Fusion Fertilising Tips and Hints
1) The performance of phosphorous acid based fungicides can be dramatically enhanced with the inclusion of fulvic acid with every application. Fulvic acid increases the permeability of plant membranes, allowing more efficient uptake through leaf or roots. The NTS product, Fulvic 1400™, is a cost-effective option.
- The measurement of plant sap pH is a technique to monitor plant health, nutritional requirements, yield potential and disease resistance in a single, two-minute test. A pH-level of 6.4 is considered the ideal sap pH for all plants. Low sap pH reflects a shortage of calcium, magnesium or potassium, and the more acidic the sap, the higher the likelihood of fungus pressure. High sap pH suggests a shortage of phosphorus, nitrogen or sulphur, and the more alkaline the sap, the higher the likelihood of insect pressure. Plant sap pH-Meters are available from NTS.
3) Boron is the most unstable of all trace elements, and it is very difficult to maintain the desired soil level of 1 ppm throughout the crop cycle. Humus is the boron storehouse, and accordingly, soils with organic matter levels below 4% struggle to retain sufficient boron for crop requirements. There are two NTS tips to address this problem:
a) Humates have a phenomenal ion storage capacity. Humic acid, for example, has a cation exchange capacity (CEC) of 500, while fulvic acids range from 900 to 1400. The fusion of boron with humates is the ideal technique to tie boron to the soil and reduce leaching. NTS’s product featuring this fusion is called NTS Stabilised Boron Granules™.
b) Boron plays a critical role in the fruiting process. The application of a complete, boron-based foliar fertiliser at flower initiation can be extremely productive. Brassicas, including broccoli, cauliflower and canola, are particularly responsive. Flower crops, legumes, cucurbits, strawberries and tomatoes will all benefit. Productivity can be lifted in all orchard crops, as boron can improve the critical fruit to flower ratio. In avocadoes, for example, only a tiny percentage of flowers produce fruit. Timing is critical with this crop. In the Hass variety, the boron foliar should be applied directly to the flowers during the early stages of flower expansion (called the cauliflower stage) but prior to full panicle expansion. Boron ShuttleTM from NTS is a complete boron fertiliser ideally suited for this purpose. Boron Shuttle™ also contains very high levels of cytokinins, which can provide a further boost to the fruiting process.