Soil for seedlings is a mixture of organic components and inorganic impurities. This is the basis necessary for the development of the root system, normal height and fruiting of the plant. The yield will depend on the correct 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 may encounter a problem: which mixture to choose? In order to choose high-quality soil for seedlings, you need to understand the components or consult with a professional in a specialized store.
You can save money and not be disappointed in the results by preparing your own soil for seedlings. 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 average level acidity;
- contain microflora.
The prepared soil should not contain:
- clay;
- weed seeds;
- actively decomposing components;
- pathogens, larvae, worms;
- toxic substances.
Organic components and inorganic impurities
To improve the quality of soil for seedlings, both inorganic impurities and organic components are used. It is important to know which ones can be used and which ones cannot.
Organic Ingredients
Suitable organic components:
- wood ash;
- eggshells (raw, crushed);
- high peat;
- transitional peat;
- sphagnum moss;
- lowland peat (after freezing, weathering);
- pine sawdust and deciduous trees;
- heat-treated turf soil.
Unsuitable organic components:
- humus;
- small shavings of any type of wood;
- lowland peat without treatment;
- leaf soil;
- hay, straw dust;
- turf land without cultivation;
- composts of all types;
- sawdust of painted wood.
Inorganic impurities for soil
Suitable for use:
- washed bottom, quartz and river sand (an excellent leavening agent);
- perlite (increases soil looseness and breathability);
- (maintains moisture level);
- vermiculite (has the properties of perlite, contains small amounts of potassium, magnesium, calcium);
- crushed foam;
- pumice;
- expanded clay
Not suitable for use:
- unwashed river sand;
- quarry sand with clay.
How to prepare soil for seedlings with your own hands?
To prepare the best soil for seedlings, soil, inorganic and organic components harvested in the fall are used. You can take soil of moderate fertility for future seedlings from your own plot. It should not be very dry and very wet. After removing a layer of 5 cm, cut off the soil 15 cm thick and place it in boxes. The soil, cleared of weeds, large larvae and worms, is well sifted. All lumps of earth that come across are thoroughly “rubbed” in your hands. Then the prepared soil is disinfected.
Disinfection methods
There are many methods of disinfection. They all have both pros and cons. Most commonly used methods:
- freezing;
- steaming;
- calcination.
You can destroy weeds and some pests without turning the soil into a lifeless substrate by using the freezing method. It consists of constant alternation: freezing - thawing. Boxes with soil are taken out into the cold, protected from precipitation. Having frozen thoroughly, they are brought into a warm room. Spread in a layer of no more than 8 cm, moisten with water. The boxes with soil are kept warm for a week, then taken out into the cold again.
The freezing method partially disinfects and improves the health of the soil, but does not kill the entire infection (root clubroot spores, late blight).
Steaming is best done a month before using soil for seedlings. The soil must be steamed in a water bath with closed lid containers 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 to restore the microflora are added to the soil.
You can disinfect already prepared soil using a medium-intensity manganese solution.
Components that do not require pre-treatment
For a good substrate structure, the following are suitable: river sand, sawdust from coniferous and deciduous trees. Sawdust from coniferous trees does not require pre-treatment. The only thing is that you cannot 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 following composition is suitable: 25% earth, 30% peat, 25% sand.
For cabbage, the percentage of sand can be increased to 40%.
For tomatoes, the share of land can be increased to 70%.
The recipe is suitable for almost any seedling: 1 part drainage, 2 parts organic matter, 2 parts soil, using ash or lime to reduce the acidity.
If it is necessary to increase the acidity of the soil, dolomite flour can be used as a deoxidizer.
During seedling growth, it is good to use water with diluted mineral fertilizers. But you should not oversaturate the soil for seedlings with them. Everything should be in moderation.
Buying or preparing your own soil for seedlings, of course, is up to you. But once you select the required soil composition, you will not have to constantly spend money on substrates from little-known manufacturers.
Video: self-preparation of soil for seedlings
One of the most important stages in the annual work of a gardener is preparing the soil for planting seedlings. How to properly prepare the soil, which components to mix and in what proportions - we’ll talk about this in our article today on the website for.
To obtain strong and healthy seedlings, you need a properly prepared soil mixture. What does it mean? The substrate must be light, homogeneous, air and moisture permeable, nutritious and non-acidic. Many gardeners have learned to create the right soil. We will share several proven recipes with you today.
Preparing soil for seedlings - farming methods
1. Direct nutrition. Growing plants with mineral fertilizers gives quick results, but the taste of such vegetables and their usefulness become lower. Mineral ions are instantly absorbed by the root threads, but do not protect plants from diseases. In the future, it is necessary to repeatedly apply pesticides.
2. Intermediary nutrition. Through bacteria and fungi, which process elements into materials that are convenient for absorption by plants. This natural farming does not require pesticides. Plants do not get sick, since fungi and bacteria secrete substances that prevent diseases.
3. Related food. Used as direct power elements ( mineral fertilizers), and intermediary nutrition (through living organisms).
Mineral fertilizers do not protect seedlings from diseases Preparing soil for seedlings - method 1
If you want to get a truly healthy and tasty vegetable harvest, use this recipe for preparing soil for growing seedlings. It is created on the principle natural farming, without the use of quickly absorbed nutritional supplements.
Take fine-grained soil from the garden, which contains fungi and bacteria necessary for processing nutrients. Preparing seeds for sowing involves sifting them.
Garden soil contains beneficial bacteria and fungi To increase the proportion of nutrients, add a fifth of vermicompost to the soil. This is a waste product of worms, valuable for its composition. As it passes through the worm's digestive tract, the soil is treated with bacteria, which subsequently protect the plants from disease.
Add ash from deciduous trees or herbs to the composition. You can burn old hay or grass clippings. Half a glass of ash per bucket of soil. It contains all the nutrients that were in plants. There is a particularly large variety of valuable substances in forbs.
For growing seedlings, it is useful to add ash when preparing the soil. Preparing soil for seedlings - method 2
The second recipe proposed by gardeners is based on the principle of mixed farming. In other words, it combines direct and intermediary nutrition. In this case, many components are involved in creating soil for seedlings. The same mixture can be prepared for all crops.
High-quality nutrition for young plants will be provided by:
Sopravel - 0.5 l;
vermicompost - 0.5 l;
bionex - a handful;
farmed chicken manure - a handful;
fermented bran - a handful;
liquid bio-cocktail made from mineral fertilizers (Ecoperine, NV, Vostok, etc.).
The soil for seedlings should be loose and nutritious First of all, mix all the dry ingredients, thoroughly rubbing the soil in your hands. Next, we moisturize while maintaining the lumpy structure. To do this, you do not need to pour, but spray the composition onto the soil, mixing in your hands. To prepare the solution, you cannot use chlorinated water - it is better to use rain, melt or settled water.
The ideal humidity that must be achieved when preparing the soil for planting seedlings is determined as follows: when compressed, a lump should form that easily disintegrates when moved.
The moistened nutrient soil mixture should be placed in a dark bag and tied tightly. The minimum time to prepare the soil is 2 weeks, the maximum is 2-3 months.
It takes at least 2 weeks to prepare the soil for planting seedlings. Preparing soil for seedlings - method 3
Let's look at another recipe for preparing soil for seedlings from experienced summer residents. In this case, take peat or old humus (at least 2 years old), dried turf soil in the state of small lumps and coconut shavings. Everything is in the same quantity.
To disinfect the soil, you can use the method of pickling in the oven or watering with a solution of potassium permanganate. But in this case, the result will be dead land. It is better to use biological products: “Fitosporin”, “Baikal”, “Azofit”.
Coconut flakes are an affordable soil loosening agent for seedlings. Vermiculite or perlite are suitable as leavening agents. Simpler and affordable option -coconut flakes. You should take 7-8 liters per bucket. The result is a loose mass. In a month, microorganisms will do their job, there will be no pathogens in the soil, it will become like fluff. When preparing, you should also add ash to the soil - 1 cup per bucket - and 1 tsp. AVA fertilizers.
Preparing the soil for growing seedlings - method 4
The last method we'll look at doesn't involve using mineral supplements. You can use the cheapest commercially available soil as a basis. It consists of peat different layers: high (not completely decomposed) and low (completely decomposed). It should not contain any more additives.
To improve the composition, add sand to the soil for seedlings (in a volume identical to the volume of peat or slightly less). It is air- and water-permeable, making the soil less dense and crumbly. The sand heats up quickly, which is good for the roots of the seedlings. In addition, it is heavy and serves as a counterweight for tall seedlings, preventing the pot from falling. Sandy soil almost all seedlings love it.
When preparing the soil, add sand Sand can be taken from a construction site; it should be gray or white. The best one is the river one. The main thing is not to take red sand, which contains iron oxide. It shouldn't be too small.
Peat soil is usually deoxidized at the production stage, but this is often not enough. Therefore, gardeners advise additional deoxidation - 1 tsp. chalk per liter of soil. To add nutritional value to the soil, add vermicompost - 1 liter per 10 liters. Good vermicompost is dried, sifted, without large fractions. You need to mix the composition very well, kneading it with your hands. After two weeks, you can start growing seedlings.
How to prepare soil for seedlings at home? Many gardeners ask this question when it comes time to plant seeds and grow vegetable seedlings for their summer garden.
After all, 50% of success depends on quality characteristics soil in which seeds will grow and young plants will develop. Therefore, the earthen mixture for home seedlings tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant and peppers should be prepared in accordance with the parameters specific to each crop.
The composition of the soil for different vegetables may differ slightly from each other. But, as a rule, all the basic requirements for soil mixtures remain the same regardless of the crops that are planned for planting.
- Fertility. The soil mixture should contain all minerals and nutrients important for the development and growth of seedlings. This is usually achieved by adding a certain amount of humus to the soil, as the main supplier of nutrition to young plants.
- Balance. The content of all soil components in the soil mixture prepared for planting seeds should be as balanced as possible. The earthen mixture is prepared in strict accordance with the proportions characteristic of each vegetable crop.
- Structure. The soil for seeds and seedlings must have breathability and a distinct structure. The tender roots of plants want not only to eat properly, but also to breathe freely. In order for the earth mixture to meet these requirements, any available disintegrants (vermiculite, perlite, coarse river sand) that improve the structure of the earth mixture must be added to the composition.
- Moisture capacity. Even the slightest dryness of the soil can destroy the tender roots of young seedlings. Therefore, soil for plants is diluted with moisture-intensive components such as regular or coconut peat, which can perfectly absorb and retain moisture in the soil.
- Acidity. The correct pH level of the finished soil mixture should be neutral and not exceed the range of 6.0-7.0. In acidified soil, plants will not develop well until growth stops completely; in saline soil, they will not be able to absorb most nutrients and microelements.
- Cleanliness and health. Ideally, the soil mixture for seeds and seedlings should not contain pathogens, insect larvae, viruses, harmful bacteria and microorganisms. It is also undesirable to contain excess salts, particles of heavy metals, dangerous acids, etc. in the soil. An environmentally friendly and healthy soil mixture contains only microflora useful for the life of plants.
What components should a soil mixture for seedlings include?
Despite the fact that the industry has long been offering us ready-made soil soils labeled “universal”, it is still preferable to prepare the soil yourself for home vegetable seedlings. Moreover, this is not at all difficult to do if you know exactly what components should be included in the soil mixture for vegetables.
Let's look at what each component is:
Humus (compost)
Humus is one of the types of fertile soil consisting of plant residues, annual flowers, fallen leaves, green manure plants, etc., which have completely rotted together with manure.
Possessing a high content of nutrients, humus (compost) is essentially used as an excellent organic fertilizer, which has a beneficial effect on the life of plants.
Peat (coconut fiber)
Peat forms the basis of most soil mixtures used for vegetable seedlings. It significantly improves the composition and structure of the soil, has high moisture capacity and breathability. Depending on the composition of peat-forming plants and places of formation, peat is divided into highland and lowland.
High peat is light brown in color and is formed by the remains of coniferous vegetation and mosses (sphagnum moss and cuckoo flax). Such peat has a rather acidic reaction, high bactericidal characteristics and a low degree of decomposition.
Lowland peat is dark brown in color and is formed by the remains of plants such as willow, alder, sedge, reed, and hypnotic mosses. This peat has a less acidic reaction and is enriched with macro- and microelements.
Coconut fiber is increasingly being used as an excellent substitute for conventional peat.
Coconut fiber is light brown in color, formed during the industrial processing of coconut shells, has a natural plant origin, a neutral reaction (normalizes soil pH), high moisture capacity and breathability, and is enriched with macro- and microelements.
Leavening agents
Agroperlite Disintegrants are used to increase the moisture capacity and breathability of the soil mixture. Most often, when preparing an earthen mixture for seedlings, disintegrants such as agroperlite, vermiculite and coarse river sand are used.
Agroperlite is expanded volcanic glass of a fine fraction. Externally, agroperlite is porous, very light and fragile balls white 2-5 mm in diameter. It is highly hydrophilic (the ability to absorb moisture and release it to plants), thermal insulation properties, chemical inertness, biological stability and neutral reaction.
Vermiculite is a specially processed mica (mineral of leaf structure). Externally, vermiculite is uneven pieces of layered material from light golden to dark brown, 3-7 mm in diameter. It is hydrophilic and capable of exchange reactions, due to which microelements such as sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, lithium, and aluminum enter the soil.
Coarse river sand is a rock formed by the natural breakdown of hard minerals. Externally, it looks like sand grains rounded and smoothed by water. various colors 2-3 mm in diameter. It has chemical inertness, high flowability, biological stability and neutral reaction.
Leaf ground
It is not recommended to include leaf soil from oak, poplar, willow, and walnut as a component of the soil mixture, since the leaf litter of these trees contains a high content of tannins and resins.
What should not be included in the soil mixture?
We have already considered the basic requirements for the characteristics of the earth mixture and components.
Firstly, clay (loam) should never be included in the soil mixture for vegetable seedlings. With clay, the earthen mixture will become extremely dense and heavy, and will no longer allow air to pass through to the roots, which will greatly slow down and even stop the growth and development of young plants.
Secondly, actively decomposing components should never be added to the soil mixture for vegetable seedlings. This is fresh manure, unrotted leaf litter, sleeping tea leaves and similar components.
When decomposing in the earthen mixture, fresh manure and other plant organic matter will release great amount heat, which can burn the tender roots of young plants.
Seedlings planted in a soil mixture with clay and unrotted organic matter will become sick, stop developing, and eventually die anyway.
Why do you need to disinfect the soil mixture?
When preparing soil for seedlings, regardless of whether you bought a bag of soil in a store or prepared the mixture yourself, it is necessary to disinfect all components of the soil.
It is not at all necessary to disinfect each component separately; you can prepare a soil mixture and process it entirely.
Why is such processing needed? It is carried out in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms, pathogens, fungal spores, eggs and larvae of insect pests that are in the soil and can infect/destroy future vegetable seedlings.
Methods for disinfecting soil mixtures:
Freezing of soil at low temperatures
Freezing is carried out in several stages outdoors during winter frosts or in the freezer of a regular refrigerator. The finished soil mixture should be taken out into the cold at a temperature of -10C...-15C for several days, and then brought into a warm room to thaw.
This is done in order to force all harmful organisms in the soil to “wake up”. After complete defrosting, the soil mixture is again placed in conditions of negative temperatures. Then the procedure is repeated 2-3 more times.
Spilling soil with disinfectant solution
The finished soil mixture is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate, prepared in a proportion of 3 grams per 10 liters of water. After this, an additional antifungal treatment is carried out with any fungicidal drug.
Incomplete soil sterilization
Incomplete sterilization of the soil mixture can be carried out in three ways:
- Calcination in an oven. The prepared and moistened earthen mixture is poured onto a baking sheet in a layer of about 5 cm and placed in an oven preheated to +90C for 30 minutes.
- Heat treatment in microwave oven. A small volume of the prepared earthen mixture is placed in a microwave container, slightly moistened, covered with a lid and processed at medium power for 10 minutes.
- Steaming over boiling water. The prepared earthen mixture is poured into a linen bag, the bag is placed in a large metal sieve, and the sieve is placed on a vat of boiling water. Steam treatment in a water bath is carried out for 1 hour.
Complete soil sterilization
Complete sterilization of the earth mixture can only be carried out using an autoclave, where processing is carried out at a temperature of about +120C and under high pressure. Such treatment in just 2 hours can completely destroy all pathogens - eggs of nematodes and insect pests, fungal spores, pathogenic viruses and bacteria.
It should be noted that freezing, spilling soil and incomplete sterilization of the soil mixture do not always give a positive result. These disinfection methods affect only active forms of microorganisms, but do not destroy pathogens that are in a state of suspended animation.
Complete sterilization of the soil in an autoclave cleans the soil mixture from all possible pathogens. But at the same time, all the beneficial microflora in the soil also dies.
To populate the sterilized earthen mixture with new beneficial bacteria and microorganisms, you need to spill it with a solution of Fitosporin-M and add a little dry rotted manure.
How to prepare soil mixture for seedlings?
Soil for vegetable seedlings must include components of organic and inorganic origin, mixed in certain proportions.
Mixing components
Preparation of the soil mixture begins with the process of mixing all components. To do this, you will need a large enough container for mixing different parts of the soil, a small garden shovel, and gloves to protect your hands.
All components should be mixed according to the needs of each crop, finally adding some mineral/organic fertilizers to the mixture.
Universal soil mixture
To facilitate the process of preparing for planting seeds, you can create a universal soil mixture suitable for many vegetable crops. The universal soil mixture consists of turf soil, humus, peat and coarse river sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1.
Before planting seeds, the required amount of fertilizer for each vegetable crop is added to the universal soil mixture.
Preparation of soil mixture for different vegetable crops
- Cabbage. Ingredients: humus, leaf soil and coarse river sand in a ratio of 1:2:1, charcoal/ash (3 tbsp per bucket of mixture).
- Eggplant. Ingredients: humus, turf soil and peat/coconut in a 1:1:1 ratio, charcoal/ash (1 tbsp per bucket of mixture), superphosphate (20 g per bucket of mixture).
- Cucumber. Ingredients: leaf soil (1 bucket), humus (1 bucket), charcoal/ash (1 tbsp), potassium sulfate (10 g), superphosphate (20 g).
- Pepper. Ingredients: humus, turf soil and coarse river sand in a 1:1:1 ratio, charcoal/ash (1 tbsp per bucket of mixture), superphosphate (3 tbsp).
- Tomato. Ingredients: humus, turf soil, peat/coconut, rotted sawdust in a ratio of 1:1:1:1, charcoal/ash (1.5 tbsp per bucket of mixture), superphosphate (3 tbsp), urea (1 tsp) , potassium sulfate (1 tbsp).
When preparing the soil, you should not get too carried away with applying fertilizers, especially if the soil contains a nutrient component. It is better to apply fertilizers a little later, when the seeds germinate and young seedlings need additional nutrition for subsequent growth and development.
How to improve store soil?
Unfortunately, not always and not everyone has the opportunity to independently prepare an earthen mixture for vegetable seedlings at home. But there is a way out!
You just need to improve the store-bought soil to a condition acceptable for sowing seeds and growing seedlings.
To do this you will need:
- Read the composition of store-bought primer on the packaging. As a rule, almost all industrial soils are made on the basis of peat with varying amounts additives Even if the ideal composition of the soil is written on the package, it will still have to be modified for a specific vegetable crop.
- Find the soil acidity indicator on the packaging. If the acidity of the soil is shifted towards neutral, then it is necessary to slightly reduce its acidity. To do this, add 1-2 tbsp to 1 bucket of soil. spoons of dolomite flour or chalk.
- Carefully inspect and rub the store-bought soil in your palms, then slightly moisten a handful of soil with water and squeeze it in your fist. If the soil is not loose and permeable enough, it must be diluted with other components - perlite (vermiculite, coarse river sand), coconut fiber, hydrogel beads.
As final stage adapting store-bought soil to the required parameters, you can add a little fine charcoal, ground eggshells, ready-made vermicompost or dry fertilizer for indoor flowers.
As you can see, if you wish, you can not only prepare the soil mixture yourself, but also adapt store-bought soil for vegetable seedlings. Now you are completely ready to plant seeds to grow seedlings!
A good harvest always has several components. All of them are important: the quality of the seeds, their proper preparation for sowing, the choice of variety, conditions and care. But there is one parameter whose influence is most important. This high-quality composition soil in which seedlings are grown. The harvest of all seedling crops (and in our climate most vegetables are grown through seedlings) depends to a large extent on properly composed seedling soil.
There is no one universal soil that meets the needs of all plants. Each garden culture requires individual approach. Each plant has its own requirements for the soil mixture. But there is general rules, which allow you to create a base soil and then optimize it for one or another crop with minimal labor costs.
Initial requirements for seedling soil
Depending on the type of plants that are grown as seedlings, the soil mixture can be made up of different components mixed in certain proportions. But in all cases it is necessary to comply with the initial requirements for seedling substrates.
- Fertility. The soil must contain in sufficient quantities all the substances necessary for the sprouts to develop quickly and successfully.
- Nutritional value. This means that the content of all components is balanced, organic elements are present in the soil and the mineral component is present, and in the form and compounds available to plants.
Soil components
The soil intended for sowing seeds must contain components of organic and inorganic origin.
Organic ingredients:
- soil – turf, leaf, garden;
- vegetable compost;
- rotted cattle manure;
- peat – lowland and highland;
- sphagnum, coconut fiber, seed husks, bark, sawdust;
- wood ash.
Peat is one of the popular components of seedling soil mixtures.
It is not necessary that absolutely all components from the list are present in the soil, but most of them are. It is better to mix the soil from three different soils: garden, which can be taken directly from the ridge (unless, of course, sick or insect-infested plants grew there); leafy (from leaves rotted with the ground); turf (which is obtained by cutting turf). Soil is base element seedling substrate.
Compost - rotted plants - must be mixed with rotted manure, which is called humus. This is a supplier of necessary substances.
Advice! Do not sow vegetable seeds in humus, compost or lowland peat. Too much a large number of organic matter will cause the sprouts to excessively grow leaf mass to the detriment of root formation. As a result, the seedlings will take root poorly when planted in a garden bed or greenhouse soil.
You will definitely need peat, it is what makes the soil fertile. The lowland contains about 70% organic matter, the upland, consisting of sphagnum, makes the soil structure loose.
Peat is found in most soil mixtures for seedlings. It is obtained from swamps. This is not to say that it is a non-renewable resource. From decomposing organic components under the influence of natural processes, it is formed in swamps, but very slowly - over thousands of years. In addition, peat is part natural ecosystem– if you completely remove it from the swamps or at least create a serious deficiency, the ecological balance will be disrupted.
That's why scientists have been trying to find a replacement for peat over the past decades. And finally they found it. More and more manufacturers of soil mixtures for seedlings are now switching to using.
Benefits of Coconut Fiber.
- It is 100% organic without chemical impurities.
- They are able to absorb and retain water, working like a sponge, retaining moisture for plants and not removing useful substances from the soil.
- The layer of soil in a pot or container with a substrate that includes coconut fiber remains dry, which prevents the appearance of soil fungi.
- Coconut fiber has a pH level of about 6, so it normalizes the overall acidity of the entire substrate.
- The fiber contains phosphorus, potassium, and other needed by plants substances in significant quantities.
Coconut fiber prices
coconut fiber
Sunflower seed husks, tree bark, rotted sawdust, dry moss and other loosening agents are also used to loosen the soil. Wood ash added to normalize soil acidity.
Advice! Do not add more nutrients to the soil than normal - an abundance of fertilizing is appropriate during the growing season; the seeds, which contain the plant embryo, have a sufficient supply of substances to form and release a full-fledged sprout. Enhanced nutrition of the seed is not required.
Inorganic components:
- river (or, in extreme cases, quarry) sand;
- perlite;
- vermiculite;
- expanded clay;
- mineral supplements.
Advice! Do not grind the components of the soil mixture too much and do not sift the mixture through a sieve with small cells - the fine-grained substrate will sour and “swim” after each watering.
It is an excellent component of seedling soil mixture. This substance has a number of significant advantages.
- Sterility - spores of fungal diseases and pathogens of infectious diseases do not settle in perlite.
- The absence of insects - they simply do not grow in the substance.
- Lack of weed seeds - they do not take root in the soil mixture with perlite and do not sprout.
- Preservation in its original condition for a long time - perlite does not rot.
- Light weight - perlite is very light.
Vermiculite- a porous, environmentally friendly material that contains a record amount of magnesium, potassium and calcium necessary for sprouts already at the initial stages of life.
Drains the soil, acting as an organic loosening agent and helping to improve the structure and moisture capacity of the soil.
- a polymer compound, which, due to its properties, also serves to maintain high moisture capacity in the soil.
Advice! To simplify the watering and maintenance procedure required humidity add hydrogel to the prepared soil before sowing.
Price for hydrogel
hydrogel
In addition to the required components, the soil mixture also includes the following elements:
- ash;
- urea;
- potassium sulfate;
- potassium chloride and sulfate;
- ammonium nitrate;
- superphosphate.
What should not be in the soil
This small but important point is often ignored. Amateur gardeners neglect it, as a result, all efforts to compile correct soil are wasted.
The following components should not get into the soil mixture:
- clay;
- fresh manure;
- not rotted plant residues;
- tea leaves, coffee grounds and other similar waste;
- salty sea sand.
Clay will make the soil heavy, impervious to moisture and air, and dense. Unrotted organic matter and coffee/tea will cause rotting processes - they can begin to decompose, increasing the temperature of the substrate, which will be detrimental to many seeds and seedlings. Also, the decomposition of organic matter will entail the release of nitrogen, which will evaporate, depleting the substrate.
Soil for various crops
The table below shows the composition of the soil for each of the most commonly grown vegetable crops.
Table. Composition of soil mixture for common vegetable crops.
| Culture | Components of soil mixture and their proportions |
|---|---|
| About 2 kg of garden soil, 1 - humus, ½ kg of sawdust (rotted), fine wood bark or coconut fiber. For 6 kg of finished substrate – 40 g of ash, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of urea. |
| 5 kg of turf soil, 5 kg of high peat, 2.5 kg of sand, 2 kg of humus, 1/4 kg of lime, 1/2 kg of ash or dolomite flour. |
| 6 kg of peat or 3 kg of leaf soil and coconut fiber, 2 kg of turf soil, 1 kg of humus, 1 kg of sand, ¼ kg of lime. |
| 4 kg of peat, 2 kg of turf soil, 1 kg of rotted sawdust or coconut fiber, 1 kg of humus. |
| 2 kg of peat, 2 kg of turf soil, 2 kg of humus, 1 kg of coconut fiber or rotted sawdust, 1 kg of sand. For 6 liters of mixture - 40 g of ash and 15 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate. |
| 8 kg of peat, 2 kg of turf soil, 1 kg of river sand, mullein or humus, or 2 kg of vegetable compost, 1 kg of sawdust or coconut substrate. For 6 kg of mixture - 10 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride, 20 g of superphosphate and 45 g of ash. |
| 2 kg of leaf soil, 2 kg of humus, 2 kg of peat or coconut substrate, 1 kg of sand. For 6 kg of mixture – 50 g of ash, 15 g of potassium sulfate, 20 g of superphosphate. |
How to prepare soil mixture
When preparing the soil for sowing seedlings, it is recommended to follow the instructions and follow step-by-step recommendations. It is necessary to start preparing components in the fall. They are also mixed in the fall. Then the finished soil is sent for freezing, which will serve as additional sterilization.
Important! At the stage of mixing soil components, do not add nutritional mineral additives. Nutrient additives are applied to the soil in the spring, after basic sterilization, before planting seeds, in the form of solutions.
Step-by-step instructions for preparing soil
Step 1. Prepare all the necessary components that you plan to add to the substrate. They must be dry and in different containers.
Step 2. Spread oilcloth or other suitable bedding on the floor in the utility room, or take a large container (basin, trough, tray, tray) in which you will mix the soil components.
Step 3. Take a measuring container (glass, mug, etc.) or prepare a scale. Prepare your tools - a spatula, small rakes - and put on gloves.
Step 4. Measure out the required amount of required ingredients, place in a container or pour onto oilcloth, mix thoroughly.
Step 5. Pour the finished substrate into small bags (ideally no more than 20 liters). If the bags are plastic, make several small holes at the top to allow the soil to “breathe.”
Step 6. Place bags of soil in the shed or utility room where it will be kept in winter subzero temperature.
If speak about middle lane, then it is preferable to grow watermelons here (as well as some other crops - for example, melon) through seedlings. In reality, there is nothing complicated in this process, the main thing is to know and how to do it.
Disinfection procedure
Harmful microorganisms contained in garden soil, leaf soil, turf soil, peat, sand, humus and other essential components of the seedling substrate can harm the seeds, introducing infection and reducing their germination. To prevent this from happening, the substrate must be disinfected. This is a very important procedure that should not be neglected if you want to get strong healthy seedlings and productive plants.
There are four ways to disinfect the substrate:
- freezing;
- steaming;
- calcination;
- etching.
You can limit yourself to one method, but it is better to combine any of the first three with subsequent etching.
Important! Freezing is carried out during the winter. All other methods begin to be used in January - February, when it is time to prepare the soil for sowing.
Freezing
The method of disinfection by freezing consists of leaving a bag of soil in a room where the temperature is maintained at sub-zero temperatures in winter. If there is no such room, closer to spring the soil is taken out into the cold and left for a week at a temperature of about -10°C...15°C. Then the frozen soil is returned to the heat and allowed to defrost for a week. During this time, all the germs of weeds and pests that were not destroyed by the first freezing will “wake up” in it. After this, the soil is again sent to the frost. And so two or three times.
The New Year is coming into its own. It's snowy and cold in the garden. However, it was precisely in the first winter months vegetable growers open the season. What is the reason for sowing so early? These are the features of growing vegetable products, which will take from 90 to 150 days to reach technical ripeness. The seedling method allows you to speed up the ripening of vegetables. The date of sowing seeds in closed ground conditions depends on the individual characteristics of the crop and its variety. When determining the sowing time, you should calculate the required run for the plant. There is no need to 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 obtain quality it is necessary:
But, before you prepare the seeds and start sowing, you should take care of the seedling containers and soil.
Soil preparation
How to prepare the ground for seedlings? This question is quite important when growing plants indoors. Inexperienced vegetable growers do not pay this issue enough attention. And as a result, the emerging seedlings begin to get sick and die. Let's try to figure out what the reason is. When choosing soil, you can do this in several ways:
- purchase ready-made soil;
- prepare the soil composition yourself.
Ready-made 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, we can say with confidence that the second method of using soil is more reliable. It is better to worry in advance and autumn period cook it yourself.
Basic requirements for soil composition for vegetable seedlings
Before preparing the land for seedlings, you should take into account its characteristics. The soil composition must provide normal development and the growth of one or another vegetable crop. The following requirements apply to this land:
- fertility;
- content required set microelements;
- neutral acidity level;
- sufficient looseness and permeability;
- absence of weed seeds and pests;
- exclusion of infections and toxic substances.
Components used in the preparation of soil 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 consists of three to four components.
Turf soil is the top layer of soil covered with grass. It is harvested in summer or autumn. A thin layer of soil cut off with a shovel is placed in containers for further use. Turf soil is used after special preparation. Also, before use, it is subjected to heat treatment. Used as a base soil for seedlings.
Transitional or lowland) - decomposed dead plants. Enriches the soil with organic matter and improves its structure.
Sphagnum moss - perennial. It is indispensable as part of the earthen mixture. The moisture capacity of moss helps improve the quality of the soil, which acquires a looser structure. The natural bactericidal properties of the plant are an excellent remedy for root rot.
Wood sawdust is waste after wood processing. Provides soil looseness and permeability.
Compost is organic matter decomposed by microorganisms. It is an excellent natural conditioner. The content of humus and microelements provides plant nutrition.
Sand is used to increase the porosity and looseness of the soil. Promotes the penetration of moisture and air into the seedlings. Coarse-grained structures are used.
Coir - coconut shavings. Used for preparing substrates.
Vermiculite is a mineral consisting of layered plates. Possessing good moisture holding capacity, this component prevents the soil from drying out.
Perlite is a lightweight porous material. To obtain it, volcanic materials are subjected to heat treatment. The addition of perlite to the soil mixture makes it loose and breathable. The moisture capacity of the soil mixture also increases.
In addition to the components listed above, others are shaded that increase moisture capacity, such as:
- hydrogel;
- expanded clay;
- crushed foam.
To reduce soil acidity, it is useful to use the following components:
- fluff lime;
- dolomite flour.
The land for seedlings must be ready for sowing. The preparation of components for it is carried out in the autumn. They are stored in polyethylene containers at zero temperature.
Ingredients that should not be used when preparing soil
In order for the planting material to be strong and healthy, before preparing the soil for seedlings, you need to know about the components that are not advisable to use in soil mixtures. Quite often the question arises about the use of soil from the garden. This is not advisable. The reason is that it may contain seeds as well as destructive infections. Such soil may harbor insects and earthworms. Also, fresh manure should not be included in the soil composition. Do not use unripe compost and untreated turf soil.
Preparing soil for seedlings
Before preparing the land for seedlings, determine the soil composition intended for a particular crop. Growing certain vegetables has individual characteristics. And naturally, it can be different. The soil for tomato seedlings may have the following composition:
- two parts of turf land;
- one part compost or peat;
- one part sand or perlite.
Place in a large container. It should not contain lumps. Knead the soil and mix well. Compost or peat is added to it. Earth mixture should be homogeneous. After adding sand or perlite to combine all components, the soil is thoroughly mixed. The soil for tomato seedlings is ready. It is transferred to containers for sowing seeds.
The soil for pepper seedlings can be the same as for tomatoes. You can use a different composition:
- three parts of turf land;
- one part compost;
- one part sawdust;
- one part sand.
The soil for seedlings of peppers and tomatoes is prepared in advance. A week before sowing the seeds, the soil is distributed into seedling containers and moistened pink. After this, mineral fertilizers and wood ash can be added.
Preparation of substrate for vegetable seedlings
The main component of the above soil compositions is soil. However, it is possible to grow seedlings without soil. For this purpose, substrates are prepared instead of ordinary soil. One of the landing composition options could be like this:
- two parts of sawdust;
- one part sand.
An interesting option for growing seedlings is coconut substrate. It is obtained from the husk of coconuts. This substrate has good performance, the main ones being sterility and environmental cleanliness. This is a balanced fertile mixture with good water and breathability. As an option, coconut tablets - pressed coconut flakes - are used to grow seedlings.
In addition to coconut substrate, you can use peat substrate. 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 they are used sawdust, paper or hydrogel. Growing seedlings without soil allows you to get a sufficient amount in a limited space. planting material. To grow on paper, the seeds are pre-soaked. Next, they are placed on a damp cloth placed in a plastic container. They are covered with polyethylene on top. Next, make sure that the napkin is damp. After the sprouts appear, the seeds are constantly moistened. In this case, the temperature should not fall below 25 degrees.
You can use wet sawdust to grow vegetable seedlings. Seeds are sown in sawdust treated with boiling water. Seedling containers are covered with film. After the shoots emerge, the film is removed. The containers are placed in a well-lit place. Care consists of regular watering. They also carry out 2 subcortical treatments with mullein.
Growing seedlings without soil has its advantages. The main one is sterility. Eliminates the possibility of infections, weed seeds and pests.