Why sprinkle beds with sawdust: is it possible to mulch fresh soil and add them between rows? Secrets of mulching with sawdust and technology for performing work Processing sawdust for mulching.

Various production wastes are often used in the household.

Often they can successfully replace purchased products and turn out to be no worse in quality.

Waste generated in the process of sawing wood (sawdust) can be very helpful in the garden.

After all, with their help:

• fertilize the soil, making it more fertile;
• create favorable conditions for germination of seedlings and seedlings;
• fight weeds;
• regulate the acidity of the soil;
• protect the roots of plants from drying out and frost;
• make the paths cleaner and more comfortable to move.

Most types of seedlings need to be planted at the very beginning of spring, when the air temperature at night often drops to negative values.

Because of this, the soil temperature does not exceed +5 degrees, so it the roots do not develop well, and the plant is sick.

If it is not possible to put a greenhouse, then good decision may turn out to be a backfill of fresh wood waste into grooves or holes.

Sawdust needs to be poured 3-5 cm below the level of the roots, That's why seats go a little deeper.

Having dug a hole or groove and laid some sawdust on the bottom, water them with any fertilizer that contains nitrogen and phosphorus, you can also put a few grains of urea.

In this case, the bacteria that ensure the decay of wood waste and raise its temperature will take these substances from the fertilizer that has soaked the ground and upper layer soil will be provided with constant heating, and also will not lose the trace elements necessary for plant growth.

Wood sawing waste is better suited for such bedding. hardwood fruit species(pear, apple, apricot, etc.). If such sawdust is not available, then any other leafy waste can be used, mixing it with a small amount of manure or droppings to speed up the decomposition of wood.

If only coniferous sawdust is available, then they need mix in equal parts with manure, and also treat with aerobic bifidobacteria. Such preparations are sold in garden stores, they can also be bought on the Internet, for example,. The cost of packaging sufficient to process 25 m2 is 4–4.5 thousand rubles.

Sprinkle over the sawdust a mixture of garden soil and humus, because in most cases the garden soil is very depleted, so the plant will not be able to develop normally in it.

There is a lot in the mixture of earth and humus useful substances and trace elements, so the planted seedlings will not suffer from their lack.

Do not mix the earth with unripened sawdust, droppings or manure, because this mixture will burn the roots of plants and you won't get a harvest.

If you have completely rotted sawdust, then they can also be added to the mixture of soil and humus, they will improve the structure of the soil, so that the earth will be better filled with water, air and various nutrients.

In addition, rotted sawdust will provide the plant with additional nutrients, in particular calcium and phosphorus.

This method of planting can be used for any garden plants, however, for the best result take into account the acidity of the soil.

You can determine it using analyzes or by plants on the site. If they grow there:

• sorrel;
• horsetail;
• buttercup;
• acid;
• blueberry,

then earth is very acidic and pits or grooves for planting need spill with a solution of slaked lime, and sprinkle the bottom layer of sawdust with wood ash.

If on the site appeared:

• heather;
• fern;
• cornflowers,

that's enough shed holes or grooves with lime mortar.

Most root crops, as well as cucumbers and tomatoes, love moderately acidic soil, so if there are no plants listed above on the site, then sawdust poured into the bottom of the hole, groove or furrow, slightly acidify the soil, so that the seedlings will grow better.

Overripe sawdust does not change either the acidity or the amount of nitrogen in the soil, therefore, by mixing them with soil and humus, you only contribute additional fertilizers, therefore no adjustment of acidity or amount of nitrogen is required.

The same method of adding sawdust to the bottom of grooves or holes can also be used for planting seeds directly into the ground. However, for such a planting, a greenhouse is needed, because the time for planting seeds falls on February and March, so the debate of sawdust will not be able to warm the earth and air to the desired level.

Planting seeds on sawdust allows you to meet the deadlines and avoid transplanting from pots into the soil that injures the roots of plants, because, unlike the earth, sawdust has a very loose structure, therefore when transplanted, the roots are preserved intact.

If you are going to grow seedlings in separate containers, and then transplant into an open or closed ground, then completely rotted sawdust is needed mix with earth and humus. This will provide the maximum amount of nutrients and elements necessary for seedling growth.

Fertilizer

Sawdust is a good material for obtaining fertilizers, and depending on the method, its composition, characteristics and the time during which they turn into fertilizer change.

Here main methods of obtaining fertilizers:

• natural decay;
• rotting with droppings or manure;
• rotting with the addition of bifidobacteria.

The process of natural decay takes several years., and its speed depends on the type of wood, humidity and temperature.

Soft hardwoods rot the fastest. The process lasts somewhat longer in medium-hard hardwood waste. The sawdust of coniferous and hard hardwoods rots the longest.

Adding litter or manure to wood waste accelerates their decay, as well as makes ready-made humus more useful.

In addition to glucose, calcium and phosphorus, it contains nitrogen and other useful substances. Adding bifidobacteria to the mixture of sawdust and litter or manure allows you to get ready-made humus within a few months.

Such fertilizers can apply from autumn to spring. In the summer, when the plants are gaining strength and bearing fruit, this is undesirable. After all, the earth must take in the fertilizer and mix with it, otherwise, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe roots, areas will turn out where the content of nutrients exceeds not only the norm, but also a safe value.

That's how it gets vegetables soaked in nitrates- fertilizer was introduced at the wrong time and it did not have time to dissolve in the ground. As a result, the roots of the plant were not in the ground, but in the fertilizer and absorbed too many nitrogen compounds.

Mulching

After watering, water not only saturates the soil and goes into the depths, but also evaporates from the surface.

The evaporation process directly depends on the wind speed and air temperature, so on sunny or windy days the earth dries up quickly.

As water evaporates, soil moisture drops and plant roots lose their ability to absorb nutrients and trace elements necessary for growth.

The roots can only absorb an aqueous solution of these substances.

A layer of sawdust laid on top of the ground (mulch) reduces the rate of moisture evaporation, due to which plants absorb water solution more efficiently and need less watering.

Fresh sawdust negatively affects the acidity of the soil, and also draws nitrogen out of it, therefore, immediately after laying the mulch from sawdust, the earth must be watered not only with water, but also solution of nitrogen-containing and alkaline fertilizers.

In addition, these fertilizers need to be applied 2 more times throughout the season - in mid-spring and mid-summer. For more information about this process, as well as various combinations of fertilizers, read the article (Sawdust mulch).

Weed and pest control

Chemical control methods used in the fields, not always applicable in the garden, because domestic animals often run along it, which can be poisoned. Therefore, gardeners are forced to look for other ways to fight, one of which is backfilling the earth with a thick (5-10 cm) layer of sawdust.

This is similar to mulching, however, not only the space around the stem of the plant is covered, but the entire garden.

Wood waste, laid in a thick layer, deprive shoots of weeds sunlight , because of which they cannot grow and soon die off.

Slugs are one of the most dangerous and tenacious pests living in vegetable gardens. Mulch from fresh sawdust sticks to the body of the slugs, because of which they lose the ability to crawl and soon dying from dehydration.

This mulch should be sprinkled once a week. thin layer, as well as pour coffee residues dissolved in water which is detrimental to slugs.

If you only have rotted sawdust, then due to the softening of the wood during the process of decay, they can no longer stop slugs, therefore useless in the fight against these pests.

Backfilling tracks

During the rain the paths between the beds become limp and turn into an impenetrable mess, so many gardeners fill them with various materials.

Wood waste is better suited for this task than crushed stone, broken slate or brick, because they not only eliminate dirt, but also improve soil structure. In addition, the lower layer of backfill gradually rots and after 1-4 years, depending on the humidity and type of wood, it turns into a good fertilizer, which is received by nearby plants.

If, over time, you decide to change the shape or location of the beds / plantings and dig up the garden, then in this case, sawdust will be useful.

They will improve the structure of the soil, making it looser, and also fill the soil with nutrients.

To reduce Negative influence wood on the ground, 3-4 times a year, spill the paths covered with sawdust with urea and slaked lime or ash solution.

These preparations compensate for the loss of nitrogen in the soil, and also adjust the acidity of the soil to an acceptable level.

Choosing between coniferous, including pine and hardwood sawdust, consider different time their decay. Deciduous turn into humus much faster, and than softer wood, the less time is needed for this process.

Alder or poplar sawing waste will rot in 1-2 seasons, and oak or coniferous waste in 3-5 seasons.

Can do not divide the garden into beds and paths, filling the entire area with sawdust. The optimal layer thickness is 10 cm. In this case, it is advisable to use rotted sawdust, because before winter and spring it is advisable to dig up the ground.

Fresh wood, once in the soil, will acidify it and reduce the level of nitrogen. If there is no decaying wood waste, then immediately after backfilling and in the fall, after harvesting, pour sawdust with a solution of litter or manure, as well as a means that accelerates the reproduction of bifidobacteria.

From spring to autumn, these sawdust will play the role of mulch and dumping, and bacteria will turn them into high-quality fertilizer by spring. By plowing the entire garden, you will mix the soil with fertilizer, so that all plants will receive a more abundant and balanced nutrition.

Coniferous and deciduous - which is better for the garden?

On numerous forums, users often ask the question - what kind of sawdust is best for the garden and is it possible to use coniferous or some other wood waste?

At correct application any sawdust bring a lot of benefits, however misapplication can cause harm and destroy the crop making the land unsuitable for growing some plants.

Any wood sawing waste make the soil more acidic and also draw nitrogen out of it, therefore, it is necessary to apply fertilizers along with them to compensate for these changes.

Sawdust, both completely or partially rotted, and fresh, improves soil structure, which is especially important on clay soils. On particularly heavy soils consisting of solid clay, it is necessary add sand along with sawdust.

Fresh wood waste in the process of decay is very hot, which leads to an increase in soil temperature and overheating of plant roots, so fresh sawdust can not be laid close to the roots.

So there is not much difference between coniferous and deciduous sawdust - with correct use they bring many benefits, and mistakes can be harmful and lead to sad consequences. Most of the negative reviews about the use of sawdust in the garden are due to their misuse while those who have used them correctly are satisfied with the results.

Conifers

However, it is important to understand the differences between hardwood and softwood sawdust and how the latter affect the soil.

In most cases, coniferous sawdust means pine or spruce sawdust as the most accessible, as well as as cheap as possible. Pine and spruce are used for most joinery and carpentry, so sawdust is everywhere.

Fresh pine and spruce sawdust due to the high resin content, they rot much longer deciduous, and also draw more nitrogen from the soil.

Improper use of pine and any coniferous sawdust causes much more harm vegetable garden than deciduous.

Due to the high content of resins, humus from sawdust contains more microelements necessary for plants, therefore it is better suited for a balanced top dressing.

If coniferous sawdust is laid in furrows, ditches or pits, then due to the greater need for nitrogen for complete decay, it is necessary to increase the amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

In addition, pine sawdust more acidic soil, so you need to increase the amount of slaked lime or ash.

Use pine and other coniferous sawdust in the garden not only possible but necessary, taking into account their features and compensating for the negative impact on the land. Only in this case they will bring a lot of benefits.

Deciduous

Due to the lower resin content, humus from leafy waste is a little less balanced, but they rot faster. In addition, hardwood sawdust is less accessible, so dried and chopped branches and twigs of fruit trees are often used in the garden.

Using such material, be careful, because among the dried branches often come across sick or injured various pests.

Such sawdust cannot be used, because bacteria will not be able to process pests and pathogens, therefore fertilizer from them can infect your plantings.

All this allows us to conclude that those sawdust that easier and cheaper to bring to the garden. Whatever wood waste you use, you still have to use other fertilizers along with it.

In this article, we talked about the places where you can buy wood sawing waste, and also talked about various ways that allow you to save on their purchase.

Only an integrated approach, in which the negative impact of wood on the soil is compensated, will lead to improved plant development, as well as more plentiful and high-quality fruiting.

Related videos

This video talks about the use of sawdust in the garden:

Summarize

sawdust is very useful material useful for any gardener. After all, they are used for:

• mulching;
• dumping tracks;
• plant nutrition;
• improve soil structure;
• earlier planting of seedlings or seeds.

After reading the article, you learned how to use this material correctly and what mistakes gardeners most often make.

In contact with

In this article, we will talk about various ways getting rid of sawdust , their use and compare them with each other.

In some cases you have to pay for someone to take it out and one way or another disposed of sawdust, in others they are taken away interested persons or organizations, and it happens that in the processing of this material they create.

Sawdust is a unique material with many wood properties. Therefore, such material is in great demand in:

• fuel production;
• production of building materials;
• home and agriculture;
• repair and construction works Oh.

Fuel production

Obtained from sawdust different kinds fuels, among which the most famous pellets and briquettes.

These fuels can be used for conventional boilers, stoves or fireplaces, but maximum effect achieved only in automatic heating appliances.

After all, all elements of one batch are the same in size and shape, thanks to which the systems automatic feeding fuels can dose them more accurately. Read more about these types of fuel.

Another popular type of fuel is mixture of different alcohols, which is obtained from fermented sawdust.

This material is mixed with a solution of sulfuric acid and heated under pressure, due to which the cellulose breaks down into simple sugars suitable for fermentation.

After the end of fermentation, the mass is driven through a distiller, obtaining at the output alcohols different quality.

Read more about this use of sawdust in a separate one.

Also obtained from sawdust pyrolysis gas suitable for use in heating and kitchen ovens, as well as in hot water boilers and another working for natural gas technique.

By calorific value pyrolysis gas is much inferior to natural gas, but, due to the minimum cost of its production, pyrolysis gas heating is often cheaper than natural gas.

Read more about this gas, how it is obtained and used.

Production of building materials

Sawdust is used for the production of building materials such as sawdust concrete.

Compared to conventional concrete, this material is noticeably lighter, moreover, it has lower thermal conductivity, therefore, a house built from it loses less heat, which means you will have to spend less on additional insulation.

In addition, the wood in the composition of concrete improves the vapor permeability of the walls, thanks to which in such houses there is always optimal humidity, because its excess through the walls goes out into the street.

Another popular material that is made from sawdust is wood concrete. In many ways, it is similar to sawdust concrete, but it also has differences. After all, the mixture for pouring wood concrete is prepared without adding sand, that is, mixing cement, sawdust and water.

Besides, this material lighter and stronger sawdust concrete, although it is much more expensive. You can read more about the production and use of wood concrete at.

Good things are made from sawdust insulation and finishing materials:

• fiberboard (fibreboard);
• Chipboard (chipboard);
• organic insulation.

Fiberboard is used for wall, ceiling and floor finishes, a t also forinner lining cabinet space.

On the basis of fiberboard, a popular finishing material- hardboard, which differs from fiberboard by the presence of a decoratively processed side. chipboard use to create furniture and many other works.

Organic insulation is only slightly inferior to mineral wool, but environmentally friendly, because its basis is paper obtained from sawdust.

Home and agriculture

Sawdust is an excellent material for feeding various animals. This applies to both pets, such as hamsters, parrots or cats, and various livestock.

The material for bedding is chosen based on many factors, one of which is the smell, because fresh sawdust smells strongly, and not everyone likes it.

For more information on how to choose bedding, read the article. (Sawdust for pets).

Another use of this material is the land around plants.

Bare ground quickly loses moisture, overheats and cools down, which causes damage to the roots of plants. By covering the ground around the plant with wood sawing waste, you will protect the roots, so that the plant will better endure the winter cold and summer heat, and it can also be watered less often.

Wood sawing waste is an excellent material for growing mushrooms and creating quality fertilizer. Mushrooms get enough food from them to multiply quickly, and the cost of such food is low, often it can be obtained for free.

From sawdust also obtained good humus, saturates the soil with nutrients and raises the yield of plants.

To learn more about this method of using wood sawing waste, read the article. (Sawdust fertilizer).
It is also very convenient to fill the paths between the beds in the fields, in vegetable gardens or greenhouses with sawmill waste.

Even after heavy rains along these paths it will be possible walk without being smeared with mud so you can check your plants after a rainstorm.

Once every few years it will be necessary plow a garden or field so that the sawdust is evenly distributed over the ground and fertilizes it.

Repair and construction work

The main use of sawdust during repair and construction work is various insulation.

They fall asleep between thin wooden walls, due to which minimal cost the thermal conductivity of such a wall is comparable to the same parameter of a wall made of timber of equal width.

That is, with a wall width of 20–30 cm, insulation will be required only in the northern regions.

In addition, wood sawing waste mixed with clay and the resulting solution is used to insulate ceilings, floors and brick walls.

The effectiveness of such insulation is much lower than that which gives the use mineral wool or foam, but you can increase the thickness of the layer, due to which significant savings are achieved.

The same compositions are made on the basis of lime or cement, which act as a binder. Read more about all the methods of insulation using wood sawing waste here ().

Processing business

If there is a steady supply of sawdust or if you can get it for free or very cheap, then you can start a sawdust processing business. The final product can be anything, so you need to focus on the demand for a particular product.

For example, if the region is bad with gas, but people there is a possibility to buy automatic boilers, then pellets and briquettes will be in good demand High Quality. Read about choosing such a boiler or burner.

After all, access to free or very cheap sawdust allows you to produce products, the price of which will be lower than the market average for similar products.

If you are interested in such a business, then read more about it.

One more promising direction– production of sawdust for cats or hamsters.

For this waste sawing wood dried, treated with deodorants, giving a pleasant smell to the material, and packaged in paper or plastic bags.

No less interesting can be the sale of sawdust in bags for smoking.

After all, for each product they use their own combination of wood species providing best taste and smell, so packaged sawdust of various types of wood will be in demand.

Responsibility for the disposal of waste from the woodworking industry

Despite the fact that sawdust is classified as 5 hazard class according to the federal catalog of waste classification, that is, to practically safe, they still need to be disposed of in any way possible.

In addition, dried sawdust is very flammable material , which is difficult to put out if the fire has gained strength. Therefore, wood sawing waste can be disposed of in any way possible:

• take it to a landfill;
• dig into the ground;
• distribute to people and businesses;
• sell to any buyer;
• use for heating in winter;
• use in the subsidiary farm for any needs;
• use for the production of pyrolysis gas and use it in any way;
• hand over to the nearest pulp and paper or chemical plant that processes wood;
• recycle in any way (manufacturing of some goods may require a license).

If the sawdust long time not removed and there is a risk of fire or littering foreign territory, then questions may arise from various regulatory organizations.

In Russia, the disposal of any waste, including sawdust, is regulated by the federal law N 89-FZ of 06/24/1998 "On production and consumption waste", which you can read by clicking on this link.

Another document regulating the disposal of any waste, including sawdust, is the federal law of March 30, 1999 N 52-ФЗ “On the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population”.

Everything in it waste storage and disposal issues considered in the context of the impact on the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of people.

Therefore, any method of disposal must comply with the laws adopted in Russia.

No permits are required for a single burning of a small amount of sawdust, however, for regular burning of large volumes, not only permits for burning itself are required, but also recycling solution final product - ash or soot.

The same applies to burying sawdust in the ground. In some regions, there may be complaints from officials in connection with formal violations of certain points of the law, but in reality such nit-picking may be lobbying the interests of landfill owners.

Advantages and disadvantages of various processing methods

Any of the owners of a woodworking enterprise or sawmill wants to get rid of sawdust with maximum benefit, but there are situations when we are talking is no longer about profit, but about minimizing the cost of disposing of this waste.

Recycling is the most profitable, but everything depends on the complexity of the sale of the finished product and the high cost of equipment.

To take sawdust to a landfill, it is necessary to obtain permission from the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (RPN), buy quotas, and these are all considerable expenses.

After all, the amount of payment depends on the volume of material taken to the landfill. It is possible to bury sawdust in the ground if we are talking about some small batch, but when tens or hundreds of cubic meters of waste are received monthly, then they can no longer be buried.

In addition, it is highly likely that burying large amounts of sawdust in the ground will arouse the interest of RPN officials, who will immediately begin issuing fines, because such work needs to be coordinated with them.

Wood sawing waste giving away to people for free, however, it is necessary to conclude an agreement with them on the gratuitous transfer of tangible assets.

Otherwise, questions may arise from the tax office.

Such an agreement may be concluded in a simple written form.

Waste wood sawing can be sold in any volume, if there are buyers, but they also need conclude a formal contract and issue a receipt Otherwise, questions will arise from the tax office. The same situation is with the delivery of waste to processing enterprises.

The sale of sawdust can be very popular in bags with delivery, even if you do not make money on it, you can get rid of some of the accumulated waste. Stores take such goods for sale at a low price and sell them as a filler. cat litter.

Such a sale will also require conclude an agreement with the store, as well as attach receipts confirming payment for the goods by the store. The disadvantage of this method is the high transport costs and the inability to attach large volumes of material. After all, even hypermarket chains will be able to take only a few tens of cubic meters of such material per month.

The easiest way to use sawdust for heating their own premises in winter– no documents are required for this method of disposal.

However, even in this case, one cannot do without bureaucracy, because in the process of burning wood, soot and ash are formed, which also needs to be disposed of somehow. Otherwise, questions arise from the RPN and the fire department. Indeed, according to their logic, soot and ash are simply thrown into a landfill without paying a recycling fee for it.

In addition, in the event of a fire at a landfill or any nearby waste disposal area under suspicion will be enterprises producing ash or soot, but refused to conclude a contract for their disposal.

The same situation is with the production of pyrolysis gas: permits for the process itself and the use of gas on the territory of the enterprise are not required, but you still need to conclude contract for the utilization of soot and coal.

There are situations when sawdust lies for a long time and begins to rot, as a result of which cellulose breaks down into carbon dioxide and various sugars.

It is difficult to get rid of such sawdust, because no one wants to take them even for free, so the easiest way is to bury them in the ground, getting on it OLTC permission. This will cost less than buying quotas required for the removal of municipal solid waste to a landfill.

If the nearest branch of the tap changer is several hundred kilometers away, then sawdust can be bury without their consent.

In contact with

Every gardener knows that good harvest can only be obtained on fertile soil. Therefore, carefully prepare for the onset of the summer season, fertilizing your site. There are many innovations in the field of fertilizers nowadays, but the good old methods are also widely used along with modern drugs and have never been let down. One such method is the use of sawdust.

Often summer residents are interested in whether rotted sawdust can be used as fertilizer. The answer is obvious - not only possible, but also necessary, because sawdust, in fact, is a pure organic material. The main thing is to properly prepare them before use. Sawdust not only enriches the soil, but also makes it looser and serves as an excellent mulch. Moreover, they are more accessible financial side.

The use of sawdust for fertilizing the garden

It is not recommended to bring rotted sawdust in its pure form to garden beds, as they very acidify the soil. On such soil, many plants simply will not survive. However, it is thanks to the process of sawdust decay that the earth is saturated with oxygen. To neutralize acidity, sawdust fertilizer should be properly prepared:

1. Pour fresh sawdust into the prepared pit.
2. Sprinkle lime on top.
3. Leave to rot for at least two years.

To speed up the process of decay, a pile of sawdust is poured with liquid kitchen waste without admixture household products. When the sawdust rots, they fertilize the soil, spreading it over the beds.

It is better to fertilize with sawdust in the first half of summer, so that by autumn they have time to completely decompose. If you fertilize at the end of summer, due to high humidity during the rainy season, water from wood waste will not evaporate well.

Using sawdust as mulch

Sawdust makes a good mulch for different cultures not only in the garden, but also in the garden. Overripe sawdust can be immediately scattered on the beds with a layer of 5 cm, and fresh ones must first be prepared. To do this, lay them out in layers, alternating approximately in the following proportion: 3 buckets of sawdust - 200 g of urea. Cover the top with cling film and leave for 2 weeks. After the specified time, the sawdust will be ready for use.

Raspberry-type shrubs are mulched with a thicker layer - up to 20 cm.

Mulching with sawdust will allow you to water the beds less often, since moisture will not evaporate as quickly, and will keep the soil structure loose. In addition, the presence of mulch in the aisles will create obstacles for the growth of weeds.

Sawdust in greenhouses and in compost

Overripe sawdust is applied to greenhouse beds in spring or autumn in order to speed up seed germination. Such soil warms up faster. For greater benefit, they are mixed with manure, also rotted.

Sawdust is good to add to the compost. At the same time, they must rot during the year, so that the compost is more nutritious.

Using sawdust in the garden - video

Mulching with sawdust is a well-known technique of experienced gardeners.

Nature itself suggested simple actions to us, because in forests and wild places, roots and plants that people do not care for somehow survive cold and heat.

The reason is the natural covering of fallen leaves, brushwood, needles. Such a mantle reliably protects the soil from leaching and erosion, as well as from insects.

Therefore, in the garden or in the garden, for beds, mulching can also be used, and sawdust, pieces of bark, coniferous needles, film, gravel, straw can be used as bedding.

This method is equally good in the greenhouse and for beds.

Mulching in this way is suitable for any soil. It not only protects the soil and plants from the cold, but is often used as a fertilizer that will enrich even poor soil.

For example, if your flowers in the spring, bushy plants (raspberries, currants) or vegetables (tomatoes, cabbage) at a later time do not have fruits and ovaries, then mulching can be an excellent way out.

Layered mulch allows plants to "breathe" and absorb fertilizer better. For growing tomatoes, this is the most effective method improve the quality of the crop.

Since sawdust tightly covers the ground, without sunlight, a large number of bacteria develop in the layer.

They process most of the sawdust, so we get fertile soil at the output.

In addition, mulching with sawdust for tomatoes or potatoes, for example, is simply necessary when the dry season comes.

This is logical, because open ground heats up faster under open sunlight, and these plants (this applies to both tomatoes and potatoes) deteriorate very quickly in such soil.

Sawdust retains moisture and protects the earth from overheating. With this approach, you can water vegetables and bushes less.

If we are talking about fruits that are close to the ground, then mulching helps to avoid rotting.

This is true for cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, and also for strawberries, which most often lie directly on the ground.

To reap a good harvest, you need not only to weed the beds and paint the fence in the country, but also to do fertilizer.

How to use mulching as fertilizer?

Many types of fertilizers are quite expensive. Sawdust in this regard is very profitable option Moreover, they are absolutely safe. They act as the basis for the nutritional complex.

The best way to prepare it is to pass the sawdust through the compost. However, remember that it is forbidden to introduce clean, fresh sawdust into the soil (as fertilizer).

Bring in natural fertilizer based on mulch and compost, you need it in the spring, because certain, rather high temperatures are necessary for decay.

Fresh sawdust is not a fertilizer, it is extremely low in nitrogen, it is fibrous and contains cellulose.

However, the lignin contained in the mulch helps form the stem of the plant and conducts nutrients to it.

After some time, microorganisms begin to use mulch as a medium, saturate wood chips with useful elements.

If you do not put sawdust in a compost pit, then the process of soil rotting will take several years. In compost, this period can be significantly reduced.

Sawdust compost is pretty easy to make. As ingredients, we take fresh shavings in in large numbers, urea, water, ash.

If you have household organic waste, straw, grass, then they can also be added to the compost pit.

Urea is first dissolved in water, and then the materials of the future fertilizer are watered. You can also add manure to enhance the beneficial properties.

Do not forget to re-paint the curbs and fences after the work has been done to betray summer cottage cozy look.

What plants need to be mulched?

Many gardeners use sawdust mulching everywhere and for any plants. This technique is suitable both at home and in the country, where the owners will appear infrequently.

Why? Mulching allows you to inhibit and slow down the growth of weeds, and also saves moisture, which is very useful during hot periods.

This approach is relevant if you have a lot of rose bushes or other whimsical flowers in your greenhouse.

Passages between the beds of tomatoes, currant and raspberry bushes, paths on the site and near the flower beds are also sprinkled with shavings, because this allows you to give the area a neat look without weeds and pits.

Mulching is also used when planting potatoes. So, when hilling potatoes, the resulting "furrows" are covered with a substrate, which allows you to grow healthy fruits.

This layer is also useful for potatoes because it retains moisture in the ground and it is not necessary to water the bushes (and sometimes these are entire plantations for which there is simply not enough water).

Therefore, sawdust is the best way out for potatoes and other root plants - carrots, garlic, onions.

For growing cucumbers, small sawdust is used for mulching. Coniferous sawdust is also suitable, because they additionally warm the soil in winter.

They are laid in the base of the beds, after which they are covered with manure.

After that, another layer is applied, and then you don’t have to worry that the cold will cause the cucumbers to freeze, but the laying should be done in the fall, not in the spring.

Very often mulching is used for raspberries.

So, raspberry roots after the procedure, where the soil is covered with a thick layer, retain moisture and nutrients better, and as a result we get tasty fruits, which come out more per bush than usual.

Thanks to this method, you can not replant a raspberry bush for up to fifteen years.

Also experienced gardeners not without mulching for tomatoes, strawberries, whimsical plants (like roses) and much more.

In general, any plants grow better if mulching is applied to them, but only if they are combined with nitrogen fertilizers. So, onion feathers after the procedure will grow taller and turn out juicier.

Mulching to loosen and cover the soil

Since fertilizer sawdust rots rather slowly, it is often used to loosen the soil.

Most often, mulching for such purposes is carried out in a greenhouse, for tomatoes, raspberries. exotic varieties, colors.

In a small greenhouse, we need three buckets of shavings, three kilograms of humus and ten liters of water.

All this is mixed in a container (trough, barrel) and left to brew for a couple of hours. Then they are evenly applied to the soil.

If we are not talking about a greenhouse, but loosening is required for open soil, then you can use sawdust during digging.

Just add small portions of the substrate to the soil, from which it will be loose. Therefore the need for frequent watering disappears by itself.

Sawdust is an ideal material for covering the soil in cold weather.

More than once, the owners on their plots faced the problem of freezing, especially in those latitudes where winters are characterized by great frosts.

Chips are easy to store in any dry place, they do not deteriorate over time - just pack them in bags and leave them in the pantry.

Soil cover is considered the most in a safe way weather the cold.

How to mulch roses, vines and vines that cannot be dug out of the ground and have vines? We bend them and cover the entire length with a substrate.

Mulching is best done late autumn so that it does not start to rot under the sun and mice do not start in it.

And in order to completely secure the shoots of roses, you can do air dry shelter. To do this, we make a small frame made of wood, lay a film on top of it, and a layer of sawdust on it.

After once again the film and the ground.

Such a layer will withstand even the most very coldy, it can be used not only for roses, but also for low plants (raspberries, tomatoes) until frost (after all, they are more tender and wait out the winter only in a greenhouse).

However, use rose sawdust wisely.

If in a greenhouse you can save any plants from snow and rain, then on the street constant moisture and temperature changes can turn mulching into an ice crust, without air access and with constant decay of plants under the layer.

Here, again, the frame will help out. However, unlike roses, for garlic, "wet" coating with sawdust is the most successful.

How to protect strawberries with mulching

Few gardeners do not know what strawberries are on winter period do not dig out of the ground. On the contrary, strawberry sprouts are trying in every possible way to insulate so as not to freeze the root and leaves.

If the strawberries freeze, then the next season it will not produce berries. This is true for raspberries and roses (in their case, they will not bloom).

Well, if you are a professional farmer who grows vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers) and fruits with berries (strawberries) in a greenhouse.

But if it's about open field, then you can not do without other ways to save heat.

Strawberries are often mulched with sawdust. This method came to us from Western farmers, it is used even on huge farms, as the most profitable and safe protection for berries.

This is also true for tomatoes, the trunks of which at the beginning of the season through the ground infect bacteria, popularly called "gray rot".

Simply mulching the soil is enough to avoid many plant diseases (roses, tomatoes, strawberries, etc.).

How to keep the soil moist for a long time in the heat? How to protect plants from freezing in winter? How to control the growth of weeds in the beds? Such questions are often asked by inexperienced gardeners.Mulching with sawdustsoil is one of the agricultural techniques that solves these problems.

Advantages and disadvantages of sawdust mulching

Mulch the soil with sawdust, that is, to cover the surface of the earth with them, it is necessary with skill. This procedure is not always beneficial. Advantages:

• cheapness;
• retain moisture well in the soil;
• contribute to greater air permeability of the soil;
• protect roots from temperature changes;
• when they decompose, organic substances are formed that feed the earth with vital elements;
• retain heat in the soil, in severe winters do not allow it to freeze;
• pass air;
• prevent the spread of weeds;
• prevent the berries from coming into contact with the soil, which means they reduce their spoilage;
• mulch is a home for beneficial microflora;
• pine mulching sawdust prevents the development of fungal diseases and repels some pests;
• softwood sawdust, especially pine , drive away some pests and pathogens.

Despite the impressive list of pros, mulching has its drawbacks:

• fresh sawdust affects the acidity of the soil, increasing it;
• sawdust of large size rots for a long time, and for the decomposition process they need nitrogen, which they take from the soil;
• also, the decomposition period depends on the types of trees - sawdust from soft hardwoods overripe in 10-15 months, from pine and other representatives of conifers - 2–3 years;
• coniferous sawdust prevent the development of not only pathogenic microflora, but also useful.

What sawdust can be used

Crops respond differently to sawdust mulch.

• plants love chopped hardwood, except for oak, poplar and walnut. Oak, as well as waste from poplar and walnut, it is better not to use. They secrete substances that inhibit the growth of many crops;
• sawdust from coniferous trees acidifies the soil , therefore, it is applied under plants that prefer an acidic environment - potatoes, greens, carrots, tomatoes and representatives of the pumpkin family;
• waste from chipboard is prohibited to use, as they contain hazardous substances.

For mulchinguse material of different sizes.

1. A very fine fraction is not used. It cakes into lumps and forms a hard crust on the surface.
2. Large sawdust forms a loose and deep layer, which is difficult to compact.
3. large chips warm the plants winter.

Sawdust in its pure form is sprinkled with paths in plots and flower beds, passages between the beds. Do not cover the ground with fresh sawdust in the fall. This wood material has a low thermal conductivity. If you covered the cold ground with it, then it will not thaw for a long time in the spring and will not warm up well. For mulch it is better to use rotted or semi-rotted material, which is painted in light or dark brown.

For a healthy harvest potatoes after hilling it, sprinkle the grooves with sawdust. They will help retain moisture and prevent weeds from germinating. Mulching bushes raspberries helps to overwinter its root system without negative consequences. Bushes of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and many flowers - hydrangeas, roses , lupins also respond well to this procedure.

Mulching must be combined with the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers.

For cucumbers practice mulching with wood chips small fraction. Each bush is sprinkled in a circle, this protects the plant from sucking pests. Coniferous sawdust is used as biofuels. They are poured into the base of the cucumber beds , well watered with slurry and increase it in height with earth.

Wood waste under the action manure will spit and give off heat all season long. Large wood shavings are laid in planting holes for grapes and flower vines. They act as a heat insulator, protecting plant roots from deep cold. Coniferous sawdust is best used for mulching carrots , they will drive away the carrot fly. For warming mulch, the “dry” method is most often used, which is suitable for most crops - clematis, grapes, rose bushes.

The advantage of this method is that plants overwinter in a dry warm place where it does not penetrate excess moisture. They are covered with sawdust, covered with polyethylene and covered with earth. Events are held in late autumn.

Winter garlic needs mulching not to protect against freezing, but to preserve soil moisture and prevent cracking of the earth. Therefore, a “wet” shelter method is suitable for garlic: mulch from shavings sprinkle the soil near the plants, without digging in the ground and without covering the beds with polyethylene. Mulching pine sawdust protects garlic from diseases and pests.

Do not sprinkle such mulch on plants that love an alkaline environment - cabbage, beets. This will adversely affect their growth.

Terms of work

In order for the sawdust to start "working", they must rot. This requires a high temperature, which is why optimal timing their uses are spring, summer - the warm season. In the same period, it is necessary to protect the roots of plants from the scorching sun and prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture. Wood mulch can handle strawberry plantations, raspberry bushes, tree trunks near fruit trees. Winter mulching is carried out with a mixture consisting of:

• from sawdust;
• plant residues;
• rotted manure.

Technology

Before how to processsoil with mulch, you need to find out its acidity and, if necessary, adjust this parameter by adding additional components.

Material preparation

The sawdust itself are not fertilizer. They, on the contrary, like a sponge, suck elements out of the soil, impoverishing it. Therefore, it is necessary from them make mulch. It is easy to cook with your own hands. Training starts with the purchase of wood material. It must be of high quality, free of pathogens and pests.

1. On the polyethylene film pour out several buckets of sawdust and on top - calcium nitrate (70–80 g per 1 bucket of material). Then watered, covered with a film and left for a week.
2. The most commonly used urea saturation of the material with nitrogen. They put it in a heap, pour each layer with a solution of urea (200 g per 10 liters of water), then cover with a film. Every 14 days, the sawdust is shoveled so that it is saturated with oxygen. Use them when they turn black.

Technology preparation is to ensure that a sufficient number of microorganisms settle on the material, which will begin to process the tree into organic matter. For this, it is necessary to support high humidity and temperatures above +15°C. To prepare mulch, it takes time, so it is better to do it in spring or autumn, making compost pits. Sawdust, manure and vegetable waste - tops, mowed grass, leaves are laid in them in layers. If there is no time, then compost made from fresh sawdust. For 1 bucket of sawdust take:

• superphosphate in granules - 30 g;
• ammonium nitrate - 40 g;
• calcium chloride - 10 g;
• slaked lime - 120 g.

The mixture is infused for 2 weeks.

Addendum dolomite flour or ashes in rotted sawdust neutralizes components that change the acidity of the soil.

Features of spring and summer mulching in the open field and greenhouse

Mulch crops in spring annual crops immediately after landing. For this purpose, only sawdust of deciduous trees is used, oak cannot be applied. Root crops - carrots, turnips, garlic - are sprinkled with mulch after thinning, when the tops of the plant have reached a height of 5–7 cm. A layer of mulch is made 3–4 cm thick.

It is added to perennials after warming up. soil , after removing the old mulch layer or digging it with soil. In the summer they are not mulched, as they do not have time to prepare for the winter. Raspberries, currants, apple trees, bushes strawberries mulch in spring before flowering. Sawdust should be applied before the second decade of June, then by the middle of summer there will be no trace of the layer.

Mulch is better in the greenhouse to bring in the spring, having mixed with other nutritious components - manure, urea. Plants are mulched when they begin to actively develop. This allows you to reduce the rate of watering and protects the roots from overheating. The use of coniferous sawdust in a greenhouse for growing tomatoes and cucumbers helps to reduce the development of diseases and the number of harmful insects. The layer of mulch should be 5-7 cm.

Preparing beds and planting for winter

In the garden do high beds on which vegetable and flower crops grow well.

1. Remove the top fertile layer and put it aside.
2. On the resulting base lay a layer of mowed grass, tops, straw.
3. Sawdust, well moistened with a solution of urea, is laid on it.
4. Again, plant remains, which are covered with deposited earth.

So that the bed does not crumble around the perimeter, the sides are made of mowed grass. Plants in such a bed need more water.

Gardener's mistakes

Beginning summer residents sometimes complain that mulching does not bring the result they expected. This is due to a violation of the process technology. Let's look at the main mistakes:

• the use of sawdust without pre-treatment of the soil with nitrogen fertilizer is one of the fatal mistakes;
• it is forbidden use freshsawdust - this entails an increase in soil acidity;
• incorrectly selected size of wood waste for plants - large shavings, they are used only in the garden for mulching the near-trunk circles of trees and shrubs or as insulation for the winter;
• the introduction of sawdust on unheated soil.

sawdust mulch- This good material and fertilizer which is suitable for many types of soil. The result of mulching will be noticeable after 3–4 years, since the formation of a fertile layer is a very slow process. But the quality of the harvest of strawberries or raspberries can be assessed in the same season. But be sure to take into account peculiarities use of mulch so as not to harm crops.