Feeding tomatoes and cucumbers with whey: the benefits of fermented milk product for obtaining a bountiful harvest

A rich harvest with minimal costs is the ultimate goal of every gardener. For healthy development of tomatoes and cucumbers, it is necessary to apply fertilizers. Many vegetable growers do not use chemicals as a matter of principle, trying to obtain an environmentally friendly product. Natural fertilizers, including whey, are used for fertilizing.

How beneficial is fertilizing with whey for cucumbers and tomatoes, how to properly prepare and use the working solution - you will learn all this from the article.

Using whey in the garden

Whey is a secondary product obtained during milk processing. It consists of 93% water, the rest comes from substances contained in milk.

Whey is a useful fertilizer for many garden crops. Most often it is used to feed cucumbers and tomatoes. Both store-bought and homemade products from kefir or sour milk are effective.

The serum can be used in open beds, in greenhouses and hotbeds. The product is suitable for treating young and mature plants.

What are the benefits of fertilizing with an acidic environment?

The serum contains:

• lactose;
• proteins;
• mineral elements;
• amino acids;
• vitamins.

In the garden, this product is highly valued for its content of important amino acids, which are involved in plant growth along with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.Lactose protects against pests, monacid bacteria stop the proliferation of pathogens, and the microflora of the product cleans the surface of the leaves from fungi.

Lactic acid inhibits pathogens and promotes greater adhesion of the solution to the leaves. The thin film that forms on the plant protects against the penetration of pathogens and pests.

Can whey be used as a fertilizer?

The serum is used both for application to the soil and for foliar treatment. The product saturates plants with useful elements necessary for growth, improves their condition, which helps to increase productivity.

Important. In addition to tomatoes and cucumbers, the product is used to fertilize squash, zucchini, pumpkin, cabbage, ferns and roses. The whey is not suitable for peppers and eggplants.

How to prepare a working solution

The product is not used for processing in its pure form. For root treatment, the product is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. An important condition is that the water temperature must be room temperature. The solution is watered at the plant's root and at a distance of 50 cm from it.

To spray bushes, the serum concentration is increased and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3. For better adhesion of the solution, grated or crushed laundry soap is added to it.

The prepared solution cannot be stored for more than 2 days, otherwise the fermented liquid will harm the seedlings.

How to treat cucumbers and tomatoes with whey

When and how to water? Cucumbers begin to be fed 10 days after planting in the garden. Root and foliar treatments alternate every 1-2 weeks.

Root treatment of tomatoes begins a week after planting in a permanent place. The treatment procedure is repeated every 7 days.

To water one bush of cucumbers and tomatoes, 1 liter of solution is enough. After feeding, be sure to water the plant with clean water to wash the solution off the leaves.

Stems and leaves are sprayed once every 10 days; for strong plants, the number of procedures is reduced to once a month. Young seedlings can be treated with a serum solution every week.

The last feeding of plants with serum is carried out several weeks before harvest. The procedure strengthens the ovaries.

Greenhouse processing

Experienced gardeners do not recommend using a fine spray bottle to spray whey solution. Small fractions of cottage cheese can clog the equipment. It is better to carry out the procedure with a sprayer or spray the plants with a broom.

Important! During treatment, spray not only the leaves, but also the mulch.

Processing in open ground

It is not recommended to cultivate the beds during strong winds and precipitation. The best time to carry out the procedure in open beds is early morning or evening, when there is no strong solar radiation. Otherwise, there is a high risk of foliage burns.

If it rains after treatment, the procedure will need to be repeated. Also, spraying after precipitation will help protect plants from late blight.

What does a sour product go well with?

Whey is often combined with other folk remedies:

• iodine;
• brilliant green;
• bakery yeast;
• wood ash;
• chicken droppings;
• mown grass;
• honey.

Yeast is a natural growth stimulator and contains B vitamins, magnesium and active enzymes. It is recommended to combine the baking product with fertilizers containing potassium, since yeast helps to wash it out of the soil.It is good to combine yeast with wood ash, as it is rich in magnesium, sulfur, potassium and other elements.

To increase the nitrogen content in the soil, whey is combined with chicken manure.

Mown grass is a universal remedy containing all the necessary substances for plant development. During fermentation, it releases a large amount of amino acids and beneficial microelements.

How to prepare and use a functional solution

Based on the serum, functional solutions are made that can protect against diseases, fertilize the plant and improve its flowering.

Serum with iodine against late blight and powdery mildew

Gardeners use serum for prevention late blight and repelling insects. To do this, add 10 drops of iodine to the working solution. This pharmaceutical drug increases metabolic processes in the plant, enhances the process of nitrogen exchange, stimulates plant growth and protects against fungal pathologies.

To improve the effect, the drug “Fitosporin” is added to the solution - it increases the resistance of tomatoes to diseases and pests, and also prolongs the fruiting period.

The serum is also used to prevent powdery mildew. Cucumber leaves are treated with the following solution: 10 liters of water, 1 liter of whey and 13 drops of iodine. The procedure is carried out once every 2 weeks.

Concentrated solution with iodine

At the first sign of disease, emergency measures will be needed to save the crop. A regular working solution will not be able to cope with the disease. The roots and stems of plants are treated with a concentrated solution: 0.5 liters of whey and 10 drops of iodine.

To prepare the solution, it is better to use slightly warmed whey.Sick plants should be sprayed daily, paying special attention to damaged leaves.

This solution can be used to treat both young seedlings and adult plants. To spray fruits, the concentrate is diluted with water.

Recipe for universal serum for vegetables with ash

Fertilizer recipe: for 10 liters of water you will need 2 liters of whey, 10 drops of iodine and 2 tbsp. l. wood ash. It is better to use settled water. The solution is applied at the root or the tops are sprayed with it.

Medicinal mixture with added greenery

Downy mildew is a dangerous disease that affects cucumbers. The disease can be treated and prevented with the following solution: 1 liter of water, 1 ml of brilliant green, 0.5 liters of whey and 25 g of urea.

Treatment is carried out 3 times a season: before and after flowering, as well as in the first days after the formation of the ovaries.

Fertilizer with honey during flowering

Whey improves flowering of tomatoes and cucumbers. To prepare the solution use: 2 liters of product, 5 tbsp. l. honey, 10 drops of iodine, 1 glass of ash. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and leave to infuse for 2-3 days. The solution is used for foliar treatments, as well as for soaking seeds.

Important! Spraying during flowering reduces the number of barren flowers.

Pros and cons of fertilizing with whey

Whey has a number of advantages and disadvantages.

Product advantages:

• saturation of the soil with useful microelements and amino acids;
• increasing productivity;
• improvement of plant development;
• inhibition of bacteria and fungi that cause diseases;
• treatment of diseases without harm to seedlings;
• use for processing a variety of garden crops;
• acceleration of compost maturation;
• application in insect control.

Flaws:

• short-lived effect;
• instability to precipitation.

The serum is short-lived, so treatment will need to be done regularly.

Disease Prevention

Whey not only fertilizes the soil, but also helps destroy dangerous pathogens that cause diseases.

Experienced gardeners use it against the following diseases:

• late blight;
• powdery mildew;
• rust;
• fusarium;
• scab;
• leaf spotting.

Preventive treatments are carried out 2-3 times a month. Before the procedure, remove dry leaves and rotten stems. For spraying, use a solution of serum diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3.

Insect protection

Insects love the serum, so it is used to make traps. Pour undiluted product into a small container by a third and leave it in the beds overnight. In the morning, the insects caught in the trap are destroyed.

The product will get rid of the following insects:

• aphid;
• onion fly;
• cruciferous flea beetle;
• caterpillars;
• codling moth.

Precautionary measures

When using whey, it is important to maintain a normal soil balance. If applied heavily, there is a risk of lowering the soil pH, which will negatively affect plant health.

Using undiluted product may cause burns to leaves and roots. A solution is used to treat plants.

Serum is a safe product for humans. However, people who are allergic to dairy products should be careful when using it.

Reviews

Valentina, Zhukovsky: “Whey is an indispensable product in the country. Store-bought milk is of little use; I use natural milk from village milk. This serum contains many valuable microelements for plants.”

Artem, Krasnodar: “Tomatoes and cucumbers grow well on whey.I use it to feed plants at the roots. I dilute the product with water in a ratio of 1:8.”

Natalya, Ufa: “The serum helped get rid of aphids in just 2 sprays. There was a break of 10 days between procedures. Iodine was added to the solution. The pests left the site, but the plants themselves were not damaged.”

Conclusion

Every gardener encounters diseases and pests from time to time. A simple and affordable remedy will help you cope with them - whey. This product is absolutely safe for humans and plants. But it is harmful to pathogens that destroy young ovaries and fruits.

A solution with serum can be used to feed seedlings for quick adaptation after planting in the garden. Regular treatment will enhance plant growth, increase yield, protect against diseases, and saturate the soil with useful microelements.