The fertile soil layer is humus, located at a depth of up to 20 cm. It contains the decomposed remains of plants, microorganisms, insects, and animals. These decay and provide nutrition to plants.
Over time, nutrients become depleted, reducing crop yields. To determine the soil condition on a site, soil samples are taken and laboratory analyses are performed. Each crop has its own specific nutrient requirements. A nutrient layer can be formed naturally or artificially.
Reduction of the fertile soil layer
Growing plants in the same bed for several years will significantly reduce the amount of nutrients available. Plants constantly draw nutrients, and over time, the soil becomes depleted. If you don't add fertilizer and minerals to the soil, it will become depleted.
Fertility enhancement methods:
- application of mineral and organic fertilizers;
- mulching;
- rest for the earth;
- correct crop rotation;
- heat treatment;
- use of worms;
- sowing mixed plants;
- cultivation of green manure and medicinal herbs.
Adding organic fertilizer improves the condition of the topsoil. To solve this problem, replenish the soil: 4-5 buckets of manure per square meter, or 3 buckets of compost, digging in the fall. On light soil, add cow manure every two years, and on heavy and medium soil, every three years. Chicken manure contains many valuable nutrients. It is used for compost at a ratio of 1 part manure to 10 parts water.
You may be interested in:Green manure plants are grown to obtain nutrients. Their powerful root system holds the surface soil together, helps enrich it with nitrogen, and suppresses weed growth. They are planted after the harvest. Green manure is sown depending on the crops being planted. For example, rapeseed is sown before carrots and beets, while lupines are planted before tomatoes and cucumbers. These crops can be planted throughout the season.
Legumes are excellent green manure crops for depleted soil. Perennials, with their powerful rhizomes, draw nutrients from deeper soil layers to the surface. They loosen the soil, enrich it with humus and phosphorus, and reduce acidity. Legumes should not be mown before flowering, as this is when nodule bacteria form on the roots and replenish nitrogen in the soil. Cereal green manure crops (rye, oats, and wheat) replenish the depleted humus.
The soil crumbles like dust
When vegetables that require a lot of nutrients are planted in the same area without fertilizing, the soil not only becomes depleted over time but also turns to dust. For example, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, and cucumbers use up a lot of nutrients. This problem occurs when the surface is not mulched and the soil is frequently dug. As a result, moisture is poorly absorbed, and dust is carried by the wind.
This condition also depends on the soil type. If the area is heavily sandy, it dries out quickly and doesn't retain moisture. It's recommended to dig sandy soil once a year.
To add weight to the top layer, add 3 buckets of compost per square meter of soil. Work the fertilizer to a depth of at least 10-15 cm. This will also provide nutrition for the vegetables.
To prevent dust from flying around the garden, the area is mulched with grass, straw, sawdust, and tree bark. This covering protects against weathering and weeds, and as it decomposes, it nourishes the soil.
Solid ground
A dense soil crust that is impossible to dig through even when wet may be due to poor maintenance or clay soil. On loamy soils they bring it in under digging at least 1 bucket of sand per square meter of area.
Plowing the garden before frost (10 cm deep) will help resolve the situation. Just don't break up or turn the soil clods. After they freeze, they will loosen up by spring.
You can introduce earthworms or Californian worms into the garden. They will loosen the soil. However, if the worms don't like the new location, they won't stay. To ensure long-term worm habitation, you need decomposing humus. A mulch of well-rotted compost is also helpful.
A dandelion infusion will help attract worms. To feed the plants, you'll need 1 kg of dandelion stems or roots, pour 10 liters of water over them. Let it steep for 13-14 days, strain, and dilute 1:10.
The soil is acidic
Incorrect watering changes the soil's acidity. Soft water increases the acidity, while hard water decreases it. Plants grown and mineral fertilizers also increase the acidity.
Liming the soil is the only solution. Adding a specific amount of alkaline fertilizer per square meter depends on the soil's acidity; the more acidic the soil, the more alkaline it needs:
- Wood ash – 0.2-0.4 kg;
- Slaked lime - 0.2-0.3 kg;
- Dolomite flour – 0.3-0.5 kg;
- Chalk – 0.1-0.7 kg.
Dolomite flour and ash, in addition to their alkalizing properties, contain many beneficial microelements (calcium and magnesium) that nourish plants. The effectiveness of these substances is increased when supplemented with boron and copper fertilizers. At full dosage, the effect of liming lasts up to 8 years.
Some crops do not tolerate liming well, so they should be planted a year after the procedure. Crops: tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, cucumbers, peas, carrots, celery, parsley. For soil deoxidation Green manure is planted after harvesting: rye, oats, white mustard, phacelia.
Alkaline soil
Excess alkalinity in soil is uncommon. It's usually the result of improper agricultural practices, such as overdoing it when alkalizing the soil.
If the pH is above 7.5, iron is not absorbed by plants. The leaves turn yellow, and development stops.
Mulch is made from peat, pine needles, and pine bark. Mulch is applied after weeding, loosening the soil, and applying fertilizer in the spring or fall.
Saline soil
When white spots appear on the soil, this indicates soil salinity. This is caused by excessive mineral additives, which have contaminated the soil. At 0.15% toxic salt levels, yield losses can reach up to 20%; at 0.25% soil salinity, yield losses can reach 50-60%.
Water dissolves salt, and abundant watering (15 liters per square meter) helps. A drainage system is essential. However, there's a problem: not all plants tolerate excess water, and high humidity also promotes fungus.
Growing crops whose rhizomes loosen dense soil layers helps create natural drainage. Examples include millet, sweet clover, Sudan grass, and sorghum.
After the salt has dissolved, the surface is covered with peat. Fertilizer application should be monitored, avoiding overfeeding.
Soil contamination by fungi and insects
Pests and diseases begin to infest gardens in the spring and continue in full swing throughout the summer. Larvae and eggs remain in the soil throughout the winter, so the only control method is insecticide treatments. Larvicides kill caterpillars and larvae. Ovicides act on mite and insect eggs.
Digging up the area in the fall without breaking up the clods will help birds find food. Pests, and especially their larvae, will be prevented from returning to the soil to overwinter.
All weeds, leaves, and fallen branches should be removed from the area. Harmful insects may be hiding under them. Weeds and leaves are often infected with fungi.
To combat diseases, use Alirin B, a soil microflora that suppresses infections. It is also compatible with fungicides, insecticides, and growth regulators. It's best to use chemical-free solutions. Baikal EM-1 and EM-5, added 20 days before frost, improve soil health and suppress plant pathogens thanks to their microorganisms.
Biofungicides – Trichodermin, Baktofit, Planzir, Fitosporin, Fitocide M are applied to the upper layers of the soil after digging in the fall and spring.
If chemicals are unavoidable, then purchase hazard class 3-4 products. After harvesting, spray with 3% Bordeaux mixture. On a dry day in April, apply a 5-10 cm layer of soil with 2% Oxychom or a 4% copper oxychloride solution. When planting seedlings, add Bravo, Hom, or Quadris to the holes.
To protect against diseases, green manure crops such as mustard, radish, calendula, and marigold are planted. Their healing properties protect neighboring plants from many diseases. To reduce soil moisture, plants that require large amounts of water, such as lupine and rye, are needed. Combined green manure crops, such as legume-cereal crops, are often used.
Soil with a reddish tint
When watering a garden with hard water containing a high percentage of iron, the soil surface eventually becomes coated with a rusty film. Rusty veins appear on plants. Another cause of rust can be fungus.
In areas where there are no plants, the soil is watered with boiling water. In the fall, the biological product Fitosporin-M is used. It kills fungal infections. Water the plants only with settled, melted, or rainwater. There will be no benefit if the product is dissolved in chlorinated water.
You may be interested in:The ground is overgrown with moss
Moss growing in the garden can be a result of excessive moisture, hard, or acidic soil. It most often appears in shaded areas.
Drainage channels are created to drain excess water from the area. Moss grows in empty spaces without plants. To fill the empty space, shade plants that thrive without direct sunlight are planted in the shade, such as ferns, hydrangeas, and forget-me-nots.
The moss itself is pulled out by hand. If it's difficult to control, apply iron sulfate: 50 ml per 10 liters of water. This amount is used for 150 square meters of land.
Moss can be used in landscape design, in areas free of vegetable crops, and along garden paths and in rock gardens.
Constant digging damaged the soil structure.
Digging is prohibited in areas subject to wind and water erosion, on sandy soils, and in marshy areas. Do not dig a garden where the soil is too dry or too wet. If the soil is disturbed, it will not be able to support a large number of crops. Beneficial flora will die, leading to disease and a weakened immune system.
If you dig in hot weather, most beneficial microorganisms will die, and the soil clods will dry out. Even further rainfall may not be enough to restore and saturate the fertile soil layer. Turning over the soil layers destroys the bacteria that enrich the soil with nutrients.
Plowing is harmful to old-cultivated soil or light soil. The soil contains little humus and is easily blown away and dispersed by the wind. In this case, the fertile soil layer must be retained using the rhizomes of green manure crops.
Digging around fruit trees not only destroys the fertile soil layer but also cuts the roots that nourish the entire tree. Many fruit trees have roots close to the surface. Damaging the rhizome will cause disease, so hoes and spades should not be used in the garden, especially near the tree trunks.
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