| Nutrients - Incorporate foliar feeding into your | | | | Some plants do not have stomata on the upper |
| growth program | | | | surface of their leaves, so it is important to spray |
| A more effective method for delivery of essential | | | | the underside, just in case. When sprayed on |
| plant nutrition | | | | foliage, the nutrient ions of plant spray and |
| The most common method of providing nutrients | | | | fertilizer pass through these pores and affect the |
| to plants is through the roots. This is done by | | | | plant's physiology. Anything the plant is genetically |
| placing nutrients in the soil at the base of the plant | | | | capable of is greatly enhanced. |
| or through a root drench. Foliar feeding, an | | | | Some plants have trichomes or hairs that grow |
| alternate method, provides nutrients through the | | | | from the epidermis of the plant like the dense |
| foliage or leaves of a plant. Commercial growers, | | | | "hair" growth found on a tomato plant's stem and |
| with the help of scientists, have been studying | | | | leaves. This makes the plant hard to "wet". The |
| foliar feeding and incorporating it into their growing | | | | addition of a good nonionic wetting agent, such as |
| programs for many years. | | | | Coco-Wet, allows whatever is being sprayed onto |
| There are many advantages to foliar feeding. | | | | the plant to penetrate these hairs and establish a |
| Foliar applied fertilizers are three to five times | | | | water film on the leaf surface. This greatly aids |
| more effective than root nutrition and can | | | | the passing of foliar spray through the stomata |
| successfully reduce the nutritional stress situations | | | | into the plant. |
| of plants. | | | | Despite the advantages of foliar feeding, |
| Foliar applied nutrients can also make elements, | | | | remember it only supplements root nutrition. |
| such as iron, available to plants when they are not | | | | Spray-N-Grow and Bill's Perfect Fertilizer feed the |
| available in the soil, water or hydroponic nutrient | | | | soil as well. The solution that falls to the soil |
| solution. Dispersed along the plant's leaf surface | | | | activates dormant microorganisms in the soil and |
| are small pores called stomata. These pores are | | | | multiplies the available bacteria. The working of |
| channels that gases and liquids pass through. They | | | | these bacteria frees up the nutrients and makes |
| may occur on either side or both sides of leaves, | | | | them more readily available to the plants, as |
| but most plants have a larger number on the | | | | needed. |
| underside of their leaves. | | | | |