How to Fertilize Carrots for Good Growth? A Detailed Guide to Practical Methods
We are no strangers to carrots, as they contain very high levels of vitamins and carotene. They have strong adaptability to the environment and can be grown in all parts of China. The main producing areas are Sichuan, Hubei and Zhejiang, among others. Fertilization is key to carrot growth, so how should carrots be fertilized? Let us take a look at carrot fertilization methods below.
1. Apply sufficient base fertilizer
Carrot growth requires large amounts of nutrients. The carrot is a deep-rooted plant, so the nutrients contained in the soil must be sufficient, and the soil must also have strong permeability. Before sowing, the land must be deeply plowed, and then sufficient base fertilizer should be applied to improve the soil. The base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, requiring on average about 2,000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu, and compound fertilizer should also be used as a supplement to achieve the effect of improving the land.
2. Use nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers reasonably
Carrots have a very high fertilizer requirement, and in addition to base fertilizer, multiple topdressings are needed. After the carrots emerge and grow about four or five true leaves, we need to carry out topdressing at this time, mainly with potassium fertilizer, supplemented by an appropriate amount of phosphorus fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. The ratio is 2.6 to 0.4 to 1. Later, we also need to fertilize reasonably according to the growth condition of the carrots.
3. Skillfully apply micro-fertilizers
Micro-fertilizers refer to certain essential trace element fertilizers. The trace element fertilizers most commonly needed for carrot growth are calcium fertilizer and magnesium fertilizer. After our soil has been planted for a long time, a calcium deficiency phenomenon will appear. If the calcium element absorbed by carrots decreases, it is very likely to cause hollow heart disease, so calcium supplementation is needed. And the more magnesium element the carrots absorb, the better the quality of the carrots will be, and the higher the carotene content will be, so we need to skillfully apply magnesium fertilizer during their growth process. The most commonly used is generally calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer.
4. Foliar fertilizer
The spraying of foliar fertilizer is mainly to promote the swelling of carrot tubers. The most commonly used foliar fertilizer is boron fertilizer. It should be sprayed once during the seedling stage of carrots and once during the vigorous leaf growth period, which can promote leaf growth and prevent aging. Later, when the tubers are swelling, it needs to be divided into two sprays, so that the carrot tubers can fully swell. The most common boron fertilizers are generally boric acid solution or borax solution, and the effects are all very good.
The above are the most basic fertilization methods for carrots. Generally, as long as fertilization is carried out according to the above fertilization steps, fertilization ratio, fertilization time and fertilization types, the quality of carrots will not be bad. That is all for today's sharing. We hope it will be helpful to everyone.