Land for seedlings

The season begins for summer residents and truck farmers long before the onset of cold weather. Many owners of household plots prefer to grow and plant their own seedlings on the beds. There are a lot of subtleties in this difficult matter, the selection of land for seedlings can be considered as the most important moment.

What should be the land for seedlings?

Improperly selected soil often leads to diseases and poor development of seedlings. This is why, in addition to care, the health of young plants depends on the quality and composition of the soil. There are a lot of requirements for it, here are some of them:

  1. The soil mixture must be fertile, that is, capable of supplying plants with the substances needed for growth.
  2. A sparse and light earth is necessary for seedling.
  3. The content of substances in the soil must be in a balanced state.
  4. The acidity of the earth for seedlings should not be neutral.

And this is not all, but the main list of requirements, according to which it is necessary to prepare a mixture for planting seeds on seedlings. Not surprisingly, the usual land from the garden is not always suitable for this purpose. In fact, the best soil for seedlings is a mixture of various components, for example, peat, sand or humus.

Humus is a source of nitrogen for plants, it makes the poor land very fertile. Sand is a constituent of a soil with a loosening ability, so that air is delivered to the roots better. Such a popular substance as peat has excellent moisture-absorbing properties.

It remains only to indicate the main component - the earth. If we talk about what kind of land to take for seedlings, then there are plenty of options. The earth from the forest for seedlings is poor in nutrients, but mixed with humus is not the worst option. Experienced gardeners recommend taking soil not in the forest itself, but in forest belts. By the way, the turf ground is also different in composition, rich in elements necessary for plant growth. Perhaps the only thing that it does not hurt, is to add friability by mixing with peat or sand.

In addition, the so-called mole earth for seedlings deserved good reviews. It is believed that it is freed from the larvae of pests and weed seeds, it is already quite loose.

How to prepare the ground for seedlings?

In fact, the composition of the earth, suitable for growing soil is a great variety. In general, it is recommended to take into account the characteristics of the culture, the seedlings of which you intend to do. For example, for a cucumber, a mixture of turf and humus in equal proportions. For pepper and tomato, soil mixture is prepared from peat, earth (leaf or turf) and sand. In this case, again, an equal proportion of components. By the way, sand is easily replaced with vermiculite or perlite. The same composition is perfect for ornamental plants.

If you asked yourself to cultivate cabbage or eggplant seedlings, connect two parts of the earth, sand and humus, taken in one lobe.

Preparing the land for seedlings

Any component for the preparation of a mixture can be a source of infection by diseases or pest larvae. Perhaps the exception is peat and coconut substrate, processing in places output. Therefore, if you took the land from your own garden, disinfect it in any way that suits you. When the first land is harvested in the fall and left in the yard for freezing until the first precipitation. A water bath for 45 minutes is another method of fighting pests and diseases.

If we talk about whether it is necessary to calcine the soil for seedlings, this method of decontamination is indicated if you take the soil in the forest or on the site. Therefore, simply placing the soil in the oven for half an hour, you can disinfect it from the larvae and pathogens.