Determining when the air temperature is too hot for fertilization may require a lot of consideration. Every crop reacts differently to fertilization and in some cases, fertilizing at too hot a temperature can be bad for the crop. For precious plants, fertilizing with the help of fertilizing specialists is highly recommended.
July is the hottest month of the summer, averaging 30C in many US states, which can have both positive and negative effects on vegetable and garden crops. The advantages include faster growth, faster ripening, and a lower risk of fungal and bacterial infections.
The disadvantages are well known: wilting due to drought and possible sunburn, the need for more watering and shade, an abundance of mites that love drought and heat, and more complicated fertilizer management.
There is nothing unusual about the July heat, other than the fact that even heat-loving tomatoes can sometimes get stressed, not to mention cold-loving peas or cabbage. At the same time, fertilizing for yield is not canceled. Plants must continue to receive nutrients to ensure healthy growth and fruiting, especially tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants, which require a lot of energy to produce large, juicy, and tasty fruits.
In principle, all edible plants take nutrients from the soil, but vegetables with large, juicy fruits, as well as cabbage, onions, and melons, have such a large appetite that they quickly deplete the soil and lose vigor without regular fertilization. This is especially true for monocultures of tomatoes, cucumbers, and pepper in greenhouses since greenhouses are usually less fertile than open ground with crop rotation.
Feeding voracious green leaf-eaters is done throughout the season; however, in hot and dry conditions, excessive fertilizer (applied too frequently or excessively) can burn or dry out the roots and cause leaf chlorosis.
When fertilizing in July, gardeners also often fall into the irrigation trap: they pour a lot of water on the dry soil under the roots and then immediately spread the fertilizer. As a result, the fertilizer is simply used up without any benefit.
Below are general recommendations for July fertilizers that will help you get a good harvest without compromising plant health.
Increased heat (as well as drought) is a signal to stop fertilizing. If fertilization must be done, reducing the amount of fertilizer is recommended. 10% of the normal fertilizer amount is often the “best dose”.If possible, liquid foliar fertilizers should be used as soil fertilizers will not be effective.
Fertilizing at dawn and dusk is recommended as at those times, the temperature tends to drop quite drastically and prevents the plant from losing nutrients and burning off fertilizers. Watering is more important, especially for those plants that are exposed to direct sunlight.
Going back to the title of this article, what temperature is too hot to stop fertilizing? The average temperature in many states during July or peak summer is 30C but many areas can reach 38C. Once the temperature reaches 38C, any fertilization method should be stopped before the temperature drops and of course, stay within the guidelines given above.
