You can ignore the topic of fertilizers for an infinitely long time and not delve into their role in the development of plants, but without this knowledge, there is nothing to think about the outstanding results in indoor floriculture and horticulture.
If you want your flowers to grow well, choose only reliable sellers. For example, you can buy peonies at Dutch-bulbs.com and be sure that they will bring you joy. Carefully study how to care for your plants as in their chemical composition, there is almost the entire periodic table of elements, and there is still not enough data on the effect of certain substances, but the most important ways of controlling metabolic processes have been studied. The most important in root dressing are the following macronutrients:
- nitrogen;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- calcium;
- sulfur;
- iron.
Nitrogen
One of the most essential elements for plant nutrition and the formation of chlorophyll. Participates in the regulation of the growth of green mass and affects the duration of flowering.
With a shortage:
- Growth slows down.
- Leaves turn yellow due to insufficient production of chlorophyll: first from the bottom, because the element primarily accumulates in young tissues, but gradually the entire green mass begins to suffer.
With excess:
- Growing too quickly with the formation of looser tissue.
- Decreased immunity to disease.
- Flowering is delayed or does not occur at all.
- Nitrates build up as a result of over-fertilization with nitrogen.
Phosphorus
It is essential in most metabolic processes, participates in the setting of buds and fruiting, affects the health of the root system and the winter hardiness of the plant.
With a shortage:
- Delayed flowering.
- The ripening of fruits and seeds slows down.
- Defective fruits and seeds are forming.
- Leaves darken unnaturally, become bluish or reddish-brown – the process goes from lower to younger.
- Leaves are bent up.
With excess:
- Development slows down.
- Decreases resistance to lack of water.
- The leaves turn yellow due to disturbances in the production of chlorophyll and become covered with necrotic spots, after which they fall off.
- The plant ages quickly.
Potassium
It participates in the processes of carbohydrate, protein, water metabolism, photosynthesis, as well as influences the plant's ability to retain moisture, strengthens tissues, and increases resistance to diseases and pests.
With a shortage:
- Leaves take on a curled, wrinkled shape, curl downward.
- Burns and brown spots appear along the edges of the leaf plate.
- Leaves become bluish, dull, with a bronze tint.
- The stem becomes thin, loose.
- Plant development and bud formation are slowed down.
- Increased susceptibility to fungal diseases.
With excess:
- Growth slows down.
- The plant is stretched.
- The leaves are deformed and turn yellow – the process goes from bottom to top.
Since a deficiency or excess of one element can affect the plant's ability to assimilate others, it is not always easy to correctly determine the cause of the disease and correct it. When applying fertilizers, strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions: it is always possible to make up for the deficiency, but it will no longer be possible to neutralize the excess dose.
