Peat or humus which is better. Peat or black soil - which is better? Horse peat: characteristics and uses in horticulture

What is the difference between chernozem and peat? and got the best answer

Answer from Solovyov (Fedotenko) Albina[guru]
PEAT
Pure peat as a fertilizer is of little value, since the nitrogen contained in it is little available to plants. To improve the quality of peat, it must be composted. With proper preparation, peat composts not only are not inferior to manure, but also significantly surpass it. Before composting, the peat must be dried and ventilated by shoveling 2-3 times during the summer. Aerated peat can also be used for mulching crops, especially on heavy, cold soils. Chernozem is a humus-rich, dark-colored type of soil formed on loams. Chernozem contains many microorganisms. As a result, it has a granular-lumpy structure. This determines the main property of chernozem - its high fertility.
Chernozem is very often used to improve sandy soils. Mixing with sand, chernozem forms an optimal layer in terms of fertile structure. Such a layer is rich in humus and nutrients, in particular, the chernozem contains substances such as nitrogen, iron, phosphorus, and calcium. Chernozem has the necessary water permeability, density and granulometric composition. With the introduction of chernozem, the effect of general improvement of the soil is noted. The main plus of chernozem is that it is perfect for any type of planting.

Answer from Victoria Kotik[guru]
Peat burns, black soil - no

Answer from Ildar ----[guru]
Chernozem is fertile lands Russian south, peat remains of decaying plants, usually underground, often ignites spontaneously

Answer from Dashutka[newbie]
Chernozem is land suitable for planting
and peat ... this is a more useful fertilizer, also suitable for planting, but already from the remains of rotted leaves and grass !!

Answer from Yovetlana Ryabinkina[guru]
Ildar correctly answered. By the way, black soil is unlikely to harm your garden, but not all plants accept the abundance of peat with a bang...

Answer from Anastasia Zhelyabova[guru]
peat is a substance and black soil is soil

Answer from Hedgehog[guru]
Peat acidifies the soil; not all plants can grow in such soil. Chernozem is an excellent rich soil.

Answer from Big Thing[active]
From myself, as a soil scientist, I will add that the black color of chernozem gives a high content of humus (a special organic substance that determines soil fertility). Peat, which is black, is grassroots, has a high POTENTIAL fertility, there is much more organic matter in it than in black soil, but it is sterile (there are no microorganisms), therefore it is inaccessible to plants. The usefulness of peat as an organic fertilizer manifests itself after a certain time, depending on a number of conditions for its use (composting, the use of bacterial preparations, etc. to accelerate the decomposition of organic matter of peat).

How to choose between black soil and peat, what to give preference to, what is really lacking in the soil for good harvest or good looks? It is worth understanding everything, starting with the difference between peat and black soil.

Chernozem

The real "black earth" in nature is formed under two types of climate:

• temperate continental;
• subboreal.

In Russia, both belts are marked in the European part of the country and in Western Siberia.

The dark-colored layer of the earth is formed under the following circumstances:

• the soil is loamy or clayey;
• washing water regime;
• rich herbaceous vegetation;
• appropriate climate;
• flat-ravine relief.

Under conditions of sufficient humidity, warm average annual temperatures and a large amount of decaying vegetation mixed with humus, chernozem is formed naturally.

The "black earth" is characterized by: a lumpy structure and an excellent water-air balance that maintains a warm temperature. In addition, the chernozem contains nutrients necessary for the growth and maturation of plants.

Main useful elements:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• calcium;
• sulfur;
• etc.

Constantly updated due to the accumulation of decay products of vegetation, the method of formation of dark-colored earth was proved by Mikhail Lomonosov, before him it was believed that this was a primeval natural phenomenon. The very concept of "chernozem" was also introduced by M. Lomonosov.

There are no plants that would not benefit from such a fertilizer. It is no coincidence that in the steppe zone of Russia, where black soil is a natural resource, several crops are harvested a year. Largely due to the unique properties of the soil, connected by nature with geological, biological and climatic factors.

A high level of fertility in this case gives the necessary humus content: from five to fifteen percent.

For those summer cottages and household plots that nature has endowed with other types of soil, it is recommended to periodically apply as an additional layer of chernozem. With its appearance, the soil is healed and filled with air-water balance, which is necessary for the life and growth of absolutely all plants.

Chernozem is also good for landscaping, in addition to the fact that it gives a beautiful healthy appearance plants get the nutrition they need.

Another advantage: the price per cubic meter for black soil in Moscow is no higher than for peat.

Peat

A unique natural wealth, consisting of not completely decomposed remains of vegetation in swampy areas.

In its natural state, peat contains 86 to 95% water. This high moisture index indicates the necessary water-air balance of the soil.

Key Nutrients:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• potassium.

Russia in the development of this fertilizer ranks second in the world after Canada. Therefore, the benefits of this fertilizer for most summer residents and plant lovers are so widely known.

Peat or black earth

The choice between black soil and peat may depend only on the purpose of the fertilizer. Because both types of soil mix well with others: sand, loam, etc. to improve the fertility of the land. Another thing: where the fertilizer will be used. So, chernozem is recommended to be used on large areas for soil fertilization. Peat is preferred in cases when the land is renewed in greenhouses, greenhouses, indoor and greenhouse pots for plants.

If we consider the aesthetic indicators of the two types of fertilizer, it is worth giving preference to the "black earth". The fact is that peat also contains plant remains that have not decomposed to the end: bark, branches, roots, etc. Chernozem does not contain such elements, therefore, for the top layer of flower beds and landscaping, all the same better fit chernozem.

Peat is the most unique raw material of plant origin, which has many useful properties which will be discussed in this article.

It is a fossil fuel. It is formed when marsh plants die and decompose during biochemical processes with a lack of oxygen.

Areas of use

The scope of peat is quite wide. A small part of peat is still used as fuel in power plants or for home heating.

The main part of the extracted peat is used in agriculture for production:

• fertile soils;
• fertilizers;
• growth promoters () ;
• making peat pots and seedling tablets (you can read about growing petunia seedlings in peat tablets);
• in the form of covering material for the winter.

In animal husbandry, it is used as bedding. It is used to process Wastewater and as an adsorbent for water pollution by oil.

In medicine, peat mud therapy is used, as well as for obtaining medical preparations. It is also used to produce ethyl alcohol, oxalic acid, furfural and other substances.

In the construction of buildings for special purposes, peat insulation boards and peat panels are used. Sphagnum peat in powder form is used for storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables.

Variety of species

By origin, peat is of several types:

1. Lowland. It is formed from the remains of tree species, sphagnum and some other mosses, reeds, sedges in wetlands if the plants are decomposed by microorganisms without air in the bottom layer. This type of peat has a higher density and moisture content.
2. Horse. Formed predominantly from herbaceous plants in the upper swampy layer, where oxygen freely penetrates. This look is light and fluffy.
3. Transition. It consists partly of low-lying, partly of high-moor peat.

Compound

Peat consists of semi-decomposed parts of plants and their decay products: humus, mineral particles and water. It consists of various chemical elements:

• Carbon - 48-65%;
• Oxygen - 25-45%;
• Hydrogen up to 7%;
• Nitrogen - 0.6-3.8%;
• Sulfur up to 1.2%;
• Silicon;
• Calcium;
• Potassium.

Microelements are present in peat: zinc, copper, cobalt, molybdenum. Their percentage is higher in the lowlands. The groups of peat compounds include: cellulose, humic substances. The process of accumulation of humic substances is characteristic of peat formation. It's called humification.

Advantages

The advantages of peat include:

• improves soil structure, making it lighter and looser;
• due to its porous structure, it has a high moisture capacity, and dried peat has good combustibility;
• due to the high content of humic acids and trace elements, increased peat fertility is ensured;
• has antiseptic properties and suppresses harmful soil bacteria and fungi, increases the acidity of the soil.

What kind of peat to give preference: high or low

High peat is poor nutrients. The acidity of high-moor peat is pH 2.5 - 3.1. Plants will be severely depressed. In order to use high-moor peat as a fertilizer, it must first be kept in or until organic residues decompose. You can use this type of peat for mulching the soil in the garden or in the flower garden.

Lowland peat is rich in humus. It has a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Its pH is from 4 to 6. Therefore, it is better to use it in vegetable gardens. Plants love soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The use of lowland peat will require less labor and time, since it can be applied immediately, without prior composting.

How to distinguish peat from black soil and humus

To do this, just take a handful of the substrate and squeeze it hard. Chernozem forms a dense and more moist lump, which will remain almost intact after the palm is unclenched. The peat will crumble in your hand.

Humus is a completely decomposed mass of plant residues or manure and has a neutral acidity. It has a loose homogeneous structure, and also does not contain undecayed parts of plants or straw.

The color of this mass is reddish-brown. Humus can be applied to vegetable garden beds or flower beds without prior preparation.

The use of peat in a summer cottage

If you decide to use peat on your site in the country, then you need to remember simple rules:

1. The proportion of peat in the soil should not exceed 70% of the total composition.
2. It must be used after preliminary mixing with sand, humus.
3. Mineral fertilizers should be applied to the soil.
4. Use lowland peat.
5. It must be applied on loams.

Everyone gives a good harvest when using peat vegetable crops. Strawberries, potatoes, sorrel, tomatoes, blueberries grow especially well.

See video, in which the gardener expert talks about peat fertilizer, its types and applications in gardening:

Every summer resident knows that in order to grow a rich harvest or just have a well-groomed, green area, you need to know what is better peat or black soil for a garden, and how to fertilize the soil. So let's take a look at this issue a little.

What is better for planting, black soil or peat?

To begin with, let's figure out how peat differs from black soil, so peat is, in fact, half-decomposed remains various plants and use it to fertilize the soil. It is believed that if it is mixed even with ordinary sandy soil, it is possible to saturate such poor soil with the minerals necessary for the normal growth of garden plantings. Chernozem is one type of soil, and it is rich in minerals in itself, so it is great for planting.

Based on this, we can conclude that if the soil in your area is black earth, there is no need to fertilize it additionally with peat, but in the case when the soil in the garden is sandy or clay, you need to mix it with peat, otherwise you don’t have to wait for a good harvest .

There is no single answer, which is better for a garden or lawn, peat or black soil, both options are good enough. And in the soil fertilized with peat, and in the black soil, you can grow an excellent crop, so proceed from whether there is, in principle, a need to further enrich the soil. Remember that it is also not recommended to oversaturate the earth with mineral salts and substances; rather, the principle of moderation applies here. The only advantage of chernozem over peat is that if you have mineral-rich soil on your site, you won’t have to spend time on its constant fertilization, while you can’t just plant seeds or tubers in peat. It will need to be mixed with the same sandstone, and this must be done every 2-3 years, depending on the characteristics of the soil initially available on the site.