Leek

Our advice for your leek crop: start with a firm, strong plant

Strengthening resilience preferably starts at the propagator. Any leek plant that is made more robust and resilient from an early stage will grow better and more evenly.

Apply ArgicinPlus during propagation and cultivation

To achieve this, our basic advice to the propagator is to use our fertiliser with CE marking, ArgicinPlus. This product contains three different components, and therefore has a broad effect:  

• Silicon is built into the cell walls of the shaft and leaves and literally strengthens these. This lays the foundation for the leek to have a beautiful, straight shaft. Silicon also improves the internal transport of moisture, ensuring that water and nutrients reach their destination more easily.
• Willow bark extract plays an important role in root system development. The young leek plants grow better and they have a greater capacity to absorb water and nutrients.
• Colloidal silver helps improve the absorption capacity of essential trace elements.

By making the young leek plants more robust at the propagator, this gives them a head start during production.  In any case, our advice is to start commercial growing with ArgicinPlus as drench treatment in the growing hole, even if the propagator has treated by seedlings.

Recommended dosage/advice for use - ArgicinPlus in leek plant propagation (seedlings)

• 1.5 litres/ha/week of ArgicinPlus.
• Plant spraying is preferable, administration via LVM (low volume misting) is an alternative.
• Time: the first spray 4 weeks before delivering the plants, the last spray just before delivery. 

Recommended dosage/advice for use - ArgicinPlus in commercial leek growing

• Irrigate with 1 litre of ArgicinPlus added to 2,500 litres of water.
• Time: drench treatment in the planting hole after planting.

ArgicinPlus means no residues, no growth inhibition, no re-entry restrictions and no safety term before harvest.

Practical experience: leek plants demonstrably more resilient

Recent practical research at a farm shows that when the leeks were planted and underwent drench treatment with ArgicinPlus, not only did the plants look better and more vigorous (darker in colour, firmer and thicker veins, stronger leaves), there were other advantages too: a higher net additional yield and very few failures.  

SilicaPower ensures a firmer shaft and stronger leaves throughout the growing season

To maintain the firmness and strength of the leek after the boost with ArgicinPlus, we recommend administering SilicaPower for an extended period during the growing season. This biostimulant contains very pure, highly soluble and very readily absorbable silicon. Silicon strengthens the cell walls and epidermis of the leaf, and ensures balanced absorption and distribution of calcium, magnesium, manganese and boron by the plant. Use SilicaPower during commercial growing to develop and maintain a firm shaft. It also make the leaves stronger (physical barrier). Leek plants that have integrated more silicon into their cells walls, are stronger and less susceptible to stress conditions. The harvested product is firmer, stronger and more suitable for long-term storage.

Recommended dosage/advice for use - SilicaPower in leek

• 0.5 litres/ha/week of SilicaPower. SilicaPower can easily be mixed with another spray and due to its extremely low EC of 0.02mS, does not increase the EC of the spray mixture.
• Time: the first spray is 3 weeks after planting. If the plants haven’t had a resilience boost at the propagator, start a week earlier.
• Continue spraying whilst the plants are active (apart from if the temperature during the day falls below 8◦C)

SilicaPower may be used in organic leek cultivation.

Bespoke advice for your own leek cultivation situation

Would you like advice about your own cultivation or farm situation? Contact your dealer, or our advisor Alwin Scholten. He can be contacted on telephone number +31 (0)6 49 33 49 30, or by email.