WHAT IS REASONABLE POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION??

How to fertilize potassium properly? This is a question that many people are interested in. Potassium fertilizers are mostly potassium salts (KCL, K2SO4, KNO3) used as fertilizers for plants. VNT Company helps you answer technical questions about using potassium nitrogen in the article below.

Characteristics of potassium fertilizers

Potassium fertilizers are very important for plants. In plants, potassium exists mainly in cell fluid (more than 80%), a small part is absorbed by cell colloids, and less than 1% is retained in the cytoplasm in cells.

Below are the outstanding features of Potassium fertilizer:

- It is a fast-dissolving fertilizer, easily burns leaves, wilts young roots and suckers of plants when in direct contact

- Easily evaporates and is washed away, remaining in the water for a long time in the field will cause toxicity

- Heavy soil - clay, heavy loam and medium loam rich in potassium

- Poor soil, gray soil, light loam is poor in potassium and not enough to supply plants

- The plants that need the most potassium are tuber plants (potatoes, cassava), sugar plants (sugarcane), fiber plants (cotton, jute, pineapple, mulberry), fruit trees (coconut, banana).

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Characteristics of Potassium Fertilizers

Instructions for Proper Potassium Fertilization

To apply Potassium fertilizers, we need to depend on the following factors: variety, growth period, soil structure, cultivation intensity, K amount, K absorption characteristics/day of plants:

For soil

- Soil is less acidic or not acidic, high in Ca2+, Mg2+. When potassium fertilizer is applied, K+ ions will push Ca2+, Mg2+ out of the soil colloid. Therefore, long-term fertilization, especially when applied in large quantities, can easily cause the soil to become acidic. Therefore, lime must be applied to neutralize acidity and supplement Ca2+, Mg2+ to the soil.

– Acidic soil: need to add lime to neutralize acidity before applying Potassium

– Light loam soil, sandy loam soil, alluvial soil, red-yellow soil: need to apply enough or more K than the plant needs

– Soil plowed with straw, fertilized with a lot of manure or soil with high clay ratio, saline soil, swampy soil, peat soil, humus soil on high mountains: then the K demand is low

– Soil with high clay ratio or soil left fallow between crops needs less Potassium

– For neutral soil, lime should be added promptly when applying Potassium

– If 2 crops are planted next to each other, the soil does not have time to rest, so pay attention to basal fertilization and top dressing before flowering. If the soil has time to rest for a long time, only pay attention to top dressing in the following period.

How to use potassium fertilizer for each type of soil

For crops

The higher the yield, the more potassium the plant needs

+ Group 1: Very sensitive to Chlorine (Cl) such as tobacco, essential oil plants, oranges, tangerines, grapes... apply Potassium fertilizer without Chlorine.

+ Group 2: Sensitive to Chlorine such as legumes, potatoes are suitable for high concentrations of Potassium

+ Group 3: Fiber crops: cotton, jute, flax, cucumbers... can be fertilized with high amounts of Potassium

+ Group 4: Grain crops and pastures: suitable for Potassium fertilizer (40% K2O) - Potassium concentration at an average level

+ Group 5: Most suitable for Potassium fertilizer containing a little sodium: sugar beets, radishes, root crops for livestock feed belonging to the herbaceous plants.

Fertilizing with Potassium according to each type of crop

Growth period

Potassium demand is needed throughout the season but increases during the growth and flowering and fruiting periods.

Other factors

- Potassium is closely related to nitrogen, so when fertilizing with increased nitrogen, it is necessary to increase Potassium

- To increase the efficiency of using Potassium, it is necessary to increase the micronutrients P, S, Zn.

When is the best time to fertilize plants with potassium?

When is the best time to fertilize with potassium? For each type of food crop, fertilizing at the right time helps the plant grow and achieve high productivity.

For rice, vegetables, and food crops

– Before planting: Helps prepare the soil and provide the necessary mineral resources for the plant from the beginning. This helps create a good nutritional environment, creating optimal conditions for vegetable crops to grow strongly from the beginning.

– During the development process: Potassium fertilization helps maintain health, increase environmental tolerance, and improve the quality of vegetables. For vegetables such as spinach, Chinese cabbage, or cabbage, when the plant reaches an age of about 3-4 weeks after planting is a good time to fertilize with potassium.

– After the harvest period: Potassium fertilization after each harvest cycle helps vegetable crops recover after the energy-consuming period and prepare for the new planting season.

Fertilization stage of rice plants

For fruit trees, industrial trees

– Before flowering: helps to best prepare for the reproductive stage of the plant and the formation of fruit. Applying potassium at the right time before the plant begins to flower will ensure that the plant has enough raw materials to grow strongly and bring the best yield and quality of fruit.

– After harvest: This is the stage when the plant is spending energy to recover and prepare for the new season. Applying potassium after harvest helps to improve the health of the plant and prepare for the next crop.

– During fruit development: Adding potassium during this stage helps to ensure that the plant has enough nutrients needed to develop large, deep and good quality fruit. Potassium also aids in the synthesis of fat, protein and other nutrients, making the fruit more nutritious and delicious.

– Before the rainy or dry season: Applying potassium before sudden weather changes helps plants prepare best for difficult times and minimize the impact of environmental changes.

Time to apply potassium to fruit trees

Applying potassium fertilizer and notes

- Apply potassium fertilizer in several times to limit leaching. Apply throughout the season: do not apply it all at once when planting or only apply it during the growth, flowering, and fruiting stages

– Potassium fertilizer can be used as a base fertilizer by mixing it with soil. Do not apply fertilizer exposed to the surface of fields or gardens.

– Apply potassium fertilizer in combination with other fertilizers

– When applying, avoid applying it when the leaves are still wet, as this will cause the fertilizer to stick to the leaves. In some cases, it is possible to fertilize by spraying the solution on the leaves during flowering, tuberization, and fiber formation, but it is necessary to pay attention to the concentration and not to do it during dry, hot times.

- Use K fertilizer as a base fertilizer or top dressing, especially necessary for the soil of the previous crop of root crops.

In case there is no potassium fertilizer, it can be overcome by fertilizing with wood ash to replace potassium fertilizer, because wood ash has a high potassium content, combined with lime, increasing the amount of wood ash applied many times.

Notes when using potassium fertilizer

Properly fertilizing potassium will help farmers achieve high productivity. Hopefully, the article will help readers have more useful information.

Currently, fake fertilizers are being sold everywhere on the market. Farmers should find a reputable company to buy reputable quality fertilizers.

Our company VNT is the leading distributor of chemical fertilizers in Vietnam. Here are all kinds of potassium fertilizers and a series of other fertilizer lines. Committed to reputable quality products. As a trusted address for farmers, we always satisfy the needs of customers. Contact us for the earliest consultation and receive many incentives from the company.