Liquid Feeding - Plants Grow and Yield Better

A transplanting solution aka Liquid Feeding fertilizer solutions are have long been popular. Home gardeners use them because they are safe and can be used in many more ways than dry fertilizers and produce results faster. Fertilizer solutions are not a fad. As early as the 16th Century it was found that water coming from muddy streams stimulated the growth of plants while rain water had no such effect. Water in which animal manures had soaked was found to contain plant nutrients by the Chinese in the 17th Century. However, the procurement of water is a laborious process and retarded their use.

Fertilizer solutions may be made at home, may be bought in bottles or in the form of soluble dry salts. There are a large number of concerns offering fertilizer solutions for garden use. Dry fertilizers sold for mixing in water are numerous from Scotts, Miracle Gro, Dyna Gro and Schultz. Which of these is best is difficult to say.

A number of years ago we compared a large number of these for use as transplanting solutions and the largest yield was obtained with a 1-2-1 ratio (nitrogen-phosphoric acid-potash) . This mixture is comparable to a 5-10-5 dry fertilizer which is commonly used for growing commercial crops. In deciding which one to use, the only thing I can say is to figure out where you get the most units of plant food for a dollar. These dry mixtures are a little more expensive than dry fertilizer applications because water soluble salts are more difficult to get.

Fertilizer solutions sold in bottles, jugs or barrels are a different story. A gallon of these liquids is now made up to contain 10 pounds of fertilizer. They are highly concentrated and must be diluted before they are used. Here again, I can only say that the 1-2-1 ratio has given excellent results. Whether this ratio will stand up under close scrutiny is still some-what of a question. One important factor to keep in mind, however, is that any fertilizer applied dry or in solution will not do much good if the soil is already fertile enough. No fertilizer should be used unless there is a need for it.

Fertilizer solutions have given a good account of themselves when used as transplanting solutions or as starter solutions when applied directly on the seed when sown. Transplanting solutions contain the equivalent of 6 to 8 pounds of 5-10-5 in 100 gallons of water or a table-spoon to a gallon. About 1/4 to pint of the solution is applied to the roots before they are covered. Two precautions to observe, however, are don’t have any dry fertilizer in the soil surrounding the roots and don’t press the soil around the roots when they are set with the solution. I have gotten yield increases of 2 to 3 pounds per plant with transplanting solutions over using plain water. On sweet potatoes I have harvested 35 bushels more with the transplanting solution. Shrubs, trees and flowering plants may be fertilized with trans-planting or starter solutions.

Fertilizer solutions may, likewise, be used for side dressing or any other purposes where dry fertilizer is used. The crop usually dictates the concentration. They may be used as they come or diluted with one or two parts of water. In most cases 10 pounds in 50 gallons are sufficient. These solutions may also be placed in a deep furrow and the plants set over it with 2 or 3 inches of soil between the solution and the roots. This method has given exceptionally good results on unproductive sandy soils.

Fertilizer solutions have other advantages over dry fertilizers. When superphosphate is applied to the average soil we can expect to obtain between 20 to 25 percent back in our plants. When the same amount of superphosphate is applied in solution, we can recover practically all of it. For this reason I have obtained as good yields with 500 pounds of 5-10-5 in solution as I got with a ton of dry fertilizer where phosphorus was deficient and nitrogen and potash were not limiting factors.

I had some misgivings about using fertilizer solutions on acid soils because I expected to see the phosphorus become unavailable. This did not happen. If anything, the response was better than on a limestone soil. Also when using fertilizer solutions we must keep in mind that magnesium and calcium are not present in fertilizer solutions and, if needed, we must supply them in the form of limestone.

The newest development in the use of fertilizer solutions, of course, is the spraying of the solution on the foliage. Such, methods offer possibilities of growing more crops with the same amount of fertilizer.

by V.A. Tiedjens

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