Foliar fertilization & Living Soil
What is foliar fertilization?
Foliar feed or foliar application refers to spraying the leaves of the plant with nutrient solution.
Plants can absorb nutrients not only through their roots but also through other plant tissues. Leaves are particularly well-suited for absorbing nutrients above the root zone because they have stomata.
Stomata are important for leaf respiration, i.e. gas exchange and transpiration.
The water evaporating through the stomata creates a suction effect in the plant and thus ensures the absorption of water and thus nutrients through the roots.
If plants absorb nutrients primarily through their roots, why do they still need foliar fertilizers?
As most gardeners know, nutrients are divided into mobile and immobile nutrients. Some nutrients are more mobile within the plant than others. This is partly due to their size, their charge (+ / - ), and/or other nutrients that are necessary for their transport.
However, the plant needs all nutrients in sufficient quantities for every cell it forms and thus throughout its entire plant tissue.
Foliar fertilization allows nutrients to be supplied to the plant directly where they are needed.
This saves the plant energy and reduces stress.
Why Living Soil?
Healthy soil contains all the nutrients a plant needs for growth in sufficient quantities. These are provided to the plant through symbiotic relationships with microorganisms.
Healthy, naturally grown soil, however, takes time to develop. Even the best Living Soil substrate is initially just a substrate. A mixture of various organic and mineral substances, it only becomes real soil through plant roots and micro- and macroorganisms.
Important trace elements, in particular, are often not present in sufficient quantities or are not yet available to plants. These substances, which usually occur in minerals, are provided in the form of rock flour and must first undergo a weathering process before they can be absorbed by the plant.
This also leads to deficiencies in trace elements or macronutrients in Living Soil, which require trace elements for their transport.
One example is boron. Although required in tiny amounts of 2-4 ppm, boron is nevertheless necessary for calcium transport in the plant and for calcium metabolism.
In addition to the well-known symptoms of calcium deficiency such as necrotic spots on the leaves, hidden deficiencies such as hollow stems and reduced root exudates can occur beforehand.
Boron is an element that is needed by microorganisms and plants, and if it is insufficiently available, the symbiotic relationship will be at the expense of one of the participants.
Foliar fertilization is a wonderful tool for promoting the development of healthy soil and growing healthy, productive plants.
Trace elements such as boron, iron, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt and selenium, as well as calcium and magnesium, can thus be made directly available to the plant.
The plant uses the symbiosis with the microorganisms but is additionally supplied with nutrients that initially only serve the growth of the phytobiome in the soil.
However, it is important to note that only low doses are added here, as otherwise the interaction between the plant and the microorganisms will be disturbed.
These low dosages make foliar fertilization extremely effective and ecologically and economically sensible.
We chose Rootinn Natural Green products because they are made from 100% natural minerals and are free of heavy metals.
Thanks to the innovative manufacturing technology, they achieve a maximum particle size of 3 microns and can therefore be absorbed through the stomata of the plant.
In practice
Foliar fertilization can be applied throughout the entire growing cycle. To avoid contamination from residues, only the lower foliage should be sprayed starting in the third week of flowering.
In general, a fine spray mist is recommended. This can be achieved with standard push-button sprayers up to 1 liter capacity by spraying from a sufficient distance. Similar to painting with a spray can, it is better to work with quick, even strokes. The leaves should only be covered with a light film and not dripping wet. The underside of the leaves should be sprayed especially, as this is where most of the stomata are located.
To achieve better distribution over the leaf surface, natural wetting agents such as potassium soap, aloe extract, or soap nut extract can be used. Aloe extract also has plant-strengthening properties and provides food for microorganisms found on the leaf surface.
When growing in a greenhouse or outdoors, spraying should not be done in direct sunlight. Indoor grow lights can be dimmed to 20% of their power. After about half an hour, the film will have been absorbed by the plant, and the light can be operated at its previous setting again.
Have fun spraying!