Preparation of soil for seedlings at home. How to prepare the land for seedlings? What is the best soil for seedlings? Preparation of soil mixture for growing seedlings

Soil for seedlings - a mixture of organic components and inorganic impurities. This is the basis necessary for the development of the root system, normal growth and fruiting of the plant. The yield will depend on the proper preparation of the soil for seedlings.

What soil is best for seedlings?

You can use purchased soil for seedlings. Convenient, fast and no hassle. They are all produced on the basis of peat. But here you can run into a problem, which mixture to choose? In order to choose a quality soil for seedlings, you need to understand the components or consult with a professional in a specialized store.

You can save money and at the same time not be disappointed in the results by preparing the soil for seedlings yourself. It's not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is to follow the basic rules and recommendations for the prepared soil.

Basic requirements for prepared soil

The prepared soil should be:

fertile and balanced;
light, porous, loose;
absorb moisture well;
have an average level of acidity;
contain microflora.

In the prepared soil should not be:

clay;
weed seeds;
actively decomposing components;
pathogens, larvae, worms;
toxic substances.

Organic components and inorganic impurities

To improve the quality of the soil for seedlings, both inorganic impurities and organic components are used. It is important to know which of them can be used and which cannot.

Organic Ingredients

Suitable organic components:

wood ash;
eggshell (raw, chopped);
riding peat;
transitional peat;
sphagnum moss;
lowland peat (after freezing, weathering);
sawdust of coniferous and deciduous trees;
heat-treated sod land.

Unsuitable organic components:

humus;
small chips of any kind of wood;
low-lying peat without processing;
leaf land;
hay, straw dust;
turf land without processing;
composts of all kinds;
sawdust of painted wood.

Inorganic impurities for soil

Suitable for use:

washed bottom, quartz and river sand (an excellent baking powder);
perlite (increases friability and air permeability of the soil);
(maintains moisture levels);
vermiculite (has the properties of perlite, contains small amounts of potassium, magnesium, calcium);
crushed foam;
pumice;
expanded clay.

Unsuitable for use:

not washed river sand;
quarry sand with clay.

How to prepare soil for seedlings with your own hands?

To prepare the best soil for seedlings, earth, inorganic and organic components, harvested since autumn, are used. Land of moderate fertility for future seedlings can be taken from your site. It should not be very dry and very wet. After removing a layer of 5 cm, cut off the ground with a thickness of 15 cm and place in boxes. The soil cleared of weeds, large larvae and worms is well sieved. All the lumps of earth that come across are carefully “rubbed” in their hands. Then the prepared soil is subjected to disinfection.

Decontamination methods

There are many disinfection methods. All of them have both pluses and minuses. The most commonly used methods are:

freezing;
steaming;
calcination.

To destroy weeds and part of the pests and at the same time not turn the soil into a lifeless substrate, you can use the freezing method. It consists in a constant alternation: freezing - thawing. Boxes with earth are taken out into the cold, sheltered from precipitation. Having thoroughly froze, they bring it into a warm room. Sprinkling with a layer of no more than 8 cm, moisten with water. Boxes with soil are kept warm for a week, then again they are taken out into the cold.

The freezing method partially disinfects and heals the soil, but it does not kill the entire infection (spores of clubroot, late blight).

Steaming is best done a month before applying the soil for seedlings. The soil must be steamed in a water bath with the container lid closed for at least 3 hours. The calcination method takes place in an oven preheated to +40 for about 30 minutes. Heat treatment (steaming and calcination) kills all pathogens, as well as necessary microorganisms. Therefore, before sowing, the components necessary for the restoration of microflora are added to the ground.

It is possible to disinfect already prepared soil with a solution of manganese of medium intensity.

Components that do not require pre-treatment

For a good substrate structure, suitable: river sand, sawdust of coniferous and deciduous trees. Sawdust of coniferous trees does not require pre-treatment. The only thing is that you can not use sawdust that is saturated with diesel fuel. It is enough to wash the river sand and free it from stones.

Soil composition

The composition of the soil for seedlings directly depends on the requirements of the crop that you will plant. For example, for pepper, cucumber, onion, eggplant, the composition is suitable: 25% earth, 30% peat, 25% sand.
For cabbage, the percentage of sand can be increased to 40%.
For a tomato, the land share can be increased up to 70%.

The recipe is suitable for almost any seedling: 1 part of drainage, 2 parts of organic matter, 2 parts of the earth, with the help of ash or lime we lower the acidity.
If it is necessary to increase the acidity of the soil, dolomite flour can be used as a deoxidizer.

During the growth of seedlings, it is good to use water with diluted mineral fertilizers. But do not oversaturate the soil for seedlings with them. Everything should be in moderation.

Buy or independently prepare the soil for seedlings, of course, you decide. But having picked up the necessary composition of the soil once, you do not have to constantly spend money on substrates from little-known manufacturers.

Video: self-preparation of soil for seedlings

Drops are ringing in the yard, April begins - the time to prepare the soil for sowing and planting vegetables in open ground.

The main condition for obtaining a high, high-quality crop depends on the preparation of the soil. All plants need fertile, if possible, light, loose, water- and breathable soil, which breaks up into small lumps when mature. Drifting, heavy or sandy are not able to provide the required conditions. Such soils need improvement, which consists in the introduction of rippers, additional organic matter, and other techniques and methods.

Preliminary spring work on soil preparation

Determination of soil maturity

The maturity of the soil for the beginning of spring work is determined in different ways.

the foot should not sink in soil porridge, leave a light (no more than 1-2 cm) imprint;
a clod of earth from the subcrustal layer of soil (from a depth of 6-10 cm) is compressed and allowed to fall from a height of about 1.3-1.5 m. A flattened clod is damp earth, crumbling is mature. You can start spring work.
the soil does not form a dense lump when compressed, it immediately crumbles when the palm is opened (usually sandy loam) - the soil is dry and watering is necessary when sowing / planting.

spring closing moisture

As soon as the top layer of the earth is ripe, the soil dug up since autumn is harrowed. The soil crust is broken with a rake, the surface is leveled, especially for sowing small-seed crops. At the same time, garbage is removed from the garden (leaves, the remains of the tops of crops harvested late in the fall, supports used to tie up tall plants). This technique also serves to destroy the rudiments of weeds and retains moisture in the soil.

It is especially important to close moisture on light soils and areas with deep groundwater. In such areas, the topsoil quickly dries up.

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spring digging

It is best to complete the rough preparation of the soil in the autumn (digging, fertilizing), and in the spring to limit yourself to preparing the top arable layer for sowing.

However, heavy floating soils are usually dug up again in the spring. As a rule, it is carried out immediately before sowing or planting seedlings. Digging is carried out to the height of the root layer (15 cm) with or without turnover of the formation.

Digging with the turnover of the reservoir is carried out if the site is very littered with rhizomatous weeds, if May beetles, larvae of the click beetle and others were seen last summer. Otherwise, it is more expedient to dig without turning the layer, especially on depleted soils, soddy, sandy. If the site is not clogged, in the spring you can limit yourself to deep (10-12 cm) cultivation (manually sifting with a chopper), which will also loosen the topsoil well and close the moisture.

Why is formation turnover undesirable? Soil is a living organism, each layer of which has its own inhabitants. In the upper breathable horizon there is a group of aerobic microorganisms that process organic matter in the presence of oxygen into humus compounds available to plants. Outside the 15 cm layer is the kingdom of anaerobes, for which oxygen is a poison. The turnover of the reservoir changes the living conditions of both groups, causing their death. The vacated place is occupied by pathogenic microflora, the quality of the soil is declining, which means that the conditions of cultivated crops will worsen in the future. The root system of plants will be more often affected by diseases.

Green manures serve as good improvers of soil fertility and its physical condition. You can learn more about the role of green manure and the technology for their use at. Green manure perfectly cleans the soil from weeds, loosens the top layer with its root system and enriches it with organic matter due to decaying biomass. Spring work on green manure beds: dig green manure or just mow the above-ground mass and plant seedlings or sow seeds directly into the living stubble.

In summer cottages, it is most expedient to garden in beds and rows, which allows you to carry out all spring work more efficiently and on time: free the garden from weeds, fertilize, water, plant seedlings.

Row gardening

Row gardening involves sowing or planting in one row of tall, large plants (tomatoes, cucumbers, curly beans) or in one ribbon (carrots, onions, radishes). Paths are left between rows and tapes for crop care. It should be noted that individual rows are not the most successful use of a garden plot: a large amount of soil is occupied by paths; when treating plants, the solutions get to the next row with a culture that cannot be treated with the preparation used, it is inconvenient to water the plants, etc.

Row gardening is more often used in the design of borders, in vegetable beds or areas reserved for medicinal crops, when growing tall or climbing crops.

vegetable garden

With a small area of \u200b\u200bthe garden, it is more rational to use beds for growing crops.

The beds are divided into

classical,
deep, trench
elevated,
beds - boxes,
beds - boxes.

Bed gardening allows you to introduce a crop rotation, the observance of which improves the quality of the soil and grown crops, the care and processing of plants. The beds can be made temporary, but better permanent, occupying a certain wedge of land in a summer cottage for vegetables and other crops.

How to make beds?

Classic beds

Classic beds are formed directly on the soil. They do not have standard sizes. Usually, each gardener marks out the area (width and length) so that it is convenient to process plants and take care of them from the paths without disturbing the surface of the garden.

The beds are arranged in such a way that each has a free passage from both sides. With such a device, the optimal width of the beds is 1.5-1.6 m. That is, on each side, you can process the area of \u200b\u200bthe beds for the length of an outstretched arm (70-80 cm), without stepping on the bed itself. The length is arbitrary and depends on the size of the plot allotted for the garden. Paths 50-100 cm wide are left between the beds, which will allow free use of gardening equipment, watering and processing plants. By the way, during the warm season, weeds and other waste are dumped onto the path, and in the autumn the paths are cleaned, transferring the organic mass to the garden and digging it up as additional organic material. Permanent beds and comfortable paths will make the garden neat and attractive, and make it easier to control weeds.

In the garden, plants are planted in a north-south direction. This arrangement of plants contributes to better illumination of the rows of plants, reduces their shading with each other. If the beds are oriented from east to west, then sowing / planting is carried out not along, but across the beds.

On the slopes, the beds are arranged across the slope with separate terraces.

If the beds were fertilized in the fall for digging, then fertilizers are not applied in the spring. The work is limited to moisture closure (raking), pre-sowing cultivation and (if necessary) spot irrigation in furrows or holes before sowing/planting.

Monthly updates

deep beds

Deep beds are divided into deep and trench. With this technology, the base of the beds is deepened into the soil. Usually, deep beds are formed in greenhouses, and in open ground - on sod lands or sod areas.

As for the classic, mark out the area of the beds. A peg is driven into each corner and a signal cord is pulled at the same height. Cut with a knife or a shovel around the perimeter of the beds (it may not have 4, but 5-6 corners - of your choice) a layer of turf. Roll it up like a carpet.

It turns out the base of a recessed bed. To reduce the germination of weeds, the base of the bed is covered with a dense flooring from any available natural materials - cardboard, old newspapers, old magazines read to holes, rags. A turf carpet is laid on the base with the turf down. And then 10-12 cm layers are interspersed with humus, earth (from the tracks), compost. The order of laying the layers is at the choice of the owner, the main thing is that the top layer should be from high-quality, better humus soil. In the spring, the bed is harrowed to close the moisture. Before sowing / planting, once again loosen and water locally (if necessary). Fertilization is not required. Such a bed from early spring can be occupied by cold-resistant crops. Humus and compost, decomposing, will contribute to an increase in the temperature of the soil layer. And for cold-resistant crops, + 3 ... + 5 * C is enough to start sowing. After harvesting early-ripening crops with a short vegetation period, seedlings of heat-loving crops can be planted. Trench beds are mainly used in the south. Dig trenches to a depth of 30-50 cm. The base is dug with the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. The soil does not dry out. Plants are hidden from the burning rays of the sun, form good yields, get sick less. But, such beds are only suitable for soils with good water permeability. On clay, chernozem and other floating soils, wetting of the roots and the appearance of root rot will begin everywhere.

high beds

Recently, farming without digging has received increasing recognition. It is most convenient to carry it out on elevated or high beds. They get different names from farmers, but the main point is that the soil on such beds does not need to be dug. The top layer is enriched with useful microflora, weeds are easily destroyed.

Every year, organics are brought to the garden, weeding under crops is replaced by mulching.

The technology for laying out such beds consists in creating a fence for raised beds of 20-25 cm, high - up to 50-60, sometimes up to 90 cm. Fenced beds laid on the ground have received different names from gardeners:

compost,
raised,
warm,
high garden,
layered garden,
lasagna garden.

A bulk raised, or compost, warm bed is usually arranged right on the garden plot. Standard-sized beds are fenced with suitable material: boards, shields, wicker vines and others. The soil can be dug up with a shovel bayonet to increase its permeability. Dry branches, tree bark, wood chips, shavings, leaves, sawdust straw, old rags are laid on a dug up surface or directly on the ground, sprinkling them with soil. Compost or rotted manure, straw with bird droppings are laid on top, with a layer of 10-12 cm. The next layer is soil and again organic matter. Calculate so that the top layer is from good garden soil, you can mix leaf with humus. The planned fertilizers can be applied to the top layer under the rake. Soil, humus, mature compost are added to the settling bed. You can use green fertilizer - green manure. It is better to sow oats or rye without deepening into the soil. Just scatter the seeds on top of the soil and dig the bed. Water if necessary. It is advisable to leave green manure until spring. In the spring, mow the above-ground mass and use it for mulching sowing or when planting seedlings.

Multi-layer beds cannot be dug up. Only annually add a mixture of organic matter with soil. Before planting / sowing, slightly loosen the top 5-10 cm layer. By spring, such a bed is watered with hot water, insulated with cover material, straw. Organics "light up", that is, they decompose intensively with the release of heat. The soil in such a bed warms up 6-12 days faster than the usual ground. A warm bed allows you to plant seedlings earlier (under cover if necessary) and get an earlier vegetable crop. Elevated, insulated beds can be planted in the cultural circulation in all regions.

Beds-boxes

Bed-boxes have long been used by gardeners. These are the same greenhouses in which seedlings are grown in early spring, and after it is selected, vegetable crops are planted in a permanent place. They are good because after sampling the seedlings practically do not need preparation, since the soil for seedlings is always prepared very carefully and with sufficient fertilizer.

Beds-boxes

Box-beds appeared relatively recently and are already appreciated in areas with humid summers and cold climates.

Their device repeats the construction of elevated beds. More details can be found in the corresponding article. This type of beds has several advantages:

in the northern regions, a bulk bed cuts off cold soil,
overheating of organic residues creates an early positive soil temperature, which speeds up the sowing / planting of early crops,
when watering, water does not spread,
no weeds,
it is easy to fight moles, its bottom is lined with a fine mesh.

Bed-boxes in one place can "work" up to 6-8 or more years, if they are capitally arranged.

Complication of care

After 3 years, the pledged organic matter will burn out. The top layer of soil will need to be removed, replaced with a fresh layer of soil, preferably organic, followed by mulching with an organic-soil mixture. To prevent the soil from overheating in the box, frequent watering is necessary, which destroys the soil structure. After a few years, new organic-soil layers are needed to launch a warm bed, which complicates care.

And at the same time, in the cold north, box-beds are progress in open-field vegetable growing.

To prepare the site for early sowing, you must:

The main work (cleaning plant residues, digging, fertilizing, deoxidation, sowing green manure) is carried out in the fall, which allows you to have time to prepare the soil for sowing early crops in the spring.
In the spring, as soon as the dried surface of the soil allows, harrowing is carried out to close (preserve) moisture. If necessary, the soil is mulched with beveled green manure, small chips, humus.
With a drying wind and for faster heating of the soil, the beds are covered with lutrasil or other cover materials. This technique accelerates the warming of the soil up to 6-12 days.
In order to obtain an early harvest, warm beds are prepared. They can be planted in the fall and warmed up by watering with hot water or in the spring by adding manure with straw under the soil layer.

The best beds for the south are classic, raised and trench.

For cold regions with short summers and severe frosts in winter, it is better to grow early vegetable crops in box-beds, box-beds, in which soil that is not connected with the main soil warms up faster.

Evgeny Sedov

When hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

Each gardener strives to get a good harvest on his site. In order for plants to bear fruit successfully, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for them from the first days of life. For this, a special soil is used for sowing seeds, which provides fragile sprouts with nutrition, growth and future harvest. The success of this difficult task depends on how well the soil is chosen.

What is potting soil

Soil or soil for seedlings is a source for plants of chemical elements and organic substances. They are necessary for seedlings for nutrition, active growth, reproduction and the formation of tasty and ripe fruits in the future. The soil also provides the root system with the desired temperature, maintains humidity and air exchange. Not all the land that is on the site has the necessary properties, so experienced gardeners recommend using a special soil mixture for germinating grains. You can buy it at the store or make your own.

Requirements

There are special strict requirements for the soil for seedlings. If you change at least one component, then the seedlings will grow reluctantly, they may disappear in the process or not rise at all. The issue of soil selection must be approached with all care, fulfilling the following conditions:

Looseness. This concept refers to the physical structure of the earth. If it is taken in one lump, then it is better not to take it, like stale soil. The earth should be airy, porous, moisture-permeable, breathable, sprinkled between the fingers.
The composition of the soil for seedlings. If you find fungus, mold, insect larvae or small weed roots in the ground, then such a basis for plant growth is not suitable.
Fertility. The soil must contain the necessary trace elements needed for the growth of seedlings.
Acidity. Pay attention to this indicator when choosing a soil. Acidity should be neutral, i.e. The pH should be 6.0-6.7 depending on the preference of the horticultural crop. Plants will not germinate in a highly acidic or alkaline environment.
Toxicity. Good soil for seedlings is one that does not contain industrial waste, toxic petroleum products, salts, radionuclides. It must be environmentally friendly.

Varieties of purchased soil mixture

It is easier and more reliable to purchase ready-made soil for planting seedlings in the store. Before making such a purchase, carefully study the composition of the proposed land. Below are popular soil grades and their descriptions:

Name	Description		Price
Living land for seedlings	Universal or special soil based on peat	Peat, biohumus, agloporite, mineral fertilizers. Nitrogen -150 mg/l, potassium - 300 mg/l, phosphorus - 270 mg/l. pH is about 6.5.	55 rubles for 5 liters.
Humimax	Multi-component special primer with a carefully selected balance	Sand, peat, Humimax fertilizer. Ammonium nitrogen - 700 mg / kg, nitrate - 100 mg / kg, potassium oxide and phosphorus oxide - 800 mg / kg each. pH - 6.0-7.5.	350 rubles for 40 liters.
Garden land	Universal soil based on peat	Peat, river sand, mineral fertilizers. Nitrogen 300 mg / l, potassium 400 mg / l, phosphorus - 300 mg / l. pH - 5.5-6.0.	260 rubles for 50 liters.

Pay attention to the type of purchased soil. It can be universal or special. Manufacturers add one or another component in a larger amount to a special soil, which is well suited for a certain type of crop, for example, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, flowers, etc. Universal soil is suitable for all plants, but you may need to supplement this soil yourself to give them the necessary composition for a particular type of plant.

Do-it-yourself soil for seedlings

When filling the finished soil into the boxes, do not forget to ensure good drainage. To do this, put a layer of dry moss (sphagnum) or sand on the bottom.
Pour the soil itself on top of the drainage. Do not be sorry, it should be covered in an even layer and up to the edge of the box, peat cups or other containers that are used for planting seedlings.
Don't forget extra food. To do this, take suitable fertilizers and distribute them evenly over the surface of the soil, then mix thoroughly.
If you take dry fertilizers, then the soil should be moistened before enrichment, but do not overdo it. The ideal option is the absence of liquid when squeezing the soil.
Select the desired temperature regime, which is difficult in an apartment environment. Arrange a micro-greenhouse on the balcony. Otherwise, limit watering, otherwise the root system of the seedlings will be weak, and the green top with leaves, on the contrary, will be too high.

Compound

To prepare a simple universal soil for seedlings, you will need:

sod land - 2 parts;
peat - 2 parts;
sand - 1 part.

These ingredients can be purchased at a specialty gardening store. Peat can be replaced with humus or leaf soil. To additionally mineralize the resulting composition, i.e. to increase its fertility, add 200-300 grams of charcoal or ash for every 10 liters. It is recommended to mix perlite, vermiculite or sawdust into the composition. These components make the earth light and airy. Another useful additive is powdered eggshells, compost heaps.

Disinfection

Often, the quality and volume of the crop depends on how well the soil is disinfected. Decontamination is the removal of larvae and pupae of harmful insects, bacteria, fungi and other unnecessary microorganisms. The disinfection procedure can be carried out independently by any of the following methods:

freezing followed by thawing;
steaming in a water bath;
washing in boiling water in small portions;
calcination in the oven;
keeping in the microwave;
washing with a solution of potassium permanganate (3 grams of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water);
dressing with Aktara's solution, fungicide;
addition of Fitosporin.

How to choose a soil mixture for seedlings

A large selection of soil types for seedlings often baffles novice gardeners. The following tips will help you when buying the right soil:

If you are in doubt about which type of land is better - universal or special - take the first option. It is suitable for any seedling, if necessary, it can always be supplemented.
Pay attention to the label. It should contain information about the manufacturer, composition, properties. A prerequisite is the availability of instructions for use. If there is no label or the information on it is incomplete, it is better to purchase another primer.
The composition of the earth is very important. It must include at least three ingredients. It is good if peat, vermiculite or sand with the addition of mineral fertilizers is present in the composition. Chemical components should not be too much. The amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus should not exceed 300 mg / l, otherwise it is better to dilute the soil.
The consistency of the soil is very important, so evaluate this factor when buying. If necessary, take a trial parcel of land.
To assess the acidity, you need to carry out the following procedure. Place the piece of glass on a dark horizontal surface. Pour a little soil on top and pour vinegar. If a large amount of foam forms on the surface, then the soil has an alkaline environment, the complete absence of foam indicates increased acidity, and slight foaming indicates neutrality.

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Soil for seedlings: which land is better to buy

In our article we will tell you how to prepare the soil for your own hands.

What should be the soil

sod land

The component has a huge amount of trace elements that ensure the full growth of seedlings. It is recommended to use the land on which they previously grew and.

Mullein

The component is rich in useful trace elements, provides proper nutrition to the plant. Thanks to him, productivity increases, plants receive a full range of necessary vitamins. Can be used both dry and fresh.

Sand is used in the preparation of the soil mixture, as it is an excellent baking powder. Give preference to coarse, clean river sand that does not have clay inclusions. Without fail, it must be washed and calcined on fire or in the oven.

Perlite

Sometimes this component is used instead of sand. It is characterized by its environmental friendliness, gives the soil looseness, perfectly absorbs moisture.

Sometimes ordinary ones act as a substitute for peat and sand. In this case, only purified components can be used; before use, they are scalded with boiling water. Land for seedlings, prepared with your own hands, will definitely be of better quality than purchased.

But if you do not know all the nuances of preparing such a mixture, you should not risk the entire crop - it is better to seek the advice of specialists and choose the soil that is best for your seedlings.

Important! Do not immediately purchase a large capacity of the soil mixture. Buy a small bag and try to germinate the seeds. If everything goes well, you can proceed to more ambitious work.

Ready-made soil preparation schemes with sawdust

If you decide to prepare the soil yourself with sawdust for seedlings, we offer a choice of several common schemes.

Scheme 1. It is necessary to take 2 parts of sawdust and 1 part of sand. Before this, sawdust should be treated with a balanced mixture that contains a complex of nutritional components. They can also be used as a baking powder. This mixture, although it has a simple composition, but allows you to achieve a rich harvest.

Scheme 2. It is necessary to mix peat, sod land, sawdust in the following ratio: 4:1:1/4:1:1/2. To 10 kg of the mixture obtained, it is worth adding: river sand - 3 kg, - 10 g, - 2-3 g, - 1 g.

Scheme 3. Humus, peat, sod land, rotted sawdust are taken in a ratio of 1:1:1:1. Add to the bucket with the mixture:

Our future harvest of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other crops largely depends on the quality of the soil for seedlings, which we harvest ourselves or buy in a store.

Each vegetable has its own requirements for the composition of the soil, but the main components of the correct seedling soil have been and remain earth, peat and sand. Depending on the crop grown, additional components are added to them in certain proportions: mullein, ash, sawdust, lime, chalk, mineral fertilizers.

We bring to your attention the reference table “How to properly prepare the soil for seedlings of the main garden crops”.

Fertility: the soil for seedlings should contain all the nutrients the plant needs.
Balance: All components of the soil must be in optimal proportion. Too high or, on the contrary, too low concentration of one or another mineral substance can adversely affect the quality of seedlings.
High air and moisture permeability: the soil mixture should be loose, light and porous without plant residues.
Absence of pathogenic microbes, weed seeds, fungal spores, larvae, worms, etc., which can kill young plants.
Purity, that is, unpolluted by heavy metals, hazardous waste products, etc.

Reference table with options for preparing soil for seedlings of garden crops

culture	Soil options for seedlings
Tomato (tomato)	Option 1: 4 parts peat, 1 part soddy soil and 1/4 part mullein or 3 parts peat, 1 part sawdust, 1/2 part mullein. For 10 kg. of such a mixture is added 3 kg. river sand, 10 grams of ammonium nitrate, 2-3 grams of superphosphate, 1-1.5 grams of potassium chloride. Option 2: 1 part humus, 1 part peat, 1 part sod land, 1 part rotted brown sawdust. 1.5 cups of wood ash, 3 tablespoons of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate, 1 teaspoon of urea are added to a bucket of such a mixture.
Sweet pepper	Option 1: 1 part of sod land and 2 parts of manure humus. Option 2: 2 parts peat and 2 parts humus. Option 3: 3 parts of humus and 2 parts of sod land; Option 4: 2 parts peat nutrient mixture and 1 part soddy soil. Option 5: 4 parts of peat, 2 parts of soddy land, 1 part of humus and 1 part of stale brown sawdust.
Cucumber	Option 1: 2 parts of peat, 2 parts of humus, 1 part of rotted sawdust. 1 cup of wood ash and 1 teaspoon of urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to a bucket of this mixture. Option 2: 1 part sod land, 1 part compost or humus. 1 cup of ash, 10 grams of potassium sulfate and 20 grams of superphosphate are added to a bucket of such a mixture. Option 3: 6 parts peat, 1 part humus, 1 part sawdust, 1 part sand, 1 part mullein. Option 4: 1 part of sod land, 1 part of peat, 1 part of humus and 1 part of old sawdust.
Eggplant	Option 1: 2 parts of compost or manure humus, 1 part of peat and 1/2 of the lying sawdust. Option 2: Garden land from under cabbage or cucumbers. Half a glass of ash, 1 tablespoon of crushed superphosphate and 1 teaspoon of urea and potassium sulfate are added to a bucket of earth.
Cabbage	Option 1: 1 part of sod land, 1 part of humus and 1 part of peat. Option 2: 5 parts sod land, 1 part ash, 1/4 part lime, 1/4 part sand. Option 3: 3 parts peat, 1 part sod land, 1/4 part sand.
Celery	6-7 parts of peat, 2 parts of humus, 1 part of sod land and 1 part of mullein.
Salad	3 parts of peat, 1 part of sod land, 3 parts of humus, 1 part of sand.
strawberries	Option 1: 3 parts garden soil, 3 parts manure or compost, 1/2 part wood ash. Option 2: 4 parts vermiculite, 3 parts peat, 3 parts sand.
Basil	Option 1: 2 parts coconut fiber, 1 part humus or biohumus. Option 2: 2 parts peat, 1 part humus. This mixture should be spilled with a solution of mineral fertilizers: 1/8 teaspoon of urea, potassium sulfate or potassium chloride and superphosphate per 1 liter of water.

After preparing the soil mixture, store it in a cool room: in a garage, cellar or barn - it is better to let the soil freeze than dry out in the apartment.

It is also necessary to remember that before planting seeds on seedlings, it is recommended to disinfect the soil - to get rid of possible pathogens, larvae and spores. Usually for this it is recommended to steam the soil. How it's done? The soil is laid out on a fine mesh and kept over boiling water for 35-40 minutes, after which it cools down and is laid out in pots for seedlings. A laborious process, isn't it? But effective.

But if there is no desire to steam the soil for seedlings, the soil mixture can be cleaned of unnecessary microflora and fauna by freezing. In this case, the soil is kept at a negative temperature (for example, on an open balcony) for a week, and then brought into a warm room for thawing for 3-4 days.

There is another option for the lazy - shed the soil before planting with a hot raspberry solution of potassium permanganate. Then it remains only to wait until the soil dries up, and you can safely plant the seeds for seedlings.

We wish you success and great harvests!