Leaf crops

Leaf crops

In intensive vegetable growing, leafy annual crops with a short vegetation cycle occupy a special place. These are numerous varieties of leafy, cabbage salads and greens: lettuce, garden cress, romaine lettuce, arugula, parsley, spinach, sorrel, Chinese cabbage, endive, kale, fennel, dill and others.

Peculiarities

All these crops are valued for their vitamin composition and for eating without cooking, that is, fresh. All leafy vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber.

Leaf crops are grown in industrial crop production in greenhouses both on soil and with the help of hydro and aeroponics, as well as in open ground, including under film. All leafy are warm and moisture-loving crops, vulnerable to drought and sudden changes in temperature, don’t tolerate frost and heavy soils.

For greenhouse soils and to maintain fertility in crop rotation on open ground, as well as for seedling substrate, SatoSoil® improvers are used, since they increase looseness and aeration of the upper layer, neutralize the pathogenic environment after previous crops or from the introduction of compost and manure.

In intensive farming, it’s common to use seedlings for leafy crops. For soaking seeds and for seedling treatment, the growth regulator SatoHum® K has proven itself to be excellent, since it enhances the vigor of germination and seed viability.

During the growing season, SatoHum® K and SatoHum® Complex are also organic-friendly and worthy for foliar protection against pests and pathogens when the use of chemical foliar protection is not allowed.

In hydroponics, a low organo-mineral formulation Sato® Turbo NPK 3-1,5-6 is appropriate as a work solution with micronutrients. For greenhouses SatoHum® developed specific formulations, such as Sato® Turbo 12-4-6,7, as well as Sato® Turbo with micronutrients to amend the lack of trace elements, providing humic and fulvic acids for disease prevention, which stimulates the plant’s own defenses and strengthens the walls of stems and leaves.

Given that leafy greens are used as food without heat processing, it’s not usual to overfeed such crops with minerals.

All SatoHum® compositions are rich in humic and fulvic acids obtained from environmentally friendly sapropel and lowland peat, effectively correct the deficiencies of essential nutrients, facilitate their absorption, bind nitrate and potassium salts into insoluble complexes, avoiding their removal into the plants green mass, form a barrier to fungal pathogens, prolong the shelf life of leafy greens.

4 Sato® Steps – recommendations for fertilization and top dressing for leafy, cabbage salads and greens

SOILS

SEEDLINGS

GROWTH

HARVEST

SatoSoil® Biome

Top dressing of open and greenhouse soils
0,5 – 1 kg/m²

Single pre-sowing soil fertilization
0,5 – 1 kg/m²

Organic soils feeding
Incorporation to a depth of 16 cm
0,5 – 1 kg/m²

SatoHum® K or
Sato® Turbo NPK

Watering the soil improver
0,2 – 0,6 ml/m²

SatoHum® K

Seedling treatment

Seeds germination

Simultaneous seedlings germination
10 ml/10 l water

Sato® Turbo NPK
Starting complex nutrition with minerals
10 – 15 ml/10 l water

SatoHum® Complex /
Sato® Turbo 3-1,5-6

Application via fertigation systems
1,8 – 2,8 ml/10 m²

Sato® Turbo NPK

Correction of macroelements deficiency
1,8 – 2,8 ml/10 m²

SatoHum® K

Foliar system treatment of raspberry and currant shrubs
30 – 40 ml/10 l of water

Sato® Turbo with micronutrients

Correction of potassium and boron starvation
1,5 – 3 ml/10 m²

SatoHum® Complex

Feeding with amino acids
1,8 – 2,8 ml/10 m²

SatoHum® K

In organic farming, it’s used in any non-root irrigation no more than 3 times per growing cycle
15 – 20 ml/10 l of water

SatoHum® Complex

Long keeping quality of leaf crops
2 – 3,4 ml/10 m²

WARNING AND GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS: 4 Sato® Steps is a comprehensive crop care system that provides the basic crop needs for the main 12 macro, meso and micronutrients for an optimal growing cycle and unlocking the potential of each crop.

SOILS: In pre-sowing application of SatoSoil® improvers, the minimum rate is introduced; when autumn applying, the maximum rate is recommended. When applying Sato® Turbo organo-mineral fertilizers after SatoSoil® improvers, the minimum rate is applied; if the soil hasn’t been treated, the maximum rate is applied. For irrigation, it’s recommended to activate granulates (soil improvers) with SatoHum® K liquid formulation or Sato® Turbo NPK liquid organo-mineral product.

SEEDS/SEEDLINGS/VEGETATION BEGINNING: Treatment of seeds and seedlings with SatoHum® K formulation is compatible with treatment by classical protectants without reducing the rates of their application, and helps to increase the viability of seedlings, the development of the plant and its fruitfulness.

GROWTH: Our SatoHum® solutions have a guaranteed composition with high content of humic and fulvic acids with amino acids of plant origin. It is not recommended to exceed the total applying dose of SatoHum® liquid formulations over 6 l/ha/season, starting from the germination/seedlings phase. If SatoHum® K is used for prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to apply the minimum dose.

HARVEST: Simultaneous fertilization with several SatoHum® products is not expected, excepting the soil improver’s activation. It’s not recommended to exceed the specified application rates. For single, not systemic application of SatoHum® products, the maximum dosage of the product is recommended.