Each gardener strives for a good harvest to grow in his garden, which can please tasty and healthy vegetables. However, unfortunately, in practice, everything is far from being as simple as one wants, since the overall balance of all nutrients plays an important role in plant life, among which such an element as potassium is especially important. Since mineral elements are the most important link in their nutrition, they are introduced into the soil during spring and autumn digging of the soil every year. Potash fertilizers in this regard play a key role in the metabolism, and their deficiency can very seriously affect the future crop.
It should be borne in mind that, unlike phosphorus and nitrogen, potassium is not a part of organic compounds in plants, but is present mostly in their cells, being in the form of salts of a soluble composition. For the most part, this trace element is found in the tissues of young greenery, but in the old it is very small. Potash fertilizers are difficult to overestimate, because their functions are extremely diverse. First of all, this element improves metabolism, and also contributes to the good resistance of any plant to a lack of moisture in the soil. Participating in nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism, potassium positively affects the intensity of photosynthesis and the formation of organic acids in the green body. In addition, it slows down the oxidation processes and extends the life of the plant, extending the period of its vegetation and fruiting.
It is also important to understand that all mineral macro- and microelements are closely interconnected, since they have a positive effect directly in the biological connective. That is why before applying mineral fertilizers to the site, you must first analyze the soil in order to determine its qualitative composition for the presence of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The last two elements closely interact with each other, since phosphorus plays a leading role in fruiting, as well as in the immune system. That is why phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are the most important substances in the annual feeding, which can provide a quality crop. By increasing the activity of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, they contribute to the accumulation of sugar in root crops (sugar beets) and starch in potatoes, as a result of which their nutritional value becomes higher.
Potash fertilizers also contribute to frost resistance of plants during wintering, since the high sugar content in the cells increases their internal pressure. The lack of this element may be indicated by the underdevelopment of buds, poor flowering, as well as the appearance of diseases such as powdery mildew, rust. On fruit trees, a lack of potassium is clearly visible on the leaves, the tips of which begin to turn brown and take on a burned appearance.
Recently, among gardeners, it is increasingly possible to meet those who use the method of organic farming, increasing soil fertility not using various chemical fertilizers, but when sowing green manure crops. So, for example, all cereal plants, which primarily include wheat, rye and oats, contain large reserves of potassium. Therefore, if you plant young plants after germination in the ground, then the next year you will get excellent soil. Potash fertilizer of this kind is completely natural, and therefore is in an easily digestible form for all other green organisms.
Thus, when growing any cultivated plants, potash fertilizers play a crucial role, increasing their immune system and future productivity. This must be taken into account when growing vegetables and fruits, regularly filling up the deficiency of this element in the soil.