What does Boron (B) do? (Boron is NOT boring to your soil!)

Did your SoilKit results come back with a boron treatment recommendation? While nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the three biggest components of getting a healthy lawn or garden, micronutrients are also important for the health and yield of crops. Boron specifically aids plants in production of sugar and carbohydrates, and it's essential for germination of pollen grains and pollen tubes. According to Mosaic, “B[oron] is the second most widespread micronutrient deficiency problem worldwide after zinc.” Crops that commonly need boron to flourish are broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, carrots, eggplants, leeks, okra, onions, parsnips, radishes, strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes and potatoes. Some soil types will have enough boron present to maintain a healthy lawn or garden, but sandy soils leech boron more quickly. The only way to be sure your soil has adequate boron or if you will need to supplement boron for your plants is to start with a soil test. Once symptoms of boron deficiency are observed, it is usually too late to apply boron.

The great thing about correcting a boron deficiency is the treatment product is readily available and a small amount of boron goes a long way. Typically, you will need 1/3 cup per 1000 sq/ft which is about 6 tablespoons per 1000 sq/ft of borax. 20 Mule Team All Natural Borax has been around for more than a century and can be found at grocery stores and big boxes like Walmart and Lowes. Small amounts of borax should be well blended with a pre-plant application of N–P–K, which means you can add the borax into your fertilizer treatment recommendation and spread together prior to planting. For established foliage needing boron, you can dissolve 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and use a garden sprayer to apply. 

Growing acres of crops for a farm stand or just really like your veggies? Massachusetts Extension and Michigan State Extension suggest: 

• 3lbs per acre: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, rutabaga, turnips, beets, and swiss card, spinach
• 2lbs per acre: Asparagus, carrots, cucurbits, eggplants, leeks, okra, onions, parsnips, radishes, strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes
• Make a foliar fertilizer by mixing 0.2 to 0.3 pounds of Solubor, which is manufactured by 20 Mule Team Borax, in 30 gallons of water and applying it per acre.
• Want to know more about boron specifics for your particular state or region? Reach out to your extension system and share your SoilKit results. 

If you are still reading this, you may be scratching your head, isn’t borax in laundry detergent? You may have memories of your mother or grandmother using borax for washing clothes; you may have even used borax for your family’s own laundry to brighten whites or to polish up a stainless steel sink. Borax is the common name for the chemical compound sodium tetraborate decahydrate, which contains sodium, boron, water and oxygen. Organic gardeners may be more familiar with borax in the garden, as it is an organic herbicide for creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea). If you live in hardiness zones 4 through 9, this aggressive, mint family perennial weed often invades lawns, flower beds and even the mulched area around trees. To use borax as a herbicide, dissolve 10 ounces of 20 Mule Team Borax in 4 ounces of warm water and then add the solution to 2 1/2 gallons of water; apply to the weeds using your garden sprayer. And don’t forget…please read the back of this and all product labels for how to use properly and other safety guidelines!

Happy Planting!