What is turf land: types of land mixtures. Leaf soil How to prepare leaf soil

• Leafy soil, or leafy humus, is formed from leaves that are piled up to rot.

  Leaves of deciduous trees are collected in parks, gardens, squares after leaf fall. Oak and chestnut leaves are less suitable because they contain a large amount of tannic acid, which negatively affects the root system of garden plants and decomposes slowly. Heaps are piled 1-1.5 m high, in dry summers they are abundantly watered. During the year, heaps are shoveled 2 times. After 2 years in heaps, the leaves completely decompose, turning into a homogeneous earthy mass, suitable for use in gardening and indoor and greenhouse floriculture.

  Leafy soil is considered nutritious and light. In complex earthen mixtures used in indoor and greenhouse floriculture, it ranges from 1/5 to 3/4 of the part.

Related concepts

Heather land. It is used for potted and tub culture of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, some types of orchids, ferns and other ornamental plants.

Chlorophytum (lat. Chlorophytum) is a genus of herbaceous plants. Previously, Chlorophytum was attributed to the Liliaceae family; among modern studies there is no consensus on the place of this genus: according to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, the genus belongs to the Asparagus family, according to the GRIN website - to the Agave family.

Tree peonies - a group of species, natural and artificial hybrids and varieties of the genus Peony (Paeonia) characterized by thick, slightly branched, erect perennial shoots.

Indoor plants are plants that are grown in rooms and public spaces. Most indoor plants come from the tropics and subtropics.

References in literature

NIDULARIUM STRIPED (Nidularium innocentii var. Striantum Wittm.). Bromeliad family. Homeland - tropical regions of America. Herbaceous perennial stemless plant. The leaves are sessile, belt-shaped with longitudinal white-yellow stripes. Arranged spirally, forming a funnel in the center of the spiral, from which the lower leaves absorb water with nutritious mineral elements. During the flowering period, the middle bracts turn bright red, which gives the plant a special decorative effect. The flowers are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences emerging from a leaf rosette. Nidularium blooms in late winter - early spring. Propagated by young rosettes and less often by seeds (in greenhouses). The best soil mix for nidularium: finely chopped sphagnum moss, leafy soil, peat and sand (2:2:1:1). In summer, abundant watering, protection from the bright rays of the sun, periodic top dressing with mineral fertilizer of low concentration, warm and humid air are required. At room conditions, the nidularium must be sprayed frequently. From October to April, nidularium is kept on a bright window at a temperature of 15-16 ° C. In winter, watering should be more rare and careful. Single copies or groups are used to decorate rooms, foyers, shop windows, winter gardens, etc.

In Europe, Aphelandra has become a common plant due to its bright leaves and showy buds, although it is quite difficult to grow it indoors. It grows well only in warm (22-23 ° C) rooms with humid air, and it does not tolerate dry air at all. Overdrying of the coma, temperature fluctuations should not be allowed. Aphelandra is propagated from December to April by the tops of shoots at a temperature of 23-25°C. Rooted cuttings are planted in pots in a loose earthen mixture of 4 parts of leafy soil, 1 part of peat, 1 part of humus, 1 part of soddy soil, 1 part of sand, charcoal and bone meal, phosphorus must be added. Seed propagation is possible.

Leafy soil consists of rotted leaves of woody plants. Leaves are usually harvested in autumn, less often in spring in forests, parks and forest parks. The most suitable for these purposes are the leaves of maple, linden, elm, fruit and small-leaved (birch, aspen) plants. Fallen leaves, twigs, dried grass are raked with a rake and stacked in piles up to 2 m wide and up to 1.5 m high of any length. Then the piles are watered with slurry, lime is added and compacted. During the next summer, the leaf mass is shoveled two or three times and moistened with slurry. By the end of the second year, rotted leaves turn into light, loose leafy soil, the nutrients of which are in a form accessible to the roots and quickly absorbed by plants.

In the brightest place of the summer cottage, cacti, stonecrops, crassula and other succulents are placed, watering them moderately, but not feeding them. Actively growing callas require abundant watering, so there should be some water in the pan at all times. Large specimens of callas are transplanted into a mixture composed of leafy earth, sand, humus and peat. All components are taken in equal parts. The newly appeared shoot is separated and placed in a small pot with the same substrate.

Features: a variety of asparagus pinnate. In contrast, it has a low height and therefore does not require support. It has short shoots richly covered with cladodes. In pots for low asparagus, an earthen mixture is used, consisting of soddy, leafy earth, peat and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:0.5. Suitable for single and group planting.

Zinnia is a light-loving and heat-loving plant that does not tolerate frost. For abundant long flowering requires soil with sufficient nutrients with a neutral reaction. The area allocated for the cultivation of zinnias is first dug up, and then humus, compost or leaf soil is added at 8-10 kg per 1 m2. From mineral fertilizers add 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and nitrophoska and again dig to a depth of 10 cm.

Related concepts (continued)

Pellionia (lat. Pellionia) is a genus of flowering plants in the Urticaceae family. The genus includes more than 20 species of evergreen perennial herbaceous plants and shrubs, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia.

Currant (lat. Ríbes) is a genus of plants from the Gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae) of the order of dicotyledonous flowering plants Saxifrage.

Hamedorea (lat. Chamaedorea) is a genus of flowering plants of the Palm family (Arecaceae). Includes more than a hundred species of low-growing woody plants, widely distributed in South and Central America.

Nitrária (lat. Nitrária) is a genus of halophytic plants, low shrubs of the Nitrariaceae family, in some sources it belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family.

Wittrock violet, or garden pansies (lat. Víola × wittrockiána) is a herbaceous perennial plant of hybrid origin of the Violet family.

Marx is multi-leaved, zhminda vine, zhminda twig-like, strawberry spinach (lat. Blítum virgátum, Chenopódium foliósum) is a herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Zhminda (Blitum), isolated from the genus Mary (Chenopodium) of the family Amaranthaceae (Amaranthaceae). Sometimes cultivated.

Codiaum motley (lat. Codiaēum variegātum) is a perennial evergreen shrub; species of the genus Codium of the Euphorbiaceae family (Euphorbiaceae).

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L.) is a common vegetable crop, one of the cultivars of the garden cabbage species. It belongs to the varietal group botrytis, like Romanesco.

Asian hybrids (English The Asiatic Hybrids) - I section of lily varieties of complex hybrid origin according to the classification of the third edition of the International Lily Register (The International Lily Register. Third Edition. The Royal Horticultural Society. London, 1982).

Valerian, valerian (lat. Valeriána) is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the subfamily Valerianoideae of the Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), including more than two hundred species. The Latin generic name comes from lat. valere - to be healthy. It was first used in a book by the Italian botanist Matteo Silvatico (1285-1342).

Tomato, or tomato (lat. Solánum lycopérsicum) is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, a species of the Solanum genus of the Solanaceae family. Cultivated as a vegetable crop.

Livistona (lat. Livistona) is a genus of perennial plants from the Palm family (Arecaceae), growing in Southeast Asia, Africa, Oceania, Australia.

Large-leaved hydrangea, or large-leaved Hydrangia (lat. Hydrángea macrophýlla) is a plant species of the Hydrangea genus, Hydrangeaceae family.

Actinidia kolomikta (lat. Actinídia kolomikta), or creeper - a perennial shrub liana; species of the genus Actinidia. Cultivated as an ornamental and fruit plant.

Tigridia (lat. Tigridia) is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbous plants from the Iris family, or Iris (Iridaceae).

The narrow-leaved sucker (lat. Elaeágnus angustifólia), or the eastern sucker, or pshat (fesida) (Elaeagnus orientalis) is a species of woody plants of the genus Loch (Elaeagnus) of the Loch family (Elaeagnaceae). South European-Central Asian species.

Pieris (lat. Pieris) is a genus of low evergreen shrubs or stunted trees (sometimes lianas) of the Heather family, common in Asia and North America.

Brussels sprouts (lat. Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) is a vegetable crop. Traditionally considered as a variety of the species Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) of the genus Cabbage (Brassica) of the Cabbage family (Brassicaceae); some modern sources do not consider Brussels sprouts as an independent taxon, but consider it a group of varieties of the species Brassica oleracea L., with this approach, the correct name for this group is Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group.

Planting in crop production is the planting of young plants (seedlings, seedlings) of parts of plants (cuttings) or organs of vegetative reproduction of plants (tubers, bulbs) in a permanent place (in a field, garden, flower garden, and so on).

The most delicate Passiflora, or Banana granadilla, or the softest Passionflower, or Kuruba, or Tahoe (lat. Passiflóra mollíssima) is a tree-like liana of the Passionflower family, producing edible fruits. Species of the genus Passionflower.

Common hazel, or Hazel, or Hazelnut (lat. Córylus avellána) is a species of deciduous woody shrubs and trees of the genus Hazel (Corylus) of the Birch family (Betulaceae).

The real slipper, or the real lady's slipper, or the common lady's slipper (lat. Cypripedium calceolus) is a perennial herbaceous plant, widespread in Eurasia from the British Isles to the Pacific Ocean, a species of the genus Slipper of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae).

Jerusalem artichoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, or Tuberous sunflower (lat. Heliánthus tuberósus) is a species of perennial herbaceous tuberous plants of the Sunflower genus of the Asteraceae family.

Azalea (lat. Azalea) - the collective name of some flowering plant species from the genus Rhododendron (Rhododendron). Previously, these species were separated into an independent genus of the Heather family (Ericaceae) - Azalea L..

Oxalis four-leaf (lat. Óxalis tetraphýlla) is a perennial bulbous herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Oxalis of the Oxalis family (Oxalidaceae).

Pisonia umbrella (lat. Pisonia umbellifera) is a decorative and cultural species of a plant of the genus Pisonia of the Nyctaginaceae family. It has another name - Pisonia Brown.

Common horse chestnut (lat. Aésculus hippocástanum) is a large deciduous tree, the most famous species of the Horse chestnut genus in Russia.

Korean chrysanthemum (lat. Chrysanthémum × koreanum, English hardy chrysanthemums) is a group of perennial small-flowered varieties of garden chrysanthemum (lat. Chrysanthemum × hortorum) of hybrid origin, characterized by relatively high resistance to low temperatures. Widely used in outdoor cultivation.

Paulownia felt, or Imperial tree (lat. Paulównia tomentósa) is a plant species of the genus Paulownia (Paulownia) of the Paulownia family (Paulowniaceae).

Martagon hybrids (English The Martagon Hybrids) - one of the sections of lily varieties according to the classification of the third edition of the International Lily Register (The International Lily Register. Third Edition. The Royal Horticultural Society. London, 1982).

The article presents ways of processing leaves. It is described how to prepare and where to apply humus.

Autumn leaf fall is a vivid representation of mother nature. The ground is covered with a carpet of leaves of different colors. What to do with them? Can be laid out on unused land until spring to prevent weed growth, weathering and soil washout. In the spring, rake them up and transfer them to the compost heap. You can also add some dry chopped leaves, especially if a lot of green garden and vegetable waste is added to the compost in the fall.

But at the same time, decomposing, the leaves form leaf humus - a very effective means of improving soil structure, an excellent mulch and an acidifier for plants that love sour soil. How not to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity and not prepare your own leaf humus!

LEAF HUMUS IS NOT A FERTILIZER

Leaf humus contains almost no nutrients, so it cannot replace fertilizers like compost. Its advantage is to improve the ability of the soil to retain moisture. Humus is a favorite habitat for earthworms, great gardener's helpers. Even semi-finished, it can serve you well.

COLLECTION OF LEAVES

You need to start by collecting fallen leaves. On large lawns, you can use a lawn mower if you have one to collect leaves, setting the blades to the highest cutting height. At the same time, the leaves are crushed and collected in one place, saving the owner time and physical effort. Crushed leaves decompose much faster and turn into humus.

You can also do this - collect leaves from the lawn with a lawn mower with the grass basket removed. The crushed leaves will fall to the ground and soon be devoured by worms, improving the soil in your lawn.

LEAVES TO LEAVES DIFFERENCE

Which leaves are best used for leaf humus - gardeners often ask themselves the question.

You can use any, remembering that the time of decomposition of leaves of different species is different. Quickly (in a year), under the right conditions, the leaves of most deciduous trees (birch, maple, hawthorn, mountain ash, hornbeam, hazel and others) decompose, longer - oak and poplar. The decomposition of evergreen leaves and needles can take 2-3 years, such leaves especially need to be crushed.

WE PREPARE HUMUS

The preparation of humus (leafy soil) is different from the preparation of compost. Fungi, the bacteria that actually decompose leaves and turn them into humus, require almost no oxygen. This is one of the significant differences from the production of garden compost. Therefore, special designs for leaves are used (four wooden pegs covered with a metal mesh), 1 × 1 m in size. The collected leaves are tightly stacked and rammed. If there is no such design, you can put the leaves in a large plastic container or in tight plastic bags for garden waste, filling them with leaves, pierce in several places, twist the top without tying it into a tight knot.

The main requirement for the production of leaf humus is the obligatory maintenance of planted leaves in a wet state. Autumn rains are good helpers in this, if you keep the leaf structure open at the top. In plastic containers, you can pour water from a bucket or directly from a hose without fear of waterlogging. The addition of green grass also speeds up the process.

Now all you have to do is be patient and wait.

APPLICATION OF HUMUS

Young, not completely rotted leaf humus is ready in 0.5-2 years, depending on the quality of the bookmark and tree species. In young humus, in addition to dark soil, the skeletons of leaves are clearly visible, sometimes whole leaves and small sticks come across. It can be added to compost, to potting soil or in containers, sprinkled under plants, used as mulch, to level lawn depressions.

In ornamental gardening, specially prepared garden soils are used. All of them are a product of the decomposition of turf, leaves, manure, heather, peat, contain a large amount of humus, but depending on the original substrate, they have different physical and chemical properties.

Farms usually harvest the following main lands: soddy, leafy, humus (dung), compost, peat.

Sod land is harvested in meadows and pastures, preferably in old, fallow, perennial, with good grass-clover herbage. It can not be harvested in areas of low and high acidity.

Soddy land is divided into heavy - with a large amount of clay, medium - with equal proportions of clay and sand, and light - with a predominance of sand.

Land preparation begins at the end of June. By this time, the herbage reaches its maximum development, and by winter, the harvested sod, with proper care, will have time to partially decompose. Layers are cut (with a shovel, disc, plow) 20-30 cm wide, 8-10 cm thick, depending on the thickness of the turf layer. The length is arbitrary. The sod is stacked in stacks 1.2-1.5 m wide and of arbitrary length so that the grass cover of each second layer lies on the grass cover of the first layer. Double layers are moistened with a solution of mullein or slurry to accelerate the decomposition of the sod and enrich it with nitrogen (at the rate of 0.2-0.5 m 3 of manure or slurry per 1 m 3). To reduce acidity, 2-3 kg of lime is added per 1 m 3 of land. The stacks on top are periodically moistened with slurry, and so that it does not drain (as well as rainwater), a trough-shaped depression is made at the top of the stack.

The best sod land is obtained after two seasons. During the next summer, the stack is shoveled at least twice. In autumn, having passed the earth through a roar, they clean it indoors and use it in work. Left in the open air, it loses its Qualities - nutritional value, porosity, elasticity, etc.

sod land- the main one in floriculture, it is quite porous, rich in essential nutrients that act for many years. It is used for growing indoor and greenhouse perennials and in most soil mixtures.

Leafy land is harvested in autumn in deciduous massifs (forests, groves, parks). The best are the leaves of linden, maple, fruit plants. Oak and willow leaves contain a lot of tannins, so they are not used for harvesting land. In some cases, forest litter is used to obtain leafy soil, removing the top 2-5 cm layer. The collected dry leaves or forest litter with the remains of grass, small twigs, etc. are placed in stacks with a width and height of -1.2-1.5 m of arbitrary length. In autumn, when laying, the leaves are moistened with slurry or mullein solution and compacted; Otherwise, they will decompose slowly. During the next summer, it is advisable to moisten the leaf mass 2-3 times with slurry and shovel. It is good to add a little lime before mixing. By the autumn of the second year, the leaves are completely overripe and turn into leafy soil. Before use, it is passed through a screen to separate undecomposed residues.

leaf ground- light, loose, but contains less nutrients than turf. It can serve as a good ripper for heavy turf lands.

Leaf soil mixed with peat soil and sand can be used as a substitute for heather soil,

Humus land (humus-dung). In greenhouses, this soil is often referred to as greenhouse soil, as it is formed from rotted manure mixed with old greenhouse soil.

Pet manure, planted in greenhouses as a biofuel since spring, turns into humus by autumn. From the manure of cattle, the humus is heavy, from the manure of horses and sheep - lighter.

The humus cleaned in the fall from the greenhouse is stacked in piles, as indicated above for soddy and other lands, moistened and shoveled 1-2 times during the next summer. Keep outdoors for one year. After that, the humus soil is passed through a fine screen and stored indoors.

Humus from greenhouses is often used as fertilizer in open ground.

humus earth- light, loose, oily, i.e. very rich in nutrients with a predominance of nitrogen in a form easily digestible for plants. It is used as a highly effective compound component for soil mixtures. Used for most potted crops and seedlings.

Peat land is harvested, as a rule, from lowland peat bogs. In some cases, briquettes and peat chips can be used for its preparation. Well-decomposed peat is stacked in stacks up to 60-80 cm high. When laying, layers of peat are moistened with slurry every 20-25 cm and sprinkled with lime at the rate of 10-15 kg per 1 m 3 of peat. When using high-moor peat, the dose of lime is increased. At the end of the first season and in the middle of the second season, the mixture is shoveled and used in the third year. By this time, the biological activity of peat increases and its acidity decreases.

peat land- soft, loose, very moisture-absorbing, consists of slowly. decomposing organic residues and in its pure form is of low nutritional value. It is used for various soil mixtures as a ripper, especially with turfy soil, as it improves its physical properties, making it looser and lighter. It is also used in a mixture with light sandy soils, improving their cohesion and moisture capacity, as well as for mulching.

When harvesting sod from peat meadows, you can prepare sod-peat soil used for making peat pots, mulching the soil and planting some plants. .

Compost soil is prepared by composting in piles, heaps, pits of various plant and animal residues, garbage, weeds, greenhouse and household waste. As the residues accumulate, they are poured for disinfection and better decomposition with lime, moistened with slurry and covered with peat or peat chips on top. In the second or third year, the compost mass is shoveled 2-3 times per season, moistened with slurry. By the end of the third year, the compost soil is ready for use.

The quality and physical properties of compost soil are very diverse and depend on the type of waste and the nature of the composted material.

Basically, compost lands occupy an intermediate position between soddy and humus soils in terms of nutrient content. Use them in a mixture with turf and peat lands, replacing humus.

heather land is now losing its importance and is being replaced by a mixture of 2 parts leaf, 3-4 parts peat soil and 1 part sand. Heather soil is prepared as a sheet.

Garden and garden soil, or an arable layer well enriched with humus, is harvested and stacked in autumn, adding lime, phosphorus and potassium. In the summer they shovel twice. From the plots where plants belonging to the Cabbage (cabbage) and Nightshade (tomato) families have been grown for the last three years, soil is not taken.

Good garden or garden soil with a little sand can be successfully used for the cultivation of ornamental plants.

woody ground prepared from stumps, roots, deadwood, branches, chips, rotten old trees, etc. The decomposed remains of wood form a light, close in composition to the leaf, but poor in nutrients and prone to acidification of the earth. Use it in the culture of orchids, ferns and bromeliads.

Composted bark substrates. The shredded bark is composted in stacks up to 3 m high, adding pulp mill sludge and other organic material, which ensures the decomposition of the bark with the help of microorganisms. Biochemical and microbiological processes during composting are most active in a substrate with a particle size of 1-7 mm and the addition of urea to less than 1% of the dry mass of the bark (4.3 kg per 1 m 3) during the first few weeks. Composting with constant shoveling lasts approximately 4-4.5 weeks in summer and 16-18 weeks in winter. The temperature in the stacks rises to 65-70°C.

Compost in 1 m 3 contains about 300 g of potassium, 60 g of phosphorus, 30 g of magnesium, 30 g of iron, 20 g of manganese, copper and other trace elements. It is mixed with sphagnum peat, adding 1 kg of phosphorus, in other cases - sand, clay, etc., that is, it is used as a soil improver.

When grown on the same substrate of bark and sawdust, plant growth stops and chlorosis appears due to a lack of nitrogen.

Moss. White swamp moss sphagnum is harvested in moss sphagnum bogs. After drying, grinding and sieving, it is used in earthen mixtures to make them light, loose and hygroscopic, i.e., increased moisture capacity. In its pure form, it is used when forcing lilies of the valley, to cover an earthy coma of orchids and other plants. Recommended as a substrate for stratification and germination of large seeds (palms, bananas).

Charcoal in the form of small pieces in a small amount, they are added to earthen mixtures for plants that do not respond well to waterlogging. Coal adsorbs excess water, and when it is lacking, it gives it away "In addition, it is used as an antiseptic in the form of a powder for powdering cuts on dahlia root tubers, gladiolus corms, cannes rhizomes, etc. Adsorbs herbicides and other chemicals from the soil to a small extent.

Sand. Coarse-grained river sand is considered the best. Sea sand is thoroughly washed beforehand, freeing it from salts. Quarry sand is unsuitable - fine, reddish, containing ferrous compounds of iron and oxides of other metals that are harmful to plants, as well as clay and silty particles.

As a rule, sand is added to earth mixtures without pre-treatment in the amount of 1/5 of the total volume to make them loose. When grafting and for powdering seeds in sowing boxes, bowls, greenhouses, the sand is thoroughly washed with clean water beforehand from clay, silt particles. For difficult-to-root rocks, quartz sand is used. It gives soil mixtures looseness and porosity, which ensures the penetration of water and air to the roots of plants, prevents the development of moss, fungi and algae in boxes, bowls and on racks with crops and cuttings.

Storage and mixing of lands. Usually, in floricultural farms, two to three years of stocks of garden land are created, which are stored in a closed, preferably frost-free room. Previously, the earth must be passed through a screen. For each type of land, special chests are made, sometimes they are arranged under racks in greenhouses. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that during watering the plants, moisture does not get into the lari.

For proper cultivation of various flower plants on the farm, it is necessary to have all the above lands. They must be free from pests and diseases.

When compiling earth mixtures, the biological characteristics of plants, their age, culture conditions, as well as the reaction (pH) of the soil solution, in which this plant can grow, are taken into account.

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, resilient, 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 biofuel, 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 NPK. 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 keep it 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 soil 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.

Wood land.

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, etc., is also used. Woody soil is light, it is close in composition to leafy 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 sod 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 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 must 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.

Both beginners and experienced gardeners, gardeners and lovers of indoor flowers are sure to come across such a concept as turf land. Many people are literally lost in conjecture, representing a sod, often abundantly covered with grass, which can be used almost in this form. However, in reality, this is not entirely true. Soddy land is often included in the composition of already prepared substrates, which are sold in both garden and flower shops and are intended for planting a wide variety of plants. But, as you know, the substrate can be both bought and prepared by yourself, and it is still unknown what will be better. So sod land can be purchased by paying decently, or you can cook it yourself, spending some time and effort.

Sod land is a specially prepared substrate based on turf covered with grass. © DFB

Benefits of turf land as part of a garden mix

How are garden mixes different?

To begin with, let's talk about the obvious differences between garden mixtures, because their composition is sometimes very different. Considering the main ingredient in a garden mixture, you can understand whether the mixture is acidic or not. For example, if peat is present in the garden mix and there are no deoxidizers such as dolomite flour, then the soil is likely to be acidic.

And if sod land is present as a base, then this may indicate that the soil has a neutral reaction of the environment (but this is not 100%, so it is still advisable to check the acidity of the soil by analysis).

What is good sod land?

It is especially loved by flower growers because it contains an abundance of nutrients, is rich in minerals, is considered light soil and moisture permeable, although the values ​​of the latter properties are rather average.

Quite often, it is soddy land that is the basis of many soil mixtures, and such mixtures are readily acquired by people who do not accept acid and the "uselessness" of peat.

The amount of sod land in the composition of the soil mixture

Usually, the amount of sod land in the composition of the soil mixture can vary greatly and range from a third to a half of the entire mixture. However, do not forget that in the turf mixture, despite its nutritional value, there may be quite a bit of nitrogen, as a result, additional additions of this element will be required.

If we talk about the acidity of sod land on average, then sod land is usually (but not always) close to compost soil in this indicator, because sods often form from the same “substances” as compost, only over a longer period of time.

How to prepare soddy soil yourself?

Places for harvesting turf land

Cutting the soil into pieces and collecting them is easiest in any deciduous forest area. There, the turf forms the fastest. But not “under every tree” you can collect sod land, it is better to use the soil of linden alleys, maple soil and various fruit plants for this.

As for such crops as, for example, willow or oak, it is better not to take turf there. The thing is that the turf, for the most part, formed from the leaf mass of these plants, and therefore the turf soil, which you will later receive from the turf, is literally saturated with tannins, which always act in the same way - they inhibit the growth and development of any plants. trapped in such soil.

Sometimes you don't need to go far to collect sod for sod land - the nearest forest area or even a park area, here are a couple of suitable places to collect such land. Why? Yes, because, in fact, sod land is a layer of sod with a thickness of a couple of centimeters to five, depending on how long trees grow in this place, whether it is an artificial planting or a forest.

This layer is literally permeated with small twigs, dried leaf blades, blades of grass and the remains of their parts. At its core, it is the basis for the preparation of soddy soil, suitable for growing a wide variety of crops and ideal for growing flower crops.

Types of soddy soil

There can be several types of turf soil, depending on the place where the turf was taken to obtain it. Basically, it is the mechanical composition of the soil of this area that plays a role here. For example, you can prepare light-turf soil, it will consist of clay and dust particles in a volume amount of about 30%, the rest, as we said above, is almost ready-made humus from twigs and other things.

The second option is heavy soddy soil, in which the amount of clay and dust particles can reach 60 percent or even more.

Sod land preparation time

Of course, this is not winter, not early spring and not late autumn, the best option is May, that is, late spring or the end of summer, that is, the month of August. They prepare soddy soil from sod, that is, they literally cut the soil into squares up to five centimeters thick (in rare cases they take more), up to 15 centimeters wide and up to twenty centimeters long.

After the cut pieces of turf are taken to their final destination, they are stacked in piles, preferably in a place where the sun looks, but not more than a couple of hours a day. Further, these sods, in order for them to turn into a full-fledged sod land, must undergo a kind of “ripening”, and this requires specific conditions.

For example, let's take the turf brought from the forest. It can be stacked in a stack of absolutely any length and width, but it is better not to make this stack more than one and a half meters high. Stacking sod in piles is best done closer to autumn or at its very beginning, therefore, spring harvesting is less appropriate, it is better to focus on autumn.

What to do after preparation?

After harvesting and laying the turf in piles, it is necessary to moisten it with slurry, usually a bucket of slurry is needed per square meter of turf half a meter high. It must saturate the sod, which is necessary to start and activate the fermentation processes and speed up the preparation of sod land.

The second option for preparing sod land

Its essence lies in the peculiar laying of turf. They must also be stacked in rows in stacks, but in such a way that the parts overgrown with grass, those that look up, are directed inward, that is, the grass in the stacks is turned towards the grass.

And between these layers of grass, in order to accelerate all the processes of decomposition of the sod and increase its nutritional value, including the enrichment of the nitrogen component, it is necessary to lay cow or horse manure in a layer of 11-12 cm every 30-40 cm (in height) and so on until meters or one and a half - maximum. If it was possible to prepare the sod, but it is acidic, then when laying manure, you can mix with lime, it needs only 40 g per square meter of sod.

Ripening soddy land in a stack. © Agrostory

What are the stack sizes?

The most different, most importantly, no more than one and a half meters in height, because it is corny inconvenient to work higher. As for the width, it is optimal up to 110 centimeters, and the length is up to two meters. In large piles, in addition to the inconvenience of their maintenance, air exchange is usually much worse, and the decomposition of the turf itself is greatly slowed down.

What to do with a pile in winter?

It is best not to touch at all, leave it as it is, do not cover, just wait for the onset of heat, and as soon as the air warms up to 5-8 degrees above zero, moisten with a solution of mullein (3 kg per bucket of water, this is per square meter of stack).

During the summer, warm period, among other things, the stack must be mixed several times (two or three times). It is best and most convenient to use ordinary garden pitchforks for this. Mixing the stack will accelerate the process of turning the sod into a full-fledged sod land and will allow the “recharge” to be more evenly distributed throughout the mass of the future sod land.

If during the summer period there is weather devoid of natural moisture, that is, there is no rain for a long time, then it is imperative to moisten the stack with ordinary water from a hose, trying to water it so as to completely wet it.

In some cases, two seasons are enough - that is, the first season is laying the stack in spring or autumn, the second season is its tedding, and by the end of the warm second season, the soddy land is ready. But sometimes, if the turf is clearly not decomposed, then it is necessary to repeat all the procedures for another season, and at the end of its turf land can be safely used.

If you need a little sod land

It is worth noting that if you need soddy land in a modest size, for example, to update the top layer in a flower pot a couple of centimeters thick, then you can not cook it in such a long way.

To obtain a small amount of sod land, it is permissible to cut off a layer of sod, spread a plastic film and, holding the sod by the grass, shake the soil from a piece of sod onto the film.

Quite a lot of soil is obtained in this way when cutting sod in meadows, however, if you notice that sedge or horsetail grows in this place, then be sure that the earth is acidic here, but if legumes grow, then it will be quite suitable for use .

How to use sod land?

What to do with sod land before use?

Soddy land must be passed through a fine-meshed mesh before use, having built something like a roar familiar to all gardeners and gardeners. In this case, all large fractions, as well as those parts that have not decomposed, will roll down the screen, and the smallest parts will pass through it, forming a uniform loose mixture.

After that, the soddy soil can be folded into wooden boxes or plastic bags (as from sugar) and be sure to remove it in a room inaccessible to sunlight. It is best to keep the bags lying on their side so that the mixture does not compress.

On the site, that is, literally "under the open sky", turf land ready for use should not be left. Under the influence of rain, sun and wind, as well as changes in day and night temperatures, soddy land will lose some of its nutritional properties, become less porous, less elastic and naturally less suitable for further use as a component in the preparation of nutrient soil.

Preparation of the resulting sod land immediately before use

Usually sod land in its pure form is not used. True, if you have the opportunity to do a chemical analysis of the soil in the laboratory, and the data show the presence of the main components in the soil you brought in sufficient quantities, then in principle, such soil can be used without additional enrichment.

As a rule, all sorts of “impurities” are added to the sod land - often these are complex fertilizers, say, nitroammophoska, 10-15 g is enough for a bucket of sod land. You can make wood ash, it contains up to 5% potassium, it needs 500 grams per bucket of soddy land.

The introduction should be accompanied by thorough mixing until a homogeneous composition. Sometimes, to increase the amount of soddy land and some loosening it, river sand is added in the amount of one part of sand to three parts of soddy land.

Further, we strongly recommend disinfecting soddy land, because it can, in fact, contain anything, and the fact that it has lain in the form of layers in the cold for one or two winters does not fully guarantee the destruction of the ovipositor of pests or disease spores.

By the way, the procedure for disinfecting soddy land must be carried out initially, before mixing it with fertilizers or river sand. The best option is to spill it with boiling water. To do this, you need the largest colander, into which you should pour soddy soil and pour boiling water from the kettle. Of course, in this way you can destroy the beneficial microflora, but in this case the risk is justified and necessary.

The use of sod land

Sod land is usually used for growing a wide variety of houseplants and seedlings, for forcing green crops or growing vegetable crops in winter for the sake of obtaining an “out of season” crop.

The main thing is to use the soddy soil correctly, loosen the top layer more often, water it, fertilize if it is necessary for this or that plant, and when laying in a container, be sure to initially lay a drainage layer there, the role of which can be played by expanded clay, broken brick, pebbles or other small pebbles.