Several key points for mixing foliar fertilizer with pesticides; if you don't get them right, you're likely spraying for nothing

  How should foliar fertilizer and pesticides be mixed? In fact, it depends on the specific instructions of the treatment product. Before mixing products, you should carefully read the instructions (for example, foliar fertilizers containing carbohydrate types cannot be mixed with inorganic copper preparations such as copper hydroxide); in fact, because various fertilizers and pesticides have different properties, improper mixing will affect the effect of fertilization and pesticide application and may even cause fertilizer burn or pesticide damage. The following are common issues when mixing foliar fertilizer with pesticides.

  1. Make sure that after mixing, the form of the foliar fertilizer and pesticide remains stable

  This is because foliar fertilizer may undergo chemical or physical reactions with pesticides, harming the effectiveness of the pesticide or causing pesticide damage. If the spray liquid shows undesirable performance, it is not suitable for mixed application. After mixing, even if the physical properties of the spray liquid are good, a small-scale test should first be carried out to see whether fertilizer burn or pesticide damage is likely to occur, and only then should it be used on a large scale.

  2. Pay attention to the order of mixing foliar fertilizer and pesticides

  Generally, a certain amount of water is first used to prepare one single-agent spray liquid, and then this spray liquid is used to dilute the other single agent; you should not first mix the two single agents and then dilute with water, in order to avoid adverse reactions, which cause the destruction of ingredients and the deterioration of physical properties. When mixing foliar fertilizer, the usual order for mixing foliar fertilizer and pesticides is: foliar fertilizer, wettable powder, suspension concentrate, powder, and emulsifiable concentrate added one after another, stirring fully after each addition before adding the next one.

  3. Pay attention to the use of "water" when mixing

  Water has a great impact on the spray liquid. The pH and ion concentration of the water, among other things, all affect the actual result. For preparing the liquid, neutral water with low ion concentration is best, such as clean rainwater, river water, and so on.

  4. Note that it should be prepared and used immediately

  Although the spray liquid has no adverse reaction when just prepared, after standing for a long time it is very easy for slow reactions to occur, causing loss of pesticide efficacy or easily causing pesticide damage. Even if some pesticide types are relatively stable under weakly alkaline conditions, you should still pay attention to preparing and using them immediately; if left standing for a long time, they also easily become ineffective.

  Several taboos in the application of mixing foliar fertilizer with pesticides

  1. Alkaline pesticides cannot be mixed with fertilizers such as ammonium nitrogen fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, otherwise ammonia will volatilize and be lost, reducing fertility;

  2. Arsenic-containing pesticides cannot be mixed with potassium salt and acetate fertilizers, otherwise soluble arsenic will be produced and cause pesticide damage;

  3. Alkaline fertilizers such as sodium hydroxide, lime powder, and plant ash cannot be mixed with pesticides such as insecticides, otherwise the pesticide efficacy will be reduced;

  4. Chemical pesticides cannot be mixed with microbial pesticides.

  Because chemical pesticides are volatile and corrosive, when mixed with microbial pesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus cereus, they easily kill the microorganisms and reduce the control effect.

  The above are the common issues and application taboos for mixing foliar fertilizer with pesticides. It is hoped that farmers will pay attention to the above several key points when spraying, otherwise not only will there be no pesticide efficacy, but other problems will also continue to appear, and that would be a big loss for a small gain.