To grow a full-fledged crop, organic matter alone, with all its environmental value, is not enough. Potassium fertilizers allow you to speed up intracellular metabolic processes in plant tissues, help them fully prepare for winter and more easily survive frosts, improve the quality of the soil composition and the characteristics of grown fruits.
One of the best of them is potassium sulfate, which allows you to apply this element to crops that do not tolerate chlorine. What kind of fertilizer is this and how it is used - read the article.
Potassium sulfate: composition
About half of the fertilizer is a chemical compound of potassium and oxygen (potassium oxide). There is a small amount of sulfur oxide, iron, sodium, calcium. They are also important for normal plant development. The substance potassium sulfate is represented by yellow or white crystals. It is good to combine potassium sulfate with phosphorus.
Contains potassium sulfate:
- potassium oxide - 47-51%;
- sulfur oxide;
- iron oxide;
- magnesium, phosphorus, nitrogen;
- manganese, zinc, copper, etc.
Formula of potassium sulfate or potassium sulfate:
K2SO4.
Photo of potassium sulfate
What it is?
Potassium sulfate (another name is potassium sulfate ) is a highly effective potassium fertilizer that is used for rapid plant growth and high-quality fruit development.
The fertilizer contains trace elements of potassium (45-50%) and sulfur (17%). The percentage composition is as follows:
- 50% potassium oxide,
- 17% sulfur,
- 3% magnesium
- 0.4% calcium.
Formula: K2SO4.
The fertilizer is produced and sold in polyethylene packages containing white granules. Standard package weight is 900 grams.
The use of potassium sulfate in the garden can bring the following
benefits :
- Increase the resistance of plants to various diseases, including such dangerous ones as damage to fruits by gray rot.
- It will help perennial plants survive the winter favorably and recover effectively in the spring.
- Increase the productivity of fruit trees and berry bushes.
- By improving water circulation in the cellular space of plants, it will help to quickly develop a strong root system, transport micronutrients from the rhizome to the above-ground part and provide high-quality greens.
- Increase the number and quality of shoots.
For gardeners, the following advantages of potassium sulfate :
- The drug is budget-friendly, but very effective - the case when the quality far exceeds the price.
- It's easy to use.
- It is safe for human health (in minimal doses).
- Despite the fact that it is a chemical substance, the drug is not flammable and can be safely transported without fear of fire.
Why do plants need potassium sulfate?
The need for mineral fertilizer for plants is explained by its usefulness.
Helps in the following situations:
- Perennial plants fed with potassium sulfate tolerate the wintering period well. Fertilize in the fall.
- Increasing the content of sugars and vitamins in fruits.
- Increasing plant immunity to many diseases, reducing the likelihood of gray rot.
- Accelerating fluid circulation in cells, ensuring better development of the root system, leaf growth, and shoot formation.
- Regulation of all important processes is already at the cellular level.
Improving soil quality has an overall beneficial effect on plantings.
Video - Potassium and potash fertilizers
Sources
- https://VesOgorod.ru/sulfat-kaliya-kak-udobrenie/
- https://chem.ru/sulfat-kalija.html
- https://stroy-podskazka.ru/udobreniya/sulfat-kaliya/
- https://SuperUrozhay.ru/mineralnye-udobreniya/sulfat-kaliya-kak-udobrenie-osobennosti-ispolzovaniya.html
- https://udobryashkin.ru/promyshlennye/sulfat-kaliya
- https://udobreniya.net/sulfat-kaliya/
- https://pochva.net/industrial/sulfat-kaliya.html
- https://dacha365.net/udobreniya/sulfat-kaliya-sernokislyj-kalij.html
- https://podkormka.guru/kaliynyie/formula-sulfata-kaliya
- https://stroy-podskazka.ru/udobreniya/kak-ispolzovat-sernokislyj-kalij/
- https://teplica-exp.ru/sulfat-kaliya-udobrenie-primenenie/
Advantages and disadvantages
Potassium sulfate feeding has many advantages:
- increasing plant immunity;
- prevents the formation of gray rot;
- provides indispensable help for the plant during wintering;
- increases the amount of sugars, vitamins, microelements;
- increases the amount of harvest;
- affordable price.
Disadvantages of potassium sulfate:
- has selective compatibility;
- absorbs useful microelements from the soil, such as magnesium, potassium, manganese.
Compatibility with other fertilizers
Like all potassium fertilizers, potassium sulfate allows you to get a rich harvest of high-quality fruits if it is used in conjunction with phosphorus. By combining potassium sulfate with superphosphate, fertilizers are absorbed more intensively:
- 10 liters of water;
- 20 g superphosphate;
- 15 g of potassium sulfate.
It is recommended to feed eggplants, tomatoes and peppers with this solution when planting seedlings in the ground.
Nitrogen-potassium fertilizer also works well. To do this, potassium sulfate is combined with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, except urea. This is done immediately before the fertilization procedure, since such a mixture cannot be stored.
Important! Potassium sulfate should not be combined with urea, as in this case ammonia is released.
To deoxidize the soil, it is best to combine potassium sulfate with lime (tuk). But it’s better not to use it together with chalk.
Important! When combining different fertilizers, it is necessary to adhere to the correct dosage, otherwise it will lead to an incorrect chemical reaction, which may cause damage to the plants.
When to add potassium sulfate to the soil - timing of work
For greater efficiency, you need to know the time of fertilizing:
- In autumn or spring, during the digging period, they add it in dry form. This is the first feeding.
- The following procedure is carried out in mid-July in liquid form at the root. On loamy soil, leaf irrigation is carried out.
Potassium sulfate - video
Potassium sulfate is also applied at other times in dry form into the furrows between the rows. Place at a depth of 10 cm. The last feeding is carried out 14 days before harvest.
Attention!
Fertilizer is useful in any form, since potassium is perfectly absorbed by both roots and leaves. However, it is preferable to carry out root feeding, because it is the root system that absorbs more nutrients. In addition, this type of fertilization will simultaneously enrich the soil.
Precautionary measures
Despite the relative safety of the drug (in its pure form it can be eaten), it is
chemical compound (it contains other elements) and when working with it, all normal safety precautions recommended for agrochemicals must be observed.
Before using the product (dry or in solution, it doesn’t matter), you must wear gloves and protect your face to prevent accidental splashes, toxic dust and vapors from entering the respiratory tract, eyes and other mucous membranes.
Follow the instructions strictly; if the substance gets on your skin or mucous membranes, wash them with plenty of clean water and soap. Harvesting should be done no earlier than 2 weeks after the last application of the chemical.
How to dilute potassium sulfate for feeding
There are no problems with how to dissolve potassium sulfate in water. For liquid fertilizer, take from 35 to 40 grams of the substance and dilute it in 10 liters of water
. Potassium is highly soluble. It is recommended to use the fertilizer fresh. The prepared solution is enough to water a bed measuring 3 to 4 meters. The same composition is suitable for foliar feeding.
Dry use
Fertilizer is used in dry form in the fall, evenly scattered on the ground and dug up before wintering. You can carry out this procedure for adding potassium sulfate in early spring, before planting seedlings in open ground.
Photo of the appearance of potassium sulfate
Important!
When digging, the fertilizer is placed at the depth of the roots. This will help normalize the acid-base balance.
Dry fertilizing is carried out every year, because the growth and formation of fruits takes all the useful elements from the soil.
Fertilizer in dry form is applied with gloves to protect the skin of the hands from its effects.
Application rates
The following table shows the application rates of potassium sulfate for different crops, depending on the timing and method of application of fertilizing.
| Culture | Dosage and methods of application | ||
| In the spring, when digging the area, g/m² | In summer, after watering or rain with solution, g/10 l (consumption - l/1 m²) | In autumn, when digging or loosening the soil, g/m² | |
| Tomato, bell pepper | 20 | 30 ( 4 ) | _ |
| cucumbers | 15 | 25 (3) | _ |
| Cabbage | 25 | 35-40 (3) | _ |
| Potato | 30-35 | 40 (0.3 l per 1 bush) | _ |
| Strawberries, wild strawberries, raspberries | 20 | 35 ( 3-4) | 20 |
| Decorative shrubs, flowers | 50-100 | _ | 50 |
| Currants, gooseberries, blackberries | 20 | 20 (spraying) | _ |
| Fruit trees | 20-25 | 50 (10-50 l per 1 tree) | Up to 200 per 1 tree |
Important! Tomatoes constantly need potassium, so they need to be fed with sulfate during seedling growth when 3-4 leaves are formed. Fertilize the second time 7 days before transplanting into the ground. After the ovaries begin to form, tomatoes are fertilized with potassium every 10-15 days until the end of fruiting.
Application on different types of soil
It was already noted above that almost any soil accepts this fertilizing well. In sandy soils, potassium sulfate will easily and quickly reach the root system, but in loamy soil you will have to help by pouring granules directly into the location of the roots.
On acid-alkaline soil, this fertilizer can be combined with lime for greater efficiency.
Attention!
On saline soils, fertilizing is not used due to the high salt content in such soil.
In heavy soil, potassium sulfate is added to a great depth, and in light sandy soil it is placed on the surface.
Features of use
Potassium sulfate can be strengthened with nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing fertilizers, but urea and chalk cannot be combined.
Potassium from the fertilizer quickly mixes with the soil, and plants absorb it through the root system. But this process does not occur in the same way on different soils, for example, in heavy soils with clay the mineral is not able to penetrate into the lower layer, but in sandy and light soils potassium is absorbed faster due to rapid penetration into the soil. That is why fertilizer is applied closer to the roots.
Attention! On heavy soils, before digging in the fall to a sufficient depth, and in the spring, it is not recommended to bury potassium sulfate.
Rules of application
In order not to harm your plantings, when adding potassium sulfate, you must use the instructions for use.
Fertilizing the soil can be done during autumn or spring digging of the soil. But you should not refuse mineral potassium fertilizing during the growing season of plants, if necessary. You can feed plants with dry fertilizer or dissolved in water.
The instructions indicate which garden and vegetable crops can be fed with potassium sulfate:
- grapes and potatoes, flax and tobacco;
- citrus;
- all cruciferous vegetables;
- legumes are sulfur lovers;
- gooseberries, cherries, plums, pears, raspberries and apple trees;
- various vegetable and berry crops.
When using any fertilizer, it is important to know the dosage and strictly adhere to the recommendations.
Here are some options:
- for tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and flowers, 15-20 grams per square meter is enough;
- cabbage, potatoes a little more - 25-30 grams;
- When planting, fruit trees require from 150 to 200 grams per hole.
If fertilizing is required during the growing season, then apply 10 to 15 grams per square for vegetables and strawberries. You can apply fertilizer under plantings or in a furrow at some distance.
Potassium sulfate is also used for foliar feeding. To do this, prepare a weakly concentrated 0.05-0.1% solution and spray it in any convenient way.
For watering, you need to add 30-40 grams of potash fertilizer to a ten-liter bucket. About 20 plants are watered with this solution, depending on their size.
When using potassium fertilizer, it is necessary to take into account the shelf life of the substance in the fruit. Therefore, 15-20 days before harvesting, feeding stops. Otherwise, instead of healthy products, poisoned vegetables and fruits will end up on the table, which can cause allergies or even poisoning.
Precautionary measures
There are no toxic components or harmful impurities in the Potassium Sulfate fertilizer. Therefore, working with it is relatively safe.
Before feeding, it is advisable to wear protective clothing and cover the nasopharynx. To do this, it is better to use a respirator; in extreme cases, a cotton-gauze bandage. Protect your eyes with goggles and put on rubber gloves on your hands.
If the solution gets into the eyes, it irritates the mucous membranes. You should quickly rinse your eyes with plenty of water.
Important! If irritation does not go away, you should consult a doctor.
At the end of the work, the exposed parts of the body are washed with soap and water. Items must be washed to remove dust from the powder substance. The instructions on the package describe everything in detail.
Signs of deficiency and excess of potassium in plants
Most often, potassium deficiency is present on sandstones, peat bogs, and floodplain soils.
. The foliage of the plants is faded, dull, and bluish-green. When there is a serious potassium deficiency in plants, brown spots form on the leaves along the edges of the foliage. After some time, they curl into a tube and wrinkles are present.
Signs of excess potassium fertilizing appear in the occurrence of chlorosis, when the chlorophyll content in the foliage decreases, the leaves become thinner, necrosis may begin on the shoots, the length of the internodes is reduced, the root system becomes sick and begins to rot.
Photos of signs of potassium deficiency and excess in plants
Fertilizing flowers with potassium sulfate
Among the flower crops, potassium sulfate is most loved by chrysanthemums, petunias, irises, gerberas, and callas. They respond almost immediately to fertilization.
You can water flowers using a solution prepared per 10 liters of water, 20-30 grams of product
. Moisten 1 m2 around the bush. The best time for root feeding is autumn and spring.
And foliar fertilizers of flower crops are good to carry out in the summer. For foliar feeding, the concentration of fertilizer during dilution should be reduced by 3 times.
Safety precautions at work
Compliance with precautionary measures will not be superfluous; this chemical compound belongs to moderately dangerous substances, is included in hazard class III, and the MPC (maximum permissible concentration) in 1 cubic meter of air is 10 mg. Before applying fertilizer, it is advisable to wear goggles and gloves, a respirator or a cotton-gauze bandage. Upon completion of work, the used clothing is washed, and exposed parts of the body are washed with soap and water.
When powder particles come into contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes, nasopharynx and skin, mechanical irritation may occur. Accidental ingestion of large quantities of the chemical leads to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and poisoning occurs in rare cases of prolonged use. If the solution gets into your eyes, rinse them with plenty of water, and if severe irritation occurs, consult a doctor.
The compound is not explosive or flammable and does not require special handling conditions. It can be transported by any transport in accordance with current regulations, and covered warehouses are suitable for storing reserves in original packaging. In this case, the main recommendation is protection from the direct action of water and high ambient humidity. The guaranteed shelf life of the dry substance is three years from the date of manufacture at temperatures not exceeding 20 °C.
It is advisable to use diluted solutions immediately and not store them for long periods of time, even in tightly closed containers.
How to replace potassium sulfate
There are substitutes for potassium sulfate:
- Calimagnesia
. The potassium content is two times less. Magnesium is present. - Potassium salt
. It contains the same amount of potassium as potassium sulfate, only it contains chlorine, which narrows the range of its use. It is recommended to make a replacement only for digging in the fall. For 1 m2 take from 10 to 20 grams. During the winter, all the chlorine is washed away. - Potassium chloride
contains 60% potassium and chlorine. It is also recommended for autumn digging in an amount of 20 to 25 grams per 1 m2. - Tree ash
contains 1/10 potassium. There is phosphorus and calcium. Plants easily absorb this fertilizer. Apply in autumn and spring, dig up or sprinkle between rows.
Potassium and potash fertilizers - video
Composition and methods of production
Potassium sulfate is an inorganic compound, a potassium salt of sulfuric acid, which became known at the beginning of the 14th century. It has the chemical formula K2SO4 and a relative molecular weight of 174.24. The scientific works of the German chemist Glauber and the English physicist Boyle mention the properties of potassium sulfate and its composition: 50% potassium, 18% sulfur, 3% magnesium, as well as calcium, sodium and iron.
The substance is a powder of white or colorless crystals with a bitter-salty taste, which do not stick together during long-term storage and dissolve easily and without decomposition in water. It does not occur in a free state under natural conditions, but is found in the mineral composition of deposits of double potassium salts and in the water of salt lakes. In industry, it is isolated in a rather contaminated form during the exchange reactions of potassium chloride with sulfates of magnesium, sodium, calcium or iron.
To obtain higher levels of purity of the final product, potassium chloride crystals are treated with concentrated sulfuric acid or calcined on coal with schenite or langbeinite - natural minerals containing a mixture of potassium and magnesium sulfates. In laboratory conditions, the substance is obtained by reacting sulfuric acid with potassium oxides and hydroxides or its salts of weak acids. Thermal oxidation of potassium sulfide or decomposition of its sulfite is also practiced.
What is the difference between potassium sulfate and potassium nitrate (potassium nitrate)
The main difference is in the composition of the substances.
Potassium nitrate contains:
- potassium – 40 – 46%;
- nitrogen – 13%.
This fertilizing increases the ability of plants to absorb nutrients from the soil, improves cellular respiration, and triggers photosynthesis.
Thanks to the presented ratio of potassium and nitrogen, the fertilizer can also be used during the formation of ovaries, which will create a solid basis for a good harvest. The fruits last longer and have excellent taste.
Application
Potassium sulfate is added to any type of soil, as well as for feeding indoor and greenhouse flowers. Potassium sulfate is especially indicated as a fertilizer for soils depleted of microelements:
- peat bogs;
- sandstones;
- floodplain;
- red soils;
- limestone;
- leached chernozems.
On salt marshes, the use of potassium sulfate fertilizer is not necessary, since this type of soil is quite rich in microelements.
How to properly fertilize with potassium sulfate? The simplest method is to distribute the granules while digging the soil. First, the area is dug up, and then the granules are scattered. This can be done both before planting seedlings and when preparing the site for winter.
When feeding fruit seedlings, granules can be placed in the grooves between the rows and then sprinkled with soil. You can also pour the dry fraction of the substance around the hole, slightly deepening the granules in the soil.
The next way to use this agrochemical is watering. The granules are dissolved in water, and then the crops are irrigated from a watering can. You can either water the seedlings at the root or spray the plantings with potassium solution.
Standards for various agricultural crops:
- tomatoes: 20 g per m2 when preparing the bed;
- root vegetables: 30 g per m2 when preparing the bed;
- cabbage, lettuce: 30 g per m2 when preparing the bed;
- berry bushes: 30 g per m2 before flowers bloom;
- wild strawberries/strawberries: 15 g at flowering;
- trees: 300 g per m2 per tree;
- for vineyards: stir 21 g of potassium and 41-45 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water.
Potassium sulfate for vegetables
Potassium is simply indispensable for all vegetable seedlings; without it, the taste of the fruit leaves much to be desired. Potassium sulfate fertilizer is used from early spring to mid-September. During the growing season, the fertilizer consumption rate per liter of liquid is 4 grams (for root feeding). For foliar spraying, use 2 grams per liter of liquid.
An increased potassium content is necessary for all vegetable crops intended for winter storage.
cucumbers
These fruits constantly need potassium supplements for good filling. If there is not enough microelement, cucumbers develop constrictions in the center. From the beginning of fruit set, it is necessary to regularly use potassium sulfate in a volume of 3 grams per liter of liquid. Potassium is not required in large quantities before fruiting and after harvesting.
Before sowing, 100 g of the substance is added to the soil per hundred square meters of land; 12-14 days after planting, 200 g of agricultural fertilizer is required, and during flowering - 400 g.
To feed cucumber seedlings, use a complex solution of potassium sulfate (21 g), urea (16 g) and superphosphate (41 g) in a bucket of water. The seedlings are irrigated with this mixture several days before transplanting to the garden bed.
Tomatoes
Fertilizer potassium sulfate is extremely necessary for tomatoes at the beginning of flowering and during the formation of fruits. The taste of tomatoes and the richness of their color depend on a sufficient amount of this microelement.
When sowing a crop, it is necessary to spend 100 g of chemical per hundred square meters of land, with the first application - 150 g, and with the next feeding, 300 g of dry matter is consumed.
Lettuce, celery and parsley
Lettuce requires potassium in moderation. With its deficiency, the head of cabbage becomes loose, and the stems become fragile and brittle. For irrigation, dilute 2 grams of fertilizer in a liter of water. However, if the soil is well fertilized with humus, potassium supplements are not necessary.
To fertilize 1 m2 of celery beds, you need to use 30 g of agrochemical. Parsley requires 10 g per square meter.
Garlic
For this crop, the soil is fed in the fall a couple of weeks before planting winter crops. In a bucket of humus, mix 2 tbsp of dry substrate and 1 tbsp of superphosphate. The finished fertilizer is distributed in the top layer of soil.
Potato
Potassium sulfate for potatoes is the number one microelement. Potassium chloride is contraindicated for potatoes; it impairs the taste and shelf life of tubers during storage. This microelement ensures sufficient accumulation of starch in tubers, accelerates growth and forms large fruits. The chemical is especially necessary during the formation of peduncles and flowering tops.
To prepare liquid for irrigation, dilute 1 tbsp of dry matter in a bucket. Before applying fertilizer, you need to water the rows well; you need to irrigate the potatoes with the solution in the evening. The total fertilizer consumption per 1 m2 is 30 grams.
White cabbage and cauliflower
The use of potassium sulfate for the development of cabbage is required during the ovary of the head of cabbage. With a lack of microelement, the heads of cabbage become loose, and a lack of sugar forms in the leaves. Potassium ensures the resistance of cabbage to cold weather and the shelf life of the crop during storage. Cauliflower requires twice the amount of potassium fertilizer
more.
When growing white cabbage seedlings, potassium fertilizer is also used 14 days before transplanting the seedlings into the ground. To do this, dissolve 20 g of substrate in a bucket and irrigate the shoots while warm. 200 ml is consumed per seedling.
Berry bushes
These crops require fertilizing with potassium in spring and early summer. A currant bush requires 10-15 g of dry substrate mixed with humus and superphosphate. Raspberries are fertilized in the spring before flowering by adding an agrochemical to the manure. Raspberries are also fed with phosphorus and nitrogen for rapid flowering.
The sea buckthorn bush is fertilized after picking the berries. 25 grams of dry substrate are added under one bush and dug up. In the fall, barberry is also fertilized to ensure resistance to frost. 25 g of agrochemical are added to one bush.
Fertilizing garden roses
Rose bushes are very responsive to feeding with potassium sulfate. The agrochemical is used when planting bushes and for subsequent care. About 80-100 g of dry substrate is placed in the planting hole and irrigated abundantly. To water rose bushes, use a solution - take 30 g of potassium per bucket. This amount is enough to water one m2 of land around the roses.
In autumn and spring, it is recommended to fertilize roses with root fertilizer, and in summer - spray the leaves with a solution. Potassium preparations protect rose bushes from drought and fungal infections in the warm season, and also help withstand the cold in winter.
For lush flowering of bushes, phosphorus and nitrogen are added along with potassium sulfate.
Roses begin to be fertilized in the spring before flowering, then during flowering. Since photosynthesis continues until the first frost, with proper feeding, roses bloom until late autumn.
Fertilizing home flowers
Indoor plants especially need mineral supplements and vitamins, since they are limited in the volume of consumption of these substances. If garden flowers can unlimitedly consume reserves of nutrients from the soil, then house plants are completely dependent on the composition of microelements in flowerpots.
What is the difference between potassium humate and potassium sulfate?
Potassium humate is a completely natural product. It is produced either from brown coal or peat. Based on this, the potassium content can be either 20% or 80%. Liquid or powder form. An excellent stimulant containing phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizing removes nitrates from plants.
