There are many nuances and pitfalls in the process of growing plants. They need not only to be watered, but also to do many other actions. Including nutrition. And boric acid for tomatoes is a fertilizer that is vital both in the greenhouse and in the open beds. Let’s consider how to feed tomatoes with boric acid to get a good harvest.

Why do tomatoes need boric acid?

Tomatoes do not need boric acid per se, but its main component is boron. It is found in many fertilizers, but boric acid is still considered the most successful of them.

The use of boron fertilization affects tomatoes as follows:

  • normalizes metabolism;
  • helps the bush to grow more actively;
  • contributes to the normal development of the ovary;
  • increases the number of flowers, and therefore fruits;
  • prevents shedding of the ovary;
  • helps preserve fruits, even under overflow conditions;
  • reduces the risk of late blight infection of tomatoes;
  • helps sugar reach fruits and seeds.

Such versatility is connected with the fact that boron helps the tomato to absorb other elements that are necessary for the normal existence of the plant.

Such feeding will be most useful for tomatoes growing in apartment conditions – in rooms, on balconies and windowsills. This is due to the fact that such plants are weakened, they have little space and need to receive more nutrients.

How to feed tomatoes with boric acid

How to determine that tomatoes lack boron?

If the plant lacks boron, it is quite easy to determine by its appearance. The following signs signal the need for feeding:

  • dying of upper shoots;
  • twisting and deformation of the leaves on the tops of the bushes;
  • early yellowing and dying of old leaves;
  • weak flowering of bushes;
  • during flowering, ovaries are not formed;
  • fragile, fragile and crooked petioles of leaves;
  • lack of new shoots coming from the stem;
  • many new, thin and fragile stalks growing from the root;
  • ovaries fall massively;
  • dry spots appear on the fruits.

How to understand that there is too much boron?

Boron deficiency has a serious negative effect on tomatoes. However, an excess of this element can be no less harmful. It can be determined by a number of signs:

  • the leaves become unhealthy shiny, a little glossy;
  • small brown spots appear on them;
  • later, the spots increase in size and eventually cover the entire leaf, which leads to its death;
  • leaf plates are bent, taking a dome-shaped shape.

How to fertilize tomatoes with boric acid?

Foliar feeding is usually used. All parts of the bush should be sprayed, trying to apply the liquid evenly. Applying fertilizer under the root is not recommended due to the fact that boron is washed out of the soil very quickly, without having time to reach the plant. However, it is also possible to water the ground with a solution of boric acid.

You can spray tomatoes with boric acid solution only in the morning or evening or in cloudy weather. This is due to the fact that if direct rays of the sun fall on the plant during or immediately after processing, they can get serious burns and die.

How much boric acid is needed to process tomatoes?

To process plants, it is necessary to dilute boric acid in water. This is due to the fact that it is sold in the form of a white powder that has no color and no smell. The specific recipe depends on the purpose of use.

Instructions for use:

  • For soaking seeds. 0.2 grams are diluted in a liter of water heated to 50-55 degrees.
  • For scheduled spraying. About half a teaspoon of acid should be soaked in one glass of boiling water. Wait for the powder to dissolve completely. Mix the resulting liquid with ten liters of water.
  • Treatment of tomatoes with boric acid for the ovary (prevention of shedding and improvement of formation). One gram of acid is taken per liter of hot water. You can use the solution for spraying only after it has cooled down.

It is important that the powder completely dissolves in the liquid. If acid crystals remain in the solution, the tomatoes can get chemical burns.

When to spray tomatoes with boric acid?

The first treatment with boric acid is carried out even before sowing – the seeds are soaked in the solution for a day. To avoid floating to the surface, it is recommended to immerse them in acid in gauze bags. This process improves germination and also helps seedlings to resist various diseases.

After that, you will need to carry out three more feedings:

  • when buds begin to form;
  • during flowering;
  • at the very beginning of fruit formation.

It may also be necessary to apply additional fertilizer – in the event that the tomatoes show signs of boron deficiency. However, the procedure can be carried out no more than once every 10 days.

Boric acid against late blight

Phytophthora is a fungal disease, the causative agent of which is a fungus with a similar name – Phytophthora. As a rule, it starts already on an adult fruit-bearing plant.

The disease can be determined by the following signs:

  • the appearance of dark spots on the leaves;
  • flowers dry up, do not have time to form a fruit;
  • darkening of stems;
  • the appearance of a whitish coating on the shoots;
  • the appearance of small brown spots on the fruits;
  • gradually the spots increase and cover the entire fruit.

late blight of tomatoes

To combat the disease, treatment with boric acid and iodine is carried out, and potassium permanganate is also used. There are several recipes for such remedies.

  • One teaspoon of acid should be dissolved in ten liters of warm water. In order for the powder to dissolve better, it is recommended to first pour a cup of boiling water, and then add this solution to the rest of the liquid.
  • Some gardeners recommend not to overdo it and use other proportions: add only half a spoon to 10 liters of water.

For these recipes, it is also recommended to use additional treatment with weak solutions of other substances: a week before spraying with boric acid, treat with iodine, and 7 days after with potassium permanganate.

Typical mistakes

Apply boric acid as a top dressing very carefully, otherwise you can harm the plant. There is a risk of making some mistakes in the process. Here are the most common of them:

  • the drug is diluted in water in the wrong proportion;
  • a very large amount of fertilizer is applied;
  • the solution is distributed unevenly on the bush (boron will not spread from one point to all parts of the plant, so it is necessary to spray on each leaf, stem and flower, otherwise an excess of boron will be observed in some places, and other fertilizers will not get at all);
  • the temperature of the applied fertilizer is too high or low (it must correspond to the air temperature, otherwise the treatment will not give results);
  • application of fertilizers to alkaline soils (the plant will not be able to extract the necessary element from such soil).

Boron is an element that is extremely necessary for tomatoes. It helps the bush absorb other elements vital to the plant. It is contained in many fertilizers, but it is easier and cheaper to get it from boric acid. It will be the most effective and will allow you to get the best results. In addition, this substance helps well against phytophthora on tomatoes.

How to feed tomatoes with boric acid