Young plants need not only well-prepared soil and enough moisture for their growth, but also nutrients, without which they would soon begin to wither. Therefore, do not hesitate to improve them with phosphorus at the very moment when they sprout, the lack of which you will certainly soon notice in the plants.
Why is phosphorus so essential for young plants? Its function is mainly to support the growth of stems and roots, which is necessary in the initial phase of their life and development.
But it is not only about the first days and weeks, but also about the time when the plants put on flowers and subsequently have to take care of the growth and ripening of the fruits. Thus, omitting phosphorus fertilizers would be a mistake that costs a significant part of the possible harvest.
Prevention is important
Unfortunately, we can recognize the lack of phosphorus on the plants relatively late. They are not thriving as we would like, the leaves are longer than usual and after a few days of dissatisfaction with the phosphorus supply they start to turn purple.
However, it should be emphasized that such color changes and manifestations are usually irreversible and starting to fertilize at this stage does not have a great effect. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on prevention.
We should pay attention to the correct supply of this element, especially with peas, tomatoes, carrots and beans, which are particularly sensitive to its content in the soil.
Element without motion
Fertilizing with phosphorus is not easy, because this element in the soil quickly binds with others, especially iron, and thus becomes very difficult for plants to access. We therefore have to realize that they manage to use only a small percentage of the delivered fertilizer.
Furthermore, the problem is its “movement” in the soil. While some elements are transferred relatively far from the place where we applied the appropriate fertilizer, phosphorus remains as if chained in a single place. What does this mean for us? If we want to give each plant enough of it, we should also give each plant its dose of fertilizer.
Get your soil checked
In order to make the right decision about whether it is necessary to add phosphorus to the plants, or in what quantity, or whether there is enough of it in the soil, the best method will always be an agrochemical soil test, which we leave in the hands of an expert.
It is also necessary to take into account that in order to use the phosphorus present in the soil, plants need enough moisture, and therefore we must not forget watering in drier periods. Without it, the mentioned element, even if there was enough of it in the substrate, is absolutely unavailable.
What to fertilize plants with?
What phosphorus fertilizers can we use? For gardeners who try to use industrial fertilizers as little as possible in the soil, it is good news that it is possible to use slurry, i.e. a purely natural animal product.
However, if you would prefer to reach for fertilizer in a bottle or bag after all, Superphosphate or ammonium phosphate would be a possible choice. If you still don’t know what to do, a specialized store will certainly be happy to advise you and recommend the best phosphorus fertilizer for specific plants. You will see how such nutrition will benefit them.
Sources: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au, www.ledmegrow.cz, www.agromanual.cz
