Proper seedling. Preparation of soil and containers for seedlings

High-quality soil mixture determines abundant fruiting. If it is not good enough, then the tomatoes will be sick and weak. You can’t just use garden soil or soil from a greenhouse, it’s very likely that nothing will come of it.

Litmus test

Litmus paper can be purchased at pharmacies, gardening stores, and chemical supply stores. It consists of several strips that are treated with a reagent that changes color depending on the environmental reaction. The procedure for litmus paper is as follows:

1. We take samples from different depths and different beds.
2. We wrap the spent soil in a three-layer gauze and lower it into a jar of clean distilled water (also purchased at a pharmacy).
3. We shake the jar of liquid and then dip the litmus paper into the water for a couple of seconds until its color changes.
4. We determine the acidity by the insert in the kit.

Alyamovsky's device

This device is a set of reagents for the analysis of water and salt extracts of the earth. When using it, the same manipulations are required as with litmus paper.

Meter

This is a whole line of multifunctional devices that allow you to determine not only the reaction of the soil, but also its humidity, temperature and illumination.

Chemical laboratory

Laboratory is the most accurate method, but also the most expensive, since soil analysis must be carried out in different places repeatedly.

Vinegar/hydrochloric acid

This method can be considered popular. A handful of earth from the garden should be watered with a small amount of strongly diluted hydrochloric acid or vinegar. If bubbles appear on the surface of the wetted soil, then the pH value for this soil is normal. If there is no reaction, lime must be applied to the site.

The grape juice

Land taken from the garden is lowered into a glass of grape juice. If the juice changes color and bubbles remain on its surface for a long time, then the site has neutral soil.

Chalk

Taken:

• two full tablespoons of the analyzed soil;
• five tablespoons of water at room temperature;
• one teaspoon of chalk.

Cooking:

1. All this is poured into a bottle, on the neck of which a fingertip is put on, previously freed from air.
2. The bottle is placed in paper so that the results of the experiment are not distorted by the heat of the hands.

If the soil on the site does not have enough lime, then carbon dioxide will be formed in the bottle during the chemical reaction. It will begin to fill the fingertip and it will straighten up. With a slightly acidic soil reaction, the fingertip will straighten halfway. In neutral, it won't straighten up at all.

Determination using wild herbs

Chernozem with high and neutral acidity is preferred by wheatgrass, heather, plantain, pikulnik, veronica. European euonymus, larkspur, ash and pine grow on an alkaline surface.

Conclusion

The soil prepared in accordance with all the rules for tomato seedlings will guarantee a high yield at their summer cottage. Therefore, you should take care of the soil in which the seeds will germinate. The soil mixture must meet certain characteristics. Among them: porosity, friability, not too acidic. To achieve these indicators is possible with proper preparation of the soil.

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Soil cultivation with copper sulphate in the spring for tomatoes is carried out by many vegetable growers before planting seedlings. This is done so that the young seedlings are better accepted and grow faster. Sometimes plants are planted in soil that was bought in a store. However, it is not always of high quality and people are increasingly deciding to prepare the ground with their own hands.

This method is more reliable, since a person independently introduces all the necessary elements into the ground. Therefore, before planting tomatoes, you need to familiarize yourself with how to prepare the soil for seedlings.

Ground Requirements

In order for tomato seedlings grown at home to bear fruit well, it is necessary to use special soil for planting seedlings. When preparing the soil for sowing tomatoes, it is necessary to add to it all the necessary nutrients that plants need for normal growth and further development. The soil for tomato seedlings must meet a number of special requirements:

• the soil for planting seeds and seedlings should contain the optimal amount of nutrients, it should contain not only organic matter, but also other useful macronutrients;
• in its structure, the soil should be loose so that young bushes can easily access air;
• the acidity level should not be too high - the optimal indicator is 6-7 pH;
• land for tomato seedlings should not contain fungal spores and painful microbes that can kill tomato bushes;
• high-quality soil should not contain industrial waste and heavy metals.

Soil components

Before cultivating the land, it is necessary to find out what components it should consist of. There is a standard set of elements that must be used during the preparation of soil for seedlings of tomatoes. Various mineral and organic elements are added to it.

Peat

This component must necessarily be part of the soil for tomato seedlings. It makes the soil looser, which allows it to better absorb and retain moisture. Peat has a rather acidic environment, so dolomite flour, chalk and deoxidizers are often added to it. It also needs to be sieved, as it may contain large fibers.

Peat has excellent absorption capacity, so it is often used in greenhouses where the humidity is highest. It constantly absorbs excess moisture and retains it in its pores.

The use of peat in the greenhouse reduces the number of disease-causing elements. This property is very important in closed ground conditions.

Soil preparation for tomatoes with peat has a number of advantages:

• cultivated land becomes lighter and begins to better pass water and air;
• such a fertilizer is the best nutritional component for depleted and poor sandy or loamy soils;
• peat is a natural antiseptic, with which you can get rid of harmful fungi and bacteria in the soil;
• with it, you can increase the level of acidity of the earth.

leafy soil

Such preparation of the soil is carried out in the fall. The leaves are used to make the ground lighter and looser before planting. They do not contain a large amount of nutrients, but they are still very often used.

Leaves that have fallen in autumn are used as the basis for such land. At the same time, they can not be collected from all trees. For example, oak leaves cannot be used to prepare the soil for seedlings of tomatoes, as they contain a large amount of tannins. It is also better to refuse maple and pine leaves.

The most suitable choice are birch or linden leaves. First, they are laid in several layers and sprinkled with fertile soil.

Sometimes freshly cut grass is laid between the layers. Leaf land is being prepared for quite a long time - several years. Throughout this time, the layers of leaves must be mixed several times. If necessary, garden soil, urea and fresh manure can be added to them.

Sand

Most often it is used to loosen the soil for sowing. The best choice for this would be pure river sand without clay impurities.

Preparing the soil for tomatoes with sand allows you to:

1. Improve drainage. Quite often, it is added to a site with loamy and clayey soil, which has low air permeability and a dense structure. The use of sand makes the structure of the earth looser.
2. Keep warm. Earth mixed with sand warms up much better during the day and cools down more slowly at night. This allows the tomato bushes to develop faster.
3. Retain moisture. The liquid is retained in the soil even on hot summer days. This allows the tomatoes to develop even without regular watering.

Before preparing the soil for seedlings, the sand is disinfected. It must be washed with water and heated using a gas stove or oven.

Perlite

Spring soil preparation for planting tomatoes with perlite is carried out so that the earth absorbs more moisture. It has a reflective property that promotes the development of young bushes. Perlite is applied to the top layer of soil under seedlings so that it reflects ultraviolet rays and prevents the soil from overheating under the sun. The main benefits of perlite include:

• this material does not contain microorganisms and is completely clean;
• its use helps to strengthen the weak root system of tomatoes;
• perlite does not cake and provides good breathability;
• It has excellent thermal insulation properties that prevent plant roots from overheating or overcooling.

Humus

Humus is applied in autumn under tomatoes. It is recommended to add only overripe humus to the soil for tomato seedlings. If you constantly use fresh, it can lead to the death of tomato seeds and their seedlings.

Quite often, slurry is used to create planting soil. For its preparation, manure is mixed with several liters of water and poured onto seedlings and soil after watering.

Invalid Components

Not all components can be added to the ground for seedlings during the preparation of the soil mixture at home. There are restrictions that you should be aware of:

1. Organic fertilizers that are in the process of breaking down can harm the growth of seedlings. They emit a lot of heat, which gradually destroys the seeds and seedlings of tomatoes.
2. It is not recommended to add earth or sand with clay to the soil for tomato seedlings. It makes the soil more dense and heavy, which greatly complicates the flow of air and moisture.
3. Do not add soil collected near busy highways to the soil mixture. It contains heavy metals, which adversely affect plant health.

Disinfection

Land preparation for seedlings begins with its disinfection, during which all larvae and bacteria are removed from the soil. This procedure is carried out to prevent the death of bushes and obtain a good harvest.

You can disinfect the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate. It is prepared from several grams of the substance mixed in a bucket of water. After that, the soil should be sprayed with the resulting mixture. In addition to potassium permanganate, you can use the steaming method.

To do this, pour 2-3 liters of hot water into the pan. Then a clean cloth is attached to the top of the container, into which the earth should be poured. A pot of water and soil is placed on a slow fire and boiled for 40 minutes. Under the influence of high temperature, all pathogens will die.

• use the services of a special laboratory and pass tests in it;
• use litmus paper to test;
• plant wild herbs on the site that do not grow in soil with high acidity.

If the acidity is too high, then I cultivate the land with lime or dolomite flour. About 20 grams of the substance is consumed per kilogram of soil mass.

Creating a planting mix

After preparing all the necessary components, you can start mixing the seed soil. It is not recommended to do this immediately before sowing seeds. Soil preparation is carried out a few days before planting, so that the earth can sit well and does not form voids after watering. There are several ways to prepare the soil for seedlings.

First way

During the creation of the planting mixture - this recipe is used most often. The same amount of humus, sand, leaf soil and copper sulfate is added to a part of the soddy land. All components are thoroughly mixed and added to a mixture consisting of 15 liters of water, 30 grams of sulfate, 40 grams of superphosphate and 15 grams of urea. The resulting solution is poured into the soil in which the seeds will be sown.

Second way

Turf land is mixed with the same amount of sand and peat. If there is no peat, then purchased prepared soil can be added instead. If necessary, a liter jar of wood ash and three tablespoons of superphosphate can be added to the mixture.

Third way

We prepare a solution from two parts of soddy land, part of bottom sand and humus. Then half a liter of wood ash is added to the resulting mixture. The prepared mixture is applied under the tomatoes in the spring.

Conclusion

Not all people know how to properly prepare the land for planting tomato seedlings. To deal with this, you need to familiarize yourself with what components the soil mixture consists of and in what ways it can be prepared.

The New Year is coming into its own. The garden is snowy and cold. However, it is in the first winter months that vegetable growers open the season. What is the reason for such early sowing? These are the features of growing vegetable products, which will take from 90 to 150 days to technical ripeness. The seedling method allows you to speed up the ripening of vegetables. The date of sowing seeds in greenhouse conditions depends on the individual characteristics of the crop and its variety. When determining the sowing time, it is necessary to calculate the required run for the plant. You shouldn't rush. This can lead to a decrease in the quality of seedlings.

Basic conditions for obtaining planting material

Getting a good harvest of vegetables depends on the quality of the seedlings. To get quality you need:

But before you prepare the seeds and start sowing, you should take care of seedlings and soil.

Soil preparation

How to prepare the land for seedlings? This question is quite important when growing plants indoors. Inexperienced vegetable growers do not pay enough attention to this issue. And as a result, the shoots that appear begin to hurt and die. Let's try to figure out what is the reason. When choosing a soil, you can do several things:

• purchase ready-made soil;
• prepare the soil composition yourself.

Ready soil can be found in specialized stores. Usually this is a universal soil mixture intended for growing vegetable seedlings. But based on the experience of many vegetable growers, it is safe to say that the second way to use the soil is more reliable. It is better to worry in advance and cook it yourself in the autumn period.

Basic requirements for soil composition for vegetable seedlings

Before you prepare the land for seedlings, you should take into account its features. The soil composition should ensure the normal development and growth of a particular vegetable crop. This land has the following requirements:

• fertility;
• the content of the necessary set of trace elements;
• neutral level of acidity;
• sufficient friability and permeability;
• lack of seeds of weeds and pests;
• exclusion of infections and toxic substances.

Components used in the preparation of earth mixture and substrate

The best soil for seedlings can be formulated using various organic and inorganic components in strictly defined proportions. As a rule, it includes from three to four components.

Sod land is the top layer of soil covered with grass cover. It is harvested in summer or autumn. A thin layer of soil cut with a shovel is placed in containers for further use. Sod land is used after special preparation. Also, before use, it is subjected to heat treatment. It is used as the basis of soil for seedlings.

Transitional or lowland) - decomposed dead plants. Enriches the soil with organic matter and improves its structure.

Sphagnum moss is a perennial plant. In the composition of the earth mixture, it is indispensable. The moisture capacity of moss improves the quality of the soil, which acquires a looser structure. The natural bactericidal properties of the plant are an excellent remedy for root rot.

Sawdust - waste after wood processing. Provides looseness and permeability of the soil.

Compost is organic matter decomposed by microorganisms. It is an excellent natural conditioner. The content of humus and trace elements provides plant nutrition.

Sand is used to increase the porosity and looseness of the soil. Promotes the penetration of moisture and air to seedlings. Coarse-grained structures are applied.

Coir - coconut flakes. Used to prepare substrates.

Vermiculite is a mineral consisting of layered plates. Possessing good moisture capacity, this component prevents the soil from drying out.

Perlite is a light porous material. To obtain it, volcanic materials are subjected to heat treatment. The addition of perlite to the earth mixture makes it loose and breathable. It also increases the moisture content of the soil mixture.

In addition to the components listed above, others are shaded that increase moisture capacity, such as:

• hydrogel;
• expanded clay;
• shredded foam.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is useful to use following components:

• fluffy lime;
• dolomite flour.

Land for seedlings should be ready for sowing. The preparation of components for it is carried out in the autumn. Store them in polyethylene containers at zero temperature.

Components that should not be used in soil preparation

In order for the planting material to be strong and healthy, before preparing the land for seedlings, you need to know about the components that are not desirable to use in earth mixtures. Quite often the question arises about the use of land from the garden. This is undesirable. The reason is that seeds can be present in it as well as destructive infections. Insects and earthworms can live in such soil. Also, fresh manure should not be included in the composition of the soil. Do not use immature compost and untreated sod land.

Soil preparation for seedlings

Before preparing the land for seedlings, determine the soil composition intended for a particular crop. Growing certain vegetables has individual characteristics. And of course it can be different. Land for tomato seedlings may have the following composition:

• two parts of sod land;
• one part of compost or peat;
• one part sand or perlite.

Placed in a bulk container. It should not contain lumps. The soil is kneaded and mixed well. Compost or peat is added to it. The soil mixture must be homogeneous. After adding sand or perlite to combine all the components, the soil is thoroughly mixed. Land for tomato seedlings is ready. It is transferred to containers for sowing seeds.

Land for seedlings of pepper can be the same as for tomatoes. You can use a different composition:

• three parts of sod land;
• one part of compost;
• one part sawdust;
• one part sand.

Land for seedlings of pepper and tomatoes is prepared in advance. A week before sowing the seeds, the soil is distributed into seedlings and moistened with pink. After that, mineral fertilizers and wood ash can be added.

Substrate preparation for vegetable seedlings

The main component of the above soil compositions is earth. However, it is possible to grow seedlings without land. For this purpose, substrates are prepared instead of ordinary soil. One of the options for the landing composition may be as follows:

• two parts of sawdust;
• one part sand.

Coconut substrate can serve as an interesting option for growing seedlings. It is obtained from the skin of coconuts. This substrate has good performance, the main of which are sterility and environmental friendliness. It is a balanced fertile mixture with good water and breathability. Alternatively, coconut tablets are used to grow seedlings - pressed coconut flakes.

In addition to coconut substrate, peat substrate can be used. Its basis is natural material - peat.

Modern methods of growing planting material

New methods of growing seedlings make it possible to do without soil and substrate. For this purpose, sawdust, paper or hydrogel are used. Growing seedlings without land allows you to get enough planting material in a limited space. For growing on paper, the seeds are pre-soaked. Then they are placed on a damp cloth placed in a plastic container. From above they are covered with polyethylene. Next, make sure that the napkin is damp. After the emergence of sprouts, the seeds are constantly moistened. In this case, the temperature should not fall below 25 degrees.

Wet sawdust can be used to grow vegetable seedlings. Seeds are sown in sawdust treated with boiling water. Seedling containers are covered with foil. After the emergence of shoots, the film is removed. Containers are installed in a well-lit place. Care is regular watering. Also spend 2 subcortex mullein.

Growing seedlings without land has its advantages. The main one is sterility. Eliminates the possibility of infection, weed seeds and pests.

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.

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.

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 the 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Seedlings develop and grow vegetative mass in a limited amount of substrate. And this volume should satisfy the needs of plants for nutrients and provide normal conditions for root growth.

Among gardeners, the concept of "universal soil composition" is common. Such universality is conditional, since each plant, even closely related ones, has specific requirements for the composition and parameters of the soil mixture.

To give the soil the desired properties, various components are added to it in a certain proportion. Components are divided into organic and mineral. The basis is, of course, the soil: turf or garden.

Sod land is a priority, since it does not contain spores of fungal diseases and toxins. Garden soil requires thorough disinfection. The soil cannot be completely replaced with compost or humus. In conditions of excess nitrogen, the seedlings will stretch and form a weak root system.

Below are the components that are used to prepare the soil for seedlings.

Organic components are a source of nutrients, and mineral ones are used to improve the structure, breathability and moisture capacity. Each substance has its own specific properties that determine its advantages and disadvantages.

On a note! The sand is washed several times before use to remove iron and manganese.

Ready soil mixtures are seasoned with complex fertilizers and, with increased acidity, neutralized with dolomite flour, chalk or lime.

Quality soil parameters

To determine how ready-made soil is suitable for growing seedlings, it is evaluated according to the following parameters:

• nutrient content;
• breathability (light and loose structure);
• moisture capacity (the ability to absorb and retain water);
• the reaction of the soil solution, pH (checked with a special device or a litmus strip, should be neutral or slightly acidic);
• phytosanitary condition (absence of pathogenic microorganisms and weed seeds, presence of beneficial microflora).

The soil mixture should not contain toxins, heavy metal ions and radionuclides, so organic components are taken in ecologically clean areas. The addition of fresh organic matter (manure, dry leaves, straw) is not allowed, since the active process of decay leads to an increase in temperature in the soil. Overheating is a strong stress for the roots.

The soil mixture cannot be taken as a disinfected stable substrate. This is a living dynamic system in which complex biochemical processes take place with the participation of beneficial microorganisms. In sterile soil, the normal development of seedlings is impossible.

The composition of the soil mixture depending on the crop

The composition of the soil is determined by the biological and physiological characteristics of the culture. It is prepared according to an individual recipe. This does not mean that the seedlings will die on the "universal" soil. But they will develop worse and will not realize their potential yield.

We have collected proven recipes for the preparation of soil mixtures, which are based on many years of experience in gardening practitioners and scientific research. This table can be printed and used as a reminder.

To prepare the mixture, the components are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous substrate. Under seedlings of vegetable crops, it is not recommended to sift the soil to a fine fraction.

Rules for preparing soil before sowing seeds

In autumn, experienced gardeners recommend stocking up on organic ingredients and sand in the right amount. When stored in a heated room, the soil dries out, but low temperatures are not harmful to it. Before the start of the seedling season, the material is brought into a warm room and after 4 days they begin to prepare it.

Ready soil mixture is disinfected in 4 ways.

freezing

Long-term, from 30 days, exposure to temperatures below minus 20 degrees is effective against fungal diseases and wintering stages of pests. The soil is protected from precipitation and does not allow snow cover. This method is used in the northern regions.

Steaming

Steam treatment can be done in 2 ways:

• place the mixture in a bag on a wire rack over a container of boiling water and process for an hour;
• pour the soil into the basin in the holes and spill it with boiling water.

After processing, the soil is dried, scattering a thin layer on newsprint.

Calcination

Wet soil is scattered on a baking sheet with a layer of 5 cm and placed in the oven for half an hour. Processing temperature - 60 degrees. The method is considered aggressive, although grandmothers still recognize only it.

Etching

Potassium permanganate (3 g per 10 liters of water) or a solution of biofungicides is used as a disinfectant. A gentle method is watering with biological products (Fitosporin, Baikal EM-1, Trichodermin, etc.). They contain beneficial microflora that inhibits the development of pathogens. They can also be used after calcination and steaming to restore beneficial microflora.

How to choose ready-made soil in the store?

With all the advantages of the prepared soil mixture, many gardeners prefer to buy ready-made soil for seedlings. It's easier. And one cannot but agree with this. But in order to get decent seedlings, you need to be able to distinguish a multicomponent mixture filled with a complex of fertilizers from acidic peat.

Before making a purchase, study the composition of the mixture and the level of acidity. The composition must contain 2 or more organic components and one mineral (sand, vermiculite or perlite), as well as trace elements and complex fertilizers. Conscientious manufacturers add dolomite flour, ground limestone or chalk to normalize acidity.

You can go the hard way: buy a universal soil for seedlings and independently improve it depending on the requirements of the culture.

To improve the structure, add vermiculite or river sand, to increase the moisture capacity, add a little hydrogel, neutralize with wood ash or chalk, and increase the nutritional value with complex fertilizers.