FORUMHOUSE members grow such complex and capricious ornamental plants that sometimes it seems like a miracle. One of the components of this miracle is the right soil. Ornamental gardening gurus, especially indoor plants, almost never use purchased land. Soil for plants is made up of combinations of different types of soil, which are usually harvested independently. These soils are formed from the decomposition of sod, leaves, peat, etc., and all are rich in plant nutrients, but have different chemical and physical characteristics.
In this article, we will tell you how to harvest and use the main types of soil used in private households:
- How to prepare and use soddy soil.
- How to get leafy soil at home.
- How to make humus soil yourself.
- How to prepare peat soil.
- How to check the quality of purchased land.
The correct way of preparing the soil and correctly composed soil mixture is the main condition for the successful cultivation of plants.
sod land
Soddy soil is the heaviest and most porous of all that we will consider today. This soil contains a huge amount of nutrients, it is part of many soil mixtures for growing a number of plants in room conditions, for growing seedlings, it is used in greenhouses and greenhouses. The content of sod land can be from half to ¾ of the entire composition of the soil mixture.
Sod land is also used to improve sandy soil in the garden. After adding heavy soddy soil, sandy soil retains water better and becomes more fertile.
Soddy soil is made from layers of sod. To do this, in summer, in meadows overgrown with chamomile, clover, bluegrass and other plants that indicate low soil acidity, sod layers are cut. The recommended size of the layers is about 20 cm wide and about 40 cm long, the thickness of the layer depends on the thickness of the sod layer, but usually does not exceed 10 cm.
Sod layers are laid in layers “grass to grass”, a layer of manure and a little lime are poured on top for deoxidation, then again sod layers, etc. There may be several layers, but the stack should not be too high so as not to interfere with the access of air into the structure. Four parts of the sod should account for part of the manure.
In the upper tier, a recess is made so that water from irrigation accumulates in it. It is necessary to ensure that the sod does not overgrow with weeds and does not dry out. It is recommended to cover it with a black film and water it regularly. During the summer and autumn, it is recommended to shovel this structure at least twice - this will speed up the decomposition process.
Soddy soil can be used as early as next spring, but two-year-old soil contains much more nutrients.
At the same time, it is impossible to leave soddy soil in reserve for several years - along with elasticity, it will lose most of its useful properties. Before using this soil for making mixtures, it must be sieved.
Another subtlety: the structure of the sod land depends on what soil you took the sod from. If from clay, then it will be heavier, from sandy loam - lighter. Light can not be sifted, not completely rotted fibers are allowed. Palm trees, etc., are planted in such soil, and the seeds of plants are sown, which require a light composition of the earth, and at the same time, humus is prohibited (levoks, etc.).
A mixture with heavy soddy soil is used to grow many houseplants. It is also invaluable for rooting cuttings that easily rot in ordinary soil: roses, lemons, gernays, echeveria, etc.
The main problem is to find a place where you can take turf without violating the law. The ideal option is an unnecessary piece of your own lawn.
Andrey Vasiliev Consultant of the "Orchard" section FORUMHOUSE
I used sod land (I removed the sod and took 30 centimeters of the soil layer), but in small quantities. For cubes, they can attract some kind of article (for sure).
leaf ground
Leafy soil is also part of many soil mixtures. It is light, and is used to loosen dense soil, although it contains less nutrients than soddy. It is used most often in indoor floriculture, and, depending on the plant, in the soil mixture it can be from 1/5 to ¾ of the composition.
For the preparation of leafy soil, dry fallen leaves are collected in boxes or barrels (except for willow and oak leaves rich in tannins). Leaves are stacked in layers in a container. Each layer is covered with humus or cut grass and sprinkled with lime to deoxidize. Leaves need to be moistened regularly. Some gardeners mix it several times, some believe that the process should go naturally. Typically, the process of preparing leafy soil takes two years.
In indoor floriculture, leafy soil is used for sowing seeds with the smallest seeds (begonias, etc.), in cases where plants are prohibited from humus and for.
Alisa FORUMHOUSE Member
For seedlings of vegetables, I prepare the soil mixture myself, using leaf humus (maple leaf).
humus earth
Muddy soil is completely decomposed manure. We talked in detail about which animal manure is recommended for use, and how to do it.
In any soil mixture, it is the humus soil that will contain the largest amount of nutrients, it is it that ensures the growth of plants at a speed, "by leaps and bounds." But due to the high nitrogen content, it must be used with caution, mixing with other types of soil.
Helga FORUMHOUSE Member
Liquid fertilizers cannot be compared with rotted manure. They just feed the plants right now, and improve or mulch the soil with manure.
Depending on the climate, the preparation of humus takes a year or two.
peat land
Peat soil is light and loose, like leafy soil, but less prone to acidification, so it is often used to improve the quality of other soils.
This soil is well-decomposed raised bog peat, and it is harvested on the site of a former swamp or floodplain.
But here, too, there is one subtlety. If you find an old swamp located on a hill, then the top layer up to 15 cm will be ready-made peat soil, you can take it and apply it. And the peat that we will take from the swampy lowland is not suitable for immediate use. It needs to be ventilated.
To do this, we stack the harvested peat in layers on top of each other in a stack about half a meter high. We shift each layer of peat 20-30 cm high with manure or water with slurry (this will increase fertility) and sprinkle with lime to deoxidize. Lime can be replaced with wood ash. In this form, peat is left for the winter.
In its pure form, peat land is used to grow a number of indoor plants - azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, hydrangeas. Very often, various plants are cut into peat soil mixed with sand. Shilson
A special test for the content of sand in the soil: put a handful of soil in a glass dish, fill it with water, stir. The soil will settle to the bottom like this: a layer of sand from below, clay - from above.
In this way, you can get an accurate idea of what percentage of sand is contained in the purchased soil.
To improve the quality of the soil on your site will help such a technique as. Read the FORUMHOUSE section. Our video will help you classify the soil in your area and decide on the necessary measures to improve it.
leaf ground light, loose, rich in humus. It is obtained from fallen leaves - linden, maple, ash, elm, fruit plants. It should not be prepared from oak, poplar, willow leaves, which contain too many tannins. And also - any leaves affected by diseases or pests.
To prepare leafy ground in the fall, stack the collected leaves in stacks, soak them with mullein, and compact. Stir 2-3 times next summer, moistening with water if necessary. In July, add lime to half-decomposed leaves (0.5 kg per 1 cubic meter). At the end of the second summer, the land will be ready. But if you haven't stirred and watered it too actively, you'll have to wait another year. Keep the earth indoors.
Leafy soil is used when sowing seeds; as the basis of land mixtures for primrose, cyclamen, anthurium, begonia, gloxinia, camellia, cineraria; as a substitute for heather soil mixed with peat and sand.
sod land
sod land - dense, heavy, quite rich in nutrients. It is usually harvested in meadows and pastures rich in clover and cereals. Do not take land in the lowlands and places with very acidic soil. It is harvested in the first half of summer, before the seeds begin to ripen - if you do not want to deal with extra weeds.
To prepare the turf, it is necessary to cut it in layers (8-10 cm thick, 20-25 cm wide, 30-50 cm long) and fold it in stacks - grass to grass. Ideally, such a stack should be a cube (150x150x150). It will turn out more - the air will flow worse, less - the earth will dry out too quickly. At the top, make a small hole - rainwater can linger in it. It is good if you spill the layers with manure solution. And once or twice during the summer, properly dig them up - so that the earth is enriched with oxygen. After a year, pass the finished earth through a screen - a metal mesh for sifting - and use it immediately. And keep the rest indoors.
Sod land is included in most land mixtures.
tree land
tree land in its qualities it is similar to leaf, but it easily turns sour. It contains few nutrients. It is prepared from sawdust, crushed wood residues of stumps, roots, branches, and bark.
For harvesting, stack the wood pulp in stacks, moisten with mullein. Then everything is as usual: regularly turn over with a pitchfork, not forgetting about water and mullein. However, you can do without manure, replacing it with mineral nitrogen fertilizers - best of all, urea (4.4 kg per 1 cubic meter of mass).
In its pure form, woody earth is used extremely rarely. Usually used to improve the physical properties of the soil.
peat land
peat land - light, loose, moist, rich in humus. It is collected in swamps - upland and lowland. Suitable peat and peat chips.
To prepare the peat, lay it in layers, alternating with manure and lime, in stacks 40-60 cm high. For the next two years, you will periodically mix it and water it with slurry.
Peat land is used to grow hydrangeas, azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, orchids and ferns; for sowing small seeds; to improve the physical properties of heavy soils.
humus earth
humus earth - this is rotted manure. It is the richest in nutrients, especially nitrogen. If cow dung was used, it is heavy, if horse dung is light.
Harvest it throughout the season. To do this, put the manure in piles, cover with peat and mix from time to time for 1-2 years.
Humus soil is not used in its pure form, but is added to most land mixtures.
Compost land
Compost land - these are wastes of plant and animal origin that have decayed over 2-3 years: grass, food debris, feces, etc. It is rich in nutrients and very easy to prepare.
Waste is put into the so-called compost heap and, again, mixed regularly. The layers are moistened with mullein or nitrogen mineral fertilizers are added. And so for three years.
Compost soil is used to make garden soil loose and more fertile.
In ornamental gardening, there are many specially mixed soils in various combinations. All of them are the result of the decomposition of peat, manure, leaves, turf, etc., contain the necessary amount of nutrients for growing plants, but depending on the substrate used for their preparation, they have different chemical and physical properties.
On farms, the following types of land are most often harvested: peat, compost, humus, leaf and sod. The most porous, resilient and heavy of them is turf, while others are lighter. The success of plant cultivation mainly depends on the method of harvesting and subsequent tillage, on the ability to choose the right soil mixture.
Soddy soil is harvested on perennial fallow pastures and meadows, best of all in those places where a good herbage has grown. Sod land should not be harvested in low areas with high acidity. Soil preparation begins in the last decade of June, by this time the height of the grass reaches its maximum height, and the turf will have time to partially decompose by the time the cold weather sets in. The turf cut into layers is laid in piles up to 1.5 m high and wide. The stacks are periodically watered with slurry from above so that decomposition occurs faster. To reduce the acidity of the soil, 2 kg of lime is added to the heaps for every m 3 of earth.
leafy soil
In autumn, leafy soil is harvested in parks, groves and forests. It is best not to use the soil from under the willow and oak, it contains a lot of tannins. Sometimes leaf litter is harvested to obtain leaf soil, choosing the top layer by 2-5 cm, the collected leaf soil is stacked in piles up to 1.5 m high. In autumn, when laying the pile, it is necessary to water the leaves with slurry and compact well.
After two years, the leaves will perepere well and turn into nutritious leafy soil. This soil is loose and light, but it contains less nutrients than soddy soil, it is an ideal ripper for heavy soils. Leafy soil is well suited for sowing crops with small seeds - gloxinia, begonias, etc., it must be used in cases where manure humus cannot be used for plants.
humus soil
Often such soil is called greenhouse soil, the reason is that it is obtained from old greenhouse soil and rotted manure. The litter of domestic animals put in the spring as a biofuel in the greenhouse completely rots by autumn, light humus is obtained from sheep and horse manure, and heavier humus from cow manure. After cleaning the greenhouse in the fall, the humus is placed in a pile and left for a year, during the summer it is shifted several times. After that, the humus is sieved and used to fertilize plants growing in open ground.
Mucky soil is oily, loose, light, and very nutrient-dense, high in nitrogen. Used as a potent ingredient in soil formulations for growing fast growing plants, this soil is essential for growing seedlings of annual crops and for many potted plants.
This land is harvested mainly in peat bogs, sometimes it is prepared from peat chips or briquettes. Peat is also placed in heaps up to 80 cm high, every 25 cm the layers are sprinkled with lime and watered with slurry. In the first and second years after harvesting, the collar is shifted, and used only for the third season.
Peat soil is very moisture-intensive, loose and light, it contains a lot of slowly decaying organic particles, and in its pure form, such a composition is unnutritious. Used as a ripper for various soil mixtures.
Compost soil
To prepare such land, various animal and plant residues, weeds, household and greenhouse waste are composted in pits and heaps. In the second year, a pile of compost is shifted 2-3 times over the summer, watering with slurry. The compost soil is completely ready by the end of the third year, it must be sifted before use.
The properties of this type of soil can vary greatly, they depend on the nature of the waste and the type of material used for composting, they are used in a mixture with peat and soddy soil.
sod land- soil from under wild vegetation as a component of seedling soil.
The same can be said about most soils taken from under wild vegetation as about garden soils: they do not have satisfactory physical properties. The exception is sands, sandy loams and peat bogs of drained raised bogs. These light soils are usually infertile but have good physical properties. They can be used as components that improve the physical properties of soil mixtures, but not as carriers of natural fertility. In the absence of sand, sandy or sandy loamy soil is used as its equivalent.
Soils from under wild vegetation have a certain advantage over the same soils taken from the garden, due to the lower probability of introducing diseases into seedlings. Nevertheless, it is desirable to carry out 2-3 cycles of freezing and thawing, which will help get rid of pests and weeds wintering in the soil. Minimum processing- freezing of the soil in bags or boxes.
There is a special land that is introduced as a carrier of natural fertility into many soils. This is sod land. This is not earth that can be dug up in a vegetable garden, orchard, field, or forest. Sod is the source of sod land. It is cut into clover or in a plot with meadow vegetation, in that place of the meadow where the grasses grow especially violently and in appearance do not have nutritional deficiencies.
Herbs should be tall, bright green, free from yellowing, spots, specks, and dry tips. A powerful herbage indicates that the soil is rich in all the necessary nutrients. If, on the meadows available to you, the grasses are stunted, they begin to turn yellow and dry early, then it makes no sense to take land from under such vegetation - it is poor in nutrients. The same can be said about soils sown with clover.
You must also pay attention to meadow location- the highest quality will be the land taken from a high place. In the lowlands, and even more so in a swampy meadow, the earth will be too acidic. The best soils for the preparation of sod land are medium loams. Sod land taken from sandy loamy soil will be poor in nutrient content.
Sod land is obtained from meadow sod. It is cut on loamy soil, where healthy, powerful herbs grow, without pronounced signs of nutritional deficiency.
To prepare the sod land, the grasses are first mowed, and the cut sod plates are folded on a shaded area with the roots up or in layers - one layer with grass inside, the other with roots inside. In the absence of rain, the pile is periodically watered. To prevent water from rolling, the edges are made higher than the center of the stack. You can not expend any additional effort, and then it will take two seasons to completely rot the roots: the ground from the turf cut in spring or early summer will be ready by the end of the summer of the next season.
For decay acceleration the pile can be shoveled 2-3 times during the summer, breaking up pieces of turf and swapping the surface and inner layers. In autumn, you can shake off the ground from not completely decomposed roots, sift and put it in a pile under a canopy for freezing (disinfection from soil pests, in particular from wireworms). You can freeze soddy land in bags or boxes.
According to its physical properties, loamy soddy soil is too dense and heavy for seedlings, so it is always used in a mixture with loose, porous and water-permeable substrates.
When compiling a soil mixture, for example, for growing seedlings, indoor flowers, you will definitely meet instructions on which soil to use. It is possible to make them yourself and later use them to grow plants.
Soddy soil.
We select an unplowed piece of land and remove a layer of the upper layer about 10 cm thick. It is better to do this by cutting into small squares. The best places for taking land are those where legumes and cereal grasses grow, which are not acidic and not alkaline. Then, in the selected place, lay a layer of turf with the grass up. Pour a layer of rotted manure about 10 cm on it. Then put a piece of turf, grass down. And so several layers. Do it in the spring. Water during the summer so that it does not dry out. It is also better to protect the sides from weathering. You can weave a wattle fence from cut branches and furnish around the perimeter. Before winter, spend a couple of shoveling. You will receive excellent soddy soil.
Garden soil.
This is the kind of soil that needs to be approached very carefully. After all, it can be affected by pests and diseases. And you will only do harm. It is also often very poor in nutrient content. But with a good cultivation of the garden, with the application of fertilizers, the constant fight against diseases and pests, its use is possible. Just do not take it where cabbage and potatoes grew. And, of course, do not hide where there are weeds, especially malicious ones. taken garden soil sift. Thus, its structure improves, it is enriched with oxygen and garbage and plant residues are removed. Ash, sand (if heavy, clayey) are added to it. If it is poor, dense, then even before preparing soil mixtures, you can add a little compost, peat or humus. Then the garden soil does not cake during winter storage.
Mucky soil.
The name itself speaks for itself. For its preparation, manure is piled up, covered with turf on top. Be sure to water it, and let it lie like that from spring to summer. In the middle of summer, shovel. Then lay again, lightly compact and water. Humus soil may not work if it is very hot in summer. In this case, spend several shoveling and moisturizing. Such soil not only improves the structure of soil mixtures, but is also an excellent fertilizer, promotes plant growth. If you have greenhouses that you clog with manure, then with the receipt humus soil you won't have a problem. After all, when cleaning a greenhouse, you already take out an excellent crumbly soil, ready for use. It is primarily used where plants are grown that cannot tolerate the introduction of fresh manure.
Leafy (deciduous) soil.
It's even easier to get this look. And at the same time, you will get a double effect, get rid of fallen leaves and get an excellent fertilizer. Leaves (except for those containing a large amount of tannins, for example, willow, oak) that are not affected by diseases are raked into a pile, tamped a little, moistened and covered with a layer of turf on top. In extreme cases, sprinkle some earth, moisten and cover with a film. During the summer, shovel several times and monitor the humidity. Laying from autumn to the end of the next season, over the summer you will get a loose leaf soil. It is often used mixed with sand to sow seeds in boxes.
In the garden first-aid kit of experienced gardeners, there is always crystalline iron sulfate, or ferrous sulfate. Like many other chemicals, it has properties that protect horticultural crops from numerous diseases and insect pests. In this article, we will talk about the features of using iron sulfate to treat garden plants from diseases and pests, and about other options for its use on the site.
There were times when the concepts of "tree-garden", "family tree", "collection tree", "multi-tree" simply did not exist. And one could see such a miracle only in the household of the "Michurinites" - people who were amazed by the neighbors, looking at their gardens. There, on the same apple, pear or plum tree, not only varieties of different ripening periods ripened, but also varieties of various colors and sizes. Not many despaired of such experiments, but only those who were not afraid of numerous trials and errors.
The climatic conditions of our country, unfortunately, are not suitable for growing many crops without seedlings. Healthy and strong seedlings are the key to a quality harvest, in turn, the quality of seedlings depends on several factors: Even healthy-looking seeds can be infected with pathogens that remain on the surface of the seed for a long time, and after sowing, getting into favorable conditions, they young and immature plants
Our family loves tomatoes very much, so most of the beds in the country are given over to this crop. Every year we try to try new interesting varieties, and some of them take root and become favorites. At the same time, over the many years of gardening, we have already formed a set of favorite varieties that are required for planting in every season. We jokingly call such tomatoes "special purpose" varieties - for fresh salads, juice, salting and storage.
The snow has not yet completely melted, and the restless owners of suburban areas are already in a hurry to assess the scope of work in the garden. And there really is a lot to do here. And, perhaps, the most important thing to think about in early spring is how to protect your garden from diseases and pests. Experienced gardeners know that these processes cannot be left to chance, and delay and postponing the processing time for later can significantly reduce the yield and quality of the fruit.
If you are preparing soil mixtures for growing indoor plants yourself, then you should take a closer look at a relatively new, interesting and, in my opinion, necessary component - coconut substrate. Everyone, probably, has seen at least once in their life a coconut and its “shaggy” shell covered with long fibers. Many delicious products are made from coconuts (actually a drupe), but the shells and fibers used to be just waste products.
Canned fish and cheese pie is a simple lunch or dinner idea for a daily or Sunday menu. The pie is designed for a small family of 4-5 people with a moderate appetite. This pastry has everything at once - fish, potatoes, cheese, and a crispy dough crust, in general, almost like a closed calzone pizza, only tastier and simpler. Canned fish can be anything - mackerel, saury, pink salmon or sardines, choose according to your taste. This pie is also prepared with boiled fish.
Fig, fig, fig tree - these are all names of the same plant, which we strongly associate with Mediterranean life. Anyone who has ever tasted fig fruits knows how delicious it is. But, in addition to a delicate sweet taste, they are also very healthy. And here is an interesting detail: it turns out that figs are a completely unpretentious plant. In addition, it can be successfully grown on a plot in the middle lane or in a house - in a container.
Delicious cream soup with seafood is prepared in just under an hour, it turns out tender and creamy. Choose seafood according to your taste and wallet, it can be a sea cocktail, and king prawns, and squids. I cooked soup with large shrimps and mussels in shells. Firstly, it is very tasty, and secondly, it is beautiful. If you are cooking for a festive dinner or lunch, then mussels in shells and large unpeeled shrimp look appetizing and pretty on a plate.
Quite often, even experienced summer residents face difficulties in growing tomato seedlings. For someone, all the seedlings turn out to be elongated and weak, for someone, they suddenly begin to fall and die. The thing is that it is difficult to maintain ideal conditions for growing seedlings in an apartment. Seedlings of any plants need to provide a lot of light, sufficient humidity and optimal temperature. What else do you need to know and observe when growing tomato seedlings in an apartment?
Tomato varieties of the Altai series are very popular with gardeners because of their sweet, delicate taste, more reminiscent of the taste of a fruit than a vegetable. These are large tomatoes, the weight of each fruit is an average of 300 grams. But this is not the limit, there are larger tomatoes. The pulp of these tomatoes is characterized by juiciness and fleshiness with a slight pleasant oiliness. You can grow excellent tomatoes of the Altai series from the seeds of Agrosuccess.
For many years, aloe has been the most underrated houseplant. And this is not surprising, because the wide distribution of aloe vera in the last century has led to the fact that everyone has forgotten about other types of this amazing succulent. Aloe is primarily an ornamental plant. And with the right choice of type and variety, it can outshine any competitor. In fashionable florariums and in ordinary pots, aloe is a hardy, beautiful and surprisingly long-lived plant.
Delicious vinaigrette with apple and sauerkraut - a vegetarian salad of boiled and chilled, raw, pickled, salted, pickled vegetables and fruits. The name comes from a French sauce made from vinegar, olive oil and mustard (vinaigrette). Vinaigrette appeared in Russian cuisine not so long ago, around the beginning of the 19th century, perhaps the recipe was borrowed from Austrian or German cuisine, since the ingredients for the Austrian herring salad are very similar.
When we dreamily touch bright seed bags in our hands, we are sometimes subconsciously sure that we have a prototype of the future plant. We mentally allocate a place for him in the flower garden and look forward to the cherished day of the appearance of the first bud. However, buying seeds does not always guarantee that you will eventually get the desired flower. I would like to draw attention to the reasons why the seeds may not sprout or die at the very beginning of germination.
Source: chrome-effect.ruFlower growers are often faced with the fact that turf land or a mixture of it with various fillers is recommended for planting. Experienced summer residents usually have a good idea of what it is, but for a beginner, such a concept may turn out to be new. Today we will analyze in detail what turf land means, where to get it, and what effect it has on the growth and development of plants. If this is your first time transplanting a plant, then sometimes it seems that it is easier to buy a ready-made substrate in the store. In fact, the soil mixture prepared at home is no different from the one that you will be offered in a beautiful, factory-made package.
The basis of floriculture
Mixtures for planting houseplants can vary greatly in composition. The main difference is which ingredient predominates in it. Knowing their properties well, you get the opportunity to take into account the individual characteristics of each potted plant and select the soil in which they will develop favorably.
Turf land is considered the main one in floriculture. It is used in the manufacture of most soil mixtures. Plants adapt very well to it, developing intensively.
Substrate differences
Sod land is a term that refers to various garden soils. At first glance, it is enough to simply remove the top layer of soil, which contains plant humus. However, garden soil can be obtained from the decomposition of sod or other organic matter. The original substrate will influence the physical and chemical properties of the resulting soil mixture. Therefore, today we will consider several options, as well as the possibilities of their optimal combination with each other.
sod land
It is very rich in nutrients. Moreover, the potted plant will be provided for several years ahead, without requiring additional fertilizing. It is obtained mainly from meadows and pastures, as well as fallow lands. The main selection criterion is the presence of grass-clover herbage in the places of the final collection of the substrate. However, it cannot be said that it will be the same in any case. Distinguish:
- heavy sod substrate, which is characterized by a large amount of clay;
- average;
- light, which has the most sand.
seasonal factor
And we continue to deal with the concept of sod land. What it is, where to get such a soil mixture, now we will tell you in detail. Harvesting is carried out in the summer. To do this, you need to choose the period of maximum herbage. At the same time, the calculation is made in such a way that the sod will have time to partially decompose before the winter cold. But it will take much more time to get the finished substrate. Initially, the turf is cut into layers, 20 cm wide and 8 cm thick. Now it is necessary to fold it in stacks, up to 1.5 meters high. To accelerate decomposition, the layers are moistened with a solution of slurry. Another task is to reduce acidity. For this, lime is added. The next summer, you need to properly shovel the stack 2-3 times. Only after two seasons will it be ready for use. In the second year, in the fall, it is recommended to pass it through a screen and clean it indoors.
Gathering place
You already know what turf land is, but collected in different places, it will be very different. It is necessary to cut it on the clover, where the herbs grow especially violently and do not have a nutritional deficiency. It is easy to appreciate in appearance. All herbage should be bright green, without yellowing and spots, speckles and dry tips. If, on the meadows accessible to you, the grasses are stunted, they begin to turn yellow and dry early, then taking land here does not make any sense. It is poor in nutrients.
The location of the meadow also plays an important role. Since you can cook soddy land only directly in the meadow, choose the highest places. In swampy lowlands, the soil will be too acidic. Medium loams will be optimal in composition. Sandy loam turf is characterized by high water and air permeability, but at the same time it is poor in nutrients, for which it is used in gardening.
leaf humus
As you can see, the preparation of sod land is not difficult, you only need access to open meadows. If there is nothing like this near you, then you can try similar mixtures, which are also perfectly perceived by house plants. Now we will discuss in detail what kind of substrate is used to replace soddy soil. First of all, it is leaf land. It is characterized by friability and lightness. On the other hand, this drawback is easily corrected by mixing different mixtures and obtaining the optimal composition. Particularly good results are given by leaf humus mixed with heavy, soddy soil. Often flower growers use leafy soil mixed with peat and sand. It turns out an analogue of the heather mixture, light and nutritious.
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Even in urban conditions, you can easily find a place to harvest leafy land. If you can go out of town, into the forest, then here you can find its natural deposits. Year after year, the leaves fall and rot under the trees, forming a nutrient layer. In city parks, you can collect during the period of mass leaf fall in parks and gardens. The most suitable are the leaves of linden and maple, fruit trees. But willow and oak are completely unsuitable for these purposes.
Collected leaves or forest floor are formed into piles and moistened with slurry. It remains to compact the stack well and leave until next summer. Over the next warm season, it will be necessary to shovel the leaf mass well several times, moisten it with slurry and add lime. That is, you will get high-quality leafy land only by the end of the second summer.
Compost land
Summer residents use this term quite often, so we will also mention it. Compost is an analogue of turf and leaf soil. Their essence is the same - it is the rotted remains of plant organic matter. The quality of compost land depends on the type of waste, that is, the material used. This is an intermediate link between turf and humus soil.
It will require a compost pit to make it, although some gardeners use heaps or stacks. During the summer, they collect all plant and animal remains, weeds and garbage, food waste. As it accumulates, the remains are sprinkled with lime and moistened with slurry, and covered with peat on top. In the second and third years, the mass needs to be shoveled. By the end of the third year, the land is completely ready for use. Now you already know what turf and leafy soil is, how to make compost, and you can choose the basis of the substrate for your house plants.
Preparing a mixture for plants
So, it's about to land. Usually, gardeners begin to do this by spring. The soil prepared since autumn is warmed, disinfected and an ideal substrate is prepared from it. The main characteristics are:
- Moisture capacity. The soil should easily absorb water. Do not pass through yourself, as is the case with sand, but do not delay, as clay does.
- Water and breathability. This is understandable, the substrate must be loose to ensure air access to the roots.
- Nutrition.
- Suitable pH level (most often the absence of acidification).
- Purity, that is, the absence of toxic substances.
Optimal proportions
Most often, 1: 1 soddy land is mixed with a component such as leaf humus. This is easy to explain, since it acts as a baking powder. Some flower growers recommend adding earth from molehills in similar proportions. It is loose and nutritious, and also does not contain pest larvae. Humus is another important component. It is a black, homogeneous mass, which is obtained from well-decomposed manure. It is highly nutritious, but often contains seeds of weeds and pathogens, so it is extremely important to season the mixture before use.
Baking powder
In order to ensure optimal air permeability of the soil, it is necessary to observe the proportions of soddy soil and sand. It is important that only Fine is used will only make the substrate denser. Before adding to the soil, the sand is well washed. This is necessary in order to wash out all the dust and leave the necessary small pebbles. In this form, it is added to almost all mixtures for indoor plants, providing better breathability.
Leafy ground from fallen leavesLeafy land - such a concept is often met by a gardener, reading popular agricultural literature.
What is it?
For the uninitiated, here is a description from the reference book. “Leaf land is a highly fertile, loose and light land.” As you can see, the performance is very high. There is such land in the forest. And it is prepared there in a natural way. We, gardeners, and especially flower growers, need to cook it ourselves. The base is leaf litter. During autumn leaf fall, we collect and prepare fallen leaves. We accumulate and cover them in metal or plastic 200-liter barrels. It is necessary to refrain from harvesting oak leaves. They contain a lot of tannins and decompose slowly. If there is such an opportunity, then we do not harvest both maple and aspen leaves - there are also problems with composting associated with decomposition and mineralization. In the first place are linden and birch leaves, then already the rest. If it’s important, then both pine and spruce needles are suitable. It all depends on the method of composting and the season (summer, early autumn). The winter period is no longer with us - after all, the temperature in the compost bin should not be lower than 6 ° C. At temperatures below this threshold, microorganisms do not live, and therefore do not decompose what is embedded in. We lay the leaves in heaps in layers, sprinkling with fertile soil. Can be layered with cut grass.
Agronomists recommend adding lime (0.5-1 kg of lime for every cubic meter of leaves). In dry weather, the leaf pile should be watered. For 2-3 years, these heaps must be shoveled several times. This is the optimal time for leaf ground to be ready. Enterprising and experienced gardeners have contributed their best practices to these recommendations. The main such method is that the leaf pile does not need to be shoveled. In my practice, I also adhere to the methods of experienced gardeners, taking into account the fact that in nature no one shovels the forest leaf litter (and this, in fact, is also leaf heaps), but it turns out leafy loose fertile soil (humus). True, fungi, mushrooms (including edible ones), field mice, and some forest animals (wild boars, elks, etc.) are busy decomposing leaves there, but this does not change the essence of the matter. We use our own in our ways. For example, we introduce urea, manure, garden soil (soil) for seeding. Of the microflora, microorganisms play the main role in the decomposition of organic substances. But they do not “run” all over the compost heap, but are located and act in separate layers of this heap. Why should they be thrown from top to bottom, because there is almost no oxygen there, and for them it is very bad and they will die.
Shoveling is necessary, but within reasonable limits. We harvest leaves (from the forest, of course) not only for the preparation of leafy soil, but also as a forest natural insulation for our crops, protecting them from frost and changes in outdoor temperature. And also as an excellent mulching material for beds and tree trunks of fruit trees and berry bushes. For example, it is good to sprinkle beds with leaves planted with winter garlic in a layer of 8-10 cm and cover them with spruce branches so that they are not blown away by the wind and washed away by precipitation. In the spring, we remove this leaf cover and take it to the prefabricated compost - a good loosening component and in the compost heap (compost box).
If we talk about garden strawberries, and even about raspberries with their almost superficial roots, roots, then leaf litter is also used here as a reliable savior of the roots of these crops with little snow or heavy snowmelt.
It must be said that according to my experience of working with strawberries on a small-sized garden plot, I can repeat that the best covering material for it, in addition to snow cover, of course, is a layer of mulch of 15-20 cm from dry leaves of forest litter, covered with spruce branches (better Total). But if it is not there, then with reeds, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower, so that the leaves are not blown away by the wind. In addition, such an agricultural method contributes to better snow retention, in conditions of a little snowy winter.
What to do next (already in the spring) with this leaf mulch - it remains at the discretion of the gardener himself - to add to the prefabricated compost, as already noted above, or you can plant it in the soil or use it to make leaf compost.
And in conclusion, about the preparation of fallen leaves during the massive autumn leaf fall. Here you have to be careful and observant. Do not take everything in a row, but look so that leaves with signs of diseases, mold, and pests that have taken refuge in them for the winter do not come across. As for the leaves that have fallen from plants cultivated in your garden plot or in close proximity to it, these leaves should not be harvested and used for gardening in order to protect your green pets from pests and diseases of the garden, flower garden, greenhouses and greenhouses. Remember that harvested leaves must be dry and healthy.
I. Krivega
Newspaper "GARDENER" №42, 2009
Sod land.
Sod land is the main type of substrate for rooting cuttings and growing seedlings. It is prepared from sod taken from meadows, fallows and other areas where white and red clover grow, as well as cereals and soft herbs. The best sod is taken from pastures or summer camps for cattle and sheep. The topsoil here is well saturated with manure, and grass roots have the most powerful development. You can not take sod from marshy, podzolic places where the soil is acidic and plants grow that are indicators of high acidity, such as sedge, horsetail, buttercups. Due to the large amount of plant residues, it is porous, elastic, but compacted without additives during operation. According to the content of soil particles, soddy land is divided into heavy (based on clay), medium (clay and sand in half, light (with a predominance of sand). Heavy soddy land is more fertile and suitable for long-term cultivation of grapes in tub culture, light is used for rooting cuttings, medium for growing seedlings with a closed root system.
It is prepared as follows: in the middle of summer, a layer of sod 8-10 cm thick and 20-25 cm wide (along the width of the shovel) is cut, stacked in stacks about 1 m high with grass to grass. It would be very useful to sprinkle the layers with bone meal (up to 2 kg per 1 cubic meter), cow dung, ash, wetting with water. After 30-35 days, shovel. Having prepared the sod in the spring, in the fall it can be added to the mixture for rooting or growing seedlings. For the winter, be sure to collect it in bags and put it under the roof.
It should be borne in mind that it is possible to use turf land only within a year after manufacture. With long-term storage, organic residues will completely decompose, and nutrients will be washed out by precipitation.
Leaf land.
Consists of decayed leaves. It is loose and light earth, rich in readily available nutrients and soil microflora. Easily replaces humus. The best raw materials for this type of substrate are the leaves of linden, maple, birch, ash, elm, chestnut. Oak and willow leaves are worse, they are of little use due to the content of tannins. When mixing heavy soddy and leafy soils, substrates are excellent in terms of physical and chemical composition for rooting and growing seedlings.
Leaves are harvested in parks, gardens, and deciduous forests. It is better to collect them immediately after leaf fall, since after the first autumn rains, not to mention spring, they will begin to decompose, which leads to the loss of useful qualities. The leaves are placed on the allotted area in a collar in the form of a trapezoid. It is advisable to shed layers of slurry or a solution of urea. This technique will speed up processing and enrich the future substrate with nitrogen. In a thin layer, you can also add sawdust, shavings, rotten wood chips, chopped thin branches here. As well as soddy land, it is desirable to shovel leafy soil. The leaves are easily compressed and do not rot in this form. Such a substrate is ready for use no earlier than after 2 years.
Mucky land.
Humus land is often called a greenhouse, since earlier a layer of fresh manure was used to heat greenhouses. After the decomposition of such biofuels, a substrate was obtained with a high content of humus and a small admixture of ordinary soil. Immediately after unloading the greenhouse, it is impossible to use humus soil, it is necessary to fold it into a pile and let it erode in the air in order to reduce the concentrations of acid and ammonia resulting from the burning of fresh manure. The content of nutrients in the greenhouse land is high, 16 kg of humus soil replaces a kilogram of nitroammophoska. Therefore, it is used as an additive to increase the fertility of any soil mixtures.
Peat.
Peat is ineffective in its pure form, the content of nutrients in it is negligible. But on the other hand, it perfectly retains water, air and mineral fertilizers, loosens dense substrates, which reduces their density, increases uniformity, moisture and air capacity. Peat can be added to any substrate, from heavy to light, it will enrich the first with air, the second with moisture. Peat for crop production is harvested only the top, decomposed. And before applying, they are kept in an open-air pile for at least 2 years to reduce its acidity. Peat composts are of great value. These mixtures are obtained by co-composting organic waste mixed with peat. Good land can be obtained by jointly composting manure and peat with the addition of lime. The joint laying of sod and peat in heaps gives slightly acidic soils of high quality; for viticulture, this type of land must be limed when shoveling.
Compost land.
One of the best types of garden land. It is obtained by the joint decay of any organic residues - from stumps and snags, to kitchen waste and paper. But the physical and nutritional properties will depend entirely on the raw materials and composting conditions. Read more about composting here. The result may be a soil similar to soddy soil, and maybe leaf humus. But, in any case, this is a good basis for any substrate. Compost land is used in a mixture with soddy and peat lands, significantly increasing their nutritional properties, and largely replaces humus soil.
Heather land.
It is a very light, porous and loose earth. It is harvested in places with thickets of heather. After removing the large above-ground parts of the heather, they remove a layer of turf 5-6 cm thick with roots and small above-ground remains of heather, lingonberries, blueberries, etc. The removed turf is piled up and processed in the same way as leaf ground for two years.
Heather soil is of limited use. It is added to the mixture when growing some plants that need slightly acidic soil. Due to the limited use and difficulty of harvesting, heather soil is often replaced with a mixture of two parts of leaf, three parts of peat soil and one part of sand.
Woodland.
Woody soil is prepared from the decomposition products of wood: stumps, roots, deadwood, wood chips. For this purpose, rot from the hollows of old trees is also used, etc. Woody soil is light, it is close in composition to leaf soil, but is much poorer in nutrients and can turn sour.
Moss sphagnum.
It is harvested in sphagnum bogs. Dried, chopped and sifted sphagnum moss, when added to soil mixtures, gives them lightness, friability and increases their moisture capacity. In its pure form, moss is used when germinating cuttings of grapes, currants and other easily rooted crops. It has a slight bactericidal property, does not rot.
Fern roots.
The roots of the Polypodium vulgare fern are sometimes used as a drainage layer at the bottom of the cultivation tank. Currently, expanded clay or coarse sand is used for this purpose.
Sand.
It goes to the preparation of all earthen mixtures, usually in a ratio of 1/5 part (in heavy lands) to 1/10 (in light lands) of the mixture. In its pure form, sand is used when cutting plants. The best is coarse sand from fresh water. For the preparation of mixtures, especially intended for grafting, red quarry sand is unsuitable, since it contains ferrous iron compounds that are harmful to plants. Sand used for the preparation of substrates is usually consumed without pre-treatment. Sand for grafting and sowing is thoroughly washed from clay and organic particles in tubs with clean water.
Preparation of mixtures.
Ground mixtures are prepared as needed. Previously, each land is taken separately in the required quantity, sieved through a large sieve to remove large undecayed residues, after which the mixture is prepared. If necessary, the earth is crushed with a sharp shovel with a straight blade. The composition of mixtures is determined by the requirements imposed on them by various plants. Land mixtures are divided into three types: heavy, medium and light.
For the preparation of heavy mixtures, the following lands are used (by volume): heavy turf 3 parts, sheet or humus 1 part, sand 1 part. For medium mixtures take: heavy turf 2 parts, sheet, humus, peat or heather 2 parts, sand 1 part. For the preparation of light mixtures, the following are used: heavy turf 1 part, light organic (leaf, etc.) 3 parts, sand 1 part. When using other, lighter soddy lands, the ratios of the components in the mixtures change towards a decrease in light lands, especially sand.
Plants in different periods of growth have different requirements for nutrients and, therefore, for soil mixtures. At the beginning of growth, they need light earth with readily available nutrients. With age, plants need more and more dense soil. Perennial large plants need heavy soils. For sowing seeds and primary rooting of cuttings, light earth is needed. Seedlings are grown on medium lands. Plants in tub culture at the age of five to seven years require heavy land.
Storage of garden land.
Lands are usually harvested annually, and, consequently, their stocks are renewed annually. However, they can also be used for several years. For this purpose, the storage of substrates should be organized. They cannot be stored outdoors, as they quickly decompose, lose their structure, compact and leach. Therefore, they are stored indoors, where there are bins for each type of land. Their dimensions should correspond, but at least to the annual need for land reserves, from a bucket to several cubic meters. It is advisable to use non-freezing rooms for storage. Sand is stored outdoors as it does not decompose or compact.
