Summer residents were told how to make the soil soft and light

A common complaint of gardeners: the earth is like a stone, it is impossible to dig / Carrots do not grow and cannot be torn out of the garden, water after rain stands in puddles instead of soaking and watering the roots of precious crops … What is the reason for this “behavior” of the soil and how to fix it situation?

Even when buying a plot, some summer residents get land that is of little use for gardening – heavy dense clay or lifeless sand. Others, out of ignorance, themselves bring the soil to a deplorable state, being carried away by deep digging, not caring about crop rotation and restoring fertility. The initial data may be different, but the result is usually the same: it is impossible to drive a shovel into the ground, the yields are equal to the planting material spent, and the summer resident, instead of enjoying healthy loads and tasty vegetables from the garden, gets the need for constant loosening and sciatica.

So, if you have determined the type of soil in your summer cottage and realized that you are dealing with heavy loam or clay, before planting any garden plants or planting a garden, you must definitely improve the structure and composition of the soil. And here are the steps you can take to get there. 1. Sanding

The first thing that is recommended when working with clay or loam on the site is sanding, i.e. add sand for digging. You need to use coarse-grained river sand with a particle size of 1-4 mm, the quarry option is not suitable, because it contains a large amount of clay and will turn your soil into concrete rather than loosen it.

The amount of sand in each case will be different – based on the initial characteristics of the density of the soil. But if you are working on improving heavy loam, focus on the rate of 15 liters, or about 25 kg per 1 sq.m. Sand is scattered over the surface of the soil, and then dug up, deepening the shovel by about 20 cm.

Other additives can also act as baking powder for heavy soil: perlite, vermiculite, fine gravel or dolomite flour. The latter, by the way, also heals the soil, improves the absorption of phosphorus by plants, helps to reduce acidity, which should be done for loams. The application rate of dolomite is 400 g per 1 sq.m.

Perlite and vermiculite are good because they not only make the soil loose, but also evenly saturate it with moisture, absorbing the excess, and then gradually giving it to the plants. But these materials have a significant disadvantage – they are significantly more expensive than sand. 2. Organic application

Organic additives, when introduced into the soil, not only change its mechanical composition, but also saturate it with moisture and provide additional nutrition to plants. Manure, compost, peat, fermented sawdust can be used as organic baking powder.

Well-rotted sheep or horse manure is best for enriching and improving the structure of heavy clay soils, as it decomposes faster. But the waste products of other animals will bring no less benefit.

When adding manure, one should remember an important rule: fresh organic fertilizer can be applied for digging only in the fall – after harvesting is completed, about six months before planting new plants. Compliance with this recommendation will help protect the roots of garden crops from burns. The rotted manure is allowed to be applied in the spring, when preparing the beds for sowing. Consumption per 1 square meter of area – about 5-6 kg of fresh or 2.5-3 kg of rotted manure, writes Ogorod.ru

Ripened compost, which is often recommended to be mixed with peat, will also be an excellent soil baking powder. You can make such a mixture immediately before planting garden crops. Approximately 2 buckets of the mixture are distributed per 1 sq.m of area, then the earth is dug up to a depth of 15-20 cm. 3. Mulching

Mulching helps to improve the structure of the soil, as well as retain moisture in it and prevent the appearance of weeds. It also protects the soil from erosion – washing out by precipitation and melt water, blowing by the wind. You can create a protective layer on the surface of the earth from various organic materials – dried mowed grass, straw, tree bark or shavings are suitable.

The optimal height of the mulch layer for most garden crops is 5-7 cm.

Mowed grass and straw can be used from early spring to late autumn, renewing the layer as it becomes thinner. Gradually, organic matter rots and turns from mulch into an excellent top dressing for plants, at the same time increasing the thickness of the fertile layer and making the soil looser and softer.

In autumn, after harvesting, the beds can be mulched with compost, fallen leaves (necessarily from healthy plants), sawdust or peat – all these types of mulch will protect the earth from freezing, and at the same time loosen it and enrich it with nutrients for future plantings.

·

Everything you need to know about mulch, its types and effects

Beware: Not all types of mulch are created equal!

4. Sowing green manure

Plants with long, strong roots that can quickly grow green mass and fertilize the ground are called green manure. These include rapeseed, white mustard, clover, lupine, rye, oats, phacelia, oil radish, and peas.

Sowing such crops is one of the most effective ways to improve the quality and improve the composition of the soil. Their strong roots break even dense clods of earth, creating many tubules that remain in the soil after the root system of plants rots. This is how structuring happens.

The choice of a particular plant as a green manure depends on what kind of crop you plan to grow on a particular bed. So, before sowing carrots and beets, it is recommended to plant rapeseed in the garden, and for potatoes, mustard will be a good predecessor. Lupine will help prepare a place for planting cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.

Green manure can be sown in early spring, at least 3 weeks before the main planting work, or in autumn, after harvesting. After building up the green mass, young plants are mowed and embedded in the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm.

5. Attract earthworms

Earthworms are natural soil cultivators. They process organic residues contained in the soil and secrete coprolites, which give the earth the correct loose structure. The result of the work of the worms is the formation of biohumus – a natural fertilizer containing a complete set of nutrients, as well as special plant hormones, enzymes, antibiotics.

In terms of value and nutritional value, biohumus is often compared with manure, but when compared, the waste product of worms wins because it does not contain pathogenic microflora, helminth eggs, weed seeds, and also does not have a strong odor.

The main way to attract earthworms is the introduction of organic matter. Among the “favorite dishes” of little helpers are: mature compost, rotted leaves, humus, and also any plant waste. The soil should be regularly moistened, you can also build shelters from grass and boards, because. dry environment and direct sunlight adversely affect the worms.

It is worth abandoning the use of pesticides, and instead use safe folk remedies to treat plantings. Mulching the soil also helps create and maintain a comfortable habitat for the worms.

·