Boric acid is used in various areas of human life. It plays an important role in medicine and is used in households. Garden and vegetable plants also need boron for successful growth, existence and prosperity.
After many years of using orthoboric acid, experienced gardeners added it to the list of irreplaceable folk remedies used for working on the ground.
Why acid is useful during plant growth and maturation:
- accelerates culture growth;
- increases productivity;
- improves the taste of fruits;
- increases the size of vegetables and fruits;
- facilitates adaptation to temperature changes, drought, and frost.
Growth stimulator
To speed up the growth of seeds, they are kept in a solution, which is obtained by diluting 200 mg of acid in 1 liter of water. For cabbage, squash, and cucumber seeds, the soaking period is 12 hours, and the seeds of tomatoes, onions, carrots, and beets are kept in a boron solution for 24 hours.
Top dressing
Crops are fed with orthoboric acid when it is clearly visible that the soil needs boron.
Strawberry
If there is a lack of boron, the leaves of the plant die at the edges. Fertilizing with boric acid will increase the yield and improve the taste of the berries.
Recipes:
At the beginning of spring, even before planting the seedlings, the soil is fed with a solution of the following ingredients:
- potassium permanganate – 1 g;
- orthoboric acid – 1 g;
- water - 1 bucket.
The volume is designed for 35–40 plants.
During the same period, you cannot do without foliar feeding, for which 5 g of acid is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
At the stage of bud setting, spraying is repeated. But the composition is being changed. The following elements are connected:
- potassium permanganate – 2 g;
- orthoboric acid – 2 g;
- wood ash – 200 g;
- water – 10 l.
The ash is first poured with water, allowed to brew for a day, strained and poured into water.
Tomatoes
Boron deficiency is judged by atrophy or darkening of growth points, the appearance of brittle and brittle cuttings. Brown spots can be seen on the fruits.
When flowering, the bushes are sprayed with the following composition:
- orthoboric acid – 1 g;
- water – 10 l.
This fertilizing will improve the ovary of tomatoes.
During the ripening of tomatoes, repeat spraying with the same solution as before. The fruits will ripen faster and become more sugary.
Potato
The fact that there is not enough boron will be indicated by the slow growth of the crop and the appearance of scab on potatoes. As soon as problems are noticed, fertilize with a solution consisting of 6 g of acid and 10 liters of water. This volume is enough for a plot of 10 square meters. meters.
Often they are fertilized with boron-phosphorus compounds or, as an alternative, they add wood ash, 1 kg of which contains up to 0.7 kg of boron.
Apple and pear trees
A lack of boron provokes thickening of the foliage and its falling off due to a severe deficiency of the element. The veins darken and the leaves curl. Flowers on pears quickly dry out and fall off, and the fruits change shape. Spotting and swelling are noticeable on the apples.
Spraying with the following composition helps:
- boric acid – 10 g;
- water – 10 l.
Foliar feeding is carried out in the evening, sprayed evenly over the entire crown. The procedure is performed when the buds open, then repeated a week later.
Flowers
The best time to spray is during the formation of buds and the appearance of flowers.
Recipes:
- All types of roses are sprayed early in spring. To fertilize, 10 g of boric acid is dissolved in 10 liters of water;
- gladioli respond well to treatment with a composition of 10 g of orthoboric acid per ten-liter bucket of water. Spraying is carried out when gladioli are flowering, which makes it possible to obtain enlarged bulbs;
- dahlias. For flowers, foliar feeding with the following composition is preferable: 2 g manganese, 5 g boron, 10 liters of water. Feed twice, until abundant flowering, with an interval of 15 days.
Pest Control
Boric acid is an indispensable means of freeing land plantations from pests that spoil the appearance of plantings and negatively affect the harvest.
Ants
Baits with boric acid, seasoned with sweets, are placed at the entrance to ant houses. Pests carry acid into the anthill, where they poison other individuals.
Effective recipes:
- pour a glass of solution of orthoboric acid and 2 tablespoons of sugar near the entrance to the anthill;
- place bait balls on the ant paths. Ingredients: two boiled potatoes, two yolks, a spoonful of boron, vegetable oil;
- On the ant paths, place a poisonous mixture of 4 tablespoons of minced meat and a spoon of orthoboric acid.
The same baits effectively destroy various types of aphids.
Medvedka
These pests are active at night.They negatively affect the soil and plants, and they are combated by burying baits with boric acid directly into the ground. The composition is prepared as follows: one kilogram of grain is steamed, added to 2 tsp. acid a little vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly. The food is ready.
Woodlice
This is a radical way to protect yourself from woodlice. To obtain the desired result, spray the plant and the soil underneath it, where the pests are most numerous. 20 g of orthoboric acid is diluted in a liter of water and the marked areas are treated.
To keep the land in order, enjoy a good harvest of vegetables and fruits, and inhale the wonderful aroma of beautiful flowers, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive chemicals. Try these effective recipes. And then you will be able to appreciate the acid at its true worth.
