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The future harvest directly depends on what will be the soil for seedlings. About features of preparation of the earth before landing works and speech will go further more in detail.
Many summer residents begin to actively prepare for spring plantings in the fall, when they prepare the land for seedlings for the next season. Independent soil preparation has a number of important features that should be taken into account in the process of creating fertile soil. When at least one significant factor is lost sight of, the risk of disease of plants or the absence of a rich crop increases dramatically. Read the article about sowing pepper on seedlings!
General requirements for land for seedlings
Initially, consider the main characteristics, which must correspond to the earth for seedlings. The list of main requirements to the soil consistently includes:
- balance- all soil components must be in certain proportions;
- absence of germs- when there are pathogens or seeds of weeds in the soil, we can not speak of yields;
- fertility- the best soil for seedlings always contains the necessary amount of nutrients;
- friability and moisture- the root system must receive life-giving moisture along with a sufficient amount of oxygen;
- purity- in the soil for seedlings, the presence of harmful metals, production waste, aggressive chemicals, etc. is excluded.
Compliance with all the above conditions ensures the health of plants, their rapid growth, as well as the subsequent ripening of fruits, the size and taste of which, no doubt, will please farmers.
With what to begin to prepare the earth for seedlings?
Use for the planting of seeds in the form in which it was taken from the infield is strongly discouraged. The fact is that it does not possess the properties necessary for the early germination of seeds, and in some cases can cause irreparable harm to plants. In addition, such soil can become compacted, so that the grown crops will not receive a sufficient amount of moisture or air. Therefore, the question of how to prepare the earth for seedlings, should be approached with all responsibility and scrupulousness.
At the initial stage it is important to mix the soil taken with the following nutritional components:
- river sand;
- sawdust (sometimes it can be replaced with fine peat);
- reparted manure (in some cases, you can make compost or humus).
As for the proportions in which you want to mix the listed components, they usually look like.
In other words, a similar part of humus is taken on one part of the treated soil, successively mixing the resulting mass with parts of river sand and sawdust. Then this substrate is sieved through a prepared screen having small holes to get rid of the large lumps that cause the soil to compact.
Adaptation of soil for seedlings
The next stage in preparing the land for seedlings will be its adaptation to a certain culture. So, for example, when growing tomatoes it is recommended to add crushed shell of eggs enriched with calcium to the soil.
For cucumbers, it is useful to add 200 grams of ash to the substrate, which is rich in useful trace elements that protect plants from all sorts of diseases.
For borax soil can be fertilized with dry sawdust, providing a full flow of air.
Practically for every culture it is useful to create a living land. This type of soil contains a sufficient amount of moisture and humus, allowing the plant to develop the root system without hindrance.
It is forbidden to introduce synthetic fertilizers into such soil, which pollute the substrate with nitrates and deplete the fertile natural layer.
Peat, silt, compost, bird droppings, etc. can be used as input substances. In this case, the living soil for seedlings will be an ideal place for growing any fruit and vegetable crops.
Decontamination of soil
At the final stage of land preparation, it is processed from various pathogens and insect pest larvae, as well as enrichment with useful microflora. The steaming method is the most efficient for the mentioned purposes.
To implement this process you need:
- a large iron container;
- 10-liter bucket;
- drill;
- steel tripod.
Large capacity is used here as a reservoir, which is about a quarter filled with water, and then put on fire. At the bottom of the bucket and its walls, small holes are drilled with the help of a drill, after which it is filled with the treated soil and placed on a tripod in a heated reservoir. It is extremely important to establish the bottom of the bucket directly above the level of the boiling liquid. The resulting vapor will pass through the soil, disinfecting it from harmful bacteria. The procedure lasts no longer than 25-30 minutes, while the soil needs to be mixed periodically. The steamed earth comes from a bucket and is carefully sorted into trays for seeding.
What if the ground has become moldy?
Sometimes, with an excessive amount of moisture in the soil for seedlings, mold may develop, which adversely affects the development of seedlings. From this phenomenon can be quickly disposed of, ceasing to produce watering the soil. Within 2-3 days the problem should disappear by itself, after which the soil should be carefully loosened, providing airflow to the root system of plants.
If you can not get rid of the mold, then care for the seed for seedlings should be sprayed with water with the addition of potassium permanganate. Approximately 3-4 waterings all microbes will disappear, and the soil will acquire the usual black color. In addition to the soil, you can pour a special substrate with coal, neutralizing excess moisture, and the plant receives the necessary set of useful trace elements.
Thus, the land for seedling with their own hands requires strict implementation of the procedures examined, allowing to create optimal conditions for growing fruit and vegetable crops and obtaining later rich harvest.
