Potassium fertilizer - what is it? Types, names, applications

Along with nitrogen and phosphorus, potassium is an essential element for any green plant, especially when it comes to fruit crops. Today we will try to tell you about potassium fertilizer: what it is, how it is applied and what results it gives. In addition, we will outline the main types in which this top dressing is found on the shelves of stores.

What is the potassium plant for?

Most often, gardeners and truck farmers feed their site with organic (manure in the first place). This is an excellent nutrient medium, but one should not forget about the need to introduce minerals into the soil. Here too often there is a skew. Use urea and other sources of nitrogen, but forget about the most important potassium fertilizer. What is it and what is it for? First of all, such substances differ in that they are soluble in water and are extremely important for plants growing on very different soils. They can and should be made and on heavy clay sites, and on chernozem, and on sandy soils. Potassium is necessary for plants, as it helps to move the sugars through the tissues. On the one hand, it allows fruit crops to eat normally, but on the other hand it provides the formation of tasty, sugar fruits. Any agrarian will say that one of the most important is potash fertilizer. What is it and what kinds of such feeding are, we will consider in the framework of our article. It is due to the timely introduction of them into the soil, we can significantly increase the resistance of the plant to various diseases, frost and drought.

Signs of a lack of potassium

So, we decided that the potassium fertilizers must necessarily be introduced into the soil. "This is what?" - Asked a beginner gardener. This we will talk about below, but for now let's discuss what caused such a need. As agrarians assure, it is an irreplaceable mineral, without which a full-fledged development of the plant is impossible. However, its lack is not immediately apparent. Approximately to the middle of vegetation, it can be seen that the culture has a bluish tide and a general bleakness. And if potassium starvation is even more pronounced, then brown spots appear. If potassium is present in the soil, but in insufficient quantity, then the plants often bloom unnaturally and then form small fruits.

Main types of fertilizers

Despite all the diversity, these fertilizers are divided into three large groups.

The most popular in agriculture are concentrated, produced by means of factory processing of potash ores. It is chloride and potassium sulfate, potassium-magnesium concentrate, potassium-magnesium sulfate.

The second large group is raw potassium salts, that is, ground natural potash ores. It is Cainite and Sylvinite, rich in poisonous chlorine impurities.

Finally, the third group is potassium salts, which are obtained by mixing raw potassium salts with concentrated ones.

How to get potassium fertilizers

Potash fertilizers are produced in Canada, Russia and Belarus. It is in these countries that 85% of all world deposits of potassium ores are located. This ore is extracted in approximately the same way as coal. Development is open (career) type and closed, when it is useful to go deeper into the mines. The extracted raw materials enter production, where they are crushed and brought to the final form, in which the consumer already knows it.

Wood Ash

Let's now try to identify the main sources of such a useful substance as potassium fertilizer. We have already briefly characterized what this is, but we will return to this issue in the course of the story.

In fact, potassium is needed in the garden plot in a small amount, so in its pure form it is almost never introduced into the soil. However, the fine source of this mineral is ordinary wood ash. This universal, affordable and completely harmless raw material is obtained by burning wood. In addition to potassium, it contains little phosphorus and calcium, as well as a huge number of other trace elements. At the same time, the percentage of potassium content depends on the type of wood burnt and varies from 7 to 40%. Apply such a fertilizer in the first place should be on acidic soils. In this case, one kilogram of ash will easily replace 500 g of lime or chalk. It will be useful to all garden crops, but if you do not have this fertilizer, then first of all it should be allocated for cucumbers and zucchini, pumpkin and tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

Potassium chloride

At first glance, it is absolutely unsuitable for plant nutrition. In its composition contains about 60% of useful potassium and an admixture of chlorine, extremely toxic and harmful to plants. Therefore, if you need to saturate the soil with potassium, and at hand there is nothing else, the vegetable gardener will have to act in advance. Fruit and berry crops are not tolerated by chlorine, although it is the berry berries that are most responsive to potash top dressing.

A similar option is potassium salt. It contains 30-40% potassium and selvinite. It is recommended for application only for winter, just before digging. However, such fertilizing with potassium fertilizers has a bad effect on berry crops, which are very sensitive to toxic impurities. For this reason, it is not recommended to add potassium salt to an already existing bed.

Potassium sulphate

He is also known as potassium sulfate. Potassium mineral fertilizers are often undeservedly forgotten by gardeners, although their reasonable application can significantly improve the quality of the harvested crop. And potassium sulfate is the best option for your summer cottage site. Of all potassium fertilizers, only this does not contain toxic impurities of chlorine, sodium and magnesium. It can be applied to the soil in both autumn and spring, with mixing with any other fertilizer. However, the quantity will need to be calculated separately each time. For the main application for digging, you can take 30 g per 1 m ² , and if potassium sulfate is used for root feeding, the amount should be reduced to 5 g per m ² .

Potassium sulphate is a fertilizer that is ideal for open and closed soil. After its regular application, gardeners note that in the grown fruits, vegetables and berries, the content of sugar and vitamins is markedly increased. In this case, plants become less susceptible to various diseases, the percentage of damage to finished products is reduced by gray rot.

Winter protection

There is one more important point explaining the necessity of using this fertilizer in the garden plot. It provides long-term shrubs with a safe wintering. That is, having fed from the autumn their fruit plantings and berries, you can be sure that they will survive the harshest cold. Particularly fond of potassium sulphate are representatives of the cruciferous family. They react very negatively to the chlorine that is part of the potassium top dressings listed above, so this is the only acceptable option for cabbage, turnip and radish.

Complex mineral fertilizers

On this, clean sources of potassium practically end. Now let's look at the most popular complexes, which include potassium. And the first on the agenda will be a tandem of potassium and nitrogen. According to the agrarians, this is an ideal combination for most garden plants. Many people know it as potassium nitrate. Its application in the garden area guarantees high yields. And it can come in handy throughout the summer period. The complex contains potassium (44%) and nitrogen (13%). This mix can be used even after the plant has faded and formed the ovary. At the same time, a small amount of nitrogen will strengthen the culture, but will not spur the growth of the green mass. That is, the plant will continue to deal with its main task, that is, the formation of fruits, instead of building up lush bushes. Potassium will play an equally important role at this time. Introduced at this stage, it will lay the foundation for the future harvest and help fruit and berries to acquire excellent taste qualities.

For what garden crops is potassium nitrate used? Its use is more justified for feeding root crops (carrots and beets) and berry crops. Well respond to this fertilizer and tomatoes. Significantly improves not only the quantity, but also the quality of the fruit, they become large, and the flesh - sugar. But for potatoes it will not be so effective, for it is more important for phosphorus. There is not much point in making nitrate for greens, radishes and cabbages.

You can make this fertilizer in a dry and liquid form. However, the solution will act faster, so it is recommended to dilute 15-25 grams per 10 liters of water and fertilize the soil at a rate of 1 liter per m ² . During the summer period, it is necessary to produce at least two, but not more than four applications of potash fertilizer. From the time of the last feeding to harvesting, at least 3-4 weeks must pass.

Calimagnesia

This is an agrarian favorite fertilizing for potatoes. This fertilizer combines potassium and magnesium. This is its main value, since in the period of active plant growth the need for these two elements is very high. At the same time, it is often impossible to satisfy it due to the introduction of organic materials. That is, in theory, manure, humus or compost should fully provide the plant with everything necessary. But, as practice shows, in them a non-optimal ratio of potassium and other nutrients.

Nitrofosca

Nitrogen-potassium fertilizers are an ideal choice for soil with an excess of phosphorus. It is an ideal way to cheaply and quickly get a wonderful crop with garden crops. Thanks to the timely application of this fertilizer, flowering, development, formation and ripening of fruits takes place. Thus from the gardener it is not required to get difficult and expensive structures. Use nitrofosque can be for any garden culture, but the amount will vary depending on the nature of the soil and the plant feed.

Nitroammophoska

We listed almost all the main potash fertilizers. Their names are well known to agricultural technicians, which can not be said about beginning amateur gardeners. First we discussed what are the options for mono-feeding (potassium in its pure form). However, it is best for plants when they receive a complex of necessary minerals immediately. Therefore, pay attention to nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. Having experienced a deficit in at least one of these substances, the plant will not bear fruit well. Therefore, each gardener needs to have it in his arsenal. This complex fertilizer contains 17% nitrogen, 24% phosphorus and 28% potassium. Its use is extremely useful for all types of garden crops. Especially well affects the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer on tomatoes. They are less afflicted with scab, root and stem rot, phytophthora. Feed them no more than twice during the entire season. Another great fan of this fertilizer is grapes. This southern resident tolerates winter in the middle part of Russia quite tolerably, if he regularly receives such feeding. Apply this fertilizer with great success in almost any soil. However, it showed itself best on chernozem and alumina.

Let's sum up the results

Thus, it can be concluded that mineral fertilizing is one of the most important activities during the summer season. It is thanks to the optimum amount of potassium in the soil that you can significantly increase yield, protect crops from bacterial diseases, and ensure good survival of fruit bushes and trees in the coldest winter. However, the best application of the said substance affects the quality of the fruit. The optimum amount of this mineral allows you to get large, sweet and tasty fruits that are perfectly stored and not subject to rot. But it is equally important to combine mineral fertilizers with each other. The ideal complex is the triple - phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. This magnificent trio will turn your site into a real wonder garden.