Florists are often faced with the fact that for the planting of plants it is recommended turf land or a mixture of it with various fillers. Experienced summer residents are usually well aware of what it is, but for a beginner, this concept may be new. Today we will analyze in detail what the turf land means, where to get it, and what effect it has on the growth and development of plants. If you first took up a plant transplant, then sometimes it seems that it's easier to buy a finished substrate in the store. In fact, the soil mixture prepared at home does not differ at all from that which you will be offered in beautiful, factory packaging.
The basis of floriculture
Mixtures for planting domestic plants can vary greatly in composition. The main difference is which ingredient prevails in it. Knowing their properties well, you get the opportunity to take into account the individual characteristics of each potted plant and select the soil in which they will develop favorably.
Sod land is considered the main in floriculture. It is used in the manufacture of most soil mixtures. Plants adapt very well to it, developing rapidly.
Substrate differences
Sod land is a term by which various garden soils are understood. At first glance, it’s enough to simply remove the topsoil, which contains vegetable humus. However, garden lands can be obtained by decomposing turf or other organic matter. The initial substrate will affect the physical and chemical properties of the resulting soil mixture. Therefore, today we will consider several options, as well as the possibility of their optimal combination with each other.
Turf land
She is very rich in nutrients. Moreover, the potted plant will be provided for several years in advance, without requiring additional feeding. It is obtained mainly from meadows and pastures, as well as fallow lands. The main selection criterion is the presence of cereal-clover grass stand at the sites of final substrate collection. However, it cannot be said that in any case it will be the same. Distinguish:
- heavy sod substrate, which is characterized by a large amount of clay;
- average;
- light in which the most sand.
Seasonal factor
And we continue to deal with the concept of turf land. What is it, where to get such a mixture, now we will tell you in detail. Harvesting is carried out in the summer. To do this, select the period of maximum grass stand. In this case, the calculation is made such that before the winter colds the turf will have time to partially decompose. But to get the finished substrate will take much more time. Initially, the turf is cut into layers with a width of 20 cm and a thickness of 8 cm. Now it is necessary to stack it in piles up to 1.5 meters high. To accelerate decomposition, the layers are wetted with a slurry solution. Another challenge is to reduce acidity. To do this, make lime. The next summer you need to shovel the stack 2-3 times. Only after two seasons will it be ready for use. In the second year, in the fall, it is recommended to let it pass through the screen and clean it indoors.
Gathering place
You already know what the turf land is, but collected in different places, it will be very different. It is necessary to cut it necessarily on a clover, where herbs grow especially violently and have no nutritional deficiency. It is easy to appreciate in appearance. All grass should be bright green, without yellowness and spots, specks and dry tips. If the grasses on the meadows accessible to you are stunted, they begin to turn yellow and dry early, then taking the land here makes no sense. It is poor in nutrients.
The location of the meadow also plays an important role. Since turf land can only be prepared directly in the meadow, choose the highest places. In the swampy lowlands, the soil will be too acidic. Medium loams will be optimal in composition. Sandy loam turf is characterized by high water and air permeability, but at the same time it is poor in nutrients, for which it is used in gardening.
Deciduous humus
As you can see, the preparation of turf land is not difficult, you only need access to open meadow lands. If there is nothing of the kind near you, then you can try similar mixtures, which are also perfectly perceived by domestic plants. Now we will discuss in detail which substrate the turf land is being replaced with. First of all, it is sheet land. It is characterized by friability and lightness. On the other hand, this disadvantage is easily corrected by mixing various mixtures and obtaining the optimal composition. Especially good results are obtained by leaf humus mixed with heavy, soddy soil. Often flower growers use leafy land mixed with peat and sand. It turns out an analogue of heather mixture, easy and nutritious.
Billet
Even in urban conditions, you can easily find a place to harvest sheet land. If you can go out of town, into the forest, then here you can find its natural deposits. Year after year, the leaves fall and cross under the trees, forming a nutrient layer. In city parks, you can collect during the period of massive leaf fall in parks and gardens. The most suitable are the leaves of linden and maple, fruit trees. But willow and oak are completely unsuitable for these purposes.
The collected leaves or forest litter is formed into stacks and moistened with slurry. It remains to tighten the stack well and leave it until next summer. Over the next warm season, you will need to shovel the sheet mass well several times, moisten with slurry and add lime. That is, high-quality sheet land, you will succeed only by the end of the second summer.
Compost ground
Summer residents use this term quite often, so we will mention it. Compost is an analogue of turf and leaf land. The essence of them is one - it is the rotted remains of plant organics. The quality of compost land depends on the type of waste, that is, the material used. This is an intermediate link between sod and humus land.
To make it, you need a compost pit, although some gardeners use heaps or stacks. During the summer, they collect all plant and animal debris, weeds and garbage, food waste. As they accumulate, the residues are poured with lime and moistened with slurry, and peat is poured on top. In the second and third year, the mass must be shoveled. By the end of the third year, the land is completely ready for use. Now you already know what turf and leafy land is, how to make compost, and you can choose the basis of the substrate for your home plants.
We prepare a mixture for plants
So, it’s about landing. Usually, gardeners begin to do this by spring. The soil prepared in the fall is heated, disinfected, and an ideal substrate is prepared from it. The main characteristics are:
- Moisture content. The soil should absorb water easily. Do not pass through yourself, as is the case with sand, but do not delay, as clay does.
- Water and air permeability. This is understandable, the substrate must be loose in order to provide air access to the roots.
- Nutritional value.
- A suitable pH level (most often the lack of acidity).
- Cleanliness, i.e. the absence of toxic substances.
Optimal proportions
Most often, 1: 1 turf land is mixed with a component such as leaf humus. This is easy to explain, since it acts as a baking powder. Some gardeners recommend adding molehills in similar proportions. It is loose and nutritious, and also does not contain pest larvae. Humus is another important component. This is a black, homogeneous mass, which is obtained from well-decomposed manure. It is very nutritious, but often contains weed seeds and pathogens, so it is extremely important to calcine the mixture before use.
Baking powder
In order to ensure optimal breathability of the soil, it is necessary to observe the proportions of turf land and sand. It is important that only coarse sand is used. Small will make the substrate only more dense. Before adding to the soil, the sand is washed well. This is necessary in order to wash all the dust and leave the necessary small stones. In this form, it is added to almost all mixtures for indoor plants, providing better breathability.
Additional materials
Sand is not the only component that does not carry a nutritional load, but is nevertheless necessary for the growth and development of the plant.
- The composition of the substrates often includes vermiculite, perlite, polystyrene, expanded clay and the like components. All of them are necessary to improve the water-air properties of the substrate.
- Moss is also a commonly used component to formulate a substrate that is ideal for indoor plants. Most often they use sphagnum moss, which gives the soil friability.
- Charcoal - it is not used for all soil mixtures, but mainly for those that do not tolerate stagnant water and waterlogging.
Substrate Recommendations
In the specialized literature, it is usually indicated what kind of soil mixture should be for a particular plant. However, you need to understand that even the turf land, which was prepared in different regions of the same region, will be of different quality. Therefore, it remains only to carefully observe and change the number of components. So, when preparing substrates, you can encounter several problems:
- The earth is dense and moist, does not dry out for a long time. In this case, add sand or other inert material.
- The mixture is very light, water instantly passes through it. In this case, you need to increase the amount of turf land.
- The land is good, but not nutritious. Leaf humus will come to the rescue.
- The substrate is needed for planting seedlings. In this case, you need to increase the amount of sand.
Finished Substrates
Today they can be found in any specialized store. However, do not trust everything that is written on the package. Pre-look for information about the manufacturer, as well as reviews of gardeners and florists. It will not be superfluous to read full information about what components the mixture consists of and for which plants it is intended. The nutrient content will say little to the amateur, of all the numbers you can pay attention only to the pH level, it should not be higher than six.