining three elements - nitrophoska, nitroammophoska.
It is recommended to use liquid complex formulations in top dressing.
Organic fertilizers for flowers
The most common and affordable for florists are:
- Composts... They are laid by summer residents on their own. They perfectly nourish and enrich the soil.
- Rotten manure... Feeding gladioli with fresh manure is strictly prohibited. It contains pathogenic bacteria and fungal infections that will lead to flower diseases.
- Chicken litter... As well as manure, only an infusion of manure and in a diluted form is used. It is advisable not to use other types of litter.
Organic fertilizers (manure, droppings) must be diluted with water (1: 1) and insisted for at least 10 days. And then the infusion is again diluted with water to a ratio of 1:20 if chicken droppings are taken and 1:10 in the case of mullein.
An approximate plan for feeding gladioli on the site
At the beginning of plant growth, you need to make the first top dressing - nitrogenous. It is useful in the phase when the plants have 3 true leaves. Nitrogen feeding of gladioli with sodium or potassium nitrate is more favorable. 25 g of nitrogen fertilizer, 15 g of potash, 35 g of superphosphate are applied to one square meter of the area of the site. For areas with soil rich in organic matter, the nitrogen rate is halved.
The infusion of chicken manure or mullein can be successfully replaced with mineral fertilizers. To prepare the solution, potassium permanganate (1 g) and superphosphate (30 g) are added to the infusion bucket.
Another option is an infusion of cut grass + 50 g of wood ash in a bucket of water.
Second time (5-6 leaves) gladioli are fed with a complex composition of ready-made mixtures from garden stores or infusions of organic fertilizers.
Third time feeding is carried out at the time of peduncle formation. Now you need potassium and phosphorus for good flowering and the formation of quality bulbs. A composition of 35 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride per square meter works well.
All mineral components are added in liquid form to provide easy access to food for the roots. You can increase the effectiveness of feeding by dividing the dose into two parts. They need to be entered twice with an interval of 7 days.
Gladioli respond very well to foliar feeding. So, they call the method of introducing nutrients through spraying the leaves. For foliar dressing, potassium permanganate and boric acid are used. The frequency is 3 times in the summer.
Before the budding phase, they are sprayed with a composition of 0.2 g of boric acid, 0.15 g of copper sulfate, 0.2 g of cobalt nitrate, 0.1 g of sulphate zinc. All components are diluted in 1 liter of water and foliar feeding is carried out.
Separately, you can spray with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
To carry out high-quality foliar feeding, sprayers with fine spray nozzles are used. It is necessary to ensure that the solution hits both sides of the sheet. It is good to add adhesives to the solution, which can be purchased at garden stores.
Conclusion
Gladioli require constant attention. But, if you correctly feed the plants, then the luxurious inflorescences will delight the whole season.
