How to quickly make the land fertile. How to make the soil loose and fertile. Fertilizer from green crops

Along with the introduction of a large amount of organic fertilizers, compost, green manure, it is important to add soil baking powder to it. It can be either one component or several at the same time, depending on the condition of the soil and its type. The following baking powders are known: perlite, vermiculite, sand, expanded clay, helium balls, peat, Christmas tree needles, pine bark, etc.

The plants that live in our gardens are not native representatives of its biota. Vegetable, flower, coniferous representatives of the flora are always imported by us to summer cottages from outside, so that plants with different requirements for growing conditions cannot appear on it on their own. But I really want the cottage to be buried in the luxurious greenery of gardens, coniferous trees, ornamental, overseas plants and flowers, and not overgrown with dull, but native sparse vegetation, more characteristic of meadows.

It is good at the same time if the land is rich in nutrients, fertile, well structured and aerated, and even fully meets the requirements of a particular culture. But this is now such a rarity! In connection with our anthropogenic activities, every year we ourselves destroy the structure of the soil. What to do? How to correct the situation and return the structure? It can be either one component or several at the same time, depending on the condition of the soil and its type.

Important functions of baking powder

Firstly, baking powder is a source of air for the soil (aerator). Due to their heterogeneous structure, they are able to form small air cavities in the soil, filled with oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, which is so necessary for plant roots for full growth and development. In addition, thanks to the introduced loosening components, the soil crust ceases to form on the surface, the earth does not become heavier, does not cake, does not press under its own weight even after watering.

Secondly, baking powder softens temperature fluctuations environment. The roots are comfortable in it even on cool nights, this is especially important for seedlings in the spring, when sudden temperature changes are inevitable. This protects the roots from stressful situations and, as a result, from the possibility of easily becoming infected with mycotoxins of fungal and bacterial diseases. But not all types of baking powder can provide temperature equilibrium in the soil. For these purposes, it is better not to use the following baking powder: coarse sand, fine gravel, brick chips. They have a property: at night they are very cool, and during the day, on the contrary, they heat up so that they can burn the roots and even cause death to the plant.

Thirdly, baking powder disinfects the soil. Thanks to the first two qualities, they inhibit the development of pathological flora in it, protecting plants from infection. In addition, some leavening agents, such as coal, moss, algae, also have antiseptic properties.

What type of baking powder should be applied

The need to introduce a certain type of baking powder is determined by the type of soil itself: sandy, loamy, clayey, podzolic, sod-podzolic, chernozem, as well as its pH level. So high-moor peat has a low acidity (3.0-4.5), which most cultivated plants do not like, and grassroots, on the contrary, has a normal pH level (6.0-7.0).

Most summer residents prefer the soil of the following composition, in a ratio of 1: 2: 1, respectively:

  • baking powder (perlite, sand, vermiculite);
  • humus, compost;
  • the earth itself.

Baking powders for improving the properties of sandy soil - in the ratio 2:1:2, respectively:

  • litter, grass, compost;
  • soddy land (since autumn interbedded with manure), which allows the sand to retain moisture and enriches it with nutrients, due to the applied fertilizers.

Baking powders for improving clay soil, in a ratio of 2:2:2, respectively:

  • manure;
  • sand.

Baking powders that improve very heavy soils (clay, podzolic, sod-podzolic) are best applied in autumn for digging, in the ratio, respectively: ½: ¼: ½: 3: 1:

  • straw, finely chopped twigs;
  • crushed brick;
  • bark;
  • manure.

The introduction of all these components for several years in a row is able to restore the structure of the soil. Identifying well-prepared soil is easy. To do this, you need to squeeze a small lump of slightly moistened soil in your hands:

  • if the earth sticks together in someone - bad;
  • if it crumbles like sand and becomes dusty, it’s bad;
  • if the structural components of the soil remain on the hand in the form of small soft lumps - fine, this is a highly structured soil.

Soil disintegrators for seedlings

So, the earth should be light, crumbly, aerated, well-drained and structured due to properly arranged soil fractions. One of the main components that are perfectly suited for this role is baking powder. Consider baking powder separately:

Perlite

It is a leavening agent natural material volcanic origin ("volcanic glass"). It contains oxides of magnesium, calcium, aluminum, sodium, iron, and other elements vital for plants.

An excellent soil conditioner. It surpasses vermiculite in its loosening properties. However, in some ways it is inferior to the latter. Disadvantages of perlite:

  • very expensive;
  • special storage conditions are necessary so that the material does not turn into dust;
  • does not have a very high absorbency;
  • when working with it, be sure to use a respirator and gloves.

Vermiculite

We can say that this is the most effective baking powder, giving odds to other baking powder. It is a layered mineral formation, hydromica.

Excellent soil improver. Advantages over others:

  • loosens the compacted earth;
  • perfectly aerates the soil, structuring it;
  • rich in mineral elements: iron, potassium, calcium, silicon, magnesium, etc.
  • very moisture-absorbing - quickly absorbs moisture during irrigation, subsequently slowly giving it to the roots, thereby making the soil moisture-intensive;
  • provides thermal balance, accumulating heat during the day and giving it away at night.

Sand

The most economical baking powder in financial terms. Use only coarse river sand.

Sandy soil is also a source of minerals. It makes the soil porous, aerated, reduces soil caking, prevents the formation of a crust on the surface of clay soils, the earth becomes loose. Minus: not moisture-absorbing, not able to retain moisture in the ground.

Expanded clay

A material obtained by firing clay. Very light and relatively cheap. Will loosen any soil. Like sand, it is not hygroscopic.

Peat

High-moor peat has a light reddish, brownish hue and an acidic pH. It can only be used to increase the acidity of alkalized, chalky soils. The microelement composition is very poor. Grassroots - black or very dark. It is very rich in trace elements, organic substances. It is always included in the purchased universal primers.

helium balloons

Very beautiful, transparent, different shades. As such, they do not loosen. They are used mainly for flat crops and seedlings.

Improve soil properties, healing the root system of plants. Hygroscopic: when watering, they swell, then gradually give off moisture, decrease, thereby moving soil particles, which manifests their loosening ability. Able to grow up to 10 times its original size. They swell very slowly, so you need to saturate them with moisture in advance, at least 10 hours before use, just by filling them with water.

Christmas needles

Can be dialed in pine. You can make them only in the fall under a shovel, or when preparing land for flowers. It should be borne in mind that they have an acidic environment (pH 4.5-5.5), due to which they increase the acidity of the soil. You can only apply for crops that prefer such acidity (conifers, thyme, blueberries, etc.). Application together with dolomite flour and nitrogen fertilizers can perfectly loosen even slightly acidic soils. It is possible to add them only as a component, not exceeding 10-20% of the loosened soil.

If you have clay soil on the site, and you are asking what to do, then this article is for you and after reading it you will not have to climb the forums and ask experienced gardeners what to do.

Definition of clay soil

The soil is considered clay if 80% of its composition is clay and 20% is sand. Clay, in turn, consists of particles that are tightly adjacent to each other. Accordingly, because of this, problems arise, since air and water do not pass well through such a surface. The absence of air in it slows down the necessary biological processes.

How to determine the type of soil (video)

Soils, which consist mainly of clay, are very inconvenient, since their structure is not ideal. They are very crowded and heavy, as the clay itself is poorly drained.

Clay soil freezes quickly and heats up for a long time, despite the fact that nutrients are situated in more compared to light soils. The processing of clay is very difficult, and plant roots do not penetrate well into such a surface. After the snow melts, rains or watering, the water stays at the top for a long time and very slowly passes into the lower layers.


Clay soil retains moisture for a long time

Accordingly, water stagnates here, which in turn contributes to the displacement of air from the layers of the earth, and the soil turns sour. When the water in the earth is high, then, in principle, the same processes occur with it. In the case when heavy rains pass, the clay swims, a crust forms on top of the soil, with which nothing good happens - it dries up, hardens and bursts. And if then it rains rarely, the earth hardens so much that it is very difficult to dig it up. The crusts that form on top of the soil do not allow air to penetrate, which dries it even more. Processing is even more difficult and lumps are formed during digging.

Clay soil often contains little humus, and it is located mainly 10-15 cm from the surface. But even this is more of a disadvantage than an advantage, since such soil has an acidic reaction that plants do not tolerate well.

But, fortunately, all these disadvantages can be corrected in a few seasons. This, of course, is not about “transforming” heavy soil into light soil. Also, the owner will need some effort and a lot of material costs. These works may take several years.

No matter what kind of crops you want to improve the soil - on garden plot or any other, the principles of action are almost the same everywhere.

First, plan the plane on your site so that it is as even as possible, otherwise water will stagnate there. The borders on the bed should be directed so that it ensures the removal of excess water.

Before winter it is necessary clay soil dig, but so as not to break the lumps. It is advisable to do this before the autumn rains come, otherwise the soil will compact even more. In winter, due to water and frost, the structure of the lumps will be better. Thanks to this, the drying and warming of the soil will accelerate in the spring. In the spring, the soil needs to be dug up again.

When cultivating such soils and increasing plowed layers, it is forbidden to turn up most of the podzol. The depth should increase to a maximum of two centimeters, while fertilizers and various lime materials should be thrown in.

In the case when the soil is very dense, which is difficult even to dig up, the addition of crushed bricks, hay, chopped brushwood or bark is allowed. But if you don't have bricks, you can add burnt weeds. They are burned with roots and unshaken earth, and then added to our soil.

Improvement of clay soil with fertilizers

Be that as it may, all of the above works well, but the main method for improving clay soil is the addition of fertilizers. It could be manure or different types peat or compost.

Peat

At first, it is recommended to add manure or peat at least 1-2 buckets per square meter. Make the cultivated soil layer no more than 12 cm, because this contributes to the qualitative development of minerals. Thanks to this, beneficial soil microorganisms develop well there and earthworms. As a result, the soil will become loose, its structure improves, and air penetrates there better. All this contributes to the good life of the vegetation.


humus for fertilizer

The manure that will be added to the soil must be well rotted, otherwise it will be harmful to the roots. Use manure that decomposes quickly - horse or sheep.

Peat must be well weathered. If the color of the peat is rusty, then it is better not to add it. This testifies to great content iron, which can harm vegetation.

sawdust

if you have sawdust that have been lying for a long time, this can also give a good result. However, you should add no more than 1 bucket per square meter. But this can reduce the fertility of the soil. This is due to the fact that when sawdust decomposes, they take on soil nitrogen. This can be prevented if, before adding to the soil, a solution of urea is made, the concentration of which with water should be 1.5%. You can also use sawdust that was spread under cattle and wetted with their urine.


sawdust as fertilizer

Sand and humus

There is also another method - during autumn digging, add river sand to clay soil. Although it is not easy, it gives a good effect. But you need to know the correct proportions, since each type of crop grown requires a different soil composition.


Sand for fertilizing clay soil

In soils such as fine loam, vegetables and many flowers grow well. To achieve this composition, add one bucket of sand per square meter.

Half a bucket needs to be added if you want to plant cabbage, beets, apple, plum, cherry, or some flower crops such as peonies or roses. They love heavy soils.

It is necessary to add sand and humus to the clay soil regularly - at least every year for years. This is all because the plants will take the humus, and the sand will settle, and the soil will again become unfavorable.

As practice shows, after five years of such work, the soil from clay will become loamy. The thickness of the layer will be about 18 cm.

Fertilizer from green crops

A good effect is produced by annual green crops, which are used as fertilizer.

They are sown, usually after harvesting vegetables or potatoes, and in the same season they are dug up for the winter. In August, you can also sow winter rye and dig it up in the spring. Such crops have a positive effect on the soil, and it is enriched organically. But the main thing is that this is how clay soil loosens.


Creating Loose Soil

If there is very little organic matter in the soil, good decision will be planted with perennial clover. It is regularly mowed without collecting grass. Clover roots die off over time and have a beneficial effect on the soil. After three years, clover is better to dig up to a depth of 12 cm.

Earthworms also loosen the ground well, so it is advisable to populate them there. If you have empty areas left, you can plant them with ground covers. They do not allow the earth to dry out, overheat and increase the level of organic matter.

Soil liming

If you have heard of such a method as liming the soil, then this is done only in autumn. This is done infrequently - once every 5 years. Lime deoxidizes the soil and thus has a beneficial effect on it. Calcium, in turn, increases the fertility of the soil, as it allows water to penetrate deep into the clay. Basically, this method, like most others, loosens heavy soil well.

But the question arises, in what dosages to add alkaline materials? It depends on how much calcium is in the ground, what level of acidity and mechanical composition. In autumn, you can fertilize with ground limestone, slaked lime, dolomite flour, chalk, cement dust, wood and peat ash.

Enrichment with lime has a beneficial effect on both heavy and light soils. Heavy ones turn into looser ones, and light ones, on the contrary, are connected. Also, the action of microorganism is enhanced, which better absorbs nitrogen and humus, which improves the nutritional value of plants.


Clay soil can produce crops, but it takes work

To find out what kind of soil you have, conduct a simple experiment - Squeeze a handful of earth in your hand and moisten it with water. Knead the earth until it reminds you of dough. Try to make a “donut” with a diameter of 5 cm from this handful. In the case when it is cracked, then you have loamy soil, if there are no cracks, you have clay soil. Accordingly, it must be put in order.

Yield depends on many factors: weather conditions, frequency of watering, plant health, and more. But the most important thing is always the fertility of the soil.

It is important that the soil contains all the necessary elements for the proper development of plants, so that it is moderately moist and loose enough so that the root system of plantings can develop comfortably.

That is why it is extremely important to properly prepare the soil for the subsequent planting of plants, so that all the work is not in vain, and the harvest is rich. We talk about what needs to be done to make the soil fertile.

What needs to be done for soil fertility

Here we will talk about what work needs to be done in order to prepare the soil for planting, and what substances it needs to be saturated for the proper development of plantings.

Carefully loosen the soil

To dig or not? This issue is still controversial. After all, digging effectively loosens the soil, making it more fertile and interfering with the life that boils in it. When digging with turning over the soil layers, oxygen-loving microorganisms enter layers poor in air, and vice versa. In addition, in this case, microorganisms suffer more from the cold, so that enough long time until all this life, so necessary for the fertility of the soil, is fully restored. On not too well crumbly soil care can be more gentle - digging without turning the earth, but once every 3-4 years, still dig with turning over to prevent excessive compaction of the soil.

Digging: where to start?

Digging is a must when setting up new beds or lawn areas and heavily weedy areas, as well as annually in clay soils prone to compaction.

However, if you gradually improve such soil with sand and compost, over time, digging can be done every two years.

What needs to be done:

  1. First, remove large plant debris with a hoe and rake and send these residues to.
  2. Then, starting at the edge of the bed, dig as deep as you can by stepping on the shovel with your foot.
  3. After the first digging, you can fold the earth at the opposite end of the bed, so that you can then fill the last diggings with it, or distribute it evenly over the entire area.
  4. Turn over the soil layer when digging
  5. Make a second dig and transfer the excavated earth to the hole from the first dig. In this case, the layer must be turned over so that its lower side is on top.

In this way, fill the holes from previous diggings with earth from subsequent diggings. At the same time, carefully remove the stones and especially the roots of weeds.

The dug-up layers should be left to lie until spring processing. Severe frost itself pre-crushes them.

Gentle loosening with forks


With gentle soil care, you need to completely refuse to turn over the soil layers. Loosening is carried out by sticking a digging fork into the soil every 10 cm and swaying them. Here it is also necessary to help yourself with your foot or with your whole body so that the forks stick as deep as possible. As with digging, it is best to work in rows.

This work is easier than digging: it spares not only the soil, but also your back, although it takes a little more time.

Gentle loosening: the second stage

With sufficiently loose, sandy and / or humus soil, the second stage passes quickly: you simply once again pass the rougher or cultivator over the area and carefully remove all weed roots.

Especially practical tool for the second stage - a hoe with one very powerful, rounded tooth. Run the tine first along one furrow, holding the tool at an angle to the edge of the bed, and then again at the same angle along the next furrow.

With very loose soil, you can even not first loosen with a pitchfork, but use only a hoe.

Mulching: winter soil protection

Since without turning over the layers there are no clods of earth that the frost would have to crush in winter, the advantages can be immediately used.

What you need to do for this:

  • You can lightly dig in the compost first, then cover the bed with a layer of foliage or other material.
  • In this case, the soil does not freeze so much, it is less clogged with autumn and winter rains, and life in the soil wakes up faster in spring.
  • Don't use too dense mulching materials, as this may attract regular mice.
  • If there were a lot of slugs, it is generally better to remove the mulch.

The presence of loose fertile land on the site is one of the main conditions for obtaining a rich harvest. It is important to understand that "loose" is a well-structured porous soil. For the presence of such qualities, it is not always necessary to rely on natural processes, it is better to use some rather simple tricks of experienced gardeners. With these little tricks the earth in the garden will always be loose.

Soil structure

Soil structure is its ability to break up into small pieces. Well-structured soil easily breaks up into small grains 0.25–10 mm in size. The same definition is true for the concept of "loose soil".

Soil structure includes 4 main components:

  • mineral base (50−60%);
  • organic matter (10%);
  • air (15–25%);
  • water (25−35%).

Loose earth is porous, it passes moisture and air well, thanks to which plants take root and develop better. Almost ideal indicators have light loamy soils.

To check the condition of the soil in your area, it is enough to conduct a small test: take a small clod of dry earth into a shovel, throw it up, catch it on the shovel again, and then consider the size of the parts into which the soil crumbled. If they are more than 10-15 mm, then, most likely, there is a heavy, poorly structured clay soil on the site, requiring some corrections in the composition by the gardener's hands.

Line-up change

To turn clay soil into loose soil, you will need river sand, which must be evenly distributed over the surface. For 1 m² you will need 24 kg (about 15 liters) of sand. After that, the soil should be dug up to a depth of 20–25 cm.

It would be useful to attract "helpers" to the site - earthworms, which loosen the soil well in the course of their life. In order for these invertebrates to settle on the site, it is enough to place a small compost heap or mulch the plants with organic materials (such as decomposed compost or dried grass clippings). You can also prepare a special infusion:

  • place the roots, stems and leaves of dandelions with a total weight of 1 kg in a container;
  • fill them with 10 liters of water;
  • leave to infuse for 10-14 days;
  • strain;
  • dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10.

Apricot Alyosha

This infusion should be poured over the ground, avoiding beds with beets and cabbage.

Manure and humus are not only excellent fertilizers, but also soil leavening agents. Fresh manure should be applied 6 months before planting. For example, this can be done in the fall after digging, distributing fertilizer over empty areas. The rotted product can be applied in the spring.

Fertilizer rate per 1 m²:

  • cow - fresh 4-5 kg, rotted 2-2.5 kg;
  • horse - fresh 5-6 kg, rotted 2.5-3 kg.

Humus, consisting of peat and rotted manure, can be further enriched with nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. This will significantly increase the effectiveness of humus both as a top dressing and as a baking powder.

Humus must be distributed over the surface (20 kg will be needed per 1 m²). Then the clay soil should be dug up, deepening by 15-20 cm, and sandy, deepening by 30 cm.

Another effective and at the same time safe method is mulching the soil with mowed grass. Mulching will retain moisture in the soil and protect it from the formation of seals and crusts after watering and precipitation.

Start mulching heavy clay soil should be in June, when it warms up well. The cut grass needs to be dried a little, and then laid out with a layer of 7-8 cm. In the fall, the mulch should be dug up along with the ground, which will lead to the formation of humus.

Fertilizer can also be made from cut grass. Other plant material is also suitable for this purpose - leaves, flowers, weeds, tops. To prepare fertilizer, you need:

  • fill 2/3 of the barrel with crushed plant material;
  • fill with water (up to the top of the barrel);
  • close the barrel with a film, making several holes in it for gas exchange;
  • leave to infuse for 7-10 days, stirring daily.

Pros and cons of high-yielding Khabarovsk apricot

The resulting mixture must be filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. After that, you can water the beds. The solution is quickly absorbed by plants, protects their roots from pests and diseases, and also reduces the acidity of the soil and makes the soil softer.

Ecology of consumption. Homestead: fertile soil it is so easy to make that it is very hard to believe in this simplicity, so we are still looking for magical fertilizer ...

Now for most people, fertile soil is a utopia. A purely consumer approach to growing plants destroys the fertile soil layer. Most agronomists think that fertile soil is soil of a certain chemical composition. Such an idea is fundamentally wrong, and it is precisely this that leads to the destruction of the soil.

Everyone knows that the fertile layer near the soil is relatively small, and is located on the surface of the earth. If you dig a two-meter hole in the ground, you can see with the naked eye that there is no fertile soil at its bottom, although if we assume that soil fertility is determined by its chemical composition, then at such a depth, on the contrary, it should be more fertile, because. plants don't get there.


Also, everyone knows that for the normal development of plants, the soil in which they grow must be loose. Here, AGRONOMS AGAIN TAKE US IN THE WRONG and said that for this we need to dig it up regularly. Digging up the soil, we first make earth out of it, then sand and, finally, dust. And then we breathe it all in.

Another mistake is how do we plant plants. Different plants consume and produce different micronutrients. If mixed in the garden grow different plants, then they work for each other and practically do not require maintenance. And if the entire garden is filled with plants of the same species, then they begin to fight among themselves for a place under the sun. As a result, we get diseased plants from a lack of trace elements. We are trying to cure them with chemistry, again on the advice of agronomists, and we enter into a vicious circle.

So, should we all go beat the agronomists for giving us false information? You can of course go, but it will not solve the problem. A more reasonable action is to figure out for yourself what determines the fertility of the soil. It's worth it - if we manage to copy the behavior of Nature- because now only she makes the soil fertile, then you will no longer need to bend your back in the garden - everything will grow there by itself. Tempting? Go ahead.

FERTILITY SOIL IS A LIVING ORGANISM, not just a set chemical elements. The fact that it contains many trace elements is by-effect her "life". In order to increase the fertility of the soil, it is necessary to increase its "vitality", and in living soil the necessary trace elements come by themselves. Can't believe it? There is no mysticism here, but only the exact laws of Nature.

Firstly, fertile soil is not earth. The earth is an integral part of it, but it is only a frame on which a fertile layer is formed.

Let's figure it out first, how to loosen soil. It's simple - you need to land in it several times in a row annual plants with long roots. When their long roots die, there will be passages due to which the soil will be loose.

Now let's figure it out where to get trace elements that plants need. There are no problems here either. you just need not to leave the beds bare under the scorching sun. Partially weed out the weeds, and partially left, and throw the weeded weeds right here in the garden. Plus, plant plants mixed with each other, and not in separate beds.

The last problem is where to get water. You might be surprised, but there is no problem here either. You just need to overlay the seedlings of our plants with a fifteen-centimeter layer of straw, foliage or needles. This layer is called MULCH.

Most people who use mulch think that it only retains moisture. In fact, it also produces moisture. At the top and bottom of the mulch, the air temperature is different, due to this difference, dew falls on the mulch, which is so necessary for plants.

Dew falls not only in the mulch, but also in the passages left by the roots of old plants, i.e. Annual plants with long roots have a double benefit.

That's the whole technique of soil fertility. As you can see, THERE IS NOTHING COMPLICATED HERE. Fertile soil is so easy to make that it is very hard to believe in this simplicity, so we are still looking for a magical fertilizer that will make our soil fertile. But the truth is that there is no such fertilizer and cannot be. published

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