APPLICATION RECOMMENDATIONS
Test Your Soil
Maximum economic yield begins with a soil test to determine key soil nutrients your crops need. Your own experience, combined with soil testing is the first step to achieving a high yielding, high quality crop. Regular soil testing and the use of the appropriate Rainbow Plant Food grades will help you achieve complete nutritional balance for your crops.
Crop Resources
Watermelon
When thinking of summer fruit, watermelon is top of mind. This warm-weather fruit not only needs the right soil to thrive, but the appropriate nutrients to produce the perfectly sweet slice.
Weight, yield and quality are what you’re looking for in a winning fruit crop, but sweetness level can also be attributed to the success of the fruit. Fruits and vegetables typically require more than the basic NPK for optimal quality, size, look and taste. Watermelon needs nutrients like potassium, magnesium, zinc, boron, manganese, calcium and sulfur to promote elasticity and plump fruits.
Crop Resources
Readily Available Nutrients:
Give your watermelon the balance of nutrients it needs with Rainbow Plant Food, delivering a perfect ratio of essential minerals within each granule—no blending necessary. No blending means no chance for segregation, which, in turn, means healthier, more vibrant crops at every harvest.
Application Recommendation:
As a chlorine-sensitive crop, watermelon can be susceptible to chlorine toxicity faster than other crops. Though essential to plant growth, excess chlorine can lead to necrosis of the leaves and jeopardize the health of the crop. As the chlorine converts to chloride in the soil and is absorbed through the plant, sensitive crops should be wary of chloride-containing potassium sources that could impact the quality and shelf life of their plant. Rainbow fertilizers do not have chloride-containing potassium, so growers can be confident that the low chloride levels will improve their crop health.
The 5-12-12 Super Rainbow formulation is recommended on watermelons. Not only is it a low-chlorine fertilizer, it also has more magnesium and water-soluble calcium than the 5-20-20 Super Rainbow. To keep levels of chlorine uptake down, and keep magnesium and calcium uptake levels up, Rainbow Plant Food uses chemically homogeneous ammoniated granules that ensure your watermelon crop will get consistent nutrition.
Geographic location also plays a big role in soil type and will impact when the ideal time is for you to apply.
Talk to your local retailer or local extension office for specific recommendations.
Recommended Grades:
| N | P | K | Mg | Ca | S | B | CU | Fe | Mn | Zn | Cl | NN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 | 10 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | .07 | .25 | .10 | 6.0 | .50 | ||
| 5 | 12 | 12 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | .15 | .20 | .40 | .30 | 2.0 | ||
| 4 | 8 | 12 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | .03 | .20 | .10 | 1.50 |
