Boric acid in the garden and its use

Considering that boric acid in the garden is necessary for plants for the uninterrupted process of photosynthesis, we can confidently call it one of the most important elements. This fertilizer can be purchased at a more than affordable price and can be used not only to feed plants, but also to fight harmful insects. The most important thing in the use of any fertilizer is to know the dosage and not to exceed it, since an excessive content of any nutrient can bring more harm to the plant than good.

Boric acid in the garden: the benefits of using

During the entire growing season of plants, boron is an extremely important element. Thanks to it, the amount of oxygen entering the roots increases, the level of calcium increases, the dose of chlorophyll increases, and the metabolism is active and without disturbances. Experts say that the required boron content has a positive effect on the yield and quality of fruits, increases the shelf life of the crop and helps plants withstand unfavorable environmental factors. Plants that are not deficient in boron have higher immunity and are also more resistant to all kinds of harmful insects. In what cases can boric acid be used in the garden and vegetable garden?

• You can treat the seeds with boric acid before planting, this helps to get friendly and strong shoots in a shorter time.
• Boric acid is used during the period of transplanting flower or vegetable seedlings to a permanent place - this way the seedlings take root faster and experience less stress from transplanting.
• At the end of flowering, you can treat the plants with boric acid - this will contribute to the formation of more ovaries.
• At any time during the growing season, you can feed the plants with boric acid in the garden in order to normalize nitrogen compounds, as well as for general strengthening of the plant and rapid growth.

Boric acid in the garden: how to determine the deficiency?

Lack of boron can lead to sad consequences, up to a complete loss of the crop. Therefore, it is very important to know the signs by which you can determine the lack of this particular element. If you notice one of the signs listed below, then it's time to sound the alarm and start treating the plant with boric acid in the garden.

• The leaves become paler and turn yellow, this is especially noticeable on the upper part of the plant.
• Mainly the lateral shoots of the plant develop, the top practically stops in development, and in especially neglected cases the upper shoots die off.
• Necrosis develops. The fruits rot and gradually rot spreads to the stem.
• Flowers fall off, and the formed ovaries practically do not develop.
• On root crops, such an unpleasant disease as scab, which has a fungal nature, can appear.
• Cauliflower with a lack of boron can develop brown rot.

How to use boric acid in the garden and vegetable garden?

When using boric acid in the garden, remember that boron is a chemical element, always follow the instructions and do not exceed the recommended dosage, as in this case the plant may get burned. And such injuries are not treated with any drugs, the affected area will have to be removed.

The advantage of boron is that its ions practically do not migrate, in other words, where you sprayed the solution, there it will work.

Usually, plants receive boron in the form of foliar feeding, that is, by spraying. A solution is prepared on the basis of boric acid, observing the recommended dosage for a specific plant and for solving a specific problem. Plants should be processed in warm weather, but not in hot weather. Do this in the evening or on a warm, cloudy day. Warm weather requirements are due to the fact that boron dissolves poorly at low temperatures. You will need a spray bottle or spray that will separate the solution into tiny droplets. The part of the plant to be treated should be covered with moisture that resembles dew, but the solution should not run off in streams on the foliage. Boron is used as a root top dressing only as a last resort, when the plant needs resuscitation assistance. The solution is poured directly under the root from the watering can, being careful not to get on the foliage and stem. For indoor plants, the use of boric acid in the form of crystals is allowed, but this must be done carefully in order to prevent burns. In the garden and vegetable garden, this will be ineffective, since the substance will not go to its intended purpose.

Plants almost always feel the need for boron, and even an inexperienced gardener can cope with spraying with a spray bottle, this technique is absolutely no different from processing with other drugs.

There is a standard schedule of preventive foliar dressing with boric acid solution, which experts advise to adhere to. For vegetable and fruit crops, three treatments should be carried out. The first feeding is carried out when the buds are just beginning to appear, the second processing takes place during the flowering period, and the third when the flowers dry up and the ovaries begin to fill.

Now let's take a closer look at the applications of boric acid using the example of indoor plants, as well as horticultural and horticultural crops.

Houseplants... By using boric acid to fertilize indoor plants, you help them build a strong and healthy root system and create a lush, abundant and long-lasting flowering environment. This extremely useful element is needed by all plants that respond well to treatment with boric solution, but it is especially necessary for violets. As a rule, they are planted in peat and they experience an acute shortage of boron, so in this case its use is necessary (boron deficiency may be one of the reasons for the lack of flowering of violets).

To prepare the solution, you need a liter of water and 1 gram of boric acid, we have already said that boron dissolves only in warm water, so do not forget to warm it up. After preparing the solution, apply foliar dressing by spraying, as in the case of garden plants. After a while, you will see the result - the plant will actively begin to grow and form buds, and the flowering will be more abundant than usual.

Roses. For the queen of the garden, boric acid can also be of great benefit - after processing, roses absorb calcium from the soil better and are able to form a larger number of buds. But, in order to avoid an overdose of fertilizers, you must first decide whether you will process the flowers only with boric acid, or use any other fertilizers. In the first case, the preparation of the solution occurs as for indoor plants: 10 grams of boric acid is needed for a ten-liter bucket of warm water (a 0.1% solution is obtained). But in the second case, you need to prepare a weaker agent and take only 5 grams of fertilizer for the same amount of water. Plants should be sprayed when buds begin to appear (to increase their number) and when they bloom (for longer flowering times).

Cucumbers. It is quite simple to diagnose boron deficiency in cucumbers, you just need to know the main symptoms. The leaves begin to turn yellow, yellowness begins at the edges and spreads to the center of the leaf plate. Fruits develop longitudinal yellow stripes instead of a uniform bright green color. Plant growth stops, and the ovaries begin to fall off or rot.

To prepare a solution for processing cucumbers, not only boric acid (5 grams) is used, but also 2 grams of manganese sulfate, all this is dissolved in warm water (10 liters). It is necessary to process the plants twice with an interval of 14 days (do not store the solution, before re-processing it is necessary to prepare a new one). After a while, you will see the result - the ovaries will stop falling off, and the plant will begin to grow again. But remember that this recipe is only for outdoor cucumbers!

If you need to process greenhouse cucumbers, then you need to prepare a complex composition using potassium chloride, superphosphate, magnesium sulfate and boron. Treatment with such a solution must also be carried out twice with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

Eggplant and pepper. These plants also respond well to fertilization and the dose of boron in solution in this case may be minimal. First, prepare the concentrate, for this, stir 2 grams of boric acid (about 1⁄2 teaspoon) in half a glass of hot water. Add the finished concentrate to a bucket of water (10 liters) and then you can start spraying.

Cabbage. We are talking not only about white cabbage, but also about cauliflower, these two species are especially loved and grown in our gardens. You can diagnose a lack of boron in cabbage by the following symptoms: cabbage acquires an unpleasant bitter taste, the heads of cabbage turn out to be hollow. The heads are deformed, the inflorescences become brown or translucent. Cabbage should be treated with a solution based on boric acid and manganese sulfate (for each liter of water - 1 gram of boron and 10 grams of manganese sulfate) and do it in three steps. When using boric acid for white cabbage, the heads of cabbage become denser and gain more weight. When processing cauliflower, you can add molybdenum to the boron to speed up the ripening process by at least a week.

Onion. To process green onions, you need to prepare a solution using 0.5 g of boric acid for each liter of water. If you plant perennial onions with seeds, then pre-soak them in such a solution for 24 hours, so they will germinate faster and the seedlings will be stronger. You can additionally cover the seeds with boron powder, after mixing it with talcum powder.

Tomatoes. It is possible to diagnose a boron deficiency in tomatoes by discovering the following symptoms: brown-brown spots appear on the fruits, the stems become fragile and brittle, the plant stops growing. In this case, foliar feeding of tomatoes should be carried out with a 0.1% solution of boric acid. The most successful time for processing is the period of ovary formation.

Or, you can carry out preventive feeding a little earlier, when the plants have a fourth true leaf. In this case, prepare a complex fertilizer: for a ten-liter bucket of water, you will need 0.5 grams of boric acid, superphosphate and potassium chloride, 10 and 8 grams, respectively.

You can add iodine to boric acid, this will increase the immunity of tomatoes and make them immune to late blight. True, such a composition can be used only in the first half of June.

If the foliage begins to wilt, then spray the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then after 8-10 days with a weak solution of boric acid, and at the end of the recovery course, treat the plants with an iodine solution.

Garden strawberries. Both strawberries and strawberries are shown systematic treatment with a solution of boric acid, this significantly increases its taste and immunity.With a lack of boron, the leaves change shape, and necrosis of some parts of the plant may begin. Process strawberries it is necessary during the flowering period (when the buds are just blooming), then during the fall of flowers and the formation of berries, and then only when the berries grow to their size and begin to ripen. You can add a very small amount of potassium permanganate to the boric acid solution.

Why do plants need boron?

In other words, who needs boron and how much for full growth? The concentration of the solution, the addition of any elements, as well as the frequency of fertilizing depends on the type of culture. Plants can be conditionally divided into four groups, taking into account their need for boron.

• High demand for pome fruit trees (apple, pear), white cabbage and cauliflower, and beets.
• Average demand for stone fruit trees (cherry, plum, apricot), berry bushes, almost all vegetable crops and herbs.
• Low demand for boron in legumes (beans, lentils, peas). Potatoes and strawberries also have a low need, but the reaction to a boron shortage is very strong.

In the event of a critical situation, you can process vegetables, bushes and trees outside the schedule and double the concentration of the substance in the solution

Boric acid in the garden: how is the effect of the application manifested?

The results after using boric acid in the garden in plants will appear quite quickly. You will see that the number of fruits increases, the plants look healthier. After harvesting, you will find that the berries are sweeter than usual, the yield has increased, and in the future you will be able to appreciate that the fruits of this harvest can be stored longer without losing their taste and presentation.

How to fight harmful insects with boric acid?

In addition to caring for plants, boric acid will help you fight certain pests, such as ants or house cockroaches. It is necessary to make baits from different products that are to the taste of pests, adding boric acid to them and spreading them out in places where insects accumulate.

The easiest way to get rid of ants with boric acid is to scatter the powder around the nests.

Dissolve 5 grams of boric acid in half a glass of very hot water, add 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar and honey, mix everything well. Pour the solution into small flat containers and arrange around the nest or next to the ant path.

Mash two raw yolks thoroughly with the addition of half a teaspoon of boric acid, mold into small balls and spread out where the most insects are seen. Also, balls can be rolled from a mixture of boiled potatoes, boiled egg yolks and boric acid, as well as from glycerin, honey, granulated sugar and boric acid. The main thing is to make sure that pets do not get to these baits. Boric acid is marketed as safe for animals, but practice shows that such baits can cause quite severe poisoning, especially in small animals. Therefore, as soon as suspicions arise, consult a doctor immediately.

Boric acid in the garden: conclusion

Summing up, we can say with confidence that boric acid in the garden is indispensable when caring for plants. Thus, chlorosis can be cured, to help the early growth of the root system in seedlings during transplantation into open ground. Spraying plants with boric acid helps to stimulate flowering, and also ensures the correct formation and development of fruits, and an improvement in taste. Soaking the seeds in a boric acid solution before planting will significantly speed up the emergence of seedlings. In addition, boric acid in the garden and vegetable garden will help to remove cockroaches, which adapt to different poisons, and ants.

In the article, we mainly talked about treating plants with boron in open ground, this does not mean that it cannot be used in a greenhouse. Such dressings will be very effective, since boron works more actively in warm and humid climates, under such conditions the risk of burns becomes minimal, and the result of treatments is noticeable faster.