Hilling is one of the types of tillage near cultivated plants. Some gardeners neglect it, believing that this is not a mandatory procedure. Others, on the contrary, are too keen on him. And here it should be noted that everything is good in moderation, including a spud.
Loosening, weeding, hilling: what is the difference?
The abundance of "gardening" terms causes confusion and panic among beginner summer residents. Let's conduct a small educational program and consider three basic concepts of plant care processes.
The main difference between them is the purpose and method of the procedure:
- The main task of weeding is to destroy weeds. Weeding can be carried out by cultivators, cutting weeds in grooves, chemicals (herbicides) or manually.
- The purpose of loosening and hilling is to retain moisture in the soil, saturate the roots of the plant with oxygen and restrain the growth of weeds. The cultivation differs from the earthenware by the depth of cultivation of the earth: cultivation is a more superficial cultivation, and it, in contrast to the earthing up, does not involve burrowing on a hill.
More about hilling
Hilling is a deep loosening of soil between rows of plants, conducted in such a way that furrows are formed between them. Most often they spud potatoes, and there is an opinion that only this crop needs it.
In fact, hilling is a necessary procedure for a number of plants:
- corn;
- cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- cabbage;
- leek and garlic "on the greens"
How to determine which plant needs a spud and which does not? It's simple: such a need exists in crops that are able to form appendage roots on the stem. "Then why hilling onions and garlic?" - quite naturally you ask. It allows you to grow the most delicious and fleshy snow-white stalk at the base.
Hilling rules
How to spud plants? It is not difficult if you follow the rules:
- Spud after watering or raining in the morning. The soil should be neither sticky nor dry.
- Dip the soil as close to the plants as possible, preventing the formation of pits on the top, otherwise excess moisture may accumulate in them, which will lead to damage to the culture by bacteria or fungi.
- During hilling, try not only to warm the earth into plants, but also to spread its stems to the sides. So the tops will grow better.
- Before grounding, fertilize the earth with ash. It will serve as a very good fertilizer.
- If, as a top dressing, you prefer liquid organic fertilizers, then water them between rows using a watering can, without touching the leaves of the plant.
- You can sprinkle the grooves with mulch. It slows the growth of weeds and retains moisture and loose soil.
Benefit and harm
Despite the apparent evidence of the benefits of hilling plants, he has both supporters and opponents.
The former are convinced of the usefulness of the procedure and give a number of arguments:
- The growth of tops and underground root crops and aerial roots is accelerated;
- Additional shoots are formed;
- Weeds are harvested;
- The kidney becomes more loose and airy;
- The plant becomes resistant to wind;
- A large layer of soil, which is buried on tubers, allows them to develop better.
Opponents of hilling believe that it is not necessary to carry it out and argue this with the following facts:
- Hilling is a threat in the form of evaporation of moisture (after all, water evaporates faster from loose soil);
- Overheating of loose soil leads to a halt in the growth of tubers and their death.
Are the statements of the enemies of the spud true? Of course, they have a grain of truth. The fact is that in a dry climate (for example, in the steppe), it is not worthwhile to cultivate plants, it will only harm them. The same applies to too hot summers in any climate zone.
How many times to spud potatoes?
Most often they spud potatoes twice. The first procedure is carried out after the emergence of seedlings, and you can not be afraid to fill them with earth completely.
It is better to carry out the second hilling during the period of bud formation (for potatoes, for example). It was at this time that tubers began to actively develop.
It is not necessary to spud plants too early; it simply does not make sense. Late re-earthing will only damage the tubers. After the first procedure, especially if it was carried out in the middle of summer, the root crops will begin to actively grow in breadth, and can grow so widely that they will be under the furrow. During repeated hilling, you can damage them, then you can’t see the crop.
Hilling is a time consuming process. But if you do it right, the plant will surely give you large, healthy fruits.