What needs to be fed and what needs to be fertilized in the garden? The question seems to be simple, but very important. Making the earth truly “kind” and feeding your garden pets - that’s what not an easy task stands in front of a summer resident-farmer.

FERTILIZE IN SPRING OR AUTUMN?

Let's start with the basics - the soil. This is what we have to “appease” her. The question is: to fertilize or not to fertilize? - has already been decided positively for a long time, it remains to be decided - how, with what and when?

The first thing to keep in mind: soil fertilization is a strategic issue. The applied fertilizer will affect the soil for several years.

Feeding is a tactical move designed for immediate results.

You cannot replace one with the other. Both fertilizing and fertilizing are mandatory procedures. But how to combine them is up to the gardener himself.

Thus, with frequent application of bird droppings, nitrogen accumulates in the soil in nitrate form, so it is better to apply it in the fall, evenly distributing it over the entire area.

But manure can be applied to the beds both in spring and autumn, depending on the degree of its readiness. The more humus it contains, the more benefits it will provide. In any case, the fertilizing effect of manure remains in the soil for several years.

Composts used for all crops in approximately the same doses as manure (15-40 t/ha). They are introduced in pairs (this means scattered over a freshly plowed field, for example, before planting potatoes), under fall plowing and plowing, in holes when planting seedlings. In terms of fertilizing properties, composts are not inferior to manure, and some of them (for example, peat manure with phosphate rock) are superior to it.

Organic Apply as a base dressing in the fall, and on sandy soils in the spring. Doses depend on the condition of the soil, the availability of fertilizers and the needs of each plant species.

It is important for any gardener not to lose sight of the basic country work. Fertilizer and fertilizing are not all that a summer resident does on his plot. Special calendars have always provided good assistance in this regard. We also offer a small gardening calendar.

Winter. Time to prepare equipment and seeds. There is simply nothing to fertilize during this period.

Spring. The earth is awakening to active life.

March. Garden cleaning - pruning fruit trees(we burn diseased shoots), treating “wounds” with garden varnish.

April. Work continues with fruit trees and shrubs. After the soil dries, the first steps in preparing fertilizers begin. You need to rake up fallen leaves and plant debris - they are perfect for making compost. If over the past year fruit trees have grown no more than 15 cm, then urea is added to them.

May. This is the most active time for a gardener to be active. This includes fighting root weeds and planting all kinds of seeds.

It's time to feed the berry fields and fruit trees. Bird droppings or slurry are suitable for this; the dosage depends on the type of plant and its age. After fertilizing, loosen the soil well tree trunk circles and mulch it - for example, with sawdust. And retain moisture, and there will be much fewer weeds.

The first spraying (before flowering) of the garden against pests and diseases. It is better to spray in the evening, at night, in the morning, on cloudy days.

Summer. All efforts are directed towards obtaining a large, healthy harvest.

June. The main concern of the month is to protect plants from diseases and pests. For this purpose, catching belts are installed (they must be inspected every 10-15 days). Plants are treated (in the presence of diseases and pests) with decoctions and infusions of insecticidal plants.

Don't forget about compost heap- all weeded weeds and suitable garden waste will be used.

July. It's time to feed the plants. Cucumbers, tomatoes 1 time in 10 days with mullein or ash. Carrots, beets, root parsley - ash. It is necessary to remove attention from strawberries - remove diseased plants. You can prepare the soil (3 weeks in advance) for planting new bushes. At the end of the month, green manure plants are planted between the beds. If there are problems, you will have to deal with pests and diseases.

August. Cutting down fruit-bearing shoots. Fertilizing trees and vegetable gardens. Pest and disease control.

Autumn. Final harvest. Preparing for winter.

September. Planting strawberries, mulching. After collecting the fruits, you will need to remove the hunting belts. Applying organic fertilizers to trees (this procedure is repeated every 4 years).

October. Final processing from pests and diseases. Cleaning the area. Mulching (peat or humus) of berry crops planted in the second half of October.

November. Cleaning up all plant debris. Preparing the compost heap for winter. Protecting fruit trees for the winter.

So when is it better to fertilize the soil: in spring or autumn? It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. The German farmer and scientist E. Wistinghausen devoted a lot of work to this. The conclusions of this work are as follows.

When fertilizing in the fall, plant nutrients are included in the soil organomineral complex, and the plant lives throughout the next season due to the gradual disintegration of this complex and the release of available nutrients.

When applied in spring, organic fertilizer decomposes faster and better supplies plants with soluble nutrients. This is important for plants, since spring and early summer are a period of active growth that requires abundant nutrition.

Thus, autumn organic fertilizer makes a greater contribution to soil fertility, and spring organic fertilizer makes a greater contribution to plant nutrition. Both are important.

Excessive amounts of fertilizer impair plant development and harm our health. However, complete rejection of them affects the harvest and can lead to diseases. How to properly use organic and mineral fertilizers in the garden?

Healthy, environmentally friendly vegetables and fruits have become almost main problem modernity, since the ill-fated nitrates, nitrites and other toxins that have accumulated in the soil over several decades of completely unreasonable use of fertilizers continue to have a detrimental effect not only on plants, animals, birds, but also threaten human health.

Many vegetable growers, fairly frightened by this phenomenon, went to the other extreme - they stopped using any fertilizers, which had an extremely negative effect on the growth and yield of the most popular fertilizers. middle lane vegetable crops. Without timely fertilizing, plants germinate poorly, grow slowly, and bear almost no fruit. Due to the shortage of organic and minerals The resistance of crops to all kinds of diseases and insect pests is significantly reduced, and as a result we are left without our favorite cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, radishes...

To prevent this from happening, the plants must be fed regularly, strictly following the instructions for use, which can usually be found on the packages, and not exceeding the dosage of the drugs. We must not forget about the time-tested folk remedies: compost, manure, humus, wood ash.

Organic fertilizers in the garden

Before you start planting any seedlings, you should prepare the soil not only directly in the beds, but throughout the entire area. Digging up the soil with a mixture of manure with compost, fallen leaves, river, pond, lake silt, bark, and sawdust will help enrich it, improve its physical properties, moisture capacity and air permeability, thus increasing fertility.

Can't leave manure with all additional components on the surface, since they quickly lose all their beneficial properties. For heavy clay soil, add several buckets of sand (the amount depends on the size of the area being treated). Most valuable qualities has sheep and horse manure, pork is poor in calcium, but has a high content of nitrogen, which burns the roots. The most popular product - cattle manure - is used in a highly diluted form after overheating.

If it was not possible to purchase a sufficient amount of manure in time, you can replace it with leaf soil. In the fall, you should collect fallen leaves in large piles and, covering them with soil, leave them until spring. When the snow melts, the leafy piles must be stirred up with a pitchfork and covered with black film. When exposed to heat, a thick dark brown mass is formed, ready for use.

One of best views organic fertilizers for all vegetable crops - bird droppings. Pigeon and chicken droppings have the most valuable qualities. You can use goose and duck, but they are not as effective. It is not difficult to prepare liquid fertilizer: add water in a ratio of 1:5 to a container with bird droppings, close tightly and leave for 5 days. Pour the resulting mass with water in a ratio of 1:10 and use for its intended purpose. Fertilizing based on bird droppings is harmless and safe, but when using it, you should avoid getting the product on plant leaves.

Mineral fertilizers in the garden

Vital for a good harvest mineral fertilizers(nitrogen, iron, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium) and microelements(copper, boron, molybdenum, manganese, zinc).

Flaw nitrogen characterized by growth retardation and discoloration of stems and leaves, decreased yield, early death lower leaves. Cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, white cabbage, and zucchini ripen slowly, become tough and tasteless. To prevent this from happening, you should add small doses from spring to early summer. ammonium nitrate or ammonia nitrogen. In hot summers, you should feed vegetables from time to time. urea, but we must not forget that excess nitrogen is just as harmful as deficiency.

Phosphorus fertilizers necessary for the normal development of plants and the ripening of vegetables and fruits, increasing their viability in unfavorable conditions. With a lack of phosphorus, plants wither, do not bloom, and the color of the leaves becomes brown or purple. On alkaline and acidic soils It is recommended to use water-soluble phosphorus fertilizers such as ammophos, single and granular double superphosphate. Insoluble in water phosphate rock should be deeply embedded in acidic podzolic soil, as it does not penetrate into the deeper layers of the earth with rainwater.

The effectiveness of phosphate rock increases if you mix it with peat, manure, ammonium sulfate, but not with lime fertilizers. Phosphorus fertilizers can be incorporated into the soil in the fall or in early spring, once every few years.

Potash fertilizers– potassium chloride and sulfate, potassium nitrate, potassium salt, potassium carbonate, potassium magnesium, wood ash – are required to enrich light, weathered sandy and sandy loam soils. A lack of potassium causes disruption of oxidative processes, reduces the intensity of photosynthesis, and leads to a weakening of the plant immune system. Potassium sulfate, which also contains small doses of sulfur, calcium, magnesium, has a beneficial effect on legumes, potatoes, cabbage, radishes, radishes. Fertilizer is used for spring and summer feeding. In the fall, you can add it to the soil before digging up the garden at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per 1 sq.m.

Signs of micronutrient deficiency:

• Shortage copper manifests itself in slow growth and early wilting of plants, the appearance of white spots on leaves, and increased susceptibility to fungal diseases.
• Dull greenish-yellow leaf color indicates a deficiency molybdenum.
• Change in leaf color is characteristic of a deficiency magnesium.
• For absence boron the plant reacts with weak development of the root system and poor flowering.

It is almost impossible to independently determine the dose of microelements, so it is better to buy universal fertilizers, which contain the entire complex of microelements.

Preparations for the gardening season begin in early spring. But before that, at the end of winter, careful planning must be done to preparatory work turned out to be most effective. If you have a site plan, great. If not, you will have to go to the dacha and conduct a “reconnaissance” of the area. It is necessary to get an accurate idea of ​​what and in what volume you will grow in the coming season. And as soon as April comes, begin to prepare the land for the future abundant harvest.

Start of preparatory work

Preparation of beds in spring begins depending on climatic conditions your area. Traditionally in the middle zone it is April. The main thing is that the snow melts and the temperature rises above zero.

You shouldn’t go “to the field” as soon as the last snow has disappeared. Wait until the sun dries the top layer of soil, and the moisture from the melting snow goes deeper into the ground.

While the garden looks like a mud bath, the summer resident has something to do. Arranging a garden also requires attention. And so as not to waste precious time on processing and pruning fruit trees and berry bushes, do this first.

They need to be freed from insulation and protective coverings, whitened if you have not done this before, sanitary pruning before the buds wake up, and preventative treatment to protect the young green leaves that will soon appear from greedy pests.

How to know when the soil is ready for cultivation

To understand whether the soil is ready or not for spring preparation of beds, people have long used a proven method. Take some earth in your palm and try to crumble it. The soil should break up into small fragments.

If it lies in a sticky lump, it is too early to process it. But if it crumbles as soon as you touch it, it means you’re a little late and the ground is dry.

You should not wait for the soil to dry out, otherwise you will have to water-charge the entire garden before sowing. To make the soil ready for cultivation faster, for sowing cold-resistant and early crops, sprinkle peat on the remaining snow on the beds. This will speed up the warm-up and allow you to start processing earlier.

Preparation in stages

Like any planned action, spring preparation of beds has its own stages, each of which must be completed in its own time. Much depends on what garden work were held in the fall.

Digging

If you have not dug up the soil since the fall (it is recommended to do this in October, when the harvest has been harvested, the residues have been removed, but the cold has not yet arrived in full force), digging will be the first stage in preparation for sowing. There is no need to dig deep in the spring. If the autumn digging is done to a depth of 25 cm, in the spring 15 cm is enough. But the rotation of the layer must be complete so that the entire lower part of the soil is on top.

Fertilizer

Simultaneously with digging, the soil is saturated with nitrogen. You can only add well and completely rotted compost or manure. If you dug up your garden in the fall and added organic matter, you can skip these two steps and go directly to loosening. If digging and fertilizing is done in the spring, wait a week until the soil is slightly compacted again.

Loosening

The dug up soil must be loosened. The loosening layer should be shallow - 5-10 cm. This removes all roots weeds so that they do not germinate, becoming an obstacle to the germination of sown cultural seeds. If digging is carried out with a shovel, then for loosening it is better to use a rotary cultivator or, in the case of the formation of earth blocks, a star roller.

These devices can break up soil compactions and give the soil homogeneity and light structure.

Weeds and other plant waste that you remove from your garden bed can be composted. It is also allowed here autumn foliage, collected from the site, if the trees are not affected by fungal diseases. You can transfer plants to compost pit with manure or sprinkle with humus. In the first case, it will take longer for the compost mass to rot.

Leveling and marking beds

Loosened soil must be leveled. This can be done with a regular rake. After this, you can begin marking the ridges. Traditionally, the maximum width of the beds should not exceed 1.2 m to make it convenient to sow, weed, dig and other plant care work. The length can be any at your discretion.

Along the edge of the bed, if there is no border at the border with the passage, it is good to pour earthen rollers up to 8 cm high. They will not allow moisture to drain from the bed during watering and will protect the useful sown area from the penetration of weeds from the outside.

If the garden area allows, create perfect beds, the width of which will be 60-70 cm. Between them, arrange paths of approximately the same width. Then everything, even tall garden plants, will have enough sunlight, moisture and space in the soil to grow to their full potential.

Interesting way:

Paths are also dug up, like ridges, but not so deeply, just to remove weed rhizomes from the soil. After the beds are ready, the paths are sprinkled with sawdust or other mulching material. This way weeds will not grow on them, which otherwise will soon end up on them. usable area beds, disturbing cultivated plants and taking away from them nutrients.

You can equip high beds. This is especially true in the northern regions. Their borders are outlined half a meter wide wooden beam, slate, board, any materials so that you get a kind of box. The interior is filled with earth at a level higher than 35-45 cm than the level of the garden. The width can be about a meter, but not more than 1.2 m.

How to improve the soil

Sometimes it is necessary to improve not only the structure, but also the quality of the soil. In the spring this is done by applying fertilizers. To understand exactly what substances need to be added, evaluate the quality of the soil. This can be done manually by determining the type by the nature of the earthen clod. Clay soils do not break up from a coma. Fertile black soils are broken up with medium strength. Sandstones crumble instantly.

What can be used.

1. Organic fertilizers.
2. Mineral fertilizers.
3. Peat or sand bedding.

When applying fertilizers and auxiliary substances, moderation is important. Don't use too many cutting components, choose one or two depending on the needs of your soil.

What components are added to the soil?

How to prepare beds in greenhouses

In the greenhouse in the spring, it is also necessary to prepare the area for sowing. This is done two weeks earlier than the weather allows you to start preparing in the garden.

Often in greenhouses, crop rotation is not observed particularly carefully. The same crops have been sown in their places for years. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the soil for sowing in a greenhouse with special care.

1. Replace the top layer first. Remove about 15 cm of old soil, take it out of the greenhouse (it can be used in open beds) and fill this place with freshly prepared soil.
2. For filling, the soil is prepared from turf land, river sand, humus and peat in a ratio of 1:1:3:5.
3. Next, the poured soil must be well moistened by choosing any watering method. You can, if there is still snow outside the greenhouse, throw it on the greenhouse beds. Once melted, it will provide the necessary moisture.
4. The last stage is loosening, marking the beds and arranging holes or furrows for sowing seeds.

In order to properly fertilize the soil, you need to follow several rules - do not add too much fertilizer to the soil, for example, it is better a little less than the plants need, so as not to create environmental problems. It is advisable to combine organic fertilizers with mineral fertilizers, as well as combine basic spring fertilizers with regular fertilizing. Potassium fertilizers contribute good growth and increasing plant immunity Nitrogen fertilizers affect only the growth process. Nitrogen should be added only in the spring during the first waterings. Most the right fertilizer there is manure. It contains everything you need, enriches and loosens the soil. It needs to be applied to the soil once every 3 years. In addition, organic fertilizers have only a negligible effect on environment, because they are made from compost or animal dung. Therefore, it is better to use these types of fertilizers rather than artificial fertilizers, which, although they contain concentrated nutrients for your plants, but spoil the environment and settle in the soil. Di and who would like to eat a cucumber from their own garden made from chemicals?

Application of fertilizers and measures to improve soil composition

Sandy soils poor in humus can be improved by regularly applying organic fertilizers. The mechanical composition of light sandy soil can be improved by adding crushed clay to it.

Heavy loamy, clayey and uncultivated soils can be easily improved by adding organic fertilizers, loosening materials, and liming.

Autumn digging of soil- this is the best time to apply the bulk of organic, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, lime materials and mineral additives in the form of sand or clay.

Autumn is good time for applying phosphorus fertilizers to the soil. In order for them to reach the roots of plants, a long period of time is needed. These fertilizers are not washed out of the soil for quite a long time; if they are introduced in the fall, then the earth will become saturated with them all winter. At the same time they add potash fertilizers containing chlorine. Until spring, the movement of soil water will move chlorine to deeper soil horizons.

The formation of a fertile soil layer is facilitated by digging up the entire free surface of the site, onto which a natural fertilizer such as wood ash has previously been applied.

If you intend to grow such garden crops, like zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, celery, then during the autumn digging you need to add manure, humus or compost to the soil. If in the area where it is supposed to grow carrots, beets, scorzonera, radishes, organic fertilizers were applied in the previous season, then it is enough to apply mineral fertilizers. You can limit yourself to a small amount of humus or compost. Organic fertilizers include manure, bird droppings, slurry, humus, peat and composts.

It is not recommended to embed into the soil during digging fresh bird droppings, rabbit, sheep and goat manure. It must first be composted. Many vegetable growers generally prefer to add only rotted manure to the soil. Starting in the fall, they stack fresh manure in layers in a compacted pile on a dry, well-compacted area, which is covered with a thick layer of clay so that the manure does not come into contact with the ground. The layers are laid out with turf or peat, covering the stack on top with the same turf, sawdust, straw or peat. To prevent moisture from precipitation from penetrating inside the stack, it is covered with film. Manure that has lain in the winter cold is used when planting early vegetable crops. After adding rotted manure to the soil, you can grow greens, onions, carrots, cucumbers and pumpkins on it. If sufficient quantities of manure were used as fertilizer on the site, then it is permissible not to use other organic fertilizers.

Especially bountiful harvest give vegetables in the 2nd year after applying manure. Good onions grow after being planted in the soil horse manure, and beets and parsley - after sheep manure. Radishes get more yield in those areas that have been fed with cow manure.

Bird droppings considered strong and fast-acting fertilizer. It contains a large number of nutrients and quickly decomposes. Typically, bird droppings are stored together with peat, combining them into equal parts. The litter is most effective when used as a liquid supplement along with a mullein solution.

It is advisable to collect and store chicken manure in the same way as regular manure, insulating the piles with peat chips, sawdust or leaves. If the piles of droppings freeze, the droppings will stop decomposing and many plant nutrients will be lost.

➣ All remnants of damaged plants and vegetables and disease-infected tops must be carefully collected, dried and burned in dry weather. The resulting ash can be used as fertilizer when digging.

The humus content in the soil is significantly increased by adding a large volume of manure compost. In addition, such an event inhibits the activity of pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Manure compost contains antibiotics; they are secreted by individual soil microorganisms that suppress pathogens.

The readiness of the compost laid in the previous year should be checked on the eve of winter, in November. It must be shoveled and then insulated. Before frost, compost heaps should be covered with branches and soil with a layer of up to 50 cm, which will protect them from freezing.
A more detailed separate article was devoted to fertilizing chicken manure.

Peat used as fertilizer in manure-peat mixtures. Peat is used on its own to improve the structure of the soil as a loosening material.

Some gardeners fertilize the soil with leaf soil, considering it a relatively good fertilizer. The foliage is collected in a heap in the fall, covered so that the wind does not blow it around the site, and left for the winter. In the spring, if the leaves have decomposed, mix them with soil. If they have not decomposed by spring, then they are dug up and left until autumn.

Often, gardeners collect the bulk of plant debris, garden leaves, tops with a rake and put them in a compost heap, considering this as perfect material for humus. Plant residues and debris from spring greenhouses and greenhouses are also placed there. However, such fertilizer increases the likelihood of soil contamination by one or another fungal disease. If there is the slightest suspicion that weeds, grass, or vegetable shoots are infected with pathogens or eggs of various harmful insects, then they cannot be used as future fertilizer. Pathogens of plant diseases and harmful insects They usually settle in the pre-winter period among plant debris, dry tops, on dry branches and trunks of old trees. However, it is better to burn the leaves and other plant debris and feed the soil with the resulting ash.

During autumn digging, many gardeners on heavy soils add manure mixed with sawdust, which was used as bedding for livestock. Sometimes clean sawdust is used, after scalding it with boiling water. Sawdust is useful as a loosening material on heavy soils. But wood decomposes very slowly in the soil, consuming too much nitrogen, which is very undesirable. This process must be prevented by moistening the sawdust with a solution of carbamide (urea) or a solution of mullein (3 liters of mullein per 10 liters of water). For 3 buckets of sawdust you will need 10 liters of solution with mullein. For pre-treatment sawdust It is also permissible to use a special solution: dissolve 150 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water, 100 g ammonium nitrate and 50 g of potassium chloride. When digging in autumn, it is enough to add half a bucket of sawdust every 1 m2.

During digging soil for a garden in newly developed areas of the non-chernozem strip, where it is necessary to create a humus layer, approximately half a bucket of organic fertilizers should be applied per 1 m2 of the cultivated area. In uncultivated, previously uncultivated areas, it is necessary to remove the roots of old plants from the soil, remove stumps and snags, and select stones. When processing such soil with a shovel or plow, it must be cut thin layers and add an additional 3-4 cm of podzolized soil or subsoil rudyakov clay. During autumn digging, loosening materials and organic fertilizers should be incorporated into heavy clay soil in larger volumes than when cultivating cultivated land. You should add peat, manure, and compost at least half a bucket for every 1 m2, supplementing them with wood ash.

At autumn processing For virgin clay soil, 1 or 2 liter jars of coarse river sand and slaked lime must be added to organic fertilizers, respectively.

Loam, river sand, fallen leaves, potassium and phosphorus should be added to the peat soil. Sufficient quantities must be added to such lands annually. organic fertilizers.

When incorporated into the soil, organic fertilizers or plant residues must be thoroughly mixed with the soil and covered with a layer of soil on top. This simple agrotechnical method will prevent the spread of weeds, pests and pathogens of garden plants.

Acidic soils are neutralized by liming. The addition of lime reduces the acidity and fatigue of the soil, enriches it with calcium, thereby increasing fertility. After liming, heavy clay soils become looser, which significantly improves their water-air regime. Calcium in lime improves the structure and general properties soil. Liming activates the activity of various microorganisms that assimilate nitrogen or decompose organic matter. Improving air access to the roots favors the life of these microorganisms. Their activity helps improve plant nutrition. Due to the addition of lime, the yield of all vegetable crops increases.

The carried out liming improves the conditions for processing heavy soils, after which it is much easier to dig them up. After liming, light soils become moisture-absorbing, and the bonds between particles are strengthened.

It is imperative to lime the top marshy soils and add organic fertilizers to them. Low-lying marshy soils are not as acidic, but they still need to be limed.

The productive organs (mother plants) of biennial vegetable crops must be stored together with the roots in winter in piles or storage facilities, and planted in the spring of next year to obtain seeds.

Autumn liming of the soil is a reliable preventive measure in the fight against wireworms: beetles with an elongated oval body up to approximately 15-16 mm in length. The larvae of this beetle destroy many vegetable crops: cabbage, onions, carrots, beets, tomatoes, etc. For your own appearance the beetles look like pieces of wire, which is why they got their name. They choose low-lying places to live, overwinter in the soil, and lay their eggs in it.

The amount of alkaline materials added to the soil depends on the calcium content in them, the degree of acidity of the soil and its mechanical composition: clay, loam or sand. During autumn liming, all kinds of alkaline materials are used, such as slaked lime, dolomite flour, wood and peat ash, chalk, meadow marl, ground limestone, cement dust etc. To apply to the soil, only very finely ground lime can be used. Therefore, it is advisable to sift all lime fertilizers before using them directly. Experts recommend adding 0.5-1 kg of slaked lime for every 1 m2 of soil.

The main condition for liming is that the material chosen for it must be scattered evenly over the area. After applying it, the soil should turn white. Usually this event is done once every 5-6 years and only during autumn tillage.

It is quite acceptable to replace lime ash or use eggshells, which contain a large number of lime

The shells should be thoroughly crushed before embedding in the ground. Why do you need to put it in a strong, hard bag and trample on it? Carrots, cucumbers and cabbage prefer eggshell lime.

Ash reduces soil acidity, which is useful on light sandy and peaty soils. To reduce their acidity level, you can use ash from peat combustion (up to 7 kg of ash per 10 m2). Burning deciduous brushwood produces more valuable ash than brushwood from coniferous trees.

Lime materials are not recommended to be applied together with fresh manure: in this proximity a large amount of nitrogen is lost. If it is necessary to lim the soil, it is more advisable to transfer the application of organic fertilizers to spring period. Although liming materials such as dolomite and bone flour. They can be applied during autumn tillage; they are especially good for sandy or sandy loam soils. On heavy clay soils, it is preferable to liming with slaked lime. But in everything you need to observe moderation: with excessive liming, the soil can become neutral. If it becomes alkaline with a pH level above 7.5, plants begin to grow poorly.

Along with organic fertilizers, during autumn tillage it is necessary to add the necessary mineral additives. In heavy clay soil, it is recommended to add 1 or 1.5 buckets of coarse river sand annually for every 1 m2. Approximately the same volumes should be filled with peat chips.

During autumn processing peat soils you need to add an equal amount of river sand and powdered dry clay. Although this technique requires high costs labor, but brings a significant effect. The introduction of significant volumes of sand and organic matter into the soil during autumn cultivation makes it possible to transform the top arable layer of clay soil 15 - 20 cm thick into loam within 5 years.

Mineral fertilizers It is more expedient to embed it in the ground, taking into account exactly what crops were grown in a particular area. Cabbage and potatoes absorb nitrogen and potassium from the soil, while radish prefers to extract almost all the phosphorus. Therefore, when cultivating the soil in autumn, it is necessary to apply different sets of fertilizers to different areas.

Mineral fertilizers should be used with restrictions, at a very strict rate. When adding excessive amounts of mineral fertilizers to the soil, all microorganisms die and earthworms. Gradually, the yield in such areas sharply decreases. In addition, excess applied mineral fertilizers are harmful to humans.

During the autumn digging of the site, the introduction of ash is of great benefit: it is very valuable fertilizer and contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus. In addition, the ash contains calcium, magnesium, iron, boron, manganese, sulfur and other elements beneficial for plants. As a mineral fertilizer should be applied wood ash 2-4 kg for every 1 m2. You can sprinkle ash on the ground when cultivating it or place it in holes and furrows. But if the soil has been limed, then ash may not be added for 1-2 years.

Wood ash is a universal fertilizer that is recommended for use for all crops and is available to every gardener. Eggplants, zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and pumpkin need it most. Many trees begin to bear fruit only after feeding them with wood ash. Dry ash does not lose its properties within for long years storage However, wet ash loses almost all of its calcium. Therefore, ash should be placed in boxes or barrels for storage in a dry place.

In conditions of high humidity, densely planted plants often suffer from various fungal diseases; mosses and lichens can settle on the bark of branches of trees and shrubs.

Those vegetable crops and potatoes that are planted on acidic podzolic and sandy soils respond well to the addition of ash. For these crops, it is better to apply ash into holes and furrows as the main fertilizer.

However, under no circumstances is it permitted to use ash from peat or shale, if it has a rust color. It indicates that the ash contains harmful impurities. Particularly harmful is the ash from burned trees that grew on the sides of highways.

Ash can be replaced by additional addition of potassium sulfate to the soil. If the garden is planted on acidic soil, then it is advisable to apply approximately 150-200 kg of lime to the entire plot. Ash also serves as a valuable prophylactic in the fight against many pests And diseases of vegetable crops. On light soils it is advisable to apply it in spring and summer. On clay soils It is advisable to cover the ash in the fall as well.

Many specialists and experienced gardeners They believe that to get a good harvest of vegetables it is enough to add soil rotted manure or compost, ash, and also promptly feed garden plants with liquid organic fertilizers.

It is important to make the irrigation system correctly, which, in principle, is not difficult and has already been discussed on the site.

On tired, depleted soil that needs loosening and enrichment with nitrogen, it is quite acceptable to sow leguminous plants: vetch, peas, lupine or beans - how cover crops. Yellow lupine grows better on light sandy soils, while white lupine prefers loamy soils with a neutral acid reaction.

If in soil too large volumes were applied on the site organic fertilizers, excess nitrates accumulate in it. You can relieve the soil of these unwanted substances by sowing winter rapeseed or mustard.

It is very important to attract earthworms to the garden, which process organic matter added to the soil into humus. At the same time, they release calcium carbonate, which reduces the acidity of the soil. Organic matter processed into humus becomes many times more beneficial for plants. It is well absorbed by the root system of plants.

It’s easy to set up a kind of “apartment” for worms: a small hole the depth of a shovel and an area of ​​1 m2 needs to be filled with plant waste, eggshell, food waste, mullein, manure or peat. The height of the pile should be approximately 30-40 cm, it should be slightly shaded from the sun. Earthworms will rush to occupy the home prepared for them. In addition, they happily settle in high beds and work in them for the benefit of the gardener.

In spring it’s time to prepare the land for planting, and one of the the most important stages work - soil fertilization. How to fertilize the soil in the spring if there is no manure is a question that gardeners often ask at this time.

Optimal timing for applying fertilizers to the soil in spring

Many summer residents begin to fertilize the soil in the fall, before the snow falls. Questions are often asked about what fertilizers should be applied specifically to spring time, at what time it is better to add them.

Interestingly, many experts believe that early spring is the best period when most known fertilizers can be applied. It is especially important at this time to apply nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium, ammonium nitrate) and superphosphates. In this case, the following rules must be taken into account:

1. You should focus not on calendar dates, but on specific signs, since in different years The spring season may be delayed or, on the contrary, may arrive earlier than usual. First of all, half-melted snow and melt water must completely leave the garden (usually this happens in the 2nd half of April). If you start applying before this point, the result will be ineffective - since many fertilizers dissolve well in water, they will leave with it, and when everything dries out at the dacha, the soil will lose its useful substances.
2. Of great importance is the specific crops for which fertilizers are applied. So, in the case of fruit trees, fertilizers can be applied a little earlier than for other crops - their powerful root system will be able to receive nutrients even at a time when the soil in the lower part of the trunk has not yet completely melted.
3. In the case of vegetables and flowers, fertilizers are applied to the beds right before planting (one day before).

Advantages and rules of spring application of manure as fertilizer

It is often believed that feeding the soil with manure better in autumn, since during autumn and winter it will have time to decompose well and release all its useful substances into the ground. But there are also advantages to using it in early spring.

The fact is that overripe manure (humus), decomposing in the soil, will retain heat, which is very necessary for seedlings just placed in the beds. Another important detail is that manure can lose its value due to frost. For this reason, it even needs to be stored in a shed and carefully wrapped.

In this case, the application of manure requires compliance with several important rules:

1. It is better to apply manure only in a mature, rotted form - because it is in this state that it retains the maximum amount of valuable components.
2. It is necessary to fertilize with manure no more than once every 3 years.
3. Fertilizer should be applied to the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm, and not scattered over its surface.
4. You should not rely on the principle: the more, the better. Even on non-chernozem soils, manure is applied in the amount of 5-6 kg per square meter surface of the earth.

How to fertilize trees in spring (video)

How to fertilize the soil in spring if there is no manure

If spring has come, but there is no manure at hand, this is not a reason to abandon the sowing campaign. There are a lot different types fertilizers (phosphate, nitrogen, universal, etc.), which significantly increase productivity and at the same time are affordable.

We use green manure

One of interesting ways soil feeding – . This is the name given to plants that are specially grown for subsequent crushing and placement in the ground to enrich it with nitrogen and suppress the growth of weeds. These fertilizers are also called green fertilizers.

These include:

1. Legumes (alfalfa, soybeans, peas and many others). Special bacteria settle on their roots, which introduce a significant amount of nitrogen into the soil.
2. Cruciferous ( various varieties mustard, rapeseed, radish, rapeseed).
3. Cereals (wheat, sorghum, rye, oats, etc.).
4. Buckwheat, phacelia, etc.

The beneficial effects of these plants are explained by the following reasons:

1. During their flowering, plants attract pollinating insects, which often eat flies, aphids, etc. that are harmful to the garden.
2. Their roots often grow strongly, penetrate deep into the ground, loosen it, making it more saturated with air.
3. Some of these plants suppress plant diseases (such as wilt).

Green manure can be used not only in spring, but also at the end of summer or during a break in planting for a year.

Mineral fertilizers for the garden

Mineral fertilizers mean inorganic fertilizers (i.e. those that do not contain organic substances). Most often, they are distinguished by the predominance of one chemical element (potassium, nitrogen, etc.), but they can also be complex (fertilizer mixtures).

Each type has its own benefits for plants:

1. Nitrogen fertilizers are easily absorbed by both the soil and crops, since they dissolve very well even in cold water. They contain easily digestible forms of nitrogen, thanks to which plants quickly gain weight, grow efficiently and without delay.
2. Phosphate fertilizers are presented in the form of phosphate rock, precipitate, and superphosphates. They contain phosphorus, which is also an important element and has a beneficial effect on plant growth. At the same time, they dissolve in water much worse than nitrogen ones. For example, phosphate rock is used more often on acidic soils, because in these cases phosphorus goes into a form that is easier to absorb.
3. Potassium nitrate It has chemical name potassium nitrate. It dissolves very well in water. It has a good effect on the growth of plants, as well as the taste and juiciness of their fruits.

In general, plants in unfertilized soil not only grow less well, but also have a greater risk of being damaged by infectious diseases or acquire other abnormalities (poor formation of the ovary and fruit, falling flowers, small fruits, etc.).

What fertilizers to apply in spring (video)

Universal fertilizers

Universal fertilizers have different chemical compositions and have a complex effect on plant organisms. Here are some examples of such feeding:

1. Organomineral fertilizer "Universal" consists of half organic and half inorganic components. It contains many substances necessary for plant growth and maintaining its health. At the same time, it also regulates the level of nitrates in the soil, preventing them from accumulating in excess. Accordingly, this has a positive effect on cultures.
2. Ammophos contains up to half the mass of phosphorus and about 10-15% nitrogen in an easily digestible form. Accordingly, it provides the plant with the beneficial effects of both of these elements.
3. Ammofoska contains not only nitrogen and phosphorus, but also potassium in approximately the same ratio.

In addition, universal fertilizers do not have to be purchased in the store. They can be found among quite affordable home remedies. Here are some examples:

1. Ash has been used to fertilize the soil since ancient times. It is valuable because it contains potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus. It is universal not only in its action, but also in its coverage of crops - it can be used in almost any beds, as well as in the garden flower garden.
2. Herbal infusions are used on the basis of mowed weeds. They are placed in large containers, poured with boiling water and left for several days (up to 2 weeks). Then the mixture is filtered, the solid components are discarded, and the liquid is diluted in a ratio of 1 to 10. Any crop can also be watered with this solution. It is better to do evening watering sessions.

What organic fertilizers should be applied to the soil before planting?

The most common ones besides manure include:

• peat;
• straw;
• sapropel;
• composts.

Food industry waste and household waste are also often used.

Unlike mineral substances, organic substances are more specific, and they must be added taking into account the characteristics of a particular crop.

For example, perennial vegetable crops (horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb) like organic matter to be added immediately before planting.

At the same time, annual carrots, radishes, tomatoes, beets and others require very small amounts of these fertilizers. Sometimes it is even better to fertilize them with inorganic matter.

It is especially important to apply organic fertilizers before planting fruit trees. If the fruits are pome-shaped, then more fertilizer needs to be applied; if the fruits have seeds, less fertilizer must be applied. At the same time, you need to regularly feed the trees during growth.

How to feed indoor plants in spring

With the arrival of spring, do not forget about fertilizing indoor plants. The soil in pots should be fertilized more often than in the garden., since it is deprived of natural conditions and does not actually participate in the cycle of elements, which ensures the balance of the content of various useful components.

In the spring, indoor pets especially need feeding. since increasing daylight hours stimulates their growth. Mainly nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers are used; You can also use pet feces mixed with straw or sawdust as organic matter. In this case, you need to adhere to some rules:

• if the plant has just been transplanted, then it is not advisable to fertilize it at 1 month;
• Do not fertilize cacti with organic matter;
• during the dormant period it is better not to apply any fertilizers;
• If the roots of the plant rot, it is not recommended to apply fertilizers.

How to fertilize strawberries (video)

The main condition for using any fertilizer is to strictly follow the instructions. Excessive application of fertilizing is sometimes even more dangerous than its absence. Try to play by the rules and take good care of your green friends!

Reviews and comments

(4 ratings, average: 4,00 out of 5)

Vladimir 09/28/2017

I adhere to the rule that plants should be fed during the period of most active growth and immediately after fruit set. That is, essentially, in the first half of the growing season. And then I wait for the harvest. The amount of fertilizing depends on the plant, and you need to be able to recognize and correct what it needs. Now it’s easier - the Internet will tell you everything.

Of course, manure and humus are the best natural fertilizers. When it is not possible to use them, we add wood ash to the soil, water it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and buy vermicompost.

Aglaya 06/08/2018

I haven’t used manure for several years; there was no way to get it. As fertilizers I used ash and fish waste, which produce large amounts of nitrogen when rotting. Another excellent fertilizer is an infusion of herbs, especially nettle.

Olya 04/14/2019

I have long given up using manure; this fertilizer causes enormous damage to the soil, and besides, it can simply burn the seedlings. For the last few years I have been using only mineral baits.