Choosing the best fertilizer for radishes and applying the fertilizer correctly
The main advantage of radishes is their unpretentiousness. It germinates well after the first snow melts and bears fruit well in a greenhouse all year round. Experienced gardeners use well-known store-bought fertilizers and effective folk remedies to enrich the soil for planting radishes.
We will tell you in this article which fertilizer for radishes is especially useful and how to get a rich harvest at minimal cost.
The importance of feeding radishes
Radishes diversify a meager spring diet and fill it with vitamins and minerals. The growing season for radishes is minimal - 18-35 days, depending on varieties and growing conditions. Timely application of fertilizers for rapid growth significantly reduces the ripening time of root crops and makes them tastier.
Attention! Excessive fertilization and prolonged drought negatively affect the harvest. Radishes become rough and woody.
How to feed radishes
Radishes prefer slightly acidic or neutral soils. If the balance is upset, the soil is enriched before planting and during the active growing season. Villagers prefer to apply organic fertilizers to the soil, while urban residents prefer ready-made mineral mixtures.
Yeast
Many summer residents are widely familiar with expensive EM preparations, so-called soil activators. They contain single-celled fungal organisms that break down nutrients and activate soil microflora.
Natural yeast is considered a good analogue of expensive agronomic stimulants. They provoke the growth of the root system and the development of the vegetative part.
To water the radishes, prepare a solution of 100 g of yeast and 10 liters of warm water. The mixture is left overnight in a warm place. The row spacing is added at the time of germination, 5-10 days after sowing.
Litter
Fresh chicken manure should never be added to the soil undiluted. Gardeners pre-prepare it as follows:
- 0.5 liters of litter are diluted in a bucket of water and infused overnight;
- 1 liter of litter is diluted in 3 liters of water, left for 3 days, add 1 tbsp. l. "Baikal";
- 1 liter of litter is diluted in 3 liters of water, mixed and diluted in 10 liters of water.
Chicken manure contains phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and nitrogen in quantities optimal for radishes.
Ash
Ash is used in two ways:
- Spraying the first leaves to combat cruciferous flea beetle.
- Application into the furrow at the bottom during sowing of seeds in open ground in the spring.
Ash successfully replaces ready-made nitrogen fertilizers and is considered their natural, environmentally friendly analogue.
Herbal infusions
Herbal infusions from weeds are successfully used in private gardening. Infusions of nettle, tansy, and colza have proven themselves to be the best.
It’s easy to prepare the composition:
- A tin barrel is filled 2/3 with chopped green mass.
- Top up with warm water and place in the sun, covered with burlap.
- Leave for 7-12 days, stirring vigorously every day.
1 liter of the mixture is diluted in a bucket of water and poured into the rows on the 10-15th day of growth of the cruciferous crop.
Minerals
Adherents of the traditional approach to agronomy use mineral fertilizers in combination with organic ones.
Unprepared areas in the spring are brought to optimal condition during the period of planting seeds in the ground. Fertilizer is placed at the bottom of the wet furrow.
The universal composition for application during planting includes:
- 80 double superphosphate;
- 20 g urea;
- 2 cups of ash;
- compost bucket.
Fertilizing in greenhouses and open ground
Radishes grow well in a greenhouse provided they are fed regularly. If the seeds planted in rich soil mixtures, the crop does not require additional nutrition during the growing season and planting.
In cases where the tops are depleted, the beds are covered with ash directly over the leaf rosettes. Mineral potassium-phosphorus mixtures are added in the form of a solution during the next watering.
Attention! It is not recommended to water radishes in a greenhouse with manure and herbal infusion. In conditions of insufficient air exchange, the soil deteriorates from such “treatment”.
Fertilizing radishes in open ground, both foliar and soil, is carried out taking into account the appearance of the tops. Foliar application of liquid fertilizer is done early at dawn or late in the evening to avoid sun damage to the leaf. Organic and complex nutrient mixtures are considered the best for adding to the soil.
The last feeding of radishes is carried out no later than 5-7 days before harvesting, so that the crop has time to fully absorb the nutrients.
Nuances of fertilizing at the planting stage and after germination
Ideal conditions for the growth of radishes are preparing the beds and applying fertilizers in the fall and heavy rains in the spring. Agricultural technology growing cultivation in such areas is limited to timely pest control and weeding.
On a note! Before planting radishes in beds with poor soil seeds pre-soak for 12 hours in a solution of potassium humate, “Epin”, “Novofert”.
The first radish shoots appear 4-7 days after sowing. From this moment, the culture begins to actively form the root crop and accumulate nutrients in it. This time is optimal for re-feeding.
Fertilizers are poured between the rows, preferably in the early morning or late evening. Radishes accept formulations based on chicken or rabbit droppings best in the second week of growth.
How to feed radishes to make them grow faster
A significant delay in the growth and development of radish tops indicates a lack of nitrogen. Replenish the missing element in the soil simply with the help of urea. To prepare a nutrient solution, 2 tbsp. l. The powder is diluted in 10 liters of warm water and mixed thoroughly. The solution is sprayed onto leaf rosettes and poured into the row spaces.
Important! The urea composition is prepared directly on the day of use. It is not suitable for future storage.
Do radishes need potassium?
Rapid growth and development of the above-ground part of the plant does not always indicate that the root crops in the ground are large and juicy. If the radish rosette is beautiful, and the root crops are small, knotty and crooked, the crop needs phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
The situation in the garden bed is instantly corrected by using this composition:
- 80 g superphosphate;
- 40 g of sulfuric acid;
- 2 cups of ash.
Prepare the rescue solution as follows:
- dry ingredients are mixed in a separate container until smooth;
- the finished powder is diluted in 10 liters of water at room temperature (22-25°C);
- the solution is intensively kneaded and infused for 20-25 minutes;
- water the rows, trying not to get on the leaves and stems.
If the soil is too dry, it is recommended to water thoroughly a day before applying potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. This will keep the crop in good shape and reduce the dangerous concentration of minerals in the soil.
Reference. When beds for radishes are prepared in the garden in the fall, it is useful to add 15-20 g of superphosphate and 20 g of calcium chloride per 1 m2 for digging.
Reviews
Reviews about fertilizing and the effectiveness of fertilizers depend on the preferences of gardeners, their capabilities and the growth phase of radishes.
Marina, 37 years old, Orel: “I sow radishes exclusively at a temperature of 2-3 degrees in the ground immediately after the snow melts. According to my many years of observations, under such conditions it grows juicy, large, and moderately spicy. I fertilize the bottom of the hole the same way every year - with ash from branches from my own dacha. The method has never failed.”
Maxim Maksimovich, 54 years old, Rostov-on-Don: “My wife loves radishes; I plant the crop for her 5-6 times during the summer. I tried yeast, store-bought fertilizers, compost. I settled on a herbal infusion. With this method, root vegetables are juicy, do not taste bitter, and there is no rough core inside. Again, the financial cost is zero.”
Ivan, 29 years old, Moscow region: “I grow radishes in February in a greenhouse, I never fertilize them. Last year I noticed a depletion of soil, the fruits became dry and empty. This year I corrected the situation with a complex composition of chicken manure and “Baikal”. I was pleased with the final quality and made decent money.”
Conclusion
Timely application of fertilizing and understanding how to fertilize root crops is the task of every zealous summer resident. The crop actively responds to fertilizing and produces juicy, moderately spicy root crops in the shortest possible time.
When fertilizing radishes, it is important to adhere to three basic rules. Firstly, concentrated solutions must be diluted with clean water to avoid burning the green part of the plant. Secondly, when applying fertilizer, add it between the rows so as not to inhibit the growth of root hairs. Thirdly, nitrogen compounds are added during the active growing season, and phosphorus-potassium compounds are added during fruit formation.
The type and composition of nutritional mixtures are usually chosen independently, taking into account one’s own preferences.