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Foliar Feeding
It has been 50 years since Dr Silvan Wittner from Michigan State University, in association with the Atomic Energy Commission, conducted research into the efficiancy of foliar fertilising. Using radioactive tagging,Dr Wittner was able to show that foliar feeding was 8 - 20 times more efficent than root feeding.
When applying your liquid fertiliser directly to the leaves, the very fine particles smother the surface of the leaves and the plant takes the nutrients up and translocates them throughout the root system, where they are stored until the plant needs them. This in turn produces a larger root system, which grows more leaf and further increases the storage system. Another benefit of foliar feeding is the increase in chlorophyll activity and thus photosyntesis which inturn increases the plants need for water uptake, and further promotes the plants root system. With a deeper more dense root system the plants demonstrate greater resiliance in times of stress, such as drought or frost.
Solid Vs Liquid Fertiliser
One of the reasons foliar feeding works so well, is because 100% of the nutrients are available to the plant and bypass the soil's ability to lock up nutrients. This is why foliar applied fertilisers dont need to contain the high levels of nutrients often found in solid fertilisers. With Solid fertilisers the highly soluble Potassium and Nitrogen are easily washed away, leaching into our rivers and waterways, while phosphate fertilisers attach themselves to ions of K. Mg, Al, and Fe and become an inert insoluble, completely unavailable to the plant. The result being that although solid fertilisers are often higher in their concentration of nutrients when compared to liquid fertilisers, very little of this is actually available to the plant.
Agrigel
One of the drawbacks with some liquid fertilisers and water soluble powder fertilisers is their short reaction time. Mixed with water and sprayed onto a plant, some liquid fertilisers could have less than half an hour to do their work. That is because the water evaporates after that time and leaves the fertiliser powder on the leaf, where the dry salts are unable to penetrate the leaf structure and can lead to burning.
The Agrisol range of products are all applied with a gel which adheres the nutrient solution to the plant leaf and roots. The specially formulated adjuvant, encapsulates the nutrients and the Agrisol fertiliser remains a moist gel on the plant leaf for up to 4 days, allowing the fertiliser ample time to penetrate the leaf structure, thus the nutrients are released slowly and the leaf is insulated against the possibility of burning from the nutrient concentrate.
Application of Liquid Fertilisers
Foliar feeding is most effciently achieved with mist-type sprayers. The smaller the particle size, the better the response and the less fertiliser is required to achieve the same result. Fish fertilisers with a lot of sediment, or fertilisers like Nitrosol, that use Sulphates cannot be applied through misting jets. Liquid fertilisers that use higher water levels are not efficient foliar fertilisers, as soon as the leaf is wetted, then run-off will occur. Also the leaf hairs surrounding the stomata attract nutrients within fine water droplets more effectively. The pores on the leaf, called stomata, many of which are on the underside, are the main entry points for nutrients, but all living parts of the plant are receptors, including the twigs, branches, buds, fruits, flowers and stems.
Full potency of the liquid fertiliser is achieved with nozzles that are able to fully cover the leaf, both sides, nozzles that "spin" the spray are particularly effective.
Timing is critical, and if ignored, can result in poorer results. It is best to spray in the early morning and in the evening, when the humidity is higher. Not in the heat of the day. Hot sun will evaporate the fine mist,and concentrate the solution and possibly burn, also, as the plants surface approaches 30C, it starts to transpire, not absorb.
10 degrees Celcius is quite a critical temperature, at this temperature the plants roots start to shut down, and although the leaves are more receptive than the roots, they have still slowed down, and NPK foliar sprays are less effecitve, high N foliar sprays are a alternative.