How to feed tomatoes with ash and why is it needed?

Despite the abundance of all kinds of ready-made compounds on the shelves of shops for gardeners, many today prefer self-prepared dressings. Firstly, it saves the budget, and secondly, there is confidence in the absence of harmful substances. One of the most popular fertilizers at all times was and remains ash, used for feeding both flower and fruit, vegetable crops. True, it must be applied correctly, otherwise you can harm the plant. So how do you feed your tomatoes with ash?

Fertilizer composition

Ash is an organic matter formed when plant materials are burned. It is vegetable, without any admixture of plastic, dyes, varnishes, and other toxic substances. To obtain nutritious organic fertilizer, wood of various species, straw of various cereals, branches, leaves, needles, husks, dead wood, etc. are burned. Such good can always be found in a garden plot, so it will not be difficult to stock up on "handy" fertilizer.

Depending on the initial raw material, ash may contain compounds in different proportions:

• calcium;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• manganese;
• gland;
• sulfur;
• boron;
• silicon, etc.

In total, organic ash contains up to 30 micro- and macroelements, except for nitrogen: it evaporates during combustion. This fact must be taken into account when preparing top dressing: plants must receive nitrogen from other sources.

Several elements are most important for tomatoes:

• Potassium. Responsible for the ripening and quality of fruits, the correct development of the stems. Increases the immunity of plants, helps them fight fungi, late blight. With a lack of potassium, the fruits have an ugly shape, ripen unevenly, the foliage dries from the edges.
• Phosphorus. It is necessary for the assimilation of nitrogen and potassium, affects the correct formation of the root system, promotes active flowering, as well as the formation of an ovary. With a lack of phosphorus tomatoes turn purpleare lagging behind in growth.
• Sodium responsible for moisture exchange - regulates the absorption and evaporation of liquid. With a lack of sodium, tomatoes do not tolerate drought well, the leaves are covered with gray-brown spots.
• Magnesium. Directly involved in photosynthesis. Regulates the energy of growth and development. With its deficiency, tomatoes grow more slowly, flowering is sometimes delayed until the critical time, when tomatoes in open ground no longer have time to ripen.
• Calcium. One of the most important elements for a tomato crop. He participates in the transport of nutrients, is responsible for their absorption, proper stem growth and root development. Accelerates photosynthesis and enzyme formation. Lack of calcium is most often manifested by the formation of dense white veins inside the fruit, which makes them hard and tasteless.

In addition, feeding plants with ash contributes to:

• deoxidation of acidic soils;
• the rapid development of beneficial soil microorganisms;
• protection against fungal and bacterial diseases,
• pest control (flea beetles, aphids, slugs, snails);
• increasing plant immunity (and hence frost resistance);
• quick healing of fractures or cuts (when dusting with ash);
• rehabilitation of the soil.

Types of dressings

The use of ash for tomatoes is possible at all stages of growing:

• when preparing the soil for planting tomatoes by adding during digging;
• when treating seeds before sowing for seedlings - to accelerate germination;
• when planting seedlings;
• before flowering;
• during flowering, so that the plants do not throw off the ovary and it forms enough;
• during the growing season - to increase the yield or fight diseases and pests.

Tomatoes or the soil under them are cultivated both indoors and outdoors in different ways. Solution, decoction, infusion can be used for root or foliar feeding. The dry method involves applying to the soil, sprinkling the soil on top, dusting the bushes.

At the same time, the advantage of foliar processing or feeding tomato ash in a greenhouse (film, glass or polycarbonate - it does not matter) is a closed space. Solution or ash on pre-moistened foliage will not be washed off by accidental rain. It is enough just to close windows and doors for a while.

Do not follow the principle "you can't spoil porridge with butter." An excess of ash can only worsen the nutrition of tomatoes, which means it will affect the harvest. When using top dressing, do not exceed the recommended proportions.

Ash before planting

It is optimal to add ash while digging the beds. This can be done both in autumn and spring. If the land on the site is very heavy and acidic, you can carry out the procedure twice: in autumn and spring. One square meter takes from 150 to 200 g of ash. It is spread over the soil surface and then sealed by digging.

This method is good in that it gives enough time for the development of beneficial microorganisms, as well as the early deoxidation of the soil. But if time was lost for some reason, it will be possible to make up for the losses right during the planting of seedlings.

To improve the germination of seeds and further growth of seedlings allows the soaking of seeds in a soft ash solution. The proportions are as follows: for 2 liters of hot water - a tablespoon of crushed into dust and sifted ash. It is imperative to sift so that the smallest ash particles do not accidentally fall on the seeds - this can burn them. The solution must be insisted for a day, then strain. Now you can soak the seeds in it (they need to be immersed in it for 3–6 hours).

Water the seedlings in the phase of two true leaves with this solution. This will give them the necessary energy, allow them to grow strong until the very landing in a permanent place.

Top dressing during the growing season

Wood ash can be fed to tomatoes throughout the growing season. If the time for applying top dressing to the soil in spring or autumn was missed, you can correct the situation by adding ash powder to the holes when planting seedlings in the ground.

Add a glass of ash to each hole, mix thoroughly so that its particles do not damage the roots of tomatoes, pour in a liter of water. Tomatoes are planted in the resulting puddles and sprinkled with earth. Naturally, you do not need to water the seedlings after that. This method also reduces plant stress after transplanting. When using it, after 2 weeks, you will have to feed the tomatoes again - now with ash infusion. It is prepared like this: a glass of ash is poured with a bucket of water and insisted for 3-4 days. Tomatoes are pre-watered with plain water, then poured under each root in a liter of infusion.

During flowering and fruit formation, ash, as already mentioned, promotes the formation of a rich ovary, the growth and ripening of fruits with excellent taste. For this, tomatoes can be fed with both dry ash and its solution - by watering or spraying.

Dry dressing is carried out by sprinkling a glass of substance under 4 bushes on a pre-moistened soil. These treatments can be repeated every 2 weeks.

You can feed the tomatoes with ash in the form of a solution. To prepare it, you need to mix half a glass of ash with 10 liters of water and let it brew for about 4-5 hours. Then, half a liter of solution is added under each bush.

Tomatoes also react well to foliar dressing - spraying with ash broth. For its preparation, 300 g of ash powder is poured with a bucket of water and boiled for half an hour. Then let it cool and brew, add water to a volume of 10 liters, add 30–40 g of any soap (odorless is better) so that the solution sticks better to the foliage.Processing is carried out in dry weather, in the evening, when it is not so hot. Otherwise, you can "burn" the leaves.

By the way, such treatments also help in the fight against diseases and pests.

Use dusting to repel insects. Spray the foliage thoroughly while watering, and then sprinkle the sifted ash powder over it heavily. This method is less time consuming, but it allows you to scare off aphids, slugs, Colorado beetles, flea beetles. Processing tomatoes in open beds should be carried out in dry weather so that the rain does not negate all efforts.

Ash application methods, as well as dosage, do not depend on whether it is open ground or a greenhouse. And you can even appreciate the benefits of dressing externally: the plants almost before our eyes acquire a juicy green color, become fleshy.

In order not to harm

As with any business, feeding requires adherence to certain rules. Otherwise, you can either reduce all efforts to zero, or completely harm the landings.

So what can't you do?

• Introduce ash into the soil, the pH of which is higher than 7, since it will only increase it, and this will prevent the absorption of nutrients by plants - they will acquire an indigestible form. For the same reason, ash fertilizer cannot be applied together with lime.
• Add ash without knowing the acidity at all. The probability of a previous mistake is high (the acidity level will drop even more).
• Mix it with manure or ammonium nitrate: the nitrogen content in such a mixture drops sharply.
• Carry out ash feeding of tomatoes until 2 true leaves appear (at this time, nitrogen is much more important for plants).
• Lay ash in the holes during planting, without mixing with the soil (you can "burn" delicate roots).
• Add ash powder to the plant compost: this prevents the accumulation of nitrogen in it. It is generally better to apply nitrogen fertilizers separately from potash-phosphorus fertilizers: some in the spring, others in the fall.

You can store ash for at least six months, but try to keep it dry all the time. Otherwise, the concentration of minerals in it will fall.

Ash is a valuable organic fertilizer. And if you use it wisely, observing all the subtleties, you can help your tomatoes grow strong, healthy and productive.