Wednesday, May 20, 2009
BORON- AN ESSENTIAL BUT OVERLOOKED MICRO NUTRIENT
**Photo courtesy of IFAS
In the past days we have received a continuous onslaught of much needed rain in Florida. We have been bathed with 16 inches of rain in many areas and more to come in the next few days. Of course when this much water arrives all at once and you grow on sandy soils, one of the immediate concerns is the leaching of boron.
Boron is an essential micro nutrient which aids in the production of sugars, seed and fruit development and the plants use of other nutrients.
Interestingly, there is a narrow range between deficiency and toxicity in plants. A fraction of one part per million (ppm) may result in deficiency, yet just a few ppm may be toxic to some plants.
Boron is not mobile in plants, which means that it must be available at all times. Usually in rich organic soil it is held tightly by the humus particles. However, in sandy soils it readily leaches.
Boron is critical to cell differentiation at the growing tips. As a result, one symptom is stunted or deformed tips. Deformed flowers also reflect deficiency. Other symptoms include decrease flowering, curled, wilted and chlorotic new growth. Boron deficiency also decreases photosynthetic rate, which results in less sugar production and over all stunted plants.
To rectify any deficiency, approximately 0.5 to 1 ounce of boron per 1000 square feet is needed. Laundry borax can do the trick. However, in our current condition, I prefer to use Super Boost, which provides all the micro nutrients in chelated form. In addition, Super Boost has fulvic acid and seaweed extract to invigorate the water logged plants. To control any potential fungi outbreak , I also plan to spray Inoculaid. Not only will the beneficial bacteria help control pathogens, they will also fixate atmospheric nitrogen to roots and reverse the denitrification of the soil from all the rain.
For more information, log on to www.smartfarmingsolutions.com
Labels: boron, Chelated Micro nutrients, deficiency, micro nutrient, rain, Super Boost, water logged
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