Often, when caring for green spaces in a summer cottage, a variety of home-made products are used. Most often, gardeners use ammonia for top dressing. Its application brings positive results.

Ammonia is a gas that is colorless and also has a pungent odor. When combined with water, it forms or, as it is also called, ammonia. Many believe that these three names refer to one substance. And although this is not the case, for simplicity, we will use all three names.

Benefits for plants

Plants need a lot of nitrogen. Thanks to him, the leaves and stem grow. The lack is manifested by the fact that they turn yellow and dry out, because with a chronic lack of nitrogenous compounds, the production of chlorophyll slows down. In addition, the obvious signs will be:

• thin stem that breaks easily;
• small leaves;
• growth retardation;
• poor flowering.

Ammonia contains nitrogen in large quantities. Therefore, an experienced gardener, with a lack of nitrogen, uses it in the garden and in the garden.

It will bring obvious benefits to cucumbers, strawberries, onions and garlic, tomatoes, cabbage and eggplants. Flowers also love it: lilies, geraniums and hydrangeas.

In addition to the fact that the tool can be used in the garden, for those who grow seedlings, the concentrate is also useful. It is necessary to process containers for seedlings for the purpose of disinfection. To do this, use a mixture of 1 part alcohol and 8 parts water. Add detergent and wash the containers well.

The concentrate is useful not only for feeding, but also for the fight against harmful insects, because it has a very unpleasant odor that they cannot tolerate.

top dressing

If you have a suspicion that green spaces are experiencing a lack of nitrogen, you need to try using this remedy. Such a solution can be bought at any pharmacy. Or you can take ten liters of water and dilute three tablespoons of the substance there. Water should be at room temperature.

How to apply the resulting concentrate? It is poured under the root of the plant. It must be remembered that top dressing will be most effective after watering. In no case should you water the leaves, only the roots. At the same time, you should not make the solution more concentrated, an excess of nitrogen is just as harmful as its lack.

We fight pests

Pest control is another way to use ammonia in your backyard. The most sensitive to this substance. If aphids are affected, you need to take a bucket of water, rub 50 grams of laundry soap into it and add 50 ml of ammonia. The resulting solution should be carefully sprayed on the affected areas of vegetation in the garden.

When affected by an onion or carrot fly, you can not use chemicals to combat it, but simply make a mixture of 5 milliliters of ammonia and one bucket of water at room temperature. It is very effective to water and spray the affected areas.

Ammonia is also very effective for destroying the bear, which eats roots, seedlings and vegetables in the garden. It is necessary to make a solution of 10 liters of water at room temperature and 10 milliliters of ammonia. For one well, you need to use half a bucket of the resulting mixture.

In the same way, it is effective to deal with the wireworm. Invasions of this insect are mainly on legumes, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage and onions.

When the site of planting garlic or onions is affected by a secretive proboscis, then every week you should water with a solution made from 1 tablespoon of ammonia and 1 bucket of water at room temperature.

Ammonia is effective in the fight not only against plant pests, but also against blood-sucking insects. It is necessary to dilute the starting substance in water and from time to time spray the area near you. If mosquitoes still managed to get and bite, then water and ammonia, taken in equal proportions, will help reduce the sensitivity of itching from bites.

When using ammonia and ammonia, remember that these components should not be mixed with other active ingredients, such as, for example, chlorine bleach. Such a mixture can increase the concentration of toxic substances in the released vapors.

Work in the garden should be in rubber gloves and a mask. And solutions need to be diluted in the fresh air or in a room that has good ventilation. Store the drug in cool and dark places.

Ammonia is an excellent fertilizer, which is very well suited for feeding the garden. It is completely safe for both humans and animals, and at the same time effective. However, it should be remembered that excess nitrogen can slow down the growth of crops, so top dressing should be carried out no more than once a week.

In addition, the drug will help in the fight against pests. The main thing is to use the right proportions and use protective equipment.

What will help a person?

A wonderful tool is not only able to improve plant growth and protect the garden from pests, but to help the gardeners themselves. For example, you can pour a well-diluted solution into a spray bottle and periodically spray the area around you. Using this method, you will scare away all pests within a radius of 1 meter. And spraying the house and wet cleaning with ammonia will help get rid of ants.

Many gardeners have heard how useful ammonia is, the use of this remedy in the garden will help not only restore soil fertility, but also protect plants from many pests. We will tell you why the use of ammonia is necessary, how it affects crops and in what proportions to use it.

The benefits and uses of ammonia in the garden

What is the function of ammonia in the cultivation of the land? Let's think logically. Again, it is known from the school curriculum that for good growth and favorable development, all plants, without exception, need nitrogen. Despite the fact that the air contains 78% of free nitrogen, plants are able to absorb this component from the soil only as part of chemical compounds. Therefore, the use of ammonia in horticulture for watering various cultivated plants and flowers saturates them with a substance that is so necessary for the growth of development. In addition, ammonia is used to spray plants: garden crops, shrubs, flowers and trees as a pest control. Onion fly, ants, bear, aphids, secretive proboscis do not tolerate a strong ammonia smell and leave their favorite habitats.

What plants can be fertilized with ammonia

The life cycle of any plant is associated with the process of increasing green mass, flowering, and the formation of fruits. Nitrogen types of fertilizers help him make development efficient. The need for nitrogen in all plants is different.

Among them there are great lovers of nitrogen, feeding with ammonia is most useful for them:

• Cabbage.
• Eggplant.
• Pumpkins, zucchini.
• Rhubarb.
• Peppers, potatoes.
• Perennial bulbous flowers.
• Peonies, dahlias, clematis.
• Raspberry, cherry, plum, strawberry, blackberry.

It is useful to feed any seedlings with an alcohol solution during the growth of the house, when transplanting to a permanent place.

Feeding cucumbers with ammonia

Ammonia, the use of which in the garden is known not only for pest control, can serve as an excellent top dressing for cucumbers. It is this plant that needs a lot of nitrogen. To do this, three tablespoons of ammonia are taken per ten liters of water. Cucumbers are poured with the resulting solution immediately after the start of shoot growth.

Processing cabbage with ammonia

Ammonia is known to have beneficial effects on many plants. So, ammonia, the use of which in the garden no longer causes any controversy among summer residents, is also useful for cabbage. It not only saturates it with essential trace elements, but also effectively fights pests. For example, this drug is a malicious enemy of slugs, snails, fleas, caterpillars and the well-known cabbage fly. In order to process cabbage, you need to take ten liters of water and 80-100 milliliters of ammonia. The resulting solution should be sprayed with plants every few days. But if the slugs are already wound up, then the solution can be poured directly from the watering can onto the head of cabbage. The pests should leave your garden soon.

Processing onions with ammonia

The benefits of this drug for onions have been noticed for a long time, so ammonia is actively used to improve crop growth and increase its yield.

The use of nitrogenous fertilizers stimulates the rapid growth of green mass. For onions grown on greens, this will be an excellent top dressing. The feather of such plants becomes juicy, green, beautiful.

The introduction of certain norms of nitrogen significantly affects the development of the underground part of the onion, the main thing at the same time is to prevent an excess of nitrogen, and also not to forget about other elements (potassium, phosphorus).

If everything is done on time and in the right proportions, then the onion heads will be juicy, large. Along with onions, it absorbs such nitrogenous compounds and garlic very well, it is no coincidence that these crops are most often fed with this pharmaceutical preparation.

Feeding garlic with ammonia

Top dressing with ammonia is carried out if the tips of the garlic leaves become thinner, begin to twist and turn yellow. To do this, prepare a low concentrated solution: 2 tablespoons of ammonia water per 10 liters of water.

They use ammonia from pests in the garden, namely, they carry out foliar treatment from weevils. To combat them, 25 ml of ammonia is added to a bucket of water, the beds are watered with a ready-made solution every few days.

Processing a tomato with ammonia

Tomatoes, the culture is widespread. Each summer resident plants his favorite varieties to pamper with homemade salads, tomato juice and preparations. The crop ripens on the aerial part of the plant, so a strong bush is a necessary condition. Tomatoes need nitrogen to grow properly. You can feed tomatoes with a useful element using ordinary ammonia from the pharmacy chain.

The effect of the use of ammonia in the form of top dressing for tomatoes is very noticeable. The substance in ammonia is in a form that is easily digestible for plants and does not require additional processing by bacteria. After proper feeding with ammonia, tomatoes in the beds:

• increase the green mass;
• bloom actively;
• are not subject to pest invasions;
• do not suffer from fungal diseases.

Ammonia for indoor flowers

In winter, our indoor flowers, which grow on window sills, where it can be cold or drafty, or vice versa too hot due to heating, the flowers feel pretty bad. Therefore, they need to be fed, especially in the second half of winter. In addition, whiteflies, spider mites, or other pests can start in indoor flowers. Therefore, for disinfection and fertilizing with nitrogen, you need to make a soft, delicate solution using ammonia.

Excess nitrogen can burn the roots of plants, so you need to water with such solutions stepping back from the roots of indoor flowers, and other plants, especially shrubs.

For indoor flowers, we breed 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ammonia in a bucket of water. The solution is very weak and gentle. But this is quite enough for watering, fertilizing and disinfection. Then we water the flowers with ammonia with this solution so that pests do not multiply there, and at the same time disinfection from pests is obtained.

Nitrogenous fertilizers quickly reach the roots of indoor plants, they start growing faster.

Also make the solution stronger and wash the windows with this solution, where there are indoor flowers. Pests may be there. Indoor flowers respond well to such top dressing.

Safety measures when treating plants with ammonia

The pungent smell of ammonia and its vapor, if elementary protective measures are not followed, can be dangerous:

• sudden inhalation can cause respiratory arrest, so it is better to mix the solutions in well-ventilated areas;
• in people suffering from hypertension, it can cause a sharp increase in pressure;
• ammonia is a medicinal product and in no case should it be mixed with chlorine-containing substances;
• in order to avoid burns, be careful not to get the product on the skin and mucous membranes.

With proper use, respect for proportions and rules, ammonia will become your indispensable helper and friend for plants. They will certainly thank you with a healthy appearance and a rich harvest.

Ammonia is a clear and colorless 10% aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide with a sharp specific odor. Produced from a solution of ammonia and water. It has the chemical formula NH₄OH. In everyday life, it is called ammonia. The drug is sold in pharmacies without a prescription, in glass bottles of 40 ml.

Ammonia contains nitrogen, so gardeners use it as a fertilizer, especially in cases where plants become ill with chlorosis, which appears due to a lack of nitrogen. The plants become pale green, the leaves dry up, the buds fall off and the fruits grow small. It is easy to fertilize the soil of garden crops and indoor flowers with ammonia, the main thing is to observe the dosage. Before feeding, all plants must be watered.

The following types of plants can be treated with ammonia:

• room;
• garden;
• garden.

We fertilize indoor plants with ammonia

For 10 liters of water at room temperature, 1 tbsp. l. 10% ammonia and mixed. The soil of the plants is watered so that the solution does not fall on the leaves. Top dressing can be done 1 time in 2 weeks. After 3-4 weeks, the appearance of the flowers improves - the leaves become greener, more buds form and flowering improves.

How to fertilize garden plants

• Onion and garlic. If the feather of the onion or the arrows of the garlic began to turn pale, the ends turn yellow and dry out, then this is a sure sign of a lack of nitrogen. For a 5-liter bucket of water, 1 tbsp is taken. l. ammonia and top dressing is done at the root.
• Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant. For better growth and formation of flower stalks, tomato bushes need nitrogen. Therefore, after planting seedlings of tomatoes in the beds, they are watered with a solution of ammonia. For this, 2 tbsp. l. 10% ammonia is diluted in 10 liters of water and fertilized with 1 liter of solution per bush. You can also feed seedlings of peppers, eggplant, zucchini and pumpkins with this fertilizer. Re-watering is done in a couple of weeks.
• Cucumbers. These are one of those plants that love well-drained, manure soil, so they are in dire need of nitrogen fertilizer. Watering is carried out with a diluted solution of ammonia in water, at the rate of 3 tbsp. l. for 10 l. The next such top dressing can be done after 10 days.
• Cabbage. When growing cabbage, ammonia will help both as a nitrogen fertilizer and as a remedy for cruciferous flea, slugs and caterpillars. Processing and feeding can be combined. Watering is done on leaves and heads of cabbage, diluted with a solution consisting of 60 ml of ammonia and 10 liters of water.

We fertilize garden plants

• Raspberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries. To get a good harvest from berry bushes, they must be treated in time with nitrogen-containing fertilizer. It is necessary to fertilize during the growing season - before flowering or after harvesting. A solution is used, mixed from 10 liters of water and 3 tbsp. ammonia. Water on wet soil under the root of 5 liters per bush.
• Strawberry. Bushes of this berry begin to fertilize in the spring, while there are no flowers, and after harvesting, in order to give the berry grower strength for a better winter. The solution is prepared from 10 liters of water and 20 ml of ammonia, and poured half a liter on each bush. Feeding is done at intervals of 2 weeks.
• Garden flowers. For good growth and abundant flowering of flowers, fertilizer mixed from ammonia is used in the proportion of 10 liters of water and 2 tbsp. ammonia. Roses, dahlias, lilies, peonies, zinnias, clematis and violets respond best to such top dressing. For 1 season, plants are fed 3 times.

For proper treatment of plants, the following conditions must be met:

• Fertilize horticultural and flower crops in the morning or evening and in calm weather.
• It is necessary to observe the dosage when preparing the solution and when watering, so as not to harm the plants.
• If the plant is weakened by the disease, then it is better to reduce the dose of ammonia.

Safety measures when working with ammonia

During work, personal protective equipment should be used: gloves, closed clothing, a mask or respirator. It is necessary to dilute the solution in the fresh air or with open vents and windows. After processing, the room must be ventilated.

Do not allow ammonia to get into the eyes and mouth. If necessary, the affected areas are washed with plenty of clean water.

Experienced gardeners have long been going to the pharmacy for medicines, but not for themselves, but for their favorite plants. solution is in high demand ammonia. He is ammonia, he is ammonia, he is a solution of ammonium.

The use of ammonia for plants: benefits and harms

Ammonia is a colorless gas with an unpleasant urine odor. Combining it with water is ammonia or ammonia. Gardeners use these three concepts as equivalent.

Ammonia has a high nitrogen content (82%), which is the main "food" for any plant. It is also contained in the air in large quantities (72%), but plants are able to absorb it only from the soil.

The lack of nitrogen in the soil disrupts the production of chlorophyll in plants.

Signs of nitrogen deficiency or chlorosis disease:

• yellow or pale leaves;
• fragile stems;
• weak flowering;
• the absence of a bond.

In such cases, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is necessary. They can be used as ammonia. It gives a visible effect after just a few applications. It has a positive effect on the condition of the plant and guarantees productivity.

Its solution has an advantage over solid nitrogen-containing fertilizers:

• ammonium nitrate;
• urea.

An excess of the latter in the soil leads to the accumulation of nitrates (salts of nitric acid) in the roots, leaves, and most importantly, fruits. Greenhouse and commercially grown vegetables and fruits sin with this. Fruits with a high content of nitrates can cause severe poisoning of the body.

It is almost impossible to "overfeed" plants with ammonia solution. Although with the abuse of fertilizers, this is possible.

Failure to comply with the dosage and frequency of top dressing can lead to an increase in green mass to the detriment of flowering and fruit formation. In addition, excess nitrogen increases the risk of fungal diseases.

Ammonia as a fertilizer

Sold in pharmacies ammonia 10%. It is used as a fertilizer. Its price is low, which makes it even more attractive to use.

Sometimes ammonia 25% appears in recipes:

1. This is a technical solution of alcohol, which is widely used in pharmaceutical production and agriculture.
2. It is not sold in pharmacies, you can buy it in specialized stores of fertilizers or chemical reagents.
3. When preparing solutions, it is used in smaller doses., since it is more concentrated.

The use of ammonia as a fertilizer requires compliance with certain rules. This is explained by the quality of the drug - volatility or volatility.

Therefore, you should know that you can:

• use only freshly prepared solution, it is not stored;
• processing of plants should be carried out in cloudy weather or in the evening / morning when there is no sun.

Use a watering can without a nozzle or with large holes so as not to create a fine spray.

It should be remembered:

1. Ammonia is a toxic substance. Therefore, you need to water the plants under the root, avoiding contact with leaves and stems.
2. Fertilization is important after heavy watering., on wet ground. These measures will help to avoid chemical burns.
3. If the recipe involves spraying the plant, then the dosage must be strictly observed. For each crop in the garden, it has its own.

These recipes are focused on preventive use, i.e. when the plants show no signs of nitrogen deficiency.

What plants benefit from ammonia?

Ammonia is a universal fertilizer, it is suitable for all garden and flower crops. But different plants absorb ammonia nitrogen in different ways.

For seedlings

Seedlings are very fond of "eating" such nitrogen.

Weekly root dressing with a solution of ammonia (1 tsp per 1 liter of water):

• strengthen young shoots;
• stimulate growth;
• facilitate the stage of transplanting into open ground.

In addition, sprouts develop protective properties against diseases and pests. Such a solution can be used to treat containers before planting in order to neutralize them from microorganisms.

For cucumbers

For cabbage

• solution for spraying on the sheet - 1 tsp per 1 liter of water
• irrigation solution - 25 ml per 10 liters.

Top dressing is obligatory during the period of the appearance of the first leaves and budding. can be fertilized after the end of flowering as a preparation for winter.

For indoor plants

For indoor plants you need to do weak solution(1 tbsp for 3 waters). They can be watered or sprayed on the leaf. If these are decorative and deciduous crops, then top dressing is useful throughout the active growth until autumn.

Flowering houseplants fertilize until the formation of buds, then they should be discarded.

The exception is, in which the leaves turn yellow with a minimal lack of nitrogen. She is fed regularly. They do the same if they grow. With a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the ovary does not form on it.

When using ammonia as a fertilizer on any plant, follow these guidelines:

• do not use ammonia in parallel with other nitrogen fertilizers;
• start with low concentrated solutions;
• do not use more than once a week.

Such sprays are detrimental to aphids, midges, onion flies. For other pests, such treatment will be insufficient. The reason for this is that the smell of ammonia quickly disappears. It is necessary to fix it on the treated surfaces.

To do this, use the fatty acids that make up the soap:

They do not like ammonia smell and mosquitoes. If the adjacent territory is treated with a solution, this will reduce the number of blood-sucking insects for some time.

To do this, water (1 l) must be mixed with 100 ml of ammonia. This composition will also reduce itching after bites.

Precautionary measures

We must not forget that ammonia - strong poison. Inhalation of its vapors in large quantities can cause respiratory arrest and cardiac arrhythmias. Such poisonings subsequently require long-term treatment.

If a concentrated ammonia solution comes into contact with the skin, it will lead to the formation of chemical burn. In both cases, you should not self-medicate, but you should contact a medical institution.

To avoid such consequences, when working with ammonia, precautions must be taken:

• use a respirator and gloves;
• breed outdoors or in ventilated areas;
• do not mix with any other active substances except iodine;
• do not carry out processing in hot, sunny weather;
• do not work with the drug for people suffering from vegetovascular dystonia.

Conclusion

In our first aid kit there is always ammonia in case you need to bring someone to their senses. Not everyone knows that in a similar way it affects plants in the garden and at home. with ammonia not only nourish vegetable and flower crops, but also activate their growth, stimulate flowering and fruiting.

Many gardeners have heard how useful ammonia is, the use of this remedy in the garden will help not only restore soil fertility, but also protect plants from many pests. We will tell you why the use of ammonia is necessary, how it affects crops and in what proportions to use it.

Ammonia is the simplest chemical that gardeners use effectively to fertilize plants and control pests. Let us consider in more detail what is its use for the garden, and what recipes are best used for feeding onions, cabbage and cucumbers.

The benefits and uses of ammonia

Ammonia (NH3) is a colorless gas with a pungent urine odor. When combined with water, it forms a new substance - ammonia (NH 4 OH). It is he who is used as a top dressing. The names ammonia, ammonia and ammonia have firmly entered the everyday life of gardeners, denoting the same thing, although in fact they are different substances. For simplicity, we will use all 3 names.

You can buy the drug at a pharmacy or in a store with garden tools. It is sold in the form of a 10% solution and is called "Ammonia" or "Ammonia".

Why is ammonia for the garden so often used? Its benefit lies in the high content of nitrogen - the main constituent of plant organelles, lipoids and chlorophyll. Despite the large amount of free nitrogen in the air (78%), plants absorb it only in a bound form - in the form of chemical compounds from the soil.

The use of ammonia in the garden is so popular because of its pungent smell. It is unpleasant not only for humans, but also for insects. The smell of ammonia repels aphids, a bear, an onion fly, and a secretive trunk.

Ammonia against pests in the garden

To prevent the appearance of a bear on cabbage beds, before planting, half a liter of 1% ammonia solution is added to each well (for this, dissolve 10 ml of the drug in a bucket of water).

So that the onion fly and the secretive trunk do not start on the site, once a week during June, water the beds of onions and garlic with an ammonia solution (25 ml of ammonia per 10 liters of cold water). If there is a high probability of pests, watering the onions with ammonia can be continued all summer.

If you still notice signs of the appearance of pests (holes in the leaves, midges), ammonia will help to quickly destroy them. To do this, dissolve 50 ml of ammonia in 10 liters of water, add 50 g of grated laundry soap or 10 ml of liquid soap. Spray the plants every few days.

The use of ammonia in the garden as a top dressing

Dried and pale leaves, small flowers, lack of fruits - these are the most characteristic signs of a lack of nitrogen in the soil. To eliminate them, plants are fed with a concentrated solution. To prepare fertilizer, dilute 6 tablespoons of ammonia in a 10-liter bucket of warm water and mix. Top dressing is applied under the root of the plants after watering, once a week.

If the soil of the site is not very fertile and contains little nitrogen, carry out preventive root dressing every 2 weeks. To do this, dissolve 50 ml of ammonia in a bucket of water. Apply the finished solution after heavy watering. Such top dressing is especially fruitful for lilies, onions, cucumbers and carrots.

Processing onions with ammonia

If you notice yellowed and dried feathers, this is a signal of a lack of nitrogen in the soil and the need to water the onion with ammonia. To do this correctly, dissolve 60 ml of ammonia in a bucket of water, water the beds every few days with the finished solution.

For quick recovery of onions, foliar top dressing is used. To prepare the solution in a bucket of settled water, add 3 tablespoons of ammonia. Spray the beds after sunset or on cloudy days twice a week.

To prevent the appearance of pests, you can carry out root feeding of onions with ammonia. To do this, dilute 30 ml of the drug in a bucket of water, apply fertilizer under the root after watering.

Ammonia - use for cabbage

Rubbing cabbage with ammonia is a reliable way to keep it free from cruciferous flea, snails, caterpillars, cabbage flies, and slugs.

To prepare the solution for a bucket of water (10 l), take 80-100 ml of ammonia. Spray cabbage leaves every few days. If slugs appeared on it, processing can be carried out directly from the watering can and abundantly pour over heads of cabbage.

In addition to protecting against pests, ammonia in any case also works as a top dressing. Therefore, the introduction of nitrogen-containing fertilizers for the period of processing is better to exclude.

Top dressing and watering cucumbers with ammonia

Cucumbers are fed with ammonia several times until the fruit appears. To prepare the solution, dissolve 3 tablespoons of ammonia in 10 liters of water. Start watering after the start of shoot growth once every 7 days. During the appearance of the formation of the ovary, the treatment of cucumbers with ammonia is carried out more often - once every 4 days, and with a more concentrated solution (1 teaspoon per 1.5 liters of water).

Feeding garlic with ammonia

Top dressing with ammonia is carried out if the tips of the garlic leaves become thinner, begin to twist and turn yellow. To do this, prepare a low concentrated solution: 2 tablespoons of ammonia water per 10 liters of water.

They use ammonia from pests in the garden, namely, they carry out foliar treatment from weevils. To combat them, 25 ml of ammonia is added to a bucket of water, the beds are watered with a ready-made solution every few days.

Processing a tomato with ammonia

For the formation of good strong bushes and large fruits, tomatoes need nitrogenous top dressing. If you do not use complex nitrogen-containing fertilizers or urea (Urea) on the beds, apply ammonia. To do this, prepare a weak solution: 2-3 tablespoons of ammonia in a bucket of water. Feed under the root, in moist soil, at intervals of once a week.

Outcome

Ammonia is a universal fertilizer suitable for most garden crops. Compared to other nitrogenous fertilizers, it is completely harmless to humans and domestic animals, and also performs the role of feeding and protecting against pests at the same time.

Despite the benefits, excess nitrogen negatively affects plant growth. Therefore, do not carry out preventive feeding more than once a week, and use low-concentrated solutions for plant treatment, increasing the dosage over time.