Fertilizing leafy cultures (x)

Published Jul 13, 2026

Tridge summary

In July, it is timely to apply foliar fertilizer to maize. Most of the stands will have reached the 8-leaf stage by this time. In fact, some of them may even be more developed, which comes with a larger leaf surface. At this point, the leaf area index (LAI) is already around 3 to 3.5, meaning that 3 to 3.5 m2 of leaf surface area falls on 1 m2 of growing area. Although this value peaks somewhere between 5 and 7, it is clear that this is when the phase of intensive development begins. Therefore, due to the increased leaf surface area and the more intensive development, on the one hand, the active absorption surface will be larger, and on the other hand, the maize's "hunger" for individual nutrients will increase rapidly.

Original content

This means that it becomes timely to supplement individual nutrients in a reasonable amount through the leaves. Of course, with foliar fertilization – although the uptake of nutrients through leaves is better than through the soil but limited in quantity – we can essentially supplement micronutrients, and in this phase, there is also an opportunity to supplement macronutrients. True, for a significant amount relative to the need, there is a realistic chance only for sulfur and magnesium. The administration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at this time can only be limited to correcting possible imbalances. It is well evident from the above tables that the intensive uptake starts after the 6-8 leaf stage, which is why it is worth applying foliar fertilizer at this time. On the other hand, this is the stage of development when the soil coverage is so extensive that the majority of the applied leaf quantity ends up on the leaves, from where it can easily enter the plant. ...

Source: agrarszektor.news