Mullein infusion: the secret to a good tomato crop

Mullein is considered one of the most common fertilizers. It is used in the cultivation of fruit trees, berry bushes and vegetables, including tomatoes. The additive increases the level of humus in the soil, due to which the fertility of the earth increases.

Tomatoes after irrigation with mullein grow more intensively, the ovaries quickly form, and fruiting occurs several days earlier.

Composition and properties

Mullein is a waste of livestock. As a fertilizer, it has been known and used for a very long time. It consists of:

Nitrogen compounds

They are responsible for the formation and development of new shoots, healthy leaves;

Potassium

The substance affects the amount of future crops, improves the taste characteristics of fruits, and is also responsible for their color and shape;

Calcium

The element is necessary for the normal development of the root system, makes the stem powerful, and tomatoes useful;

Magnesium

It is considered a necessary substance for the photosynthesis process, promotes the formation of juicy pulp.

Such a micronutrient composition instantly affects the culture. Even after the first feeding on tomatoes, a positive effect is noted. Fertilizer can be bought in villages or in summer cottages where there is livestock. Even despite the unpleasant smell, the demand for mullein never drops. Gardeners love top dressing for a number of advantages:

• Natural origin:

Unlike many effective top dressings obtained by chemical reactions, cow manure is obtained naturally and does not harm plants when used properly.

• Good digestibility in the soil:

The additive is well absorbed and quickly decomposed into many useful components, which immediately begin to act.

• Improving immunity:

In addition to nutrition, mullein enhances the protective function of tomatoes.

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• Inexpensive cost.

Mullein species and application

As you know, the fertilizer can be liquid, solid, concentrated or diluted. Each fertilizer has its own characteristics, so before using them you need to carefully study.

Litter Mullein

The substance contains solid excrement of cows and particles of peat, straw, hay. The main element is nitrogen. It is represented by ammonium ions, which are better absorbed by tomatoes. Litter manure is used to prepare the soil in the autumn period, as well as in the spring before planting tomatoes. 4-5 kilograms of fertilizer are taken per square meter of soil and evenly distributed in the soil. Then they dig the earth.

Litter mullein can be used to mulch the soil after irrigation. It helps preserve moisture in the ground, and during spring frosts it will not allow tomato roots to freeze. Dry mullein can be mixed with other additives. Ash, crumbled chalk or eggshells are added to it.

Liquid fertilizer

Liquid substance is absorbed in the earth better and faster than solid. However, in view of the high reactivity, the additive should be handled more carefully and carefully. So, too concentrated solution can cause burns to the culture.

The main time for application is the end of spring and the beginning of summer.At this time, tomatoes are especially in need of mineral and organic elements. Usually mullein is watered under the stem of the plant. The breeding scheme is simple: 4-5 liters of water are taken per 1 kilogram of fresh manure. Stir the mixture and incubate in a warm place for 5-6 days. Gas bubbles appear on the surface - uric acid is released. Acid is the main cause of root burns, as it is chemically aggressive. Every day the color of the mixture will become lighter and lighter, and in the end it will take on a greenish-white hue.

When about a week has passed, the liquid fertilizer is diluted another 5 times with water, poured into a watering can or bucket, and then the bushes are watered with infusion. One landing meter takes up to 10 liters of water. The irrigation rate per bush is on average 1 liter. Top dressing is carried out 1 time in 10-14 days. For the whole summer, the number of top dressings can reach 4-5.

To reduce the unpleasant odor, you can add a teaspoon of copper sulfate 10 liters to the additive. It will make the smell less pronounced, and also enhance the immune qualities of seedlings. Copper sulfate prevents the development of harmful bacteria and fungal microorganisms.

Concentrated supplement

In garden shops, you can sometimes find cow dung packaged in plastic bottles. It is produced in a special factory and goes through the cleaning stage, so the additive does not smell as much as house manure. During production, the concentration of minerals and organics is significantly increased, which enhances the effect of the additive. If you compare the product with a conventional diluted mixture, the concentrate is five times more powerful than liquid mullein.

The concentrated additive should be diluted and used according to the instructions on the packaging. Feeding is convenient because it does not take up much space, and also does not require time to infuse the solution. Ease of use and application efficiency have made the concentrate a favorite fertilizer for most gardeners.

Recommendations for use

Universal fertilizer is best used before fruiting. The first top dressing is carried out 2 weeks after transplanting seedlings to a permanent place. The second time fertilize the earth before flowering. A teaspoon of potassium sulfate is added to the liquid cow droppings. Feeding is repeated after flowering. Then, when the tomatoes begin to sing, you can apply fertilizing one more time, for a plentiful harvest.

If mullein is already used as fertilizer, then the application of other fertilizers of this kind (horse manure and chicken) is unacceptable. There is no need to use complex additives, the composition of which is also based on minerals and organics. An excess of fertilizers affects plants badly, tomato bushes wither, and tomatoes are poorly tied and ripen.

Sometimes inexperienced gardeners complain: fertilizing was carried out, but there was no effect. This can be caused for several reasons:

• poor quality mullein. Perhaps the fertilizer has already fallen into disrepair, as it has been stored for too long;
• insufficient concentration of fertilizer. When watering with a weak solution, the effect will certainly be, but it will take a long time to wait;
• using the supplement too early. If you water it with cow droppings immediately after planting the tomatoes, then their development will slow down for several days. Transplanting is stressful for plants, and top dressing enhances it.

If you follow all the recommendations for the preparation of the supplement, as well as adhere to the tips, then cow droppings will be a good helper in the cultivation of tomatoes. Its use is not difficult, but the result will exceed all expectations. Mullein even today is in serious competition with many modern additives with a powerful chemical composition. Demand for it is not declining year-round, and it is difficult to buy cow dung during the season.