Fertile soil - pledge of a rich harvest

Soil fertility is the guarantee of a rich harvest of ecologically pure fruits of any plants. Fertile soil does not arise by itself, but as a result of the natural process of decomposition of plant remains, microorganisms, and remains of soil animals. It is during humification that humus (humus, chernozem) forms in the upper layer of the soil. Humus contains in an accessible form many nutrients necessary for the proper development of plants.

The fertility of the soil can be judged by the plants occupying the site. The vegetation of fertile soils is dense and juicy, on soil poor in humus, and vegetation is weak, sparse. In the fertile humus land, there are nettles, mint, ragwort, osseous, dandelion, honeycomb, gloss, starlet. On depleted soils - chamomile, shepherd's bag, clover, linen, jasmine.

The most dense soil is clay, the nutrients are well retained in it, but the soil does not pass water and air, it is difficult to process, very dense lumps form in the dried clay soil.

Sandy soil is easily processed, but has few nutrients, and therefore it is required to make fertilizers in higher doses. Well absorbed water, sandy soil is not able to hold it. In this case, water dissolves useful microcomponents and carries them to a depth inaccessible to the root system.

The soil of chernozem has become famous for its fertility, since it is rich in humus, nitrogen and potassium. The fine crusty granular structure of this soil is most suitable for the growth of plants - it passes air and water well.

And yet, in nature, there is no ideal soil for the cultivation of vegetable crops in all their diversity. Carrots prefer sandy soil, potatoes - loam or chernozem. In order to determine what fertilizers to deposit on the site and what kind of tillage is the best here, you need to know the soil composition, its density, moisture capacity, acidity and structure.

The structure of the soil is determined by a simple method - rolling out of a small coma of flagellum land and then folding it into a ring. If the tourniquet does not work, the soil is sandy. If the bundle is curled into a ring easily - the soil is clayey. To improve the structure of sandy and clay soil, it is necessary to introduce organic fertilizers, sowing seeds. If the tourniquet slides, but crumbles when folded into a ring, the soil structure is normal and does not need improvement. The best structure is granular with a grain size of 1 cm. To improve the structure of the soil, mulch and shallow loosening (harrowing) is carried out.

The acidity of the soil can be defined as follows: a clod of earth is placed in a jar of water, stirred, allowed to settle - the earth will be at the bottom, water - above the earth. A piece of litmus, the determinant of the acidity of the medium, is lowered into the water. If the paper turns red - the soil has an acidic environment, if litmus turns blue - the soil is alkaline. To determine the acidity of the soil, plant indicators help. On acidic soil indicate buttercup, horsetail, horse sorrel. Alkaline soils grow a bindweed, poppy-samoseyka. Fertile soil, as a rule, weakly acidic or neutral. About such a favorable environment say nettle, chamomile, wheatgrass, dandelion.

To ensure that the fertile soil is preserved from year to year or if fertility improves, special agricultural measures should be carried out on the site. They include a crop rotation, without which it is impossible to receive consistently good harvests. The dead remains of the same plant, accumulated in the soil from year to year, form toxic compounds that disrupt the metabolism in plants of future crops. In addition, vegetable crops require a balanced diet with different elements, rather than the same. By all rules, culture returns to its place only after 5 years. On small plots, this rule can be observed by growing vegetables using the Mittlayer method.

Soil rest, created from time to time for one season, can improve soil fertility. If you used to use "pure steam", now you often use syderat planting, for example, fazelii, white mustard, lupine, buckwheat, rye. These plants contain proteins, nitrogen, microelements, and the roots improve the structure of the soil, increasing air permeability. Ciderates are included in the crop rotation or sown by them after the harvesting of the main crop.

Fertile soil maintains a high yield of vegetables, cereals and berry crops when applying organic and mineral fertilizers. Preference should be given to organic, which enriches the soil for many years, as it decomposes gradually. The introduction of mineral fertilizers has a short-term effect, and in addition, the soil microflora is inhibited.

The creation of fertile soil in the backyard is not a matter of one day. But the noble and laborious work of the farmer is sure to be rewarded with a rich harvest of excellent vegetables, berries and fruits.