Boric acid is indispensable for all fruits, vegetables, berries and ornamental crops. It not only protects them from pathogenic microbes, but also increases productivity and increases sugar content. As a result, we get tasty, high-quality fruits. Moreover, the treated plants do not rot, and their fruits do not crack from excessive moisture. Boron is not an alternative to any fertilizer, but a vital element for flora. How boric acid affects plants in the garden and in what proportions to use it - we learned about this from experienced farmers.
Did you know? More than 300 years ago, the French naturalist and physician Wilhelm Gomberg obtained free boric acid by heating a mixture of borax and sulfuric acid. Over time, it was introduced into medicine under the name “salsedavitum”.
Boric acid: description
In the natural environment, unbound boric acid occurs in some volcanic areas of Tuscany, the Lopar Islands and Nevada. It can also be found in many minerals, such as borax, boracite, colemanite. Moreover, this element was discovered even in sea water and in all plants.
Boric (orthoboric, orthoboric, borate) acid is a weak inorganic acid. These are white crystals that do not dissolve well in cold water. When heated, they lose moisture, forming first metaboric acid, then tetraboric acid and, finally, boron oxide. If the above compounds are immersed in water, boric acid is formed from them again. 
A solution of boric acid is widely used in medicine as an antiseptic, in gardening, gardening, and even in nuclear reactors.
What are the benefits of boric acid for plants?
For fruit and berry and ornamental, flowering crops, boric acid is the most important fertilizer throughout the growing season. When treating stems, the component helps supply the roots with oxygen, increases the penetration of calcium into all plant fibers, increases the amount of chlorophyll in green biomass, and improves metabolic processes.
When spraying seeds with acid, their germination is stimulated. At the early stages of plant treatment, the rooting of seedlings improves, the percentage of formed ovaries increases, and the synthesis of nitrogenous substances is normalized. Timely feeding with boric acid provokes rapid growth and strengthening culture. Agrochemists say: if the soil is sufficiently saturated with boron, fruiting, crop preservation and plant resistance to adverse conditions, including pests and infections, increase.
Did you know? Boric acid is effective against a variety of insects, including cockroaches and ants.
Using boric acid in the garden: instructions for use
Boric acid is used in gardening to accelerate the growth and development of vegetable crops and good germination of grains. To do this, before planting, it is recommended to place the seeds in a gauze bag and soak them in a boric acid solution for two days at the rate of 0.2 g per 1 liter of hot water. You can prepare an ash mixture of 5 g of baking soda, 1 g of potassium permanganate, 0.2 g of boric acid and 1 liter of warm water.
Twice during the budding period, gardeners spray the crops with boron-containing preparations. Boric acid as a fertilizer can be used three times in the garden. The last processing is carried out to increase sugars in the fruits, which will improve their taste. The solution is prepared in a ratio of 10 g of the element per 10 liters of water. Depending on the culture, the concentration may vary. It is recommended to carry out the procedure in the evening to avoid burns on the leaves.
Root fertilizing with boric acid is carried out extremely rarely, since the solution can severely damage the fibers. Basically, when watering, crystals are added so that the fruits acquire bright, rich colors. This procedure is performed no more than once every 3 years. Experienced farmers advise thoroughly moistening the soil before applying such microfertilizers.
How to use acid for apple and pear trees
It is not common for boron to transform from dying foliage into young shoots. Therefore, during the period of active growth of fruit crops, foliar feeding is very important. On apple and pear trees, the lack of this substance is manifested by the development of suberization of the fruit. In severely neglected cases, the tops of the trees begin to rapidly wither. The leaves curl, bend unnaturally, and the petioles thicken. The veins on their surface become thicker and more distinct. At the ends of the sprouts, young leaves form a kind of rosette, which is unusual for the normal development of apple and pear trees. If nothing is done in the initial stages, the disease will progress: the inflorescences will fade, and the resulting ovary will bear deformed fruits. The flesh of apples and pears infected with the disease becomes covered with large whitish spots, which turn brown over time.
Important! Boric acid dissolves only in hot water. To obtain a working solution, the crystals are first poured with a small amount of heated liquid, and then it is diluted with cold liquid until the required volume is obtained.
Boric acid is recommended for sick and completely healthy plants in 2-3 times. Spraying the crown is recommended for preventive purposes at the beginning of flowering, followed by repeating a week later. The treatment solution is prepared at the rate of 20 g of powder per 10 liters of water. If such foliar feeding is applied to damaged fruit trees, the fall of the ovary will be noticeably reduced. But it is better to prevent mass spoilage of fruits and carry out treatment ahead of it.Using boric acid for strawberries
To obtain sweet, fleshy garden strawberries and wild strawberries, it is recommended to systematically process the plants. Otherwise, boron deficiency will result in necrosis and deformation of the foliage. Spraying is necessary before the buds open, as well as during the fruiting period, when the berries reach normal sizes. Some farmers advise early spring pour boric acid over the area in the country according to the instructions for use. You can add a few drops of potassium permanganate to the solution. 10 liters of liquid is enough for approximately 40-50 plants. Later, when flower stalks form, it is advisable to spray the bushes with a mixture of 5 g of boron powder and 10 liters of water. And during the ripening of the berries, it is recommended to add additional fertilizing consisting of boric acid, manganese ash and 1 glass of water in a ratio of 2:2:1.
Boric acid for tomatoes
Tomatoes have an average requirement for boron. Its deficiency is manifested by darkening and dying of stems, fragility of young shoots and dark spotting on fruits. To prevent the fibers on tomatoes from dying, it is necessary to treat the seeds with dissolved crystals before planting. Boric acid for tomatoes is also desirable during the period of planting seedlings. You can fertilize the soil with acid or boron-containing preparations. To avoid burning the root system, thoroughly water the prepared holes with plain water. This procedure is of particular importance on lands that are being plowed into beds for the first time.
Spraying tomatoes with boric acid is important when the flower stalks have already formed and the buds have not yet opened. The solution is prepared according to the standard scheme: 10 g per 10 l.
Important! Apple trees, pear trees, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower sprouts, rutabaga and beets have the highest boron requirements. Beans, potatoes, peas and strawberries are less dependent on this element. But in any case, its deficiency greatly affects the condition of the plants.
How to use boric acid for grapes
If the grapes do not have enough boron, then even elite varieties will produce small clusters. A signal of its deficiency will be chloride spots on the leaves. Experts call such processes “peating”. Treatment and prevention are recommended to be carried out with boric acid, for which initial stages one treatment is enough for the disease.
It is better to organize spraying during the formation of inflorescences. In this case, they will not crumble, which will increase productivity. When preparing a solution (5 g of powder per 10 liters of water), experienced gardeners add 5 g of zinc. It is advisable to repeat the treatment, as with other fruit and berry crops, during the period of fruit ripening.
Boric acid for cucumbers
Feeding with boric acid for cucumbers, as well as for tomatoes, is important because it promotes abundant flowering and ovary formation. A more effective method was the foliar application of microfertilizer before the opening of the buds. Some gardeners recommend adding a little sugar or honey to a solution of 5 g of acid and 10 liters of water. This is done to attract pollinating insects. Repeated spraying of cucumbers with boric acid is done when the ovary forms. Instead of sugar, a couple of drops of potassium permanganate are added to the traditional solution to prevent powdery mildew on the sprouts.
The use of boric acid for beets
Although beets are considered less dependent on boron content, its deficiency immediately renders the entire root crop unusable. Due to the development of phomosis caused by fungi, the beet core begins to rot, and the leaves become covered with pale brown dots. This beet should not be consumed; it has unpleasant smell, taste, toxic substances are formed in the blackened fibers.
To preserve the harvest and prevent the appearance of fungi, it is first important to treat the seed before planting. And when the seedlings produce 4-5 leaves, it is enough to spray one with a standard solution.
Important! For humans, boric acid is completely harmless upon external contact: it does not cause allergic reactions and irritation. When ingested, boron is slowly excreted from the body. 20 g of the substance is a lethal dose. In large quantities, boron is more likely to harm plants than help in development. An overabundance is indicated by arched leaves and their yellowness. If such crops are fed to livestock, they will soon develop chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Boric acid and potatoes
Boron deficiency causes scab in potatoes. The sprouts develop slowly, the foliage turns yellow, and the stems become fragile. Agrochemists suggest a pattern: the dependence of tubers on boron determines the composition of the substrate. The need increases on soddy-podzolic, forest, wetland, and acidic lands. And also in areas with a high composition of carbonates, potassium, nitrogen, and lime. Phosphorus fertilizing, on the contrary, reduces the need for boron-containing fertilizers.
To ensure that plants grow as they should, do not get sick and are not attacked by insects, boric acid will come to their aid, improving metabolism and helping to produce chlorophyll. It also strengthens the root system and stem of the plant, increases its sugar content, and makes its fruits more productive and tastier.
Signs by which you can understand that the plant requires fertilizing with boric acid:
- The buds began to dry out.
- Plant stems went from straight to crooked.
- The tips of the branches die.
- The color of the leaves has become pale.
- The tips of the leaves turned yellow and curled.
- The plant has stopped blooming or its flowering has become rare.
- The number of fruits has sharply decreased.
- The fruits were deformed.
- The plant stopped growing both upward and outward.
Many gardeners think that the changes described above appeared due to a lack of moisture and overwater the plant, thereby worsening its condition and giving way to gray rot, bacteriosis and other diseases.
It should be remembered that the use of boric acid is good in moderation; if you overdo it with its amount, then this will not benefit the plant either, since their leaves can get burned, die, turn yellow, and change their shape. Therefore, you must remember the correct dosage of the drug.
Boric acid is usually sold in ten gram bags. If you don’t have measuring scales or a special measuring spoon at hand, then pour one level teaspoon of boric acid onto the paper and divide it into five parts.
One part is one gram. To work with acid, you should take an unnecessary spoon, which you then need to wash very thoroughly.
You need to remember right away that boron is very difficult to dissolve in cool water, so pre-heat about a liter of water to 70 degrees, then pour the powder into it. Mix well and dilute with nine liters of cold water.
This solution is successfully used not only as a fertilizer, but also for soaking seeds so that they germinate faster. To do this, you need to pour two grams of boric acid into a ten-liter jar of water and mix thoroughly.
Tie the seeds in gauze or a small piece of cloth and soak this little bag in the solution for a certain amount of time:
- 24 hours - beets, onions, carrots.
- 12 hours - cabbage, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini.
To make it easier to determine how much a particular plant needs to be fertilized with boric acid, gardeners divided them into three groups:
- Low - potatoes, herbs, strawberries and wild strawberries, peas, beans, beans. It should be added only in case of urgent need or as a one-time soil fertilizer. To improve potato yields, it is enough to water the bed once with a solution consisting of ten liters of water and six grams of acid.
- Middle - trees and shrubs with stone fruits. If necessary, in early and mid-summer, the roots of these plants are watered with a solution (ten liters of water and two grams of acid).
- High - beets, cabbage and trees with pome fruits. These plants simply need boron feeding. Throughout the summer, they are watered three times with a boron solution consisting of ten liters of water and ten grams of powder.
As we understand, boron not only stimulates seed germination, but also prepares the soil for planting. To do this, the soil must be filled with boron solution (10 liters of water per 2 grams of powder), then dug thoroughly. After this, you can plant seeds or seedlings in the ground.
The solution can not only water the roots, but also spray the plants. But this should only be done in the evening or in cloudy weather.
It will be better if you spray with a fine spray. But do not overdo it with spraying one area of the plant; it is undesirable for dew from this solution to accumulate on their leaves.
But it is not advisable to spray potatoes, strawberries and wild strawberries; they only need to be watered. Under no circumstances should boron powder be scattered on the soil or plants, otherwise you risk destroying the crop.
Tomatoes
To increase productivity and improve taste qualities tomatoes, they are watered three times with a boron solution throughout the entire season. The first time before the flowers open.
The second time was during the flowering period itself, and the third time was when the first tomatoes appeared. The solution is made from ten liters of water and one gram of powder. For one square meter A liter of solution is enough for the beds.
When the first fruits appear on the tomato bushes, the soil around them can be fed with a mixture of ash, boron, and iodine. First you need to boil five liters of water, immediately pour ten grams of boric acid and two liters of ash into it.
Mix well, wait for the mixture to cool, then you can pour in another five liters of cool water. Then pour in 10 ml of iodine, mix and leave this solution alone for exactly one day. Before you start watering the soil, you should dilute a liter of the resulting solution with 10 liters of water.
This fertilizing makes tomatoes resistant to late blight and accelerates fruit ripening. One liter of solution is enough for one bush. As soon as fruits appear on the bushes, they can be sprayed once with this solution.
If you don't fertilize tomatoes with boron at all, they can get sick, their stems can turn black and break. The fruits themselves will become covered with brown spots, and the juiciness will disappear from the pulp. Therefore, before planting, it is recommended to soak the seeds in a boron solution for about a day.
Potato
If the land suffers from a lack of boron, then the following changes occur in the development of potatoes:
- Gets scab.
- The leaves wither and turn pale.
- The stem becomes limp and bends towards the ground.
- The plant grows slowly and sluggishly.
- Potatoes in the ground cannot form properly.
Unlike many plants, you need to add more boron to the potato solution - up to 6 grams per ten liters of water. In order for the potatoes to grow healthy and bear fruit well, you need to water the entire bed with this solution when the first shoots appear
Beet
It is vital to feed it with boron; the acid protects it from fungal diseases, which easily destroy the entire crop. The fact that beets are affected by a disease is indicated by brown and black spots on its leaves. If you spray the leaves with the solution in time, you will quickly get rid of Phoma.
If no action is taken in time, the fungus will spread to the root system, thereby destroying the fruit. To increase immunity, you need to soak the seeds in a powder solution for a day.
Cucumber, zucchini, pepper and eggplant
They are fed in the same way as tomatoes. Thanks to this feeding, the taste of cucumbers and peppers improves, and their root system becomes stronger. They tolerate frosts and cold summers much easier, as well as drought.
It is no secret that plants require a lot of minerals during flowering and fruiting; boron is absolutely irreplaceable in this regard. To make it easier for cucumbers to pollinate, you can add a little sugar to the solution.
To prevent zucchini, eggplants and peppers from rotting, they need to be sprayed with a boron solution, but try not to overdo it.
Pear and apple tree
They belong to the group of plants that need to be fed with boron if signs of deficiency of this mineral appear:
- The leaves have become thicker.
- The veins have darkened.
- The leaves began to fall en masse, although autumn had not yet arrived.
- The small leaves are rosette shaped.
- The top of the tree began to die.
- The fruits began to deform.
- Brown spots began to appear on the fruits.
- The apple flesh has turned brown and feels like a sponge.
In this case, about twenty grams of boric acid are diluted in ten liters of water. Then the entire tree is sprayed with this solution, without missing a single leaf.
Grape
If light spots appear on a grape leaf, then the plant is trying to tell it that it lacks boron. If you do not feed it, these seedlings will die within a year. Therefore, grapes need to be fed every year with a solution to which you can add a little zinc salt. This is done during the flowering period.
Strawberry
To prevent strawberry or wild strawberry leaves from drying out prematurely, in March-April the soil should be fertilized with a solution of boron and potassium permanganate in equal proportions.
Before the flowers appear, it is advisable to fertilize their roots again, but with a slightly more complicated solution: 1 gram of manganese, 1 gram of boron, half a glass of ash, five liters of water. Then spray the leaves of the plant with it. For one bush, 0.5 liters of solution is enough.
Flowers
Not only vegetable crops need boron, but also indoor plants. Especially those that bloom all year round. Boron significantly increases the formation of buds. Ten or five grams of boron are dissolved in ten liters of water, after which the flowers are watered with this solution.
To ensure that the cuttings do not suffer from fungal diseases and successfully take root on the site, before planting they need to be dipped in the solution described above for several minutes.
From insects
If summer cottage plot or the apartment is firmly occupied by ants or cockroaches, then boric acid will help get rid of them, which gradually accumulates in their body, causing paralysis, thereby destroying them.
You should know that ants eat the corpses of ants, which means they become infected with acid from them and also die. Therefore, you will need a month of patience and some powder.
Boil the eggs, remove the yolks and mash them. Then mix with 2 grams of boric acid powder. Roll up the cakes and place them in places where insects accumulate.
Boric acid for plants use. The use of boric acid in the garden. Pharmacy boric acid on a personal plot.
The benefits of boric acid for the garden are enormous and varied. Boric acid can be used on almost any soil, but it is especially necessary on soils with high acidity. Boron helps increase the number of ovaries, helps plant growth, increases the amount of sugar and improves the taste of fruits.
But an excess of boron can also be harmful. Different garden crops require boron in different quantities. The greatest need for boric acid is in fruit trees, cabbage and beets. Less demanding on boron: carrots, tomatoes, salads and all stone fruits. Potatoes, legumes and strawberries have the least need for boric acid.
How to prepare a solution of boric acid. It should be borne in mind that boric acid dissolves easily only in hot water. Therefore, first we dilute the required amount of powder in 1 liter of hot water, and then add the required amount of water at room temperature.
What are the signs of boron deficiency in plants:
- at the apple and pear tree: leaves thicken, warp, suberization and darkening of the veins occurs; during acute starvation, the leaves fall off. Rosette leaves are observed - small leaves at the ends of the shoots are collected in the form of a rosette. In advanced cases, the tree tops die off.
- at strawberry (strawberry): curvature of leaves and necrosis of edges.
- near the grapes: the appearance of chlorotic spots between the veins of leaf blades, which gradually grow, the absence of normal ovaries on the racemes (crushing). A new seedling dies within a year or 1–2 years after planting in a permanent place.
- in tomatoes: blackening and death of the growth point of the stem, rapid growth of new shoots from the root, while the petioles of young leaves become very brittle. Brown spots of dead tissue form on the fruits, usually in the tip area.
- in potatoes: fungal scab disease, general developmental delay. The growth point is inhibited, which is accompanied by yellowing of the leaves, the petioles turn red and become brittle.
- in beets: the heart of the root crop rots, which is caused by a fungal disease - phomosis. Concentric light brown spots with black dots in the center form on the leaves, then the disease spreads to the root crop and its core rots. Tissue on section initial stage They have a dark brown, almost black color; later they dry out, become withered and rotten.
When using boric acid in the garden, you must use it correctly and follow the dosage.
Here are some tips for using boric acid in summer cottages:
Boric acid for plants:
- For stimulation of seed germination use the following solution: 0.2 g of boric acid is diluted in 1 liter of water. Seeds of beets, carrots, onions and tomatoes are soaked for a day, and seeds of pumpkin, cabbage, cucumbers, and zucchini - for 12 hours.
- For preparing the soil for sowing and planting use the following solution: 0.2 g of boric acid is diluted in 1 liter of water. The soil is watered with this solution before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, using a bucket of solution per 10 m2.
- For foliar feeding (spraying) prepare the following solution: 0.1 g of boric acid is diluted in 1 liter of water. Three sprayings are carried out (during budding, flowering and during the fruiting period of plants). It is better to do it in cloudy weather or in the evening to avoid sunburn. When used with other microelements, the concentration of boric acid is reduced to 0.05–0.06 g per 1 liter of water.
- For root feeding prepare the following solution: 0.1–0.2 g of boric acid is diluted in 1 liter of water. To prevent plant roots from suffering chemical burns, the plants are first watered with plain water. Fertilizing is carried out if there is not enough boron in the soil.
- For increasing strawberry yield. To stimulate growth in early spring, we spill strawberries (strawberries) with a solution of boric acid with the addition of potassium permanganate (dilute 1 gram of potassium permanganate and 1 gram of boric acid in 10 liters of water). Then, before flowering, we carry out foliar feeding with the following solution (2 g of boric acid, 2 g of manganese, dilute 1 glass of sifted ash in 10 liters of water).
- For improving tree fruiting We carry out foliar feeding with the following solution: dilute 10–20 g of boric acid in 10 liters of water. Initially we spray the entire accessible crown - at the beginning of the appearance of buds, after a week we repeat the spraying. It is better to do it in cloudy weather or in the evening to avoid sunburn. This treatment reduces the number of fallen ovaries, increases the resistance of trees to unfavorable conditions, and increases the shelf life of fruits.
- For increasing grape yields We treat during the budding period with the following solution: add zinc salts to boric acid (dilute 5 grams of boric acid and 5 grams of zinc sulfate in 10 liters of water) - this helps preserve flowers and reduce shedding of ovaries. And the appearance of high-quality flowers on grapes helps to avoid the problem of grape peas (crushing the berries).
- For increasing tomato yields Initially, we soak the seeds before sowing in a boric solution, then we water the beds for planting seedlings with a solution of boric acid. And before flowering begins, spray the tomato bushes with the following solution: dilute 10 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water. During the heat in the greenhouse, we refresh the tomatoes by spraying them with the following solution: dilute 2 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water.
- For reducing boron deficiency for potatoes(for the prevention of scab disease). Initially, we spray potato tubers during vernalization with the following solution: dilute 10–15 g of boric acid in 10 liters of water and spend approximately 50 ml per 1 kg of tubers. Then we feed the potato bushes with the following solution: dilute 6 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water and use it per 10 m2 of planting. Boron is best used in combination with other fertilizers (phosphorus), and in their absence, ash can be used. 1 kg of ash contains from 200 to 700 mg of boron.
- For getting healthy and tasty beets(to prevent fomosis in beets) before planting, soak the seeds for 10–12 hours in a 0.1% solution of boric acid. At the stage of 4–5 leaves, we carry out one foliar feeding with the following solution: dilute 5 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water.
- For increasing the ovaries of cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini and peppers, spraying plants with the following solution: dilute 2 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water. We also use this solution for rotting fruits of these fruits.
Boric acid to control ants and other insects:
Boric acid is effective against ants, cockroaches and other insects. Using boric acid, various baits are prepared, which are placed in places where pests are most concentrated, but inaccessible to domestic animals.
Here are some boric acid bait options:
- Sprinkling boric acid powder in those crowded places where ants are found is the simplest option, but less effective.
- Pour 5 grams of boric acid into half a glass of hot water, dissolve, add a teaspoon of honey and 2 tablespoons to the solution. spoons of sugar. Mix everything and pour the resulting mixture into a flat bowl, which is best placed near ant paths.
- Grind 2 egg yolks with 0.5 teaspoon. lie boric acid. Make small peas from the resulting mass and place them in problem areas.
- 1 table. mix a spoonful of water with 2 hundred. spoons of glycerin, add 1 teaspoon. a spoonful of honey, 0.5 teaspoon. spoons of boric acid and 1.5 table. spoons of sugar. Mix everything, roll into small bait balls. This recipe is good because the bait remains wet and soft for a long time.
- 3 peeled medium potatoes, boiled in their jackets, 3 boiled yolks, 10 g of boric acid, 1 teaspoon. spoon of sugar. Grind everything and mix thoroughly, roll into bait balls.
Use it useful tips about boric acid.
Good luck to you!
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Boric acid is one of the weak acids. It has found its use not only in medicine, but also as a poisonous substance.
In the house, for example, dry acid is mixed with egg yolk and acts as a poison against Prussians or ants. As well as other insects that can carry harmful microscopic organisms.
Many people have been running a household for years, planting a vegetable garden and caring for their garden. An experienced gardener knows what boric acid is needed for. But many beginners do not have such knowledge. So what is boric acid, and how to use it?
Boric acid is available in solutions and powders. It is sold both in pharmacies and in stores selling gardening supplies, seeds, fertilizers and pest control products.
If boric acid is added to the soil:
- the amount of harvest will increase;
- shoot growth accelerates;
- ripened fruits become sweeter.
Boric acid improves the process of nitrogen absorption. Thanks to this, productivity increases by 25%. Crops become more resilient during frost or drought.
If there is not enough boron in plants:
- it does not grow (does not develop);
- the fruits become sluggish, small and tasteless;
- the root system lacks the necessary microelements, and the root can easily begin to rot;
- diseases develop different types(dry rot, bacteriosis).
Boron is used mainly in forest soil. But it also won’t hurt in black soil. Boron deficiency is especially noticeable during the dry season. Boron in plants does not transfer from old leaves to young ones, so the crops need to be “feeded” from time to time.
The boron needs of each plant are different:
- They love boron - apple and pear. Vegetables: beets, cauliflower, rutabaga.
- The average need for boron is cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, and peach. Vegetables: tomatoes, carrots. Greens - salad.
- Peas, beans, strawberries, and potatoes need very little boron. But if strawberries and potatoes lack boron, this is very obvious from the plants themselves. They are very lethargic and small.
The use of boric acid in the garden
Boric acid is used as follows:
- Boric acid ensures 100% germination of grains and good shoot growth. To do this you need:
- gauze bag - place seeds there;
- prepare a solution – 0.2 g. boric acid and 1 l. hot water;
- solution No. 2 – 5 g. baking soda, 1 gr. potassium permanganate, 0.2 gr. boric acid per 1 liter. hot water;
- Soak the seeds in a bag for 48 hours.
- At the root as a top dressing. A solution of 0.1-0.2 g is made. acids per 1 liter. water. Before fertilizing, water the plant generously with plain water so as not to burn the root system. This feeding is used in emergency cases of boron deficiency. This type of feeding is very helpful for flowering plants that grow in the soil of peat and sand.
Fertilizer for fruit and vegetable plants
Feeding fruit and vegetable plants is carried out as follows:
- For strawberries. When buds appear on the strawberries, the bushes need to be sprayed with a solution: 5 g. acids per 10 l. water. You can add manganese to the solution. During the berry season, you can “feed” the bushes with a solution: 2 units of boric acid, 2 units of manganese and 1 unit of ash per 1 tbsp. water (for example, 2 g acid, 2 g manganese, 1 g ash).
- For tomatoes. In addition to soaking the seeds, tomato bushes need to be treated during the process of growth and ripening. You can fertilize the soil with boron-containing solutions, which are sold in stores. In order for the plant to be loyal to the fertilizer, it is necessary to water the soil with ordinary water before the procedure. Before flowering, the tomato is sprayed with a solution: 10 g. acids per 10 l. water. Stir well until completely dissolved and spray in the evening or early in the morning to avoid direct sunlight.
- For cucumbers. Boron helps the plant in the process of ovary and flowering. During flowering, the plant should be sprayed with a solution of 5 grams. boric acid and 10 l. water. You can add a little sugar (honey) to the solution for good pollination. The same solution is sprayed on the initial shoots of the crop. Just add manganese instead of sugar (to prevent diseases).
- For beets. A lack of boron in beets leads to unusable root crops, and the leaves become stained. In order to prevent fungal disease, it is necessary to first treat the seeds and then “feed” them with a regular boron-containing solution.
Fighting ants
Boric acid not only has beneficial properties for plants, but also has an effect on living organisms. Dry mixtures with boric acid are poisonous. When an insect eats mixtures, it accumulates boron in its body and dies after 12 days.
The main thing is not to put more boric acid in the preparation of mixtures, because the ant will quickly die and will not reach the bait to the anthill.
Signs of boron deficiency in plants
Boron is mainly lacking in soils with high moisture content, as well as acidic soils. In plants, this deficiency is detected in different ways. Potatoes and corn practically do not lack boron, but if a deficiency occurs, the potato leaves turn yellow, the tubers are small, and brown cracks appear.
Some cultivated plants begin to get sick due to a lack of boron:
- For example, beets develop heart rot, wormhole.
- The tomatoes begin to turn black at the base, young leaves and branches grow from below, become brittle, and the tomato begins to look like a bush. Red spots appear on the tomato and the fruit becomes dry.
- Strawberry and raspberry leaves change their shape and color.
- Raspberries have leaves that curl, while strawberries become wrinkled and develop a brown, dry color around the edges.
Common signs of boron deficiency:
- growing points die off;
- the buds dry out;
- plant stems become crooked.
- the leaf of the plant becomes pale green and curled;
- practically no flowering.
Boron overdose
Boric acid belongs to the lowest class of harmful substances. If it comes into contact with skin, nothing will happen.
But if there is a lot of boron in the ground, it can significantly damage the plants:
- Burn of lower leaves. They turn yellow, dry out and fall off.
- The leaf changes its shape. It becomes like a dome, turns inward, and turns yellow. Adult leaves suffer the most from this.
- The root system also suffers. The horse may get burned. Then the small roots die off, and the large ones stop absorbing beneficial properties and moisture from the ground, which causes the plant to wilt.
- Trees show large amounts of boron in leaf yellowing.
The development of modern technologies has led to the appearance on the market large quantity ready-made fertilizers for house plants. In pursuit of best result flower growers choose them, leaving behind effective but forgotten remedies. This is not always correct, because to improve appearance And general condition flowers, you can use inexpensive but effective means. One of these is boric acid, because its effectiveness for caring for indoor plants has been known for a long time.
This product is accessible and inexpensive, it is easy to use, and the results achieved with its help often exceed expectations. Borax, in addition to floriculture, is also used in other areas, for example, in medicine or in the fight against harmful insects. Cheapness and efficiency are its main advantages.
All indoor flowers growing in a limited space require fertilizing for proper development and growth. A deficiency of nutrients leads to their weakening, lack of flowering, weak growth rate, and sometimes death. for caring for house plants - an opportunity to provide your indoor pets with quality care.
Chemical properties and composition of the acid
Externally, the acid is transparent granules or powder without a distinct color or odor, poorly soluble in cold water. Under natural conditions, it can be extracted in an unbound form.
It is an inorganic acid with the chemical formula H3BO3. The main component of the substance is boron, which is an important element for the quality growth and development of plants.Boric acid is part of some minerals, for example, colemanite, boracite, borax. Boron is also present in sea water. In addition, any plant cell contains it.
In addition to boric acid, there are other fertilizers containing boron:
- borax, or acid salt, is used for spraying;
- Boric supersulfate is used as a top dressing.
Indications for use for indoor flowers
A sufficient amount of boron ensures high-quality growth and development for any plant. The drug helps to establish metabolic processes, increase chlorophyll content, and nitrogen synthesis. Increases the intensity of calcium and oxygen supply to the root system. These conditions are necessary for potted flowers to feel good.
Good to know!
In addition, the benefit of the drug for indoor flowers is to accelerate recovery after transplantation and during sudden temperature changes, stimulate the formation of new growth points, and prevent putrefactive processes.
Signs of boron deficiency include the following:
- darkening and death of growing points of roots and cuttings;
- shedding of buds;
- deformation of new leaves, their rapid withering;
- stems break easily and lose elasticity;
- leaves and stems become covered with brown spots;
- the upper shoots turn pale, develop slowly or die.
This happens mainly due to the lack of oxygen experienced by the root system. For this reason, the rate of supply of nutrients slows down, and this inevitably leads to the withering of the flower.
In such cases, the benefits of borax are undeniable. Used as a top dressing, it stimulates the process of seed germination and promotes good flowering decorative species and protects against diseases.
Preparation of boric acid solution and calculation of dosage for indoor plants
Using the drug to care for any flowers has some peculiarities. By following all the rules, you can significantly improve the condition of your pets:
Improper preparation of the solution and an excess of boron can lead to undesirable consequences:
- yellowing of foliage;
- stem drying;
- changing the shape of leaves, their curling.
It is very important to follow the instructions on the package and ensure the correct concentration of the substance.
Soaking the seeds
In order for the seeds to have a higher percentage of germination and germinate faster, it is recommended to soak them in a borax solution before planting.
To prepare a solution, take 0.2 g of the drug per liter of water and dilute it according to the instructions - first in hot, then in cold water. Afterwards, the seeds, previously placed in a fabric or gauze bag, are immersed in the solution for a period of 12 to 24 hours, depending on the plant variety.
If there is a suspicion that the soil is boron deficient, it can be treated with such a solution before planting the seed.
In addition, the seeds can be soaked in a complex preparation that contains boron. To prepare it you need to take 1 liter of infusion onion peel, add 4-5 tbsp. l. ash, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 g of manganese and 0.2 g of boric acid.
Spraying foliage
Spraying home flowers with boron solution ensures intense and long-lasting flowering, resistance to adverse conditions, and resistance to diseases and pests.
For spraying, it is better to choose a cloudy day or evening so that the leaves do not suffer from burns. It is also important to remember that boron does not migrate from adult to young elements during the growing season, so spraying with the drug must be carried out throughout the entire period of flower growth.
To improve the quality of flowering, plants are treated first during the formation of buds, and then at the moment of flowering. To prepare a solution for spraying, you need to dissolve 10 g of the drug in 10 liters of water. If a smaller volume is needed, the proportion is determined at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of liquid.
Pest protection
The drug is used to a greater extent to combat ants - garden and house ones. Since the drug causes disturbances in nervous system insects, paralyzes them and leads to death.
Note!
The most in a simple way protection against pests is scattered powder in their habitat.
Also one of effective means protection is insect bait. To prepare it, mix a teaspoon of powder, 100 g of hot water, 1 tbsp. l. honey and 2 tbsp. l. Sahara. The mixture must be thoroughly mixed, and the resulting slurry must be poured into a shallow bowl and placed next to the ant paths.
Root feeding is used mainly for flowering plants. It is not produced very often, usually once every three years, and only when the flower has obvious signs of boron deficiency.
It is very important to moisten the soil well before applying fertilizer, otherwise the roots may get severely burned. To prepare a nutrient solution, 1-2 g of acid is dissolved in 10 liters of settled water. After applying fertilizer, it is important for plants to receive a sufficient amount of sunlight, since boron stimulates nitrogen synthesis, and a lack of light will negatively affect the growth process. It should be remembered that the drug should be used as a fertilizer for indoor plants with caution.
Possible harm to indoor plants and precautions
Boric acid is a low-hazard substance for humans and belongs to class 4. Does not cause any harm upon contact with skin. However, boron accumulation may occur in the body because it is poorly excreted by the excretory system.
An overdose of boron can have unpleasant consequences for plants. If the acid is diluted incorrectly, it can provoke:
- Burns of the root system of varying severity. That is why the soil must be well moistened before root feeding.
- Drying of leaf edges.
- Dying and falling of leaves.
Most often, the roots and old leaves of the plant suffer from excess borax.
Common Questions
What are the signs of boron deficiency in indoor plants?
In the early stages, boron deficiency does not have obvious signs. With its acute deficiency, plants wither, their growth slows down, buds die and fall off before they bloom. In addition, the stems and leaves become brittle and break easily, and also become covered with brown spots.
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