Five misconceptions to avoid when using plant growth regulators
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Many farmers have some obvious misconceptions when using plant growth regulators, which seriously affect the results. For this reason, farmers are reminded to avoid the following five misconceptions when using plant growth regulators.Misconception one: Using a "regulator" instead of "fertilizer." Plant growth regulators can only exert significant effects under conditions of adequate water and fertilizer, but some plant growth regulators have their effects exaggerated by manufacturers, causing some farmers to treat them as fertilizer and pin their hopes for promoting crop growth on plant growth regulators rather than putting effort into conventional techniques such as fertilizing, irrigating, intertillage and loosening the soil, which ultimately affects the results of using plant growth regulators.
Misconception two: Arbitrarily increasing the dosage. Plant growth regulators are hormone-type substances, and generally only a few grams or a few milliliters are needed per mu. But some farmers always worry that a smaller dosage will have no effect and arbitrarily increase the dosage or concentration of the plant growth regulator. Doing so not only fails to promote plant growth, but instead inhibits it, and in severe cases can even cause leaf deformation, drying and shedding, and death of the whole plant.
Misconception three: Mixing plant growth regulators directly with water. Because some plant growth regulators cannot dissolve directly in water, and because the amount of plant growth regulator is so small, if a "mother solution" is not first prepared and then diluted to the required concentration, it is very difficult to mix the agent uniformly in one go, which also affects the results. For example, gibberellin (GA3), which is widely used in production, must first be dissolved in alcohol or warm high-proof baijiu before it can be mixed with water. However, before using plant growth regulators, some farmers often do not carefully read the instructions, but instead mix the plant growth regulator directly with water, affecting the efficacy.
Misconception four: Arbitrarily mixing with other substances. Whether a plant growth regulator can be mixed with other substances such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides must be determined only after carefully reading the instructions and conducting tests. But when using plant growth regulators, many farmers, to save trouble, often arbitrarily mix them with chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and the like, hoping to simultaneously promote growth or preserve flowers and fruits, supplement fertilizer, or prevent disease and control pests. But if the mixing is improper, the result can be half the effort for double the result, or even all effort wasted.
Misconception five: Spraying at any time without regard to timing. Plant growth regulators must be used at key timing in plant growth (such as the cucumber flower bud differentiation stage) to exert their greatest effect. If the timing of use is improper, the desired result cannot be achieved, and side effects may even occur. Some farmers lack sufficient understanding of this and believe that spraying plant growth regulators at any time can promote growth, increase yield and raise income, so they do not consider timing and spray at any time, resulting in poor spraying results.