How to use ferrous sulfate fertilizer
The editor introduces the explanation of home flowering, how to use ferrous sulfate fertilizer. Next, the editor of this site will introduce it to everyone.
Many flower friends are looking for how to use ferrous sulfate fertilizer. Although ferrous sulfate has been eliminated in overseas potted plant maintenance, it seems that Chinese flower enthusiasts still have a special affection for it, regarding it as a treasure for planting acid-loving flowers. Despite its widespread use, not every flower enthusiast is clear on how to use ferrous sulfate effectively.
Ferrous sulfate is originally a white powder. The blue ferrous sulfate we often see contains crystalline water. Industrial ferrous sulfate, due to impurities, can sometimes be green (as shown in the picture) and have yellow spots.
The aqueous solution of ferrous sulfate is very unstable. The ferrous ions in ferrous sulfate turn into trivalent iron ions almost instantly upon dissolution, making them unavailable for plant absorption. These trivalent iron ions further oxidize into iron rust and precipitate. If you put some ferrous sulfate solution in a transparent plastic bottle and add a piece of soil, you will find that rust immediately covers the bottle. The same reaction occurs when you pour ferrous sulfate solution into the soil, and the reaction is even faster. These trivalent iron ions and rust are not only unavailable to plants but can also cause iron poisoning in plants. Ferrous sulfate has been used for over a century, but due to its instability, growing southern flowers in the north has always been a dream. When I was young, every Spring Festival, potted plants like plum blossoms and spring flowers had to be transported from the south. Even in the flower storage of Tianjin (Z-F), rhododendrons grown with mountain soil from Beijing's Western Hills would not live more than three years.
How to improve the stability of ferrous ions? There are many methods, but two commonly used methods are:
1. Humic Acid Complexing: The first to invent this method was a flower farmer in Yanling, Henan. By the mid-1960s, it was already mature. This is the famous "Violet Fertilizer Water." This was a groundbreaking invention. Using this technology, Yanling flower farmers successfully grew citrus, camellias, jasmines, and rhododendrons in the north for the first time, which could only be grown in the south before. Thanks to this invention, southern flowers really crossed the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, reaching all over China.
One method of making acid fertilizer with organic fertilizer and ferrous sulfate is: the ratio of ferrous sulfate to organic fertilizer raw material is 1:5. First, let the raw material decompose to half-ripe or fully ripe. This is the most important step. Then add ferrous sulfate. If you mix ferrous sulfate with organic fertilizer raw materials for fermentation at the beginning, the ferrous ions in ferrous sulfate will become ineffective because there is no humic acid present. Whether it is made into solid acidic organic fertilizer or violet fertilizer water depends on the amount of water added during the decomposition of organic raw materials.
2. Using citric acid + ferrous sulfate solution: Dissolve ferrous sulfate in citric acid solution, and the ferrous ions in ferrous sulfate will form ferrous citrate with citric acid. Because ferrous citrate is an organic salt with low dissociation, most of it exists in molecular form in the solution. This greatly improves the stability of ferrous ions. In addition, citric acid is a carrier for all metal ions in plants. Citrates can be directly absorbed by plants.
The specific method is: first, prepare a 0.05% citric acid solution. Add 25 grams of citric acid to 50 kilograms of water, dissolve it, and then add 125g of ferrous sulfate, stir well. This creates a 0.25% ferrous sulfate + 0.05% citric acid solution. This solution is most suitable for foliar spray. Plants absorb it quickly without causing burns. If you add another 50g of urea, you get a compound iron fertilizer of 0.25% ferrous sulfate + 0.05% citric acid + 0.1% urea, which has an even better effect. If used for irrigation, depending on the plant, the amount of ferrous sulfate can be increased to 0.5-1%. The amount of citric acid should also be increased accordingly.
It is important to first dissolve citric acid in water and then add ferrous sulfate. Citric acid is available in chemical raw material stores, food stores, and supermarket seasoning counters (C-S). Please correct any mistakes, flower friends.
The above [] introduces the full content of how to use ferrous sulfate fertilizer, hoping it is helpful to green plant enthusiasts!