How to use iron sulphate for grapes? ⋆ 👨‍🌾 Farmer-online ⋆

Bright, large leaves, bunches of juicy berries, healthy plants are the dream of any grower. To protect the vineyard from diseases and pests, fungicidal and insecticidal preparations are used. One of the most useful and versatile helpers in the grape business is iron sulfate, which we will discuss in more detail later.

Benefit and harm

Ferrous sulfate or ferrous sulfate is a good choice because it can solve many of the problems gardeners and farmers face when growing grapes. It is a non-toxic substance, and using it directly on the plant will result in the following beneficial changes:

complete healing of the plant from diseases that insects can spread to fruit bushes;
the destruction of harmful microorganisms that live on the leaves, in the bark, as well as the disinfection of the soil, saturating it with iron necessary for the development of grapes;
ensuring the formation of chlorophyll and the efficiency of the process of photosynthesis in the leaves;
grape brushes grow strong, many ovaries form;
strengthening the vines themselves: they become elastic, the fragility of the bush is eliminated;
detection of some diseases invisible to the eye, for example, oidium, a fungal disease that manifests itself as dark spots after treatment with iron sulphate;
prevention of the occurrence of diseases and resistance to sudden changes in temperature, which is important for heat-loving grapes both during wintering and in spring, when shelter is removed.

In horticulture, ferrous sulfate is used to combat not only such common ailments as spotted necrosis (characterized by the drying out of vines and bush sleeves), bacterial cancer (tearing grape bark), anthracnose (death and browning of leaves, their petioles, ridges of grapes), but and with many other infections. Iron vitriol does not allow harmful parasites to attack the grapes. Thanks to the processing of grapes with iron sulphate, the yield increases significantly, the crop grows better.

You can harm grapes with ferrous sulfate, if you do not follow the dosage, use the wrong concentration of the substance. This will lead to the formation of burns on the leaves.

Remember that if you use the drug, ignoring the instructions, you may not get the expected positive effect.

There are a few more points:

untimely processing with iron sulphate will not allow the grape buds to open, and the fruits will not have time to ripen in time;
the use of the substance simultaneously with other chemical compounds will spoil the effect;
if solutions are prepared in iron containers, the reaction may also be unfavorable.

Thus, in order not to harm the grapes, you need to follow the rules for using the drug, compiled by experienced gardeners. Then iron vitriol will show its best properties, and the result in the form of a flowering vineyard will not be long in coming.

How to breed?

It is quite easy to prepare a solution of ferrous sulfate if you follow the elementary rules and observe the known proportions of water and powder. The concentration of ferrous sulfate depends on the age of the plant and the purpose of the solution. So, for the treatment of young grapes, a slightly lower dose of iron sulfate should be added to the solution than for an adult plant. If a healthy plant is treated for disease prevention, then the dosage should not be as large as in the treatment.

Before proceeding with the preparation of a suitable composition of the solution, you should first take care of the selection of protective clothing so that the mixture does not accidentally get on the skin, eyes, or inside the body. After we prepare the necessary equipment: breeding containers and a spray bottle or soft brushes with which you will apply iron sulfate to the plant.

Iron containers for breeding such a composition are not suitable; it is better to use plastic, ceramic, glass models.

For the processing of grapes, solutions of ferrous sulfate 3 and 5% are used. A three percent composition is prepared as follows:

take 10 liters of settled water;
prepare 300 g of ferrous sulfate powder for mixing with water;
dilute the powder with water, mix until completely dissolved.

Such iron sulphate is used for preventive purposes.

A five percent mixture is prepared according to the following scheme:

we take 500 g of iron sulfate, the water consumption is the same – 10 liters;
combine water and powder, mix thoroughly.

In the case when any disease is found in the grapes, the dose of ferrous sulfate should be 5%.

Use iron sulfate immediately after preparation, as the mixture has a short shelf life and oxidizes quickly. If the concentration of the substance in the solution is higher than normal, it can harm the grapes.

Applications

Iron sulfate with regular use will get rid of most problems with grapes. There are certain schemes that indicate the time of treatment of vineyards with ferrous sulfate.

Spraying is carried out in spring and autumn. In the spring, work is carried out when the buds of the grapes are swollen, but have not yet blossomed. Autumn processing should be carried out after harvest, when the leaves have fallen and pruning has already been done. Such spraying is carried out before sheltering the crop for the winter. Spring spraying, the timing of which falls on February-April, is necessary to exclude the possibility of disease of the vines with a fungus. In this case, the air temperature should not be lower than +5 degrees.

Also at this time, gardeners use iron sulfate to to protect the vines from frost with a reliable film that appears on the crop after spraying.

Late frosts harm sensitive buds and reduce future grape yields. The film protects the plant for two weeks after its treatment with the drug. The process of bud break is delayed, the grapes will not suffer from frost.

How to prepare a suitable solution, the following instructions will tell:

take 10 liters of water and 50 g of iron sulfate;
dissolve the iron sulfate powder in the liquid;
spray the vine completely, as well as the ground around: it may contain pathogens.

After processing the grapes with ferrous sulfate, roots will appear on the side cuttings. Grapes will be resistant to weather changes. In October-November, the grapes are sprayed before shelter, so that it winters better and harmful mold and rot do not form on it. In autumn, it is important to get rid of all diseases, because with the onset of spring, a weakened plant will lose its chances for good growth. For this, the following solution of iron sulfate is prepared:

300 (for a young plant) or 500 (for an adult) grams of iron sulfate are taken;
in 10 liters of water, the right amount of ferrous sulfate powder is diluted;
the vine is carefully processed, especially where there were affected areas.

In the last days of autumn, grape chibouks are cut off and they can also be sprayed with iron vitriol. The processing of such cuttings is especially important before storage in winter. When the cuttings are already cut, you need to prepare a five percent solution of ferrous sulfate and immerse the shank in it for 5 seconds, and then dry it. This method of processing fights mold and perfectly preserves the cuttings during the winter and until planting.

Both in spring and autumn, processing of grapes should be carried out 2 or 3 times with an interval of two weeks. Grapes are sprayed in calm and dry weather. After carrying out this work, several hours should pass without rain.

If the weather is cloudy and precipitation is constant, then iron sulfate is used every day.

Additional fertilizing

Ferrous sulfate is used as a soil fertilizer in order to feed the grapes with minerals. Iron vitriol eliminates the lack of iron, which often manifests itself in the fall of grape leaves, slowing down the development of the plant as a whole. The shoots of the plant brighten from the tops, and then the whole bush can dry out.

But, fortunately, iron chlorosis is treated simply, and this can be done by following these instructions:

take 10-20 g of iron sulfate and 10 liters of water;
dilute the powder in water;
water the soil.

Iron vitriol is a valuable preparation because it is very easily absorbed by plants. Often the composition of the soil in which grapes grow does not allow iron to be easily absorbed from it. In this case, top dressing with ferrous sulfate comes to the rescue.

Watering the grapes with iron sulfate with urea is also useful. Additionally, such a mixture can be used for insecticidal treatment (it is good in the fight against insect larvae). You need to water the soil and spray the stems.

The composition of such top dressing is prepared as follows:

we make a three percent solution of ferrous sulfate (300 g per 10 liters of water);
take 100 g of urea;
mix urea and ferrous sulfate solution.

From diseases and pests

Properly prepared mixture of ferrous sulfate will cure the grapes from a variety of disease-causing pests. Therapeutic treatment will need to be carried out 5-7 times. It is necessary to apply the solution to the affected areas of the plant and water the soil around it.

Iron vitriol treats only infectious diseases of a non-bacterial nature, such as mildew (leaf tissues become lighter, an easily washable fluff appears, grape shoots are exposed), gray rot (discoloration of shoots without capturing leaves, and in the future – fall of whole inflorescences), black cancer (leaf deformation , short knots of shoots, drying of sleeves). Plants are not treated against bacteria with ferrous sulfate.

You can not spray the grapes with iron sulphate during fruiting. Spraying grapes from diseases is possible after harvest or before the ripening period of the berries. Processing of grapes affected by mildew, gray mold and oidium is carried out using a concentrated composition. A four percent or five percent solution is prepared from 400-500 g of iron sulfate taken per 10 liters of water.

Lichens and mosses are also undesirable objects in a vineyard. They weaken the plants they are on. When they are found on grapes, gardeners spray with a three percent solution of ferrous sulfate (300 g of powder per 10 liters of water). The growths die off, and after 3 hours they can be mechanically scraped off.

When treating against moss and lichen, try not to splash the solution on the young foliage of the vine.

Disinfection of wounds and cracks

If cracks and wounds appear on the vines, then there is a danger of infection of the plant with infections. Also, due to a violation of the integrity of the cover of the bark, the bush may break. Iron vitriol disinfects the wounds and forms a film, strengthening the grapes and preventing pests from entering the wounds. A XNUMX% solution is used.

To prepare the mixture, 100 g of iron sulfate powder and 10 liters of water are taken. We dissolve the powder in water and process the culture with it. Make sure it’s not going to rain. Otherwise, repeat the treatment every day. And in order to properly treat cracks and wounds on grapes, you need a soft brush.

Hollows in culture are treated with the same composition and trunks are whitened.

Safety Precautions

To safely process grapes, follow certain rules.

When working, use personal protective equipment (gloves, respirator, etc.) to avoid accidental skin burns with the solution.
Strictly observe the dosage of the substance, because a very high concentration can burn the grapes, and they will die. Instead of a therapeutic drug, the solution may turn out to be poison.
In the summer, apply the substance only on painful areas of the vine.
After work using ferrous sulfate, other preparations and organophosphorus compounds can be used only after two weeks.
Store iron sulphate in hard-to-reach places, away from small children and animals. When processing a vineyard, limit the movement of family members through it.

Common mistakes

Failure to follow the instructions for use and safety rules is the most common mistake in the processing of grapes with iron sulfate. But there are other nuances.

It often happens that ferrous sulfate is mixed with lime or alkalis. Do not use other drugs along with ferrous sulfate. It is allowed to mix ferrous sulfate only with citric acid, urea.
Too low concentration of the substance will not bring the desired result. To combat mineral starvation, pests and infections, use the dosage indicated in the instructions.
Treatment of bacterial infections with iron sulphate will not bring results.
Do not forget about the timing and sequence of processing. By following the schemes, you protect the grapes.

The growth of grapes and their high yields are achieved with the right care and attention during cultivation.