Soil care is a labor-intensive process that allows you to obtain high yields of agricultural crops and at the same time increase the fertility of the land. It includes a number of activities: preparatory work, digging or loosening (depending on the type of soil and the preferences of the gardener or gardener), fertilizer and watering, without which in dry conditions summer months A rare plant can get by. There are many devices and methods of soil care that allow you to achieve best results, making work as efficient as possible.
Soil is a complex natural body consisting of mineral, organic components, various gases, liquids and living organisms. A person with the necessary knowledge can grow all kinds of crops so that the quality of the land does not deteriorate over time.
Caring for the soil begins with preparing the site, which consists of removing debris, stones, uprooting old trees, stumps and shrubs, eliminating large weeds, as well as leveling the area allocated for a garden, flower bed or vegetable garden. The next stage is digging up the soil.
A personal plot can become blooming corner, pleasing with its harvests if you pay enough attention to soil care
It is necessary to dig, especially if the site consists of heavy clay soils that periodically become compacted in places where it is planned to break new bed or flowerbed, as well as on areas that are heavily overgrown weeds. The digging process itself consists of removing a certain volume of earth on the bayonet of a shovel, which is turned over and placed in the previous hole. It is important to remove weed roots and stones.
Digging is most often carried out once or twice a year, depending on the type of soil.
It is best to carry out digging or plowing in the fall, leaving large lumps of earth on the site, which will be destroyed by wind and natural precipitation until spring. Greatest benefit this will benefit heavy loamy and clay soils. If the ground has managed to freeze, then it should not be touched, since as a result the soil may become compacted and its structure may be damaged.
Loosening as an alternative to digging
Some owners personal plots and vegetable gardens refuse to dig up the site, because they believe that this leads to disruption of the physical and chemical composition, deterioration of the soil structure, and destruction of channels formed by underground organisms. These passages allow moisture and oxygen into the depths of the soil, and the spring awakening for soil inhabitants will take longer.
It is also believed that mixing the upper nutrient layers and the lower poorer layers of soil reduces overall fertility. Therefore, only minimal tillage is used: a layer of peat, compost or manure is formed on the soil surface. The seeds are sown in this nutrient medium. It is advisable to cover the top of the soil with mulch.
Loosening with a pitchfork can replace digging in some cases
This method can be used effectively for those plants root system which does not grow deep into the soil. In other cases, it is impossible to do without thoroughly turning over the earth. If the soil is not very clayey and quite crumbly, then you can dig it up once every 3 years, and the rest of the time it will be enough to just loosen the soil and fertilize it. It is important to take into account that this event will bring maximum benefit if it is carried out in advance before planting seedlings and sowing seeds, then earthworms will learn new layer land.
Loosening process and options for watering plants
Soil care includes loosening the soil. This measure makes the soil surface more structured, improves the penetration of liquid into depth and reduces moisture loss. While loosening the soil, all emerging weeds are simultaneously removed. Loosening the soil is much easier than digging. For this process, you can use forks, sticking them into the thickness of the earth every 10 cm and shaking them from side to side. Then use a cultivator, a hoe with a powerful rounded tooth, or a grubber. The result is a very loose layer of soil suitable for planting.
Further care of the soil actually comes down to timely fertilization, fertilizing and watering. Moisture is essential during the dry summer months and is supplied to the soil in a variety of ways. Watering can be drip, subsoil, surface and sprinkling. It is advisable to immediately lay irrigation networks during the development of the site. The choice of a specific irrigation method depends on the equipment available, climatic conditions, terrain.
System drip irrigation good because required amount moisture enters directly into the root development zone
At drip system Irrigation liquid flows directly to the development zone of the root system. Subsoil irrigation is carried out through pipes with holes that are laid in the ground. For surface water supply, open channels are installed; for sprinklers, a closed pipeline is made where sprinklers are installed.
Types of fertilizers and benefits of mulching
It is advisable to apply fertilizers after autumn digging. Organic and mineral products are available. In addition, you can improve the quality of the soil by planting certain plants (rape, turnip, mustard, rapeseed, etc.), called orgo mineral fertilizers. Organic products can be animal or plant origin. The former include bird droppings and manure, and the latter include peat and compost.
You must be extremely careful with mineral fertilizers and follow the instructions. The most commonly used are potassium, nitrogen, lime, manganese and other preparations. As necessary, grown crops are fed with both diluted organic and mineral fertilizers.
You can maintain plant health and improve soil quality by using mulching. In summer, it helps fight weeds and prevents the soil from drying out. In the fall, mulching is good for protecting the soil, especially that which is not dug up for the winter. First, you can dig in the compost and cover it on top with a layer of leaves and sawdust.
Mulch is used to control weeds and prevent the soil from drying out in summer.
Important to remember. Dense mulching materials can attract mice. The benefit of this event is that the soil in winter period there will be less freezing and clogging, and in the spring underground organisms will awaken there earlier. For those areas where there are a lot of slugs, it is better not to mulch.
Caring for the soil is not easy, but it has a positive effect. With proper implementation of a set of these measures, you can improve the condition of the soil, its structure, and increase the amount of substances important for plant growth.
Without correct processing any soil, even a once well-groomed garden will quickly become neglected. And it’s not so much about the loss of aesthetics, but about the loss of its main purpose - to produce a regular harvest, preferably High Quality. Caring for the soil in the garden is one of the most important basic agrotechnical activities for growing trees. All operations are aimed at enhancing yield growth and increasing winter hardiness.
Long-term observations of development fruit trees indicate that there is a close connection between their growth in the first years after planting, the date of fruiting and the amount of yield in subsequent years. The better the trees grow in the first period of life, the faster they begin to bear fruit. At the same time, the plants form a more powerful crown skeleton, capable of ensuring the formation of a large harvest.
Thus, solving the problem of obtaining high and annual yields should begin in a young garden by growing strong and healthy trees. An indicator of good growth of a young garden is the receipt of an annual well-ripened increase of annual shoots of at least 50 cm in length.
To ensure good development of young trees, the garden must be constantly and carefully maintained from the moment of planting. To do this, you need to master the basic techniques and methods of soil cultivation.
During the period of the most productive fruiting, simultaneously with the formation of a high yield, trees should produce an increase in annual shoots equal to 25-30 cm.
Only with good growth is annual fruiting possible for trees, since vegetative growth is the basis for the formation of fruiting organs.
On this page you will learn how to properly care for the soil in your garden.
Features of inter-row tillage (with video)
In the first years after planting, fruit trees use only a small part of the area allocated to them. Therefore, in young gardens, until the trees grow and begin to shade the entire area, the row spacing is used for various crops. This is both practical and good for the soil.
In order to correctly decide which crops to grow in the rows of the garden, you need to consider the following. The root system of fruit trees grows in width much faster than their crown. Often, at the age of five or six, the roots of neighboring trees begin to close together. In these cases, inter-row crops are inevitably placed on an area already occupied by tree roots. In this situation, trees and inter-row crops have to use water and nutrients from the same volume of soil.
Taking this into account, crops should be grown in the rows of the garden that are less demanding of water and nutrients at a time when fruit trees consume them in large quantities. It has been established that fruit trees consume greatest number water and nutrients in the first half of summer, especially during the period when they experience increased shoot growth, as well as fruit set and growth. Therefore, between the rows of the garden it is necessary to grow those crops that consume the greatest amount of water and nutrients in a longer period of time. late dates and mainly in the second half of summer. Vegetables and vegetables meet this requirement to the greatest extent. Therefore, they need to be cultivated in gardens.
In addition to vegetables and potatoes, you can also grow legumes(, beans, beans). Although these crops consume significant amounts of water in more early period, but at the same time they enrich the soil with nitrogen, absorbing it from the air with the help of bacteria developing in special nodules on the roots of these plants.
As long as the trees do not shade the entire area, strawberries can also be grown in the rows of the garden, but it is necessary to carefully control the larvae of cockchafers.
When growing strawberries between rows in a garden, you have to spray the trees during the period when they bloom or have fruit. To prevent poisons from getting on the strawberries, it is necessary to cover them while spraying. plastic film, paper or any other material. The same is done in cases where various vegetables and herbs are grown between rows.
When inter-row tillage, it is necessary to take preventive measures against the accumulation of mice: thorough cleaning of plant residues, placement of poisoned baits, high-quality soil cultivation in the fall. It is advisable to place all plant residues - tops, leaves, twigs, shoots, weeds - in compost heaps or pits.
One of the features of such soil cultivation is that it is advisable to start growing interrow crops from the second year of planting. Usually, by the age of 8-10 years, cultivating interrow crops in the garden becomes impossible, and from this time on, a special area has to be allocated for vegetables.
In areas allocated for, and others berry crops, in the first 3 years it is possible to grow vegetable crops such as,. It is possible to grow garlic between the rows of strawberries.
In the video “Tillage” you can see how plants are most often grown in rows:
The question of whether to occupy the rows of a young garden with inter-row crops or not should be decided based on the specific conditions of a particular site. It should be borne in mind that growing interrow crops can be justified only if high agricultural technology is observed and there is a sufficient amount of irrigation water. Interrow crops, like weeds, compete with fruit plants for nutrients and water.
The next section of the article is devoted to how to care for the soil using the black steam system.
Rules for agrotechnical tillage of soil with black (clean) steam
Tilling the soil with black (or clean) steam is one of the methods for increasing soil fertility. Keeping the soil fallow serves the best remedy for weed control, accumulation and conservation of soil moisture and for mobilization of nutrients in the soil. However, with prolonged treatment of the soil with steam, its structure is destroyed: spraying occurs, water permeability decreases both due to tillage tools and mechanical impact rainfall onto the exposed ground surface.
Due to intensive soil processes, when treating the soil with pure steam, rapid decomposition (mineralization) of organic matter and gradual destruction of humus occur.
Significant negative impact of the steam method of soil maintenance in gardens middle zone in some years it affects the soil temperature, causing severe overheating of the unprotected surface.
Even the most rational soil maintenance system cannot give satisfactory results if it is processed incorrectly and if unsuitable tools are used.
When caring for soil contained under black fallow, the treatment consists of autumn plowing (digging) of row spacing and digging tree trunk circles, spring-summer loosening of row spacing and tree trunk circles.
The autumn method of tillage is mandatory, as it is important for the accumulation of moisture. The dug up soil absorbs a large amount of autumn precipitation and melt water, and from the effects of frost it becomes more loose and breathable.
In the process of caring for the soil in this way, plowing eliminates the pathogens of fungal diseases found in fallen leaves, and also partially destroys pests that overwinter in the arable layer of soil.
There are cases when, due to excessive moisture in the second half of summer, trees greatly delay the growing season and their wood does not have time to ripen sufficiently. The frost resistance of such trees is sharply reduced, and in more or less severe winters they are severely damaged by frost. Taking this into account, in the wettest years in terms of precipitation, when it is especially rainy in the second half of summer, caring for the soil by loosening the tree trunks should be stopped approximately in mid-August. This promotes better ripening of tree wood.
When switching to steam methods for surface tillage of soil in sodded gardens, special care must be taken in setting the plowing depth. Roots fruit crops when turfing, they lie close to the soil surface, so it is necessary to dig up the turf shallowly to a depth of 12-15 cm. Following the same rule of soil cultivation is also necessary when caring for gardens on lands with a shallow carbonate horizon, since in these cases many roots are located in the upper horizons and when deepening the processing, dangerous damage can be caused to them.
Basic methods and techniques of surface tillage
The timing of tillage using the fall method is of great importance. Since autumn digging is inevitably associated with damage to some part of the root system, it should be carried out in a more early dates so that the damaged roots are partially restored. care for the soil as needed to increase its fertility; this agricultural practice is recommended to be carried out after active growth trees and harvesting, approximately 20-30 days before leaf fall. In calendar terms, this corresponds to the end of September - beginning of October. If the roots are damaged during this period, good wound healing is observed, which is explained by the influx of a large amount of plastic substances from the leaves to the roots. If treatment is delayed, damaged roots may freeze and the winter hardiness of plants may decrease.
If the soil is very dry by the time of autumn digging, then it is better to limit it to superficial loosening with a hoe, because digging up too dry, especially heavy and sprayed soils, as is known, can lead to excessive blockiness.
Before cultivating the soil in the garden free spaces outside the crown projection, tree trunk circles are dug up.
For processing loose soils shovels with a wider blade and a straight cut blade are used, for more heavy soils- with a narrower, wedge-shaped. Garden forks are very convenient for digging up particularly loose soils.
Along with the use of soil cultivation methods and techniques to ensure good plant growth, fertilizers are added to the soil at the same time as digging.
To conserve moisture in the spring, as soon as the soil is ready for cultivation (it will not be smeared), it is harrowed.
In the case of soil compaction after snow melts, which is usually observed on heavy loamy and clay soils, a soil care method such as loosening should be used in early spring. Do this to a depth of 10-15 cm.
In tree trunk circles, when the soil is first ready, hoeing is carried out to a depth of 10-12 cm with harrowing with a rake.
This type of soil cultivation, such as digging in tree trunk circles, especially in young gardens, should be given, perhaps, more attention, since they contain the bulk of the roots. Even with good care behind the soil in the rows, and if the soil is bad - behind the circles, the trees develop unsatisfactorily. Tree trunk circles should always be loose and free of weeds.
Correct tillage depth
The depth of tillage is important. In the first years after planting the garden, the soil can be dug deeper - up to 25-28 cm, and in subsequent years, as the roots spread between the rows, the digging depth is reduced to 18-22 cm under pome-bearing species and to 12-15 cm under stone fruits. Moreover, it is possible to cultivate the soil to the specified depth in fruit-bearing orchards only at some distance from the apple trees, approximately 2 - 2.5 m from the trunk. Near the trunks, the soil is dug up to a depth of 10-12 cm. Tillage methods are used especially carefully on the trunk circles of stone fruit trees, as well as those grafted onto dwarf rootstocks, since their root system, compared to pome-bearing species grafted on vigorous rootstocks, lies in more superficial layers of the soil. To prevent damage to large roots when digging, the shovel should be placed with its edge facing the tree trunk.
In the spring, as soon as it is possible to begin work, the tree trunk circles are loosened to a depth of 8-10 cm, as well as the moisture is closed in the area of all row spacing. Subsequently, when weeds appear, as well as when a crust forms on the soil surface, the tree trunk circles are repeatedly loosened. This will make it possible to retain the greatest amount of moisture in the soil, as well as create favorable conditions to ventilate it. Depending on the contamination of the soil, at least 5-6 loosenings are carried out throughout the summer, and in particularly dry summers - up to 7-8 loosenings. In summer, loosening is carried out to a depth of 6-8 cm.
Below is how to treat the soil by planting green manure.
How to properly cultivate the soil: planting green manure
To eliminate the negative impact of long-term fallowing, the application of organomineral fertilizers and the cultivation of green manure on green manure and grassing the soil with perennial grasses.
Green manure crops play a big role in maintaining soil fertility. They become especially important in the absence or insufficiency of manure. Any annual crop, grown in the rows of the garden and embedded in the soil in a green state, is called green manure, and the soil maintenance system is called paro-sideral.
The following crops are recommended as green manure: phacelia, mustard, lupine, vetch-oats, peas. Satisfactory results are given by: peas, triganella, winter rye. As a result of this one of the main methods of cultivation, the soil is enriched organic matter, its physical properties improve, and the activity of microbiological processes increases. Incorporation of green manure during cultivation leguminous plants and their good development corresponds to the application of 1 - 1.5 tons of manure per garden plot area of 6 acres, accumulation of approximately 5 kg of nitrogen. It is believed that nitrogen accumulated as a result of the decomposition of cover plants after plowing is more accessible to the roots of fruit crops than nitrogen from manure. Correct Application Green manure can largely replace the application of manure. Sowing green manure can also be important for preventing unproductive losses of nitrogen from the soil. By mid-summer, significant amounts of nitrate nitrogen typically accumulate in garden soil as a result of nitrification and fertilization. Nitrates that are not consumed by plant roots can be washed into the deeper layers of the soil and be lost. Green manure crops, consuming them, return nitrogen bound in organic matter.
To use this one of the main types of soil cultivation, you should use plants that are sufficiently shade-tolerant and capable of short term produce large plant mass.
Plants from the legume family are of particular value due to their ability to absorb nitrogen from the air. They should first be sown on light sandy loam soils that are poorer in nitrogen.
Green manure crops have the greatest effect on moist soils well fertilized!! in previous years. In dry years, in the absence of watering, they develop poorly and do not provide much mass for fertilizer.
It is recommended to sow green manure once every 3-4 years, preferably in years with low yields and heavy rainfall. In dry years, as well as in gardens with a bountiful harvest they should not be used, since in this case they will adversely affect the water regime of the soil and fruit trees, in harsh winter may freeze out.
In gardens that are insufficiently supplied with moisture, summer sowing of green manure is most often used - in the phase of completion of shoot growth (mid-July). Along with the summer sowing time, green manure can also be sown with irrigation in the spring. Spring green manure protects the soil from overheating in hot weather summer time, which is very significant in the conditions of the Volga region. In areas subject to erosion and snow blowing, it is recommended to sow green manure later (in mid-August) and leave them for the winter as curtains for snow retention, as well as sowing winter green manure.
The green mass of green manure should be incorporated into the soil when they produce the largest amount of grass (the budding period), but not later than their flowering. This is necessary both from the point of view of preserving the value of organic matter and reducing soil drying.
Before planting, the green mass of green manure is crushed with a scythe or a hoe. You cannot leave it unsealed, as in winter it can serve as a bait for mice. If green manure crops are left in winter for snow retention, then it is necessary to prime them against mice.
In case of significant deterioration in the physical properties of the soil, its floatability, and spattering in the garden, it is recommended to use short-term sodding with perennial grasses - for 1.5 - 2 years. As established by experimental data, such a duration of growth perennial herbs with good grass cover, it is usually enough to restore soil structure in the garden.
The main types of surface tillage: sodding and grassing
Under personal plots, as a rule, are not allocated enough favorable soils with close occurrence of carbonate horizon, unfavorable salt regime, eroded. When kept under fallow on such soils, favorable conditions for the growth of fruit tree roots are created only in a small layer between the soil surface and the carbonate horizon. This worsens nutritional conditions and can lead to trees becoming infected with functional diseases in the form of chlorosis, rosette and drying of shoots. On these soils, the role of such agrotechnical tillage as sodding with perennial grasses increases.
When turfing, the roots of fruit trees develop closer to the soil surface with a maximum distance from the horizon with unfavorable conditions. At the same time, under the influence of root secretions of perennial grasses, which are food for microorganisms, the microbiological activity of the soil improves, which increases digestibility fruit plants inaccessible nutrients. In addition, grasses carry nutrients, including microelements, from deeper soil horizons and deposit them along with plant litter on the soil surface. Herbs desalinize the soil. Sowing perennial grasses on carbonate soils improves the condition of fruit plants suffering from chlorosis.
In gardens on steep slopes, one of the main soil cultivation techniques is continuous grassing. For permanent grassing, grass mixtures of the following herbs are used: red, pink, white clover, blue-hybrid alfalfa - Zaikevich, perennial ryegrass, timothy, meadow bluegrass, meadow fescue, foxtail. From these herbs, a 2-3-component mixture is prepared with the desired participation of a legume component. In the future, caring for the soil in such a garden comes down to periodic mowing as the grass grows. Immediately before or after mowing the grass, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out in combination with watering. The cut grass is left in place. Over time, a layer of mulch from mowed grass is created in the garden, which protects the soil from overheating and excessive evaporation of moisture. If it is not possible to completely sod the area, perennial meadows are placed in strips across the main slope.
Long-term sodding of the garden with legume-cereal grass mixtures during irrigation does not negatively affect the growth and productivity of the apple tree, and simplifies the care of the soil in the garden.
When using permanent sod in the garden, recommended doses of fertilizers must be increased by 25% in the first 5-6 years, in addition, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied in three doses: 1/3 of the annual dose - early in the spring, in the second half of August, at the end of September during the autumn wave of root growth.
Do-it-yourself soil cultivation operations: mulching and snow retention
A very useful activity when cultivating the soil with your own hands is mulching the tree trunk circles. It should be carried out immediately after spring deep loosening. Manure, peat, humus, fine straw, wood leaves, mulch paper, sawdust, etc. can be used as mulching materials.
How to properly treat the soil using this method? is carried out as follows. Immediately after the first spring loosening, the soil surface of the tree trunk circles is evenly covered with a layer of 8-10 cm of straw manure or other organic material, retreating from the boles by 10 cm. To prevent the mulch from being blown away by the wind, earth is thrown over it in several places. If the summer is not rainy and the trees finish growing at normal times, the mulch is stored on the tree trunks until autumn. In rainy summers, when tree growth is delayed, as can be seen from the growth of shoots, mulching materials are removed in late August - early September.
If manure or compost is used for mulching, then in the fall they are incorporated into the soil while digging the trunk circles. The same materials, such as rotted straw, branches, plant stems, are placed in compost heaps and, after rotting, used as fertilizer.
Mulching reduces evaporation and helps retain moisture in the soil, protects the structure from destruction and improves the course of microbiological processes in the soil. Under mulch, the soil is less compacted, weeds develop less, and the amount of summer loosening is reduced. Mulching is especially useful when there is insufficient or no watering. A layer of mulch reduces soil temperature by 10-14° C compared to an unprotected surface.
Overheating of the soil is known to be very harmful to the growth of roots and the activity of microorganisms in the soil. The activity of the root system proceeds better at temperatures from 6 to 20 ° C.
At temperatures above 30°, root growth stops. Therefore, lowering the soil temperature during the hottest period of summer by mulching creates more favorable conditions for the life of the roots.
As soil temperatures rise, the absorption capacity of the roots changes.
A very important soil treatment operation that improves the water regime in the garden is snow retention. It is usually carried out by making rollers or piles of snow. Rollers up to 40 cm high are raked between rows at a distance of 1-2 m from each other across the prevailing winds. Snow piles up to 60 cm high or more are placed in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 3 - 4 m from one another. Tree trunks and forks of the main branches of the crown are also covered with snow.
Snow retention is carried out on frost-free days, during thaws, so that the snow is not dry, otherwise rollers or piles may be scattered by the wind.
DUE TO THEIR natural and biological characteristics, different vegetable crops have different requirements for surface properties. And each type of soil needs its own set of measures to create and annually maintain (and improve) its fertile state. They are infertile sandy soils, requiring long-term cultivation to grow vegetables. They contain few silty particles, they allow moisture to pass through well, with which nutrients, especially potassium, are washed out. Although they warm up quickly, if there is a lack of moisture, this quality does not help vegetables. Correcting physical deficiencies in the soil is possible with the help of, which improves the use of all types of fertilizers. But the quality of the clay is also important here. To improve the structure of sandy soils, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied at different depths. Cucumber, tomato, white cabbage and cauliflower, as well as artichoke, lettuce, dill and other green crops grow well on improved sandy soils.
For many vegetable crops it is convenient sandy loam soil. But it contains extremely little zinc and copper, and more often they are completely absent. For crops with a long growing season, a lack of magnesium may be detected in the second half of the growing season. Peas on such soils need molybdenum. Sandy loam soils must be filled with organic fertilizers in combination with mineral fertilizers. And then they are suitable for cauliflower, carrots, parsley, potatoes, onions, lettuce, dill, parsnips, peas, beans, corn, anise, caraway, mint, thyme, hyssop, horseradish, katran.
Poor structure and low fertility with a rich supply of nutrients have clay soils. They thaw slowly, which means they warm up slowly, there is little air in them, but there is excess moisture with poor permeability. And therefore, swimming and formation of a crust on the surface often occurs. Such soils are improved by sanding, annual liming and the addition of organic matter, the addition of ash and deep tillage. Beans, spinach and broccoli can grow in clay soils.
Loamy soils in terms of their structure and the supply of nutrients available to plants, they are highly fertile. Annual replenishment of the amount of food carried out by plants is the only condition constant maintenance their fertility. On loam soils, high yields will be obtained from carrots, celery, leeks, savory, sorrel, white cabbage and broccoli, basil, marjoram, rhubarb, lemon balm, red cabbage, beets, anise, caraway seeds, rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, peas, beans, beans. Lighter loams are preferred by turnips, radishes, katran, thyme, batun, chives and multi-tiered onions, dill, lettuce, garlic, onions, cauliflower. Loamy soils of a heavier composition do not require the application of microfertilizers, since they themselves contain all microelements, receiving them through organic matter. Light loams require copper fertilizer.
Soils have become widespread sod-podzolic.
The podzolic horizon in them can range from 1 to 30 cm. Its increase greatly depletes the soil of humus, nitrogen and other elements. To obtain good yields, they require quite a long cultivation, systematic application of organic and mineral fertilizers, and lime materials. Organic matter is washed out from weakly limed soddy-podzolic soils.
Varieties of sod soils are sod-carbonate, sod-gley and sod floodplain lands. The last ones mentioned are especially fertile. On soddy-carbonate soils, due to a certain dryness, it is necessary Special attention watering, while turf-gley ones require preliminary drainage using ditches and constant deep loosening. All nutrients and humus in these soils are quite sufficient, and their reaction (from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline) does not require careful liming. Floodplain soils are considered the most suitable for broccoli, leeks, celery, and red cabbage.
A special group of soils consists swamp (peat). According to their composition, they are divided into highland, lowland and swamp-podzolic. After appropriate preparation, low-lying peat bogs produce high yields of vegetables. The worst soils in terms of indicators and duration of cultivation are bog-podzolic soils. Only the most persistent gardeners can master them. High peat has very little nitrogen and other nutrients and besides, high soil acidity. Therefore, it is necessary to repeatedly apply organic matter together with liming and mineral fertilizers. There is practically no boron, manganese, zinc, or iodine in this soil.
Lowland peat contains enough nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, but little phosphorus and potassium; its acidity is close to neutral; it lacks most microelements: boron, manganese, zinc, copper, iodine. The disadvantage of low-marshy soils is late thawing, as well as a significant danger for plants during frosts.
Peat soils need... Clay enriches them with phosphorus and potassium, and sand reduces excess moisture and improves temperature regime in depth.
All soils are equally negatively affected by both excessive looseness and density. Organic fertilizers have a good effect on the yield on those soils that are poorer in humus, and mineral fertilizers where there is more of it. On poor soils, excess mineral fertilizers are harmful due to the creation of a high concentration of soil solution. Early ripening vegetable crops and low food yield are the most demanding in terms of soil fertility conditions. Crops with deep root systems require good soil permeability and low standing groundwater, and with a superficial root system - in maintaining constant moisture.
Real garden soil, equally suitable for any vegetable plants, should take many years to form. And it equally requires additives fresh manure and humus, bird droppings, lime, ash, simple and complex macro- and microfertilizers, composts, green manure, sand and clay, wood and straw waste, peat. And also whatever the imagination of a good owner comes up with.
E. Feofilov, Honored Agronomist of Russia
Gardening activities have their own specific laws, the incorrect use or ignorance of which will lead to wasted effort and resources. All agricultural laws are aimed at increasing the yield.
Law of the minimum...
Thus, the yield of any crop depends on a minimum of nutrients. For example: plants may stop growing and stop bearing fruit if they lack iron or any other element. You won’t be able to get a raise if you don’t make up for it in soil scarce element. This phenomenon is called the “law of the minimum.”
...and maximum
There is also the law of maximum. According to him, it is impossible to increase plant nutrition uncontrollably. There is a maximum value after which additional input fertilizers(or water, light, heat...) will become an inhibitory factor that reduces the yield.
Ignorance of this law allows some to claim that “mineral fertilizers are harmful to plants and humans.” In fact, you just need to know when to stop.
Law of Optimum
In accordance with the law of optimum, the highest yield can be obtained with optimal values (quantities) of each factor. Each of the values to obtain the highest yield can only grow to its optimal limit in combination with those of all other factors.
Therefore, in the beginning, as soon as we start feeding the plants with microelements, everything begins to grow rapidly and bear fruit. But after the third or fifth feeding oppression is noticed. That is, the optimum has been overcome and it’s time to stop.
Law of connection between factors
This applies not only to fertilizing. So, if the plants are on dense soils and they lack potassium, loosening will give a significant increase in yield. If you add potassium instead of loosening, the yield will also double. But if you do both, the harvest will not triple, but will be only slightly higher than with one loosening.
That is, each event has not only positive, but also negative sides. In general, experts believe that plants begin to lose their potential yield from the moment they begin to germinate. And the task of gardeners is to ensure that losses are as small as possible.
The main rules of fertility:
The creation of optimal conditions for plants should take place simultaneously (in parallel) for the above-ground and underground parts;
Fertilizers are intended for plants - they feed the plants, not the soil;
The highest efficiency of fertilizers can be achieved only with the combined use of mineral and organic fertilizers;
Each variety has its own characteristics and requirements - the so-called varietal agricultural technology, which allows you to achieve the best yields;
main reason crop failure – delay in sowing or planting plants;
When applying mineral fertilizers, take into account the shift in acidity in the soil.
Yes, on acidic soils It is better to use alkalizing fertilizers, and acidifying ones for carbonate ones.
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Soil is a living organism in which life must constantly bubble. And the more bacteria, bugs, and worms it contains, the higher its quality, the better garden crops grow on it. Owners sometimes do not quite understand what soil is considered healthy and fertile. They contribute large shares chemical fertilizers, believing that they are improving the quality of the land. In fact, these fertilizers only affect the plants, although they do not contribute in any way to restoring the fertility of the earth. Moreover, it happens that the applied fertilizers remain in the soil, not being absorbed by the plants, because the depleted soil did not activate them, did not transform them into a form convenient for absorption. Let's look at what soil fertility depends on and how to improve it if nothing wants to grow in your dacha.
For plants to live well in the ground, it must have moisture, oxygen and plenty of nutrients. In addition, the soil should warm up well and have normal acidity. Only if all this is present will there be life in the soil - many beneficial microorganisms that help plants to eat well. To ensure that the soil in your dacha meets all of the above requirements, you need to work hard. So, let's begin…
Most often, in dachas, you come across land on which the water either stagnates or disappears through your fingers. Both options are certain death for plants.
If you are unlucky and the area is clay or low, there will be constant water in the soil. The only salvation for the lowlands is to drain them. To do this, a three-meter strip, half a meter wide, and a meter deep, is dug along the fence. Throughout the summer they throw everything there construction garbage and stones that were found in the garden, and when they reach the level of the fertile layer (about 40 cm), they fill it with soil removed from the next three meters. As soon as the first trench is dug, a second one is dug along the fence. And so on until they pass the entire section. All the work will take about a season, but you will get rid of excess moisture in the soil.
Any construction waste is laid out at the bottom of the trench: broken bricks, stones, remains of blocks, and the top is filled with fertile soil on which vegetables will grow
You can also dig trenches and lay pipes, but in this case they think about where to lead the entire system. You may have to dig a pool to avoid drowning your neighbors.
If the area is clayey, then irrigation is not carried out, but only the composition of the soil is changed, diluting it with sand, peat and humus. Clay itself is very useful because it holds many necessary elements. But too much of it cements the soil during drought, preventing the roots from breathing, and during the rainy season there will be a lake in the garden. After filling, you need to plow the soil several times with a walk-behind tractor and then with a cultivator to break the blocks into small particles and mix the components.
In clay soil, the percentage of nutrients is very high, but due to the increased density and humidity, the roots cannot receive normal nutrition
If there is another problem on the site - sand, then you need to think about how to retain moisture, and not remove it. It is unlikely that it will be possible to completely change the composition of the soil in one season. It's a matter of time. Only timely watering will help here. There are seasons when the weather itself pours quite a bit. And then the harvests will be excellent! To strengthen the soil, humus, peat, clay, etc. must be added to it. The so-called “beet soil” is very useful. If there is a beet station in your city, where beets are brought from collective farms in the fall for delivery, then a lot of soil from the fields and beet debris accumulates along with the root crops. If you agree with the employees of this enterprise and ship a couple of trucks of soil, your soil will be saved from dehydration. All the same, this soil will have to go somewhere. So why not to your dacha?!
After harvesting beets and loading them, a lot of soil from the fields remains, and it can be used to improve soil fertility
Air mode: does the earth “breathe”?
The second component that influences plant development is oxygen. If there is little of it, if the soil is clogged, then the roots will not be able to receive normal nutrition.
First, check whether your beds “breathe”. To do this, simply pour a bucket of water onto the soil and watch how it is absorbed. If air bubbles immediately begin to appear, then everything is fine with your soil. If the water leaves without bubbles, it means that the pores of the earth are clogged and need to be opened.
This is not difficult to do. In the fall, when digging the soil, do not break the blocks, but leave them sticking out in waves. Over the winter, the earth will be deeply saturated with oxygen, and you will get rid of many pests that will freeze in these blocks.
By pulling an aerator over your feet, you can improve the flow of air in flower beds that are planted with perennials and cannot be dug up
A useful device is an aerator (or hole punch). It was created to improve ventilation on lawns. Metal rods attached to the back pierce upper layer soil and create a path for air to penetrate deeper. This device is good for improving the aeration of flower beds that are not dug up for the winter.
Warmth of the earth: not cold and not hot
The owners themselves must regulate the temperature of the earth. The more dark color soil, the more it warms up. Not every crop likes hot soil, so first they determine what will grow where, and then, taking into account the weather, they begin to regulate the thermal regime.
Beds mulched with straw become 2-3 degrees cooler than others and protect plant roots from overheating and weeds.
Increases temperature:
- creating ridges;
- mulching with peat or black soil;
- lining black nonwoven fabric with slots for seedlings;
- weeding.
Reduces temperature:
- watering;
- loosening;
- mulch from sawdust or straw;
- white non-woven material.
Soil acidity: achieving pH 5.5
As it is used, the soil gradually becomes acidic. Rare plant Can survive in acidic soil. Most prefer slightly acidic soil, the acidity level of which is 5.5. Therefore, annual soil care should include liming.
First you need to determine how acidic the soil is. The most convenient way is to collect a handful of soil from different places on the site and take it to a special laboratory. But if it is not there, then the approximate acidity can be found out using a simple operation: spread soil from several places in the area into piles and pour vinegar on top. If your piles begin to “boil” with discharge air bubbles- the ground is normal. If there is no reaction, it is sour.
If you poured vinegar on the ground and air bubbles began to appear on it, then the acidity of the soil is normal
Why you need to eliminate acidification:
- Acidic soils take a long time to dry in the spring and become crusty in the heat.
- Beneficial bacteria do not live in them.
- Acid binds phosphate fertilizers, preventing them from being absorbed into plants.
- Acid retains heavy metals in the soil.
To eliminate acidification, you need to buy lime, extinguish it with water (50 kg - 2 buckets of water) and spill the soil before digging in the fall. Or apply in the spring, before plowing the land.
If the packaging of lime says “slaked,” it means that it can be immediately applied to the soil, evenly scattered over the beds.
You can scatter lime in powder form, but before doing this, let it sit for about a week in the open air so that it is extinguished by air moisture. To do this, just cut the film bag and leave it open outside.
The approximate dose of lime is 500 g for clay soil, 300 g for sandy soil. If the exact degree of acidification is not determined, it is better to apply lime in small doses and monitor the weeds. As soon as the plantain and horsetail disappeared from the beds, the acidity became neutral.
Life in the soil: are bacteria alive?
If all of the above procedures are carried out, beneficial bacteria themselves will appear in your soil, because you have created all the conditions for their comfortable life. Still, check how active they are. To do this, bury filter paper at several points in the area, and after a month and a half, dig it up and look at its condition.
- If it has almost decayed, life in the earth is seething!
- If it “melts” only partially, it means the activity is average, and you need to add organic fertilizers.
- If the leaf remains almost intact, it’s time to add nitrogen and organic fertilizers, and also give the soil a rest. Perhaps you planted the same crop for a couple of seasons, thereby creating a base for the proliferation of harmful microbes. They destroyed the useful biomaterial.
It is necessary to change the composition of vegetables in the beds every year so that the soil does not become tired of the products of one crop.