Features of feeding and watering beets in July and August
The second half of summer is considered an important period in the cultivation of beets. At this time, the vegetable accumulates useful and nutritious compounds in the root crop, as well as valuable aromatic substances. Therefore, in July and August, each farmer must pay special attention to the culture, including the feeding regimen. We will examine in detail what the beets need for the growth of root crops at the beginning and at the end of the fruit formation phase, as well as what is needed for a good crop.
Rules for the care of beets during cultivation
Beet beds are broken everywhere, this culture is not difficult to grow, so it can bear fruit in any conditions, even with a beginner. But often farmers are faced with low vegetable productivity, which is due to errors in agricultural technology.
To avoid problems, adhere to the following rules:
- the vegetable is demanding on top dressing, therefore fertilizers need to be applied to the soil regularly, starting in autumn;
- periodic weeding and loosening of the soil are the main requirements of the culture, therefore, procedures are resorted to every week;
- after germination, the beet beds are thinned out ; without this, neighboring plants will enter into competition, which will reduce yield;
- in drought, the beds are watered 2 times a week, in the rainy season 1 time in 10-14 days;
- the moisture in the beds should be no more than 70%, otherwise the fruits will suffer from putrefactive lesions;
- Salt dressing is the main key to a quality crop, therefore, they are carried out regularly, throughout the entire vegetative period;
- all tall vegetation around beet beds should be removed, the culture loves space and light;
- hardly soluble organic fertilizers for beets are contraindicated, as they lead to the accumulation of toxins in root crops.
Did you know? Beetroot is the only crop that needs salt supplementation. Without freely available sodium, which is in salt, its productivity decreases, and the fruits are small and tasteless.
Do I need to feed beets?
As a vegetable crop, beets during the period of growth, development and formation of the root crop need nutrients. With their help, the plant builds cells and tissues, and also forms specific formations and substances that regulate metabolism. But this culture grows even on poor soils, so farmers often think about whether it should be fed.
To provide the vegetable with the conditions for development, as well as to enable him to use his potential to the maximum, the beds are necessarily fertilized. Even in fertile soil the necessary compounds are not always found, so the plant develops unevenly. Often this leads to low yields and nutritional deficiencies in harvested fruits.
However, before applying top dressing, each grower must familiarize himself with the type of soil on the site, and also keep track of fertilizer application annually. Without this, in the absence of external signs, it is difficult to determine the need of plants.
We recommend finding out why the beets do not grow or grow poorly and how to eliminate the causes of the problem.
How to determine which fertilizer is missing?
Determining the need of a culture for individual nutrients is not easy. To do this, you need to conduct a complex laboratory analysis that determines the composition of the soil on the site. But often the lack of nutrient compounds leads to morphological changes in plants, on the basis of which they determine their need for individual substances.
Signs of deficiency of the most important compounds for culture:
| Compound | Key signs of shortage |
| Nitrogen | Small leaves, leaf tops develop slowly or do not grow. Leaves fade, lose color saturation |
| Sodium | Red tops or leaves |
| Potassium | The aerial part of the plants is covered with yellow spots or completely changes color to pale yellow |
Regardless of the regime of top dressing and soil fertility, from June to August, beets need trace elements: zinc, molybdenum, copper, magnesium, sulfur, cobalt, manganese, iron and boron. Despite the fact that their deficiency does not cause external manifestations, the absence of trace elements leads to a decrease in plant immunity, as well as inhibition of photosynthesis in foliage. As a result of this, productivity decreases and the commercial quality of root crops is lost. Important! In July and August, it is forbidden to feed crops with nitrogen fertilizers. This will lead to the accumulation of nitrates harmful to humans in root crops. Nitrogen is introduced into the soil before planting or even in the fall.
How can I feed beets in July and August?
Since the beginning of July, young beet sprouts are rapidly gaining mass, at this time the phase of accumulation of nutrients in root crops begins. Therefore, every vegetable grower should pay special attention to fertilizing the crop and fertilize the beds, without which beetroot plantings will turn into useless tops.
Mineral fertilizers
Since mid-summer, beets need complex mineral supplements based on phosphorus and potassium compounds. Often, these nutrients are added individually, while superphosphate and potassium sulfate are considered to be popular and affordable sources of these compounds. They are introduced at the beginning of July both in dry form, evenly distributing the granules over the site, and in the form of solutions with the calculation of 500 g of superphosphate and 200 g of potassium per 10 m² of plantings.
If the plants show a clear sign of a lack of nitrogen in the soil, then they are fertilized with a urea solution. Prepare it from 20 g of urea and 10 liters of water. Such a mixture is sprayed on a sheet, avoiding contact with the soil. In this period, solutions of boric acid (15 g / 10 l of water) and potassium permanganate (0.5 tsp / 5 l of water) are added as a source of trace elements during this period. Such mixtures not only nourish and activate beet metabolism, but also help to cope with infections and parasites. Read also how to deal with beet diseases in the open ground.
Folk remedies
Concentrated mineral fertilizers can be replaced with a complex of top dressing of natural origin. Better beet plantations respond to fertilizer with wood ash. This substance is one of the few sources of phosphorus and potassium that are distinguished by safety as well as affordability. They make ash in the form of infusions, with a calculation of 300 g / 5 l of water. The mixture is mixed well, kept at room temperature for 4-5 days, and then used for watering under the root. Ash solutions are added twice, at the beginning of June and at the end of August.
As a source of trace elements, an infusion of fresh nettle is effective. To cook it, nettle is cut, poured with water and left for fermentation in the open air for 5-7 days. Such a substance is used for watering the soil, in addition to saturating the vegetable with microelements, the solution repels pests and strengthens the rhizome. Beds are shed with liquid no more than 1 time per week.
Feeding with chicken manure or mullein solution is also effective (1:10 and 1:12, respectively). In addition to potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, they saturate the soil with minerals that can remain in the soil for a long time. Beets are fed this liquid 1-2 times.
Important! Fresh chicken droppings for fertilizer is prohibited. Even weak solutions of the substance cause burns to the root system, which often leads to the death of plantations. Particular attention is paid to dressing with salt. The substance is the only concentrated source of potassium that helps turn weak beets into a powerful plant with a fragrant and sweet root crop. From the beginning of July to the end of August, such dressing is carried out twice. Salt is added as an aqueous solution with the calculation of 1 glass / 10 l of water. Soil and tops are abundantly wetted with liquid. In addition to nutritional qualities, it protects plantings from pests.
Features of watering beets in July and August
Timely watering is no less important for culture than top dressing. At first, young plants are watered often, but since July, the water regime should be changed.
Did you know? Beetroot has been used for food since the 2nd millennium BC. e., but until the IV century BC. e. only the tops of the plant were selected for food. This is due to the fact that wild-growing forms of the vegetable did not form root crops prior to cultivation.
Water requirements
For irrigation use clean and prepared water. To do this, 1–2 days before the procedure, water is collected in large containers and defended.
How much and how often do you need to water?
If there is no rain, beets are watered 2-3 times a week, but in rainy weather the number of irrigations is reduced to 1-2. At the same time, the average liquid flow rate per 1 m² is 15 liters. If the irrigation procedure coincides with the liquid dressing of the beds, they are combined, while it is forbidden to add more than 15–20 l of liquid per 1 m².
When to stop watering beets, not many know. Often this time comes in early August, then the number of irrigations is reduced, but by the middle of the month the procedure is completely abandoned. At this time, the beets enter the phase of the final formation of the fruits and their filling. Excessive moisture in the soil will have a detrimental effect on the process, which will be manifested by putrefactive damage to the crop.
Learn more about how to properly water beets in open ground.
Throughout July and August, beetroot enters the phase of active fruit formation. During this period, the plant creates favorable conditions of maintenance, which consist in regular feeding and proper watering. Due to this, even on poor soils, the crop yields high yields. Take advantage of our recommendations, and you will see this.
