Peat - rotted remains of plants and animals, compressed together with mineral inclusions. It is used as fuel, fertilizer, a heat insulator at a construction site. It is classified as lowland, transitional, and upward depending on its location in the landscape. It is formed in conditions of high humidity with low oxygen availability. The main place for the formation of peat deposits are swamps.
The horse type is located on the surface of the swamp, watersheds, slopes. Lowland peat is fed by groundwater, located in floodplains and river valleys. The transitional form is formed in intermediate relief forms between the previous two.
1 Characteristics of high peat
Horse peat is called sphagnum because of its main component - moss sphagnum.
Horse peat has the characteristics of:
- color is brown, orange, chestnut;
- the structure is porous, loose;
- acidic environment;
- high degree of water capacity;
- poor in substance;
- low level of decomposition;
- good breathability.
When comparing the top and lowland, it is worth noting that lowland peat is rich in composition, low air permeability and acidity, similar in color to black. The porous structure of high peat supplies the root system with air and water, which contributes to the strengthening and growth of the root system.
1.1 Which is better: high or lowland peat? (video)
1.2 Preparation of high peat
To neutralize the pH of the peat bog, limestone and dolomite flour, ash are used. To improve the structure and enrich the composition - clay, water reagent, agroperlite, mono or polyfertilizer.
Horse neutralized peat is used:
- the manufacture of a substrate for a low-volume process of growing plants in greenhouses;
- growing seedlings of vegetables, flowers, potted plants, salads;
- when grafting;
- to improve soil quality;
- when planting trees and bushes;
- to protect the roots from frost;
- when mulching the earth;
- in the manufacture.
Before deciding what type of peat bog to buy, it is better to find out the differences of one kind or another, the scope and, most importantly, what you want to achieve. Due to its rich mineral composition, the lowland is most often used to feed plants and mulch. Due to the fact that high peat differs from lowland peat in high acidity, it is used in its pure form when growing rhododendrons, hydrangeas, heathers, blueberries.
Pure highland or lowland peat is rarely used for top dressing. If the land is fertile, light, then the entry of pure peat rock will not do anything. And vice versa, if the soil is poor in composition, clay, then the use of peat bogs in combination with other organic and mineral fertilizers will significantly improve the soil and yield.
Horse peat is also used for composting. To do this, peat is laid in the bottom layer, then various organic waste: weeds, wood sawdust, ash, leftovers, other, manure, the peat is the top layer again and leave everything to decay for 1-1.5 years.
Periodically, the pile must be moistened with water. In autumn, a compost pile should be covered with leaves, spruce branches, ground, or horse peat should be used for these purposes. In winter it is good to cover with snow. Such use of peat bogs allows not only to fertilize plants in the country, but also to improve the structure and composition of the soil.
Peatlands are also used as a loosening component of the soil after heavy rains, when a dense layer is formed on top. Due to their friability, they reduce the content of nitrates and heavy metals in plants, acting as a natural filter.
If you need to quickly fertilize the site and there is no time to prepare compost, it is better to purchase ready-made peat compositions in leroamerlen. The store offers a wide range of mixtures for seedlings, citrus fruits, flowers, pine, shrubs. The differences in these mixtures are determined by composition.
2 Scopes
Scopes of peat breed:
- energy complex - as fuel for thermal power plants, is more accessible in comparison with and less toxic;
- agriculture - as a component of fertilizers, to improve the structure of the soil;
- animal husbandry - like litter on farms, an aquarium filter;
- construction - heat-insulating plates are made;
- at;
- medicine - with mud baths;
- ecology - as an adsorbent and filter in environmental disasters.
The main difference between the types of peatlands is their location, mineral composition, degree of decomposition, porosity and water capacity. Lowland peat is darker in color due to the strong decomposition of its components and poor oxygen supply. Peat rock heals the soil. After making peat mixtures, the soil will be distinguished by its porosity, quality and productivity.
Peat is a unique biomass of decayed algae, mosses and microorganisms living in swamps and overgrown reservoirs. Formed in nature without oxygen in high humidity. The field of application of peat is very extensive. This is thermal insulation in construction, combustible material and fertilizer for the garden.
Organic matter selection
In places with a large number of wetlands you can find peat deposits. On an industrial scale, special machinery and equipment for peat extraction is used. You can make a stock of biomaterial yourself. To get a small amount of fertilizer at home, an ordinary shovel is enough. First remove the top layer of the earth. Having reached the peat, it is cut with a sharp shovel or crushed with a chopper. The resulting material is dried. After drying, the amount of substrate becomes less. This is a laborious and lengthy process.
Buying packaged biomaterial in a store has its advantages.
- Long shelf life
- Lack of weed seeds
- Convenient packaging and home delivery
- Full information on the packaging (volume, acidity, type, etc.)
A wide selection of peat is on sale. Depending on the region of formation and the degree of decomposition of substances, there is an acidic upper substrate, transitional, lowland, strong, medium and weak degree of decomposition. The type of top dressing is selected depending on the type of soil. For clay, sandy, depleted soil, good fertilizer and peat in sufficient quantities are necessary. Fertile land also responds well to the introduction of organic biomass. The saturation of the soil with nutrients is increased, oxygen is provided to the root system of plants.
The purchase of packaged biomaterial is available wholesale and retail, with delivery. You can order peat in bulk from the manufacturer, having gathered several summer cottages.
Types and application of peat fertilizers
Using "clean" peat as a fertilizer is wrong. The acidic top or neutral lowland substrate alone does not contain enough nutrients. This organic material improves the physical properties of the soil - air and water permeability, enriches with humus. It can be used as a mulching material.
To improve soil quality, organic material is introduced at a rate of 4–5 kg per 1 sq. Km. meter. Flavored with a full range of organic and mineral fertilizers, 3-4 kg per 1 sq. M is used. meter. Peat fertilizers are a simple and affordable method of improving soil at home.
An extract from peat is a liquid form of organic fertilizer. As a rule, in the production of top dressing, the hood is enriched with mineral fertilizers.
The liquid solution is used as a universal top dressing when there is no need to improve the structure of the soil.
Fertilizers in liquid form are convenient to use, contain all the necessary elements and nutrients.
Peat Oxide is a peat-based growth catalyst. It increases the yield of vegetable and other crops, strengthens the plant's immunity, and contributes to the rapid ripening of fruits.
Peat compost
The most affordable way to enrich the substrate with nutrients at home is to make compost from it. The place for composting is chosen away from home or the gazebo for relaxation. Cleared area of \u200b\u200b1.5–2 square meters. meter. Organics are needed to prepare the compost heap. Weeds, uprooted, tops, food waste, sawdust, ash, etc.
All components are stacked in a designated place for compost in a specific order.
- The first layer is laid acid peat 20–25 cm high
- Sawdust 20 cm high
- The collected organic components (leaves, etc.) are mixed with garden soil and laid 25 cm high.
- Fresh horse manure, mullein, bird droppings, etc. 20 cm high
- Top you need to make the last layer of acid peat 20-30 cm high
The finished structure should be no higher than 1.5 m, carefully covered with a mixture of peat and garden earth from all sides. The compost heap is left to rot for 12-18 months.
From time to time, future fertilizer is watered with water and an aqueous solution of superphosphate (100 grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water). If when laying compost there was no fresh manure or bird droppings, you can add watering with diluted organic fertilizers.
- 5 kg of mullein or slurry per 10 l of water
- 0.5 kg of dry bird droppings per 10 liters of water
- 2 kg of fresh bird droppings per 10 liters of water
It is advisable to close peat compost from direct sunlight, you can make a special canopy. The pile is formed in such a way that the edges are raised and the water does not drain out when watering. In autumn, it is necessary to cover the compost pile with materials available at home (dry leaves, spruce branches or other mulching material).
Apply ready-made peat compost for the garden at the rate of 1.5–2 kg per 1 sq. meter of soil.
Peat compost is much more nutritious than manure or other fertilizer on an organic basis. Due to the porous and fibrous structure of peat, nutrients from such compost are easily accessible for plants.
Peat is the most common biological material available and in demand in summer cottages. Many gardeners and gardeners prefer environmentally friendly, organic material. The introduction of peat fertilizing nourishes the plants and improves the structure of the soil. This natural top dressing is most effective with the additional use of mineral and organic fertilizers.
Over the years, even the once fertile soil is noticeably depleted. This can not be allowed, otherwise you will have to forget about rich harvests. Gardeners prefer to fertilize the soil with organic substances. Among them, a special place is given to peat - a natural source of nutrients.
Can i use
In garden plots, they often use “clean” peat, free of any additives. It is dumped with whole machines, and then evenly distributed over the arable land. It is not right.
Lowland peat is 50% humus. However, this is not enough to get a good harvest. Other fertilizers will have to be used. Even nitrogen, which is found in abundance in peat, is difficult for plants to absorb.
Note. For 1000 kg of peat, 25 kg of nitrogen falls, of which plants are able to consume a maximum of 1.5 kg.
To achieve a good effect, peat is mixed with turf or other useful components. For 1 square. m. a pair of buckets of this composition is enough. Spend similar top dressing annually.
The use of peat:
Peat Harm:
- In combination with low-quality fertilizers, it slows down the growth of plants and contributes to their death.
- In its pure form, it increases the acidity of the soil, which negatively affects the growth of garden crops.
- Contraindicated for loose fertile soil.
- With large volumes of peat, you can bring to the site of one of the most dangerous garden pests - the bear.
Types and properties of peat
Lowland:
- Formed on swamps from particles of wood, moss, reeds and reeds. Mostly black.
- It is characterized by an abundance of minerals and rapid decomposition in the complete absence of oxygen (the degree of decomposition is above 40%).
- The average pH is 5. Applied on clay or sandy soils.
- Abounds in humic acid. It absorbs water perfectly (humidity reaches 70%), because of which it often rolls, cakes, silts.
Before use, lowland peat needs long-term ventilation.
This type, in view of maximum neutrality, is preferred for use in vegetable gardens. It is not additionally composted - it is applied immediately. Per sq. m. 30 liters is enough.
Lowland peat is often used in the spring to mulch lawn surfaces. Previously, the lawn is combed out, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. Sprinkle on top with a five-millimeter layer of peat.
Horse
- Its composition is rosemary, moss, and other plants that are not whimsical to water and nutrition.
- It has a porous structure, and therefore holds water well.
- The degree of decomposition is 20%.
- The fibrous structure allows you to hold mineral compounds for a long time.
- Able to provide soil with good thermal insulation.
- It does not shrink on the soil.
- Its pH is on average 2.7.
Horse peat is used to fertilize fruit crops and flowers.
Due to its strong acidity, it requires preliminary composting - organic matter must decompose completely.
On the basis of horse peat, substrates are made for sowing vegetables, flowers, and herbs. In greenhouses, it is often used as the main material, pre-aired, supplied with dolomite flour and minerals.
Transitional
- It is a mixture of previous species.
- Consists of sedge, ledum, several types of moss.
- It is used for composting.
- The degree of decomposition is within 40%.
Peat compost
Experienced gardeners do not scatter tons of this valuable natural raw material on their site. They make wonderful compost on its basis.
Several interesting options are known:
Peat
Wet organic raw materials are poured onto the ground in small heaps for ventilation (optimal humidity for this type of compost is 70%). Further, this material is laid in a layer of 50 cm in a prepared place. Inside, small indentations are made where feces of domestic animals are placed. Sprinkle on top with a small layer of peat. Sidewalls, if necessary, strengthen the earth. If the compost begins to dry out, it is watered. It will be possible to use such fertilizer in a year. Optimum application time is spring. Consumption - up to 3 kg per 1 square. m
Peat mill
The principle is approximately the same: first lay a peat layer (not more than 0.5 m), then a layer of manure (any one is suitable: cow, goat, horse, chicken), on top - peat again. The maximum height of the bookmark is 150 cm. When dried, this compost is watered with water, slurry, herbal infusions or potassium solution.
Attention! This type of compost needs to be mixed once every 2 months.
Peat mill with sawdust
Lay a layer of raw materials, sawdust (up to 10 cm high) on it, then weeds, vegetable waste, tops (20 cm layer). Peat completes the bookmark again. Heap height - up to 150 cm.
This compost will be ready for use in 1.5-2 years. Like the previous view, it needs periodic mixing, watering with water, slurry and superphosphate. It is better to apply it in the spring. Dosage - 1.5 kg per 1 square. m
Any compost should be protected from direct sunlight. Better to make a canopy. In autumn, gardeners cover it with fallen leaves.
Peat compost is introduced as usual manure: it is scattered around the site or introduced into each hole directly during planting.
Fertilizer application
Most crops respond well to the application of peat fertilizer: rapid flowering, an abundance of fruits. Top dressing is usually carried out in the spring. Potato, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, flowers are especially fond of peat.
For potatoes
It is this culture that assimilates nutrients from peat better than others. The soil should be loose, slightly acidic. If you mix peat compost with mineral fertilizers, fertile soil will simply not be found.
Light soil is fertilized in the spring - put peat mass immediately into the holes. Severe - in the fall, simultaneously with the introduction of manure.
In spring, peat compost is laid immediately with the sprouted potato tubers in the wells. So all the nutrients get to the growing roots. This is a very important point for those who want to get a good harvest in the fall.
For strawberries
The use of peat has a beneficial effect on the fruiting of strawberries: it blooms profusely, ripens faster, gives a plentiful harvest.
Pure peat is only suitable for mulching beds. But there is a caveat here: many gardeners are sure that this cannot be done because of the high acidity of organic raw materials. The situation can be corrected by preliminary airing and mixing it with sawdust and ash (5 kg of ash are taken for 50 kg of peat).
To nourish the culture itself, it is better to use a composted composition. There are 2 ways to make it under strawberries:
- When planting directly in the hole (peat layer in this case should not exceed 5 cm).
- In autumn, when preparing strawberry beds for winter, peat compost is scattered in the aisles and dug (25 kg is enough for 1 sq. M.).
For tomato
About once every 2 weeks, fertilize the tomatoes with a peat mixture. This contributes to the formation of a friendly ovary on the bushes, the uniform ripening of the fruits and a rich harvest.
Some gardeners enhance this effect by laying such a mixture in the holes when sowing seedlings.
For cabbage
It is known that the queen of vegetable beds is rather capricious. Cabbage feels best in a low acid environment.
If you reduce the acidity of organic raw materials by preliminary composting, it can safely be used for this culture. The effect will be visible immediately: the ovaries will appear quickly enough, the cabbage will be more resistant to pests, the keel will not develop on the rhizome.
Peat compost is applied directly to the hole (about a handful in volume) before planting grown shoots.
For cucumbers
Cucumbers, like cabbage, do not like the high acidity of peat. Therefore, organic raw materials are first composted, and then laid out on the beds. It’s difficult to think of the best nutrition for cucumbers: they develop well, bloom and bear fruit well. The approximate dosage of such fertilizer is 20 kg per 1 sq. m
For flowers
Peat is fed not only garden flowers, but also domestic ones. It is also used for mulching.
The material has the greatest value in combination with other organic as well as mineral fertilizers and sand.
In very porous soil, it is easier for the flowers to transfer the transplant if they are fertilized with a peat mixture. This is especially noticeable in the case of capricious peonies who do not tolerate any interference in their development.
Peat mix helps to grow abundantly flowering plants, with strong green shoots.
Ash from peat briquettes
Peat ash is used as calcareous and partially phosphoric fertilizer on highly acidified soils. Usually this is done at the rate of 2 kg per 1 square. m
On clay soils and loams, peat ash is recommended to be scattered before autumn plowing, on sandy soils - before spring. Berry bushes, fruit trees also favor ash.
However, its use cannot replace plant nutrition with nitrogen, potassium, and organics.
Important! Do not make peat ash under tomatoes and cucumbers. They are very whimsical to nutrition and growing conditions. It can be applied under potatoes, as well as perennial herbs.
Ash from peat briquettes is also successfully used as fertilizer. It contains potassium, phosphorus and lime. On heavy soils it is recommended to apply it twice a year: in autumn and spring (dosage - 1 kg per sq. M.). On light soils, one spring application is sufficient.
The use of such ash helps to increase the yield of beds, improves the quality of the soil.
Many gardeners are categorically against ashes from peat briquettes. After all, it may contain coal dust and even petroleum products, providing briquettes strength. You need to choose only environmentally friendly briquettes of reputable manufacturers.
Shop purchase
Modern firms are ready to offer a wide range of peat-based fertilizers. Peat soil is very popular among gardeners. It is a mixture of soil with peat in a ratio of 1: 1. However, other relationships are possible. It all depends on the type of soil. There is peat with a minimum set of minerals (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen), its cost is from 750 rubles / cubic meter.
You can purchase peat in its pure form and independently prepare compost based on it. The cost of a cubic meter is from 650 rubles. It is also sold in bags - from 180 rubles.
If there is no time for compost preparation, you can purchase peat-containing preparations:
- In the form of granules. It is laid immediately in the hole. Contains peat, sawdust, ash, chicken droppings.
- In the form of a solution. Used for root dressing.
Prices for such drugs start at 150 rubles / pc.
Errors of novice gardeners
Inexperienced gardeners sometimes make irreparable mistakes. The most frequent of them:
- Substitution of other types of fertilizers with peat.
- Non-compliance with the dosage of application depending on the type of soil.
- Neglecting the composting process.
- Use of peat without prior preparation.
- Drying of organic raw materials.
- Application on fertile lands.
Conclusion
Proper application of fertilizers based on peat improves the structure of the soil, makes it more granular. Soil begins to pass air well, absorb and retain moisture. All this has a beneficial effect on the growth, development and fruiting of plants.
Peat is a mixture of semi-decomposed plant debris under conditions of excessive moisture. He is one of the most popular organic fertilizers, especially among beginner gardeners.
They try to acquire it as much as possible and immediately introduce it into the soil or use it for growing seedlings. But at the same time they often fail, because plants fertilized with only one peat do not grow well enough, and for some reason seedlings grown in pots filled with one peat often die. To avoid these failures, you need to know what type of peat can be used, where and how.
As you know, peat can be different - high, lowland and transitional. You must be interested in this when purchasing it. They are easy to distinguish from each other, because they have a completely different color.
- Horse peat it is formed on high places of a relief poor in nutrients. It is light in color, with an increased amount of organic matter, very acidic (pH 2.5–4.5), difficult to decompose, very moisture-resistant, with low ash content (up to 5%), with a very low nitrogen content (two times less than in lowland peat) and other nutrients.
- Lowland peat, as a rule, dark color (brown and even black-brown). It has a much higher degree of decomposition of organic matter and ash content; its acidity is often close to neutral.
- Transition peat by its properties, it occupies an intermediate position.
Low peat can be used for soil application without composting. But before entering the soil, it is well crushed and at least six months “weathered” in heaps. But this is not the best option, since the conversion of the nitrogen contained in it into a form convenient for plants will occur slowly.
That is why the use of even lowland peat as a fertilizer in its pure form is inefficient and sometimes harmful, since dry peat, when introduced into the soil, absorbs moisture needed by plants from the soil.
As can be seen from the foregoing, the use of unprepared peat in the soil is of little use. it potentially contains only nitrogen in abundance, but even in low-lying, well-decomposed peat, it is practically inaccessible to plants.
In the first years after application to the soil, such peat only increases the absorption capacity of the soil and improves its air regime. Therefore, it must be remembered that if the soil in the garden is well cultivated, loose and fertile, then introducing into it such unprepared peat is almost useless.
Another thing is if the soil has little organic matter, especially if it is heavy, clayey, swimming, or, conversely, sandy or light sandy loamy soil. In this case, peat can significantly improve the physical properties and structure of clay soil, make it more loose, water- and moisture-permeable, while on sandy soil, on the contrary, significantly increase its moisture capacity.
To increase the humus content on sod-podzolic soil by 1%, it is necessary to add 2-3 buckets of peat per 1 sq.m. At the same time, it is better to scatter it over the soil surface in the fall, and in the spring the surface layer is gradually mixed with peat. Since peat holds all the available substances well, it can be applied to the soil even in winter directly onto the snow. In addition, peat is usually relatively cheap.
Some gardeners, sometimes from fresh lowland peat with the addition of garden soil, arrange bulk beds for growing cucumbers and zucchini, planting seedlings in holes completely filled with good humus.
As long as the roots of plants grow beyond the limits of such a hole, lowland peat will already sufficiently lose its negative qualities. When such beds are arranged, wood ash is added to peat in 2 cups per bucket of peat and ordinary garden soil.
But, of course, it is much more useful to cover a heap with low-lying peat with a film and hold it for 3-4 months, occasionally pouring it with water, diluted with slurry or herbal infusions. During this time, peat "ripens", and it will already be a "truly" useful peat.
But acidic peat in its pure form can not be applied to the soil and used for growing seedlings. This peat is mainly used for littering animals. Before applying to the soil, it needs serious composting. It is used for the preparation of peat, peat, peat, phosphorite, peat and other composts.
What if peat soil? With what agricultural techniques can you prepare it for growing vegetables and potatoes? A.M. Antipova.
Almost all areas with peat soils need drainage, which must be carried out before proceeding with their processing. Recall that soils in which the thickness of the peat upper horizon does not exceed 30 cm are classified as peaty, and with greater thickness (sometimes it reaches 2 meters or more) - to peaty.
Peat soils vary in acidity - from weakly acidic and even close to neutral (in peat bog lowland soils) to strongly acid (in peat bog high soils). One of the important methods of cultivating bog soils is the application of lime. Its dose is determined depending on the degree of acidity. At pH 4.7-5, it is recommended to add 100-300 g of lime per 1 sq. m, at a pH of 4.3-4.7 - up to 500 g, at a pH of 3.9-4.3 - up to 800-1000 g or more. Lime is scattered on the surface of the peat layer and dug up on a bayonet shovel.
Peat soils are characterized by a high content of organic matter and nitrogen. However, only 1-3% of the total nitrogen is in the form of nitrate and ammonia compounds available to plants. During drainage and numerous treatments (digging, loosening), the organic substance undergoes vigorous decomposition, many nitrates are formed, plants are well provided for them and do not even have time to use them. In this case, most of the nitrates can be washed out of the soil into groundwater and pollute them. This should be taken into account for those who have a personal plot. At the same time, peat soils are characterized by a low phosphorus content and low potassium.
During the initial cultivation of peat soils for autumn digging, it is recommended to add 40-50 g / m2 of potassium chloride. By spring, chlorine will be washed into deeper layers of the soil and will not have a harmful effect, and potassium will be fixed in a form accessible to plants in the upper soil layer. In spring, approximately 50 g / m2 of plain or 20-25 g of double superphosphate should be added. Against the background of high doses of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, small doses of nitrogen fertilizers have a positive effect - 10-15 g of urea or 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m2.
Forms and doses of mineral fertilizers may be different. When making them, the recommendations that are usually placed on the packaging should be taken into account.
Despite the fact that peat soils are rich in organic matter and nitrogen, there is much evidence that the introduction of manure (1-2 kg / m2) increases the yield of many crops, for example, cucumbers, cabbage.
On peat soils it is necessary to introduce micronutrient fertilizers, primarily copper: copper sulfate at a rate of 2-2.5 g / m2, previously dissolving them in water and watering the soil from a watering can.
Preparing peat for use (Fertilizer in greenhouses - 1)
Good results are obtained by applying boron micronutrients. Most often, for foliar feeding of seedlings or adult plants, take 2-3 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water (1 liter of this solution is sprayed with plants on an area of \u200b\u200b10 square meters).
When growing various crops on drained peatlands, timely watering of plants is extremely important. When drying, the top layer of peat does not absorb water well; when watering, it rolls off the bed, plants suffer from a lack of moisture.
Under the influence of drainage, numerous soil treatments, as well as fertilizing and changes in the soil solution reaction as a result of liming, the activity of soil microorganisms increases, and the decomposition of the peat layer (mineralization) can occur very quickly. On the one hand, this process is necessary, since there is a kind of “grounding” of the peat mass, enriching it with forms of nitrogen and other nutrients available to plants. But, on the other hand, the peat layer is destroyed, its thickness is reduced, or, as experts say, peat is depleted, organic matter is lost and nitrogen is washed out in the form of nitrates. To avoid this, mineral soil is poured onto the surface of peat soil - sand or clay (approximately 20-40 kg / m2) and mixed with peat during digging. At the same time, water, thermal and nutritional conditions are improved and the rapid decomposition of peat soils is prevented.
Another method for improving bog soils was successfully applied at the end of the last century. Sand is poured onto the surface of dried peat soil with a layer of 10-15 cm. When processing the soil, it is not mixed with peat. Sand protects peat from drying out and from excessively fast mineralization, in other words, from destruction.
Read other articles on this topic here.
Home Gardening Preparation, preparation of an ideal soil substrate for seedlings
Preparation, preparation of an ideal soil substrate for seedlings
Tricks of soil producers
There are many soil soils on the market, both domestic and foreign, for any type of plant. When choosing the right mixture, it is sometimes difficult to figure out which one to give preference.
All soil, commercially available, usually consist of lowland or high peat with the addition of sand, mineral fertilizers and humic acids. And peat, alas, is not always of high quality, because it is not extracted from the best peat bogs, and not all firms make it according to the rules. After all, peat must be removed in layers so as not to disturb its structure, the top 5 cm must be loosened and dried. It is clear that not every company has the appropriate equipment for the application of such technology.
Small manufacturers most often peat is extracted with an excavator or a shovel, mixed with lime and fertilizers, and poured manually into packages. Therefore, it can be heterogeneous in structure and uneven in acidity. In some places slices of dolomite flour are interspersed, plant residues. Getting into such soil, the roots of our green pets burn up, plants perish.
Some manufacturers go to the trick: add mineral fertilizers several times more than normal. As a result, the plant grows fat, gaining excess green mass, and there are almost no roots. Seedlings that have fallen into such conditions after planting in the soil take root for a long time, get sick, and late set the fruits.
Few people think that peat soil mixtures have an expiration date, and if it has expired, seedlings in the substrate can die. The fact is that old peat, especially horse peat, in a package changes its physicochemical properties.
He is able to warm up himself. It is better to pour such peat on a bed, and not in a pot on a windowsill. Unfortunately, the market is full of such perennial soils, many manufacturers simply do not set a release date or change it, as it suits them. And briquettes are generally very often made from low quality peat.
Of course, imported soils are sometimes better than Russian ones, but always more expensive. Although we now have companies with their own deposits, modern technologies and equipment for uniform mixing and packaging of the substrate. The mixtures proved to be quite good: “Sadovaya Zemlya”, “Rostok”, “Violet”, “Bogatyr”, “Living Earth”, “Giant”, “Ideal”.
Recipes for preparing soil, substrate
But still, I prefer and advise everyone to make the soil mixture yourself with your own hands, and take the purchased soil as the basis. What components are commonly used?
Here are some recipes that are quite suitable for vegetables on the window.
1.
Garden land 50%, humus 50%;
2.
Lowland peat 50%, sawdust 30%, garden land 20%;
3.
Lowland peat 50%, sawdust 20%, river sand 30%.
For 10 kg of the finished mixture, add 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate, 40-50 double superphosphate, 30-40 g of potassium sulfate and 0.5 cups of ash.
What components are included in the composition, soil, substrate
I will dwell on some of the ingredients. Where to get them from? How to cook?
Garden land. Do not “get” it from a cucumber or potato bed, where pathogens live. In addition, there is a lot of nitrogen and minerals in the soil from under the cucumbers, which is harmful, for example, for seedlings. It is best to make potted soil by taking the soil from a pea, bean or bean bed, or from where green vegetables grew. Well, the most excellent land mixture is obtained on the basis of a substrate of mole heaps. It has a granular structure, it does not need to be sieved, since it is well mixed by moles. During the thaw, gently pry up with a scoop the tubercles that dug moles in wet areas and put them in a bag. Mole soil, mixed in equal parts with humus, is an excellent substrate for indoor vegetable plantings.
Humus. This is a rotted compost or manure 2-3 years ago. It is rich in valuable nutrients that are well absorbed by plants. A particular type of humus is leafy soil. Decomposition of fallen leaves comes from a specific microflora. The sheet earth is looser and lighter. It has less nutritional value, but optimal moisture capacity. The soil substrate from such humus, even in dry room air, remains wet for a long time.
Sheet earth indispensable in mixtures when distilling root crops that cannot tolerate dung humus. It improves the structure of the soil, its physical properties. Humus is made from leaves of birch, linden, maple, but oak and willow contain tannins and are unsuitable for the leafy soil of a home garden.
Periodic moistening of them with 0.5% urea solution or the addition of microbiological preparations helps to reduce leaf ripening. If it is not possible to prepare leafy soil, dry the birch leaves in the sun, rub them and sift through a fine sieve.
Such a powder, added to pots with vegetables, has a very beneficial effect on plants.
Peat. It serves mainly as a filler, giving the substrate lightness, high absorption capacity, friability. However, peat is characterized by low acidity. Peat is brown and more acidic than black lowland. If you take peat as the main filler, you need to add 2-3 tbsp. To the mixture. tablespoons of dolomite flour or lime per 10 liters of substrate. You can use compressed peat, you just need to properly soak it with water before use.
Sawdust. They also give the soil mixture friability. Sawdust is better to take stale. If they are fresh, first you need to scald them with boiling water and add urea (40 g per bucket of sawdust). Urea will replenish the amount of nitrogen that fresh sawdust is taken from plants upon decomposition. Deciduous trees produce more useful sawdust than conifers. But those that come out of wood saturated with varnishes and paints are not at all suitable.
River sand. Light coarse grain is especially good. It gives porosity to soil mixtures. Soil fine-grained red sand is worse, but if washed thoroughly, it is suitable. River sand is laid at the bottom of pots or boxes for drainage so that the soil does not silt.
Sphagnum moss. He also loosens the earth, makes it light and hygroscopic. Pre-moss is dried and wiped through a sieve. It is useful for them to cover the earth in pots from above so that it does not dry out. Sphagnum inhibits the development of pathogens.
How to prepare the soil, freeze or steam?
Have you collected all the soil components? Now sift each ingredient through a sieve so that no plant debris comes across, because their decomposition inhibits the growth of young plants, especially seedlings.
Make a mixture for seedlings now, put it in a bag and stand on the balcony or loggia until spring.
— Firstly, in the room the earth quickly dries up.
— SecondlyIt will be good if it freezes several times after winter thaws.
Preparing soil for seedlings at home
Such a mixture will not need additional disinfection. This method of disinfection is more effective than steaming soil. At high temperatures, dead soil microorganisms soon decompose, poisoning the substrate. Steamed soil very quickly grows mold, pathogenic bacteria in it develop much faster than healthy ones.
Before sowing, the soil mixture should be slightly moistened and loosened by mixing. The same substrate can not be used for several years in a row, this multiplies the disease. Empirically, you can choose the optimal soil composition for each type of vegetables grown in the room, combining purchased soils with additives of their own harvest.
Anastasia Lebedeva, candidate agricultural of sciences
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1. Try to guess and add what assistants what “professions” a person needs to close the substance cycle in the fields.
2. Try to compose a food chain from the following living organisms: hawk, tick, spruce, protein. Write down the names of the participants in the food chain and connect them with the arrows.
Spruce - squirrel - hawk - tick
3. Determine how to move living organisms so that each of them gets into its ecosystem and is well adapted to its conditions? Point arrows.
4. Try to guess a part of the ecosystem by a set of words related to it in the sense. Write the name of this part.
Breathe, wind, transparency, gas - air.
Pouring, flow, transparency, liquid - water.
Strength, Solid, Minerals - rocks.
Green color, oxygen evolution, growth - manufacturers.
Fertility, mixture, root - the soil.
Dead organisms, soil, food - destroyers.
Movement, nutrition, respiration, growth - consumers.
5. Identify which relationships exist within the ecosystem. Add the phrases.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Animals absorb oxygen from the air.
Peat in agriculture: characteristics, useful properties, methods and rules of use
Plants get water from the soil. Animals drink water. Plants grow in the soil and absorb mineral substances and salts from it. Animals live in the soil. Water destroys rocks. Soil is formed from destroyed rocks. Water is an integral part of the soil. Animals feed on plants.
Harvesting - peat
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Harvesting peat consists of draining the peat bog, cleaning it from forest shrubs and stumps, removing the upper sod layer and extracting it in a layer-by-surface way. With this extraction, peat from the surface of the peat bog is collected in layers after loosening.
For continuous harvesting of peat, two sites were selected, their processing and compost preparation were carried out alternately. As well as peat-fecal, peat-and-mineral composts were also prepared.
When preparing peat for bedding, processing and loosening the surface of peat bogs, it is good to carry out a milling cutter (FB-10 on the trailer of the DT-55 tractor), and then repeatedly turning the loose layer to bring it to the required moisture content. As drying peat is collected in rolls or stacks.
When peat is harvested, one of the most lengthy processes is its drying, which until now has been carried out in air during the summer peat harvesting. Soviet specialists developed methods for accelerated drying by squeezing water from peat and chemically dehydrating it artificially. The use of these methods makes it possible to bring the humidity of peat to 30% within an hour.
How is peat harvested for bedding, fertilizer and for composting?
One of the most lengthy processes in the harvesting of peat is its drying. Peat drying in the air lasts for months, with artificial methods, the duration of its dehydration can be drastically reduced.
Along with the accumulation of manure in the farm, it is possible to harvest peat, sapropel, the accumulation of bird droppings, slurry, composting, the use of straw, green fertilizers. Since the dry matter content of these fertilizers is different, for convenience of use, they can be converted to litter manure. In this case, conversion factors are used.
The task of such a permanent detachment is to obtain high-quality manure, prepare straw cutting for cattle bedding, harvest peat, various composts, collect and store slurry, bird droppings, ash and feces.
Using peat as fertilizer
The planning process identifies the need for earthmoving equipment for on-farm work (cropping, road repair, cleaning of livestock buildings, etc.), repair of irrigation and drainage channels and structures, peat and lime harvesting for fertilizers and other work carried out beyond the needs of capital construction.
Currently, machine-tractor stations, in addition to ongoing agricultural work, carry out irrigation, land reclamation, and road works, are engaged in the construction of ponds and reservoirs, and in the improvement of meadows and pastures. In the non-chernozem zone of the RSFSR, in Belarus, in the Baltic Soviet republics and in a number of other regions of the country, MTS carries out work on the extraction of peat and lime. In the southern regions, where horticulture and viticulture are developed, MTS carry out planting work. All these works are, as a rule, one-time, and it is not advisable to buy machines for the collective farms to carry out such works, since they cannot be fully loaded in a separate farm. It is more expedient to leave these machines in repair and maintenance stations so that they give them to collective farms for rent or carry out the corresponding work under contracts. In some districts, for example, in the north and north-west of the country, as well as in a number of regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus, many collective farms, it seems, is impractical to purchase a machine such as a grain combine, since in these collective farms the sown area of \u200b\u200bgrain crops is small and one combine may serve several collective farms. In such areas, repair and technical stations should have several combines for servicing collective farms with small areas of grain sowing.
The central place in the fertilizer system of any collective farm and state farm should be occupied by the plan for the accumulation and storage of manure, slurry, peat, bird droppings, ash and other local fertilizers. In this regard, measures should be taken to increase the litter for livestock and improve the work of livestock breeding teams for cleaning livestock yards and putting manure in manure storages, measures for manure removal in the field, peat and compost harvesting, indicating hectare doses and terms of organic and mineral fertilizers.
As a serious drawback, it is necessary to condemn the incorrect attitude of agricultural workers, many heads of collective farms and state farms to the use of local fertilizers that has developed in recent years. There is a harmful underestimation of this case. Otherwise, it cannot be explained that the plans for the accumulation of manure and peat stocks are not being implemented.
Sometimes farms carry out quarry-excavation peat harvesting. With this harvesting, the cost of peat increases, its humidity remains very high and the quality of peat decreases. In addition, it is practically impossible to use the swamp areas for growing crops after quarrying and excavating peat.
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THE OLDEST WAY improve the balance of moisture and air, as well as replenish the supply of nitrogen and biologically active substances in the soil - introduce rotted manure, peat or compost. But the scarcity and high price of traditional organics hinder its widespread use. In addition, manure, especially fresh manure, is the source of pathogens and weeds, and peat must be neutralized with lime and mixed thoroughly with the soil: delicate roots react poorly to excess acidity and die when watering is insufficient, squeezed by lumps of peat. Therefore, manure, peat and compost are usually added to the wells or furrows before planting seedlings or sowing seeds, only locally improving the fertility of the site.
FERTILITY OF THE WHOLE COMMAND or a garden can be increased with the help of green manure - specially sown for planting in the soil of plants. Cold-resistant crops - rye (cut off after 25-35 days with a plant height of 15-20 cm), oats, rape, mustard, oil radish, raspberry, dipper (1.5-2 months later, at the time of mass flowering), winter vetch and spring crops are sown as soon as the snow ripens after the snow melts, or in mid-August - to the beds that are vacated after harvesting. Amaranth, seradella, annual lupine, calendula is placed on the bed when the soil warms up to 10 °. Siderata are embedded in the soil to a depth of up to a maximum of 15 cm.
To increase the thickness of the root layer on the bed, I recommend alternating in time the sowing of dicotyledonous (with a root root) and monocotyledonous (with superficial, fibrous roots) plants: the roots form a capillary network through which moisture can pass into the depths and accumulate in the thickness of the soil.
SAVEmoisture in the soil without compressing it and protecting it from erosion, overheating or overcooling helps the mulch - a layer of plant material 3-5 cm thick. Mulch is suitable for mowed grass, cut stalks of lupine, melilot, nettle, hay, straw, flax bonfire, weathered sawdust, husks, buckwheat and sunflower seeds, the remains of corn stalks and ears, fallen leaves, paper shavings, crushed bark. However, these materials are mainly composed of cellulose, and the bacteria that feed on it take nitrogen from the plants. In addition, harmful microorganisms winter on mulching plant debris. And also mulch interferes with soil heating in the spring, uniform sowing of seeds, especially small seeds, and the emergence of seedlings of not only weeds, but also cultivated plants. That is why in spring it is recommended to remove mulch from the beds. Peasants, since there was no modern technology, arranged a fallen-set fire to the stubble. Today, this technique is forbidden, since it has been established that fire not only threatens rural houses, but also reduces the content of available nitrogen and destroys the beneficial microflora and fauna in the 5-centimeter layer of soil.
MORE EFFECTIVE surface treatment of beds with a biodestructor - a preparation that contains a complex of soil cellulose and lignin-destructive, nitrogen-fixing, lactic acid and other beneficial microorganisms. The biodestructor accelerates the decomposition of plant debris, making the soil more loose. The beneficial microflora accumulates nitrogen in the soil, turns poorly absorbed phosphorus and potassium soils into accessible compounds, and enhances the formation of active humus. They inhibit the development of pathogenic fungi, bacteria, nematodes, stimulate the development of beneficial soil microflora, plant growth and their resistance to stress, protecting the garden from infections. The addition of humates to the biodestructor will enhance the “healthy soil” formation effect.
Although biodestructors can reduce the dose of fertilizers, without the latter to make the soil fertile still will not work.
Large doses (6-9 g / sq. M) of the missing nutrients are introduced in the fall (for the main treatment of the site).
Peat pots will help grow seedlings
In the spring, starting doses of fertilizers are needed, which we close up simultaneously with loosening the soil. I advise giving preference to granular and soluble fertilizers, including those with trace elements. They can’t even uniformly close them with a shovel, and hard work. On a small bed, I advise you to use a hand-held loosening tool. If the plot is processed more than a hundred, electric and gasoline cultivators will provide high-quality processing.
Combining the listed, you can return the fertility to the beds in “FIVE STEPS”.
1 . In spring, we fill the “bare” beds with starter fertilizer and occupy the green manure, and we water the mulched ones with a biodestructor.
2 . At the appropriate time, we close up the plant mass while cultivating the soil.
3 . After a week, we spill it with a biodestructor, fill the furrows and holes with humus or compost and sow the seeds.
4 . When the seedlings rise, we loosen the aisles, once again we use a microbiological preparation, we mulch the beds.
5 . After harvesting, we sow green manure or loosen it, make the main fertilizer, close the beds with mulch and water it with biodestructor and humates.
Yu. SOSNOVA, agronomist and summer resident of the Tula region.