How to fertilize peppers in open ground and greenhouses using iodine

When growing sweet peppers, it's essential to ensure they receive adequate nutrition. It might seem like a simple task, but today, gardeners have a wide variety of fertilizers at their disposal, from the well-known manure to chelated compounds.

But many people try to grow vegetables without using chemicals, or using them to a minimum, preferring some natural, harmless additives.

It's important to remember that peppers need a balanced diet; either an excess or a deficiency of any element is harmful to the plant. This is why various folk remedies are sought, including common iodine. The first thought that newbies have is: how can iodine, typically used for scratches and wounds, help peppers? Meanwhile, iodine supplements are very effective, and only a minimal amount is required. Our article will explain how and when to apply iodine.

Feeding peppers with iodine – description

This trace element is considered rare, although it is ubiquitous in nature. The highest concentrations of iodine are found in coastal areas and waters, as it is found in seaweed.

This element isn't as important for plants as nitrogen, but it's still best to avoid iodine deficiency. It's been proven that, when taken in certain doses, iodine stimulates plant growth and affects fruit quality, flavor, and color saturation. Sweet peppers hold the record among vegetable crops for the amount of vitamin C in their fruits, and iodine is responsible for increasing this vitamin.

The presence of iodine also ensures that nitrogen, an essential and vital element for plants, is fully absorbed. Iodine deficiency affects nitrogen absorption, resulting in good pepper growth and increased fruit set, which ultimately impacts overall yield.

Gardeners usually use an alcohol solution of iodine (5%), which is sold in pharmacies and serves as an antiseptic for disinfection and healing of wounds, cuts, and scratches.

Iodine is an essential component in protein synthesis, and supplementation also enriches the fruits with this micronutrient. Eating ripe bell peppers can completely replenish iodine deficiency.

Iodine is not only an essential component for balanced plant nutrition, it is also used to protect peppers from a variety of dangerous fungi and bacteria. It helps increase pepper resistance to various infections and is effective both as a preventative and a treatment for late blight.

How does iodine affect seedlings?

Having listed all the benefits of iodine, it's important to understand when to use it. Solutions containing this substance are used at all stages of pepper cultivation:

•         for treating seeds before sowing (potassium permanganate is most commonly used for this purpose, but iodine can also be used);
•         for watering seedlings;
•         for watering adult peppers in a greenhouse or on beds;
•         as an element of the composition for foliar feeding (in the flowering and fruiting phase of plants).

It turns out that iodine is needed for seeds, seedlings, and mature peppers, and it is up to the gardener to decide what kind of fertilizing he will do.

Peppers are notorious for their slow germination, and sprouts often emerge unevenly from the soil. To improve germination, you can use iodine:

•         dissolve a drop of the preparation in a liter of water;
•         mix the mixture thoroughly;
•         soak the pepper seeds in this mixture for about 2-3 hours.

By following this procedure, you can be sure of growing strong, vigorous pepper sprouts. It's also helpful to water pepper seedlings growing indoors with iodine water, but only when the plants have 2-3 true leaves.

The solution will have a different concentration than when soaking seeds: take one drop of iodine per three-liter jar of clean water, stir, and then carefully water the seedlings.

You can use a different solution: a drop of iodine, three liters of water, and 50 grams of whey. Watering with this solution will strengthen the seedlings, promote good growth, and also protect against various diseases.

An iodine solution with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers also produces good results for seedlings. The proportions are as follows: 8-10 grams of iodine, the same amount of phosphorus fertilizer, and 20 grams of potassium supplements per bucket of water.

Adult peppers transplanted into greenhouses, hotbeds, and open-air beds respond well to iodine solutions.

A couple of root waterings are sufficient, and you can also spray the peppers with an iodine solution once or twice a season. Peppers are usually watered with iodine at the very beginning of fruiting.

For irrigation, prepare the following solution: dilute 3 drops of iodine in a bucket of water and water it at the roots, using one liter per plant. For spraying, apply 2 drops of iodine per bucket. The interval between treatments is two weeks. What does this mean? The weight of fruit set increases, and the ripening time of peppers is reduced. This is especially important for regions with short and cool summers, as proper application of iodine allows for more ripe fruit.

Many people spray peppers with iodine to prevent various diseases, including powdery mildew and late blight. This method is effective because it simultaneously provides both nutrition and infection prevention.

Solution components:

•         iodine (you will need 35-40 drops);
•         a bucket of warm water;
•         a liter of milk whey;
•         hydrogen peroxide (tablespoon).

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and then apply to the pepper plants. Ensure the mixture reaches all sides of the plant's leaves, branches, and stems. When spraying, it's best to use sprayers with fine nozzles so that the peppers are enveloped in a "cloud" of the mixture, producing very small droplets.

If the disease has already taken hold on some plants, quickly prepare a solution with iodine using a different recipe.

Components:

•         a bottle of iodine;
•         2 liters of wood ash;
•         8 liters of water;
•         10 grams of boric acid.

Bring the water in the bucket to a boil, remove it from the stove, and then carefully pour in the ash. Mix thoroughly and let the mixture cool. Then pour in all the iodine, add boric acid, stir again, and let it steep for 24 hours. To use the infusion, dilute it with water at a ratio of one liter of iodine-ash mixture per bucket of water. Water the mixture at the roots.

Benefits of iodine-yeast supplements

Iodine is readily available, especially since only a very small amount is required for fertilizing and spraying. Many gardeners are drawn to iodine, like yeast, not only for its affordability but also for its safety.

They are considered so-called folk remedies, but in any case, the dosage of the components must be carefully observed.

Iodine compounds protect against diseases, improve fruit quality, and accelerate ripening. When combined with yeast fertilization, which is sufficient once or twice per season, excellent results are achieved without the use of mineral fertilizers. The only requirement is the proper use of organic matter and maintaining a balanced nutrient balance in all solutions.

Peppers that receive the correct dose of iodine or yeast experience a strengthened immune system, develop a strong root system, produce and ripen fruits faster, and increase overall yield.

Rules for feeding peppers with iodine

Like any other fertilizer, iodine solutions must be prepared immediately before use. Although iodine is harmless in small doses, it's still best to follow certain precautions when treating peppers (especially in a greenhouse), and remember to wear safety glasses and protective clothing.

1.      When mixing ingredients, use the exact amount of each preparation, without increasing the proportions. An excess of any substance is even more harmful than a deficiency.
2.      It's best to spray peppers on the leaves either early in the morning or in the evening. During the day, sunburn may occur on the leaves during spraying.
3.      For peppers growing in open ground, clear, rain-free days are chosen for processing.
4.      To prepare the mixtures, it is recommended to use special containers that you use only for applying fertilizers.

Proper use of folk remedies will allow you to reap bountiful harvests. The key is to carefully prepare the mixtures, remember to apply fertilizers accordingly, and be mindful of the appropriate time to treat or "feed" the peppers.

Reviews

Arina, Nizhny Novgorod region

I have a tried-and-true remedy for late blight on both peppers and tomatoes. I mix 0.5 liters of kefir (or any fermented milk product) in a slightly full bucket of water, then add 5-6 drops of iodine. I mix it and spray my plants once every two weeks. I apply the treatment as soon as I plant them in the greenhouse. I haven't had any infections.

Ivan, Lipetsk region

I water many vegetables in my garden with iodine. I read in the newspaper a long time ago that it's a good fertilizer and protects against diseases. I spray peppers and tomatoes with it; it helps against blossom-end rot, but I dilute milk in water along with iodine. I spray strawberries and apple trees, and I water my cabbage and zucchini with an iodine solution. The cabbage heads turn out well, and the young zucchini ovaries don't rot in rainy weather. So iodine is a reliable remedy.