Autumn processing of uncultivated land for a vegetable garden in spring. Soil cultivation in the fall from diseases and pests

When starting a vegetable garden, whatever the soil, do not grab a shovel before you have a layout plan. vegetable crops in your garden. It is also necessary to know the composition of the soil for correct processing soil for garden plants.

Proper garden planning

Rice. 1. Garden plan

Divide the part of the garden planned for vegetables into four plots: on the first, place crops that require a large amount of organic fertilizers - cucumbers and cabbage, on the second - tomatoes and onions, on the third (after applying mineral fertilizers) - root crops, and carrots should be placed next to onions second plot, as these crops will mutually protect against flies: onions protect carrots from carrot flies, and carrots protect onions from onion fly. And on the fourth plot, place early potatoes. Beware of growing potatoes next to tomatoes or after tomatoes, and tomatoes after potatoes, as both crops are affected by the same fungus - late blight.

Green vegetables (lettuce, Chinese cabbage, spinach, dill, etc.) and radishes can be grown either before cucumbers and tomatoes (they will be repeated crops) or after early cabbage and early potato, or in the aisles of young orchard, but not closer than 1 m from the tree stem. On an inconvenient part of the garden, near buildings or a fence, place perennial vegetable crops that tolerate some shading: rhubarb, sorrel, tarragon, perennial bows, as well as onion to the greens.

With insufficient area for vegetable crops, they can be grown in the aisles of a young garden, especially such early vegetables like green. The root system of onions for greens, lettuce, Beijing cabbage, dill for greens, spinach, and radishes, occupying the area under the trees a short time, competes little with the roots fruit trees regarding nutrient intake. When placing vegetable crops in a young garden, it should be borne in mind that when shading, lettuce does not form a head of cabbage, radish does not form a root crop. The distance from the tree trunk must be at least 1 m.

In wide aisles, you can also grow early white and cauliflower, early Savoy and kohlrabi, but only with sufficient sunlight for these plants.

As a general rule, vegetables should be grown on a level surface, but if shallow fertile layer or close ground water, then you have to grow them in beds no more than 1 m wide. Cold-resistant crops should be arranged in rows from east to west: better lighting in the morning and evening, less overheating at noon; demanding to heat - from north to south.

Crop rotation in the garden

Rice. 2. Garden plan for the next year. Crop rotation example

Keep in mind that next year the crops grown in the first plot should be placed in the fourth, and in the second - the crops from the first plot, etc. What is it for? The fact is that when crops are grown for a number of years in the same place, soil depletion appears. separate elements nutrition, in addition, different plants, having their own specific root system, take nutrients from different depths of the soil (onions - from the upper soil layer, carrots - from the lower horizon).

With a monoculture, pathogens accumulate in the soil, for example, with a cabbage culture - the causative agent of cabbage keel, with a culture of tomatoes - phytophthora, carrots - sclerotinia.

If it is planned to grow cucumbers and tomatoes in film portable greenhouses, then they can also be placed on plots intended for these crops. When the greenhouses are moved to new plots the following year, the remaining fertile soil provides for the next crop. It is only necessary to provide that the greenhouses are not shaded by buildings or trees, and not to grow both cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse, since cucumbers grow well with more high humidity air than tomatoes.

Terms of tillage in the garden

You can start tilling the soil when it is “ripe”, i.e. dried up to such an extent that during processing it crumbles well and breaks up into small lumps. If the soil on the site is heterogeneous, processing should be started selectively, as soon as it is ready, and it is necessary to prepare the soil for sowing seeds or planting seedlings on such an area that it is completely hushed up on the same day, avoiding excessive loss of moisture for evaporation.

It is necessary to cultivate the soil for vegetable crops in the garden in accordance with the depth of the location of the main mass of active roots; in apple and pear trees, they lie at a depth of 30-35 cm, in cherries and plums - 15-20 cm. When digging the soil, the shovel should be placed with an edge to the tree trunk so as not to damage large roots.

Do not disregard the plots intended for growing cucumbers and tomatoes demanding heat, if greenhouses are not located on them. They must be maintained in a state of black vapor, i.e. carry out shallow loosening before sowing and planting, preventing the appearance of weeds, so as not to deplete the soil and not lose moisture. It is necessary to dig up the soil on the day of sowing and planting.

How best to dig the soil

Usually they dig up the soil in the garden, turning the earth over with a shovel in place. Double work: at the same time, half of the already dug up earth is raised again. It is necessary to throw the earth from the shovel forward. Fertilizers must be applied to the formed groove-groove, and if a podzol is exposed, it is necessary to lay organic fertilizer with lime and finely dig in place, then apply 2/3 of the amount of organic-mineral fertilizer, covering it with earth when digging the next row, leaving a new furrow for the next portion of fertilizer.

Such cultivation of the garden is possible if the soil is not sodden. From the soil, penetrated by the roots or rhizomes of perennial malicious weeds (wheatgrass, thistle, bindweed, dandelion, buttercup, etc.), you need to carefully select the roots and rhizomes, weeds when digging. At the same time, it is necessary to remove both the larvae of the wireworm (beetle) and the May beetle (click beetle) and the beetles themselves - after all, they and their generations live in the ground for three to four years. Do not forget about the bears in the garden.

Autumn tillage for the prevention of diseases and pests

The beds must be cleared of large weeds, dry tops, fruits and other debris. It is best to start autumn tillage at the same time as harvesting or as soon as possible after it. Don't put it off for too long: spores of disease-causing fungi ripen on rotting plant debris, infecting the soil and preparing for successful wintering. This is facilitated by rains, and in clear weather - fog and night dew.

In popular articles on gardening, it is often written that tomato tops and other plant waste and signs of infection should not be composted, but burned. But this is not necessary: ​​there are no suitable conditions for the development of pathogens in the thickness of the compost, mature compost is safe for garden plants.

Loosening the topsoil

Immediately after harvesting plant residues, loosen the beds as early as possible to a depth of 3-4 cm to destroy the soil crust.

This must be done before a stable cold snap. Loosening provokes the germination of weed seeds. The more they have time to ascend by autumn, the better. After the autumn digging of the soil, the seedlings will die, this will reduce the work of weeding in the next season.

Autumn digging of the soil

Do I need to dig the soil in the fall? Autumn digging is not useful for all types of soil. On sandy crumbly soil, it does not give a positive effect, but for heavy clay soil it is extremely useful.

Digging improves the structure of clay soil. It forms pores, air voids, where oxygen penetrates. It is very important for the respiration of the roots and the absorption of nutrients by plants. With a lack of oxygen, the nutrients pass into a form inaccessible to plants, and plant productivity decreases.

Autumn digging of the soil reduces the infection of the garden with pests and diseases. It destroys the passages and nests of pests, opens access to them to cold air. The lumps turned out to the surface freeze better, this contributes to their partial disinfection.

Digging reduces the number of annual weeds. small seedlings weeds die easily after digging, making it easier for you to weed next season.

Snow moisture is rationally used. On the hilly surface of the beds, after digging, more snow accumulates. At the same time, when the snow melts, the water does not flow down the sides, but enters the pores formed after digging, wells and is absorbed deep into the soil. Thus, in the spring, garden vegetables can use the reserves of biologically active snow moisture for growth.

Have time to complete the digging before the onset of prolonged rains: when the earth gets wet to a depth of 10 cm or more, it is no longer possible to dig it, as this will trample the soil, and this will disrupt its structure. Usually, experienced gardeners trying to catch up with digging by the beginning of October.

Dig the beds to a depth of about 15-20 cm, turning the clods over if possible so that the weed shoots are at the bottom. It is not necessary to carefully break up lumps and level the bed: snow and water will accumulate better on an uneven surface.

What fertilizers and additives to apply to the soil in the fall

Manure. Can manure be applied in autumn? If you have nowhere to store and compost a large number of manure, you can buy it in the fall and immediately add some to greenhouses and beds, and put some in a pile for maturation. It is allowed to introduce fresh manure during the autumn preparation of the soil for planting cucumbers and other cucurbits(zucchini, pumpkins, melons), as well as dill, celery, late cabbage. If there is a lot of straw or sawdust in the manure, in the first year after it is introduced, the vegetables require nitrogen supplements, since coarse organic materials will bind nitrogen when overheated. You will get the maximum return on the introduction of fresh manure in a season, when you can plant the same pumpkin crops, cabbage, greens, beets, radishes on the places fertilized with manure.

Manure usually contains a lot of weed seeds. Therefore, it is convenient to apply it not in spring, but in autumn: most of the weeds will have time to sprout, and you can destroy them by loosening even before planting the main crop. In addition, during the autumn introduction during the winter, the manure is saturated with moisture, gradually begins to rot and mixes well with the soil.

How to apply compost and manure humus to the soil. Ripe manure and compost can be applied to the soil both in spring and autumn. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. When applied in autumn, part of the nutrients is washed out by melt water, but organic materials reach optimal moisture content, and then easily mix with the soil. Therefore, choose the method that is more convenient.

Usually for raspberries, currants, strawberries, apple trees and other perennials fruit crops rotted manure and compost are applied during loosening after harvest. Perennial flowers are also fertilized with decomposed organic fertilizers in the fall. At the same time, fertilizers can not be mixed with the soil, but laid out like mulch - in winter it will play the role of a heater. It is more convenient to dig garden beds in the fall only to roughly dig them up without breaking lumps, and to add humus or compost in the spring for planting vegetables. In order to save money, you can limit yourself to filling with organic fertilizers only holes for planting seedlings and furrows when sowing seeds.

Peat. It contains few nutrients, but is good as a soil amendment. Lowland peat loosens heavy clay soil and increases the water capacity of sandy soil. Dry peat is poorly wetted and very slowly soaked with water, because of this it is sometimes difficult to evenly distribute it in the soil. It is convenient, if there is time, to make peat in the fall. If you have poorly cultivated, very heavy soil in your garden, this advice will come in handy: add 4-5 liters (half a bucket) of peat per 1 m2 with autumn digging, then in the spring - the same amount of peat or humus and dig again. This will make it easier to evenly mix the organic material into the soil, making it easier to break up large clumps of clay.

Autumn liming of the soil: lime, chalk, ash, dolomite flour and other liming additives. Fluffy lime is applied to the soil only in autumn, as it slows down the absorption of phosphorus. To avoid harm to plants, it is necessary that several months pass from application to the start of active vegetation.

Now, to reduce the acidity of the soil, it is more often not lime that is used, but dolomite or limestone flour, chalk, and ash. All these additives can be applied to the soil at any time. Often this is done in the spring: during the thorough loosening and leveling of the ridges, it is easier to distribute a small amount of calcareous matrial in the soil. It is advisable to apply ash only in spring - it contains water-soluble nutrients that are lost when washed out by melt water.

mineral fertilizers. For a more rational consumption of mineral fertilizers in the garden, it is better to apply them in the spring, immediately before sowing or planting vegetables. For perennial crops, it is necessary to make mineral fertilizers autumn.

Contrary to popular belief, autumn fertilizers should include not only phosphorus and potassium, but also necessarily nitrogen (although in a different proportion compared to summer fertilizers).

After leaf fall, the metabolism of perennial crops slows down, but does not stop completely. Many plants continue to consume nitrogen and store it for intensive growth in the spring. The assimilation of nitrogen in cold soil is very slow, and the need for it in spring, especially in fruit trees, is very high, and spring fertilization cannot cover it.

In autumn, you can apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers separately, but it is more convenient to use balanced autumn mineral complexes - almost every fertilizer manufacturer has them in stock.

How to fertilize the garden in autumn? Mineral fertilizers

Garden. Autumn, Fertika

Complex granular fertilizer is recommended for fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs, bulbous crops, perennials. Contains an increased amount of phosphorus and potassium, which are especially necessary for plants in autumn (NPK 4.8:20.8:31.3 + micro). These elements ensure good survival of seedlings after planting, the formation of a strong root system, full maturation of shoots, successful overwintering of plants and better development fruit buds. On poor soils and in areas with little snowy winters, the soil should be filled with fertilizer in the fall. The fertilizer is evenly distributed over the site and the soil is digged - 50-60 g per 1 sq. m of soil.

Complex granular fertilizer with micro and macro elements. Contains an increased amount of phosphorus and potassium, which are especially necessary for plants in autumn period, ensures good survival of seedlings after planting and the development of a powerful root system. The increased content of phosphorus and potassium increases the content of vitamins and sugars in fruits, contributes to the full maturation of shoots and, in general, improves the overwintering of plants. Provides good conditions for rooting and further development of bulbous plants.

Agricola sticks are a unique long-acting product. They allow plants to gradually, within two months, absorb nutrients without the risk of overdose.

Warranty period of storage is not limited!

Complex fertilizer "Fasco" is specially designed for plant nutrition at the end growing season which is especially important for perennial crops. The predominance of phosphorus and potassium in the composition stimulates the laying of fruit buds, promotes the ripening of shoots, thereby increasing the winter hardiness of plants and improving root growth.

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After harvesting for personal plot and placing it in storage gardeners still can not rest. The thing is, their work doesn't end there. Experienced gardeners know that the basis of the future harvest is not only the observance of all agrotechnical rules when growing crops, but also the correct cultivation of the land in the fall. If this work is carried out correctly, then in the soil will be created optimal conditions for the existence of plants. As a result, the air and hydro regime will improve, heat will be maintained, thickets of harmful weeds will decrease, and the percentage of pests and many diseases will decrease.

general information

To begin with, all weed plants must be removed, and in such a way that no seeds are left of them. All remnants of garden crops are also removed. If the stems of the plants are already dry, then they can simply be burned on a non-rainy day. Experienced gardeners even the resulting ash is used. They add it to the ground as fertilizer while digging the garden, or they fall asleep in the compost heap.

Removing weeds, as well as burning roots, tops and stems, helps to destroy pathogens of various diseases and those pests that remain on the plant. If the culture has obvious signs of infection, then it should be burned away from the garden, and the ashes should not be used, but destroyed by burying them in a hole outside the site.

Where to begin

Autumn tillage should begin with light loosening of the top layer with a rake. This process should be carried out on each bed separately after all fruit-bearing crops have already been removed from it. It should be borne in mind that after about a week, weed shoots may appear in this place. They also need to be destroyed. For this purpose, experienced gardeners use Fokin's flat cutter, which grinds their stems and roots, while simultaneously loosening the ground. In general, there is an opinion that weed shoots that appear after the removal of plant residues are not dangerous at all, since they usually die from winter frosts, and those that survive can be removed already by loosening the soil in spring. However, many gardeners remove them. Such preparation for winter leads to rapid self-healing of the soil. In addition, chopped green weeds can serve as a very valuable natural top dressing.

Why do you need to dig the earth

The main challenge facing gardeners is proper conduct this stage of soil processing in the fall. For digging, you will definitely need a shovel. Plow the land should be at a depth of thirty to thirty-five centimeters. If there is a small layer of humus in the soil, then twenty cm will be enough.

Autumn tillage should be carried out as early as possible - even before the onset of stable cold days and before prolonged rains. The fact is that otherwise, instead of loosening the earth, it will be trampled down and compacted, especially in clay areas. Moreover, it is the latter that need measures aimed at increasing their fertility.

To this end, experts recommend digging such soil at a depth of about sixteen centimeters, and increasing it every year. It is very important to simultaneously introduce sand and organic matter in order to reduce the layer of the clay barren part and increase the percentage of the fertile part.

For heavy loamy soil, digging the soil in autumn should take place at a greater depth. In this case, you need to make peat, sand, organic matter, which contribute to aeration and improve the structure. As a result, the "breathing" of the roots of crops will be facilitated.

Processing light soils in autumn

Such soil does not need to be dug too often. Since structural spraying occurs in it, and as a result it becomes more loose, the work becomes more complicated. If a upper layer is fertilized too deeply, then beneficial microorganisms die, and pathogenic pests begin to multiply in their place. In addition, abundant watering in dry weather leads to a rapid leaching of most of the minerals that are necessary to maintain the density of the soil structure, and this primarily concerns calcium. As a result, worsening physical properties soil. Therefore, in order not to abuse it, it is still better to carry out only autumn tillage.

fertilizers

Many gardeners on their site make their own organic top dressing. For this they create compost heaps or pits in which they put uninfected plants and substandard fruits, waste generated after cleaning vegetables or fruits, onion husks, droppings, fallen spruce needles, ashes. Fertilizers that have rotted over time are used during site preparation before digging.

In the process of plowing the soil, it is also recommended to apply other organic fertilizers, for example, manure or compost. In this case, you should not go deep into the ground, otherwise the top dressing will decompose less and be poorly absorbed by plants.

During the autumn digging, experienced gardeners introduce all the organic, phosphorus and potash fertilizers necessary for the future harvest, and, if necessary, clay and sand are also added. It must be borne in mind that manure must be used carefully. It is better to close up this organic fertilizer at a shallow depth, so that during the winter it has time to decompose and serve as a habitat for many beneficial microorganisms. Whereas in dense low soil layers, it practically does not change the structure. It is recommended to use rotted cow or horse manure in the fall, so that by spring it will completely rot in the ground due to friability, moisture and correct temperature earth.

During digging, humus and compost should be applied exactly to those areas where the gardener plans to grow next season. gourds, cabbage, celery, lettuce. will be needed where radishes, beets and carrots are to be sown. Manure for these crops in the fall is not recommended to be added. Fresh droppings of birds or animals also cannot be brought in during digging; it is better to compost them first.

In the case when only a small layer of humus is present on the site, that is, the land is completely “poor”, it is better to “feed” it in the fall. To do this, during digging, it is recommended to increase the dose of mineral fertilizers and organic matter, which is laid a little deeper. After that, the earth is carefully harrowed with a metal rake so that the top dressing mixes well with the soil.

Liming

Earth with a high level of acidity requires proper autumn processing. This indicator, as you know, negatively affects not only the yield, but also the growth of garden crops. The fact is that vegetables require a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. So high level soil acidity must be reduced in the fall. To do this, once every five years, a liming procedure is carried out. Calcium oxide can not only deoxidize the earth, but also increase its fertility, improve air permeability, hygroscopicity, optimizing the structure due to the calcium content.

For liming, you can use chalk or slaked lime, cement dust, and dolomite flour and ash - peat or wood. Their dose will depend on the degree of acidity of the soil, its structure and the amount of calcium content. Liming will result from the fact that clay soil will be much looser, easier to process, and sandy soil moisture capacity increases and it will acquire viscosity. As a result, the most favorable conditions to develop beneficial microorganisms and improve fertility.

Overfatigue of the soil and green manure

Autumn has come, gardeners have already harvested vegetables and began to think about how to restore the fertility of the land on the site. Few people know that overfatigue of the soil also leads to the occurrence of many diseases in plants. Signs of this problem are as follows: disturbed soil structure, when it resembles dust, as well as cracking crust after watering or rain. In this case, comprehensive measures are needed for self-healing of the soil, since tillage in the fall against diseases is not a sufficient measure. In this case, siderates come to the rescue. These are plants that are grown on the site not in order to obtain a crop from them, but to enrich the soil with organic and mineral substances, as well as to improve its structure.

Vetch, rapeseed, lupine, vetch, clover, peas, mustard are often used as green manure. For fertilizing the soil in the fall, the latter is best suited. Moreover, mustard is able to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and many other trace elements that enter the soil. Green manures are also excellent fertilizer. Plus, they increase the aeration and hygroscopicity of the earth, loosening it thanks to branched roots. It is better to plant them in the fall, so that the green mass is formed before frost, but they will grow for a few more weeks in the spring. If the weather is warm until mid-October, then they can grow and even start buds. In this case, the ovaries should be cut off.

Pest control

In addition, siderates emit substances that serve as excellent insecticides. Today, tillage from pests in the fall with the help of mustard is very common. It perfectly repels wireworms, bears and cockchafer larvae thanks to its root secretions. Insecticides are best sown immediately after the beds have been cleared of fertile crops. Experienced gardeners always monitor the condition of the soil in order to decontaminate it in time. Otherwise, after the plant is affected by the disease, it will be very difficult to get rid of it. There are several ways to deal with this problem. First, you need to know what. Most often, gardeners use chemicals, for example, a solution of vitriol. Moreover, the composition should not be too concentrated. To obtain the desired result, a one or two percent solution is sufficient. Another way is biological disinfection, when special preparations are introduced into the soil fifteen days before the first frost. For those who do not know how to treat the soil from phytophthora, in the fall, experienced gardeners recommend digging the soil well, and then adding a solution of copper sulphate to it.

What to sow after potatoes to improve the soil

For the next season, one unspoken rule must be observed: do not plant nightshade in the same place. After harvesting potatoes, strawberries or tomatoes, they cannot be sown in the same soil for at least three years. In cases where the site is small enough, the task of gardeners becomes more complicated. They have to solve the problem of what to sow after the potatoes. To improve the soil, you can plant green manure plants: phacelia, mustard, oats, lupins, etc. Legumes help enrich the earth nutrients and nitrogen. Mustard is a reliable barrier for a wireworm that loves to feast on potato tubers. To obtain the maximum effect, the planting of green manure can be combined with the application of organic fertilizers.

Rational maintenance, supplemented by regular fertilization, are the key techniques in which soil care in a personal plot consists. There are several systems of soil maintenance in gardens: sod-humus system, mulching, black fallow. It is also allowed to grow crops sown between rows of fruit trees.

How to restore the fertility of depleted soil

Weeding in the field

The earth should be dug up in the autumn period, repeatedly processed in the spring and summer. Deep autumn digging favorably affects the formation of the root system lying in the lower layers, which must be resistant to significant temperature changes in winter and summer period. In this regard, in areas of a young garden that are not yet occupied by overgrown roots, the depth of digging should be at least 30 cm. In the near-stem circle, near the stem - up to 15 cm. Some damage to the root system cannot be avoided, but this should not be feared. Roots with a diameter of less than 8 mm recover very quickly. Thick roots, which form the skeleton of the entire tree nutrition system, should be protected from mechanical damage. This is especially true for fruits grown on clonal rootstocks.

Area is kept clean

• Why control excavations are needed

Before you start digging the entire garden area, it is advisable to find out the depth at which 6-8 mm roots lie. For this purpose, control excavations are carried out - a strip of soil is opened from the trunk to the middle of the row (between the trees). Its width should be 30-50 cm. Work continues until roots begin to come across, the thickness of which has reached 6-8 mm.

Digging should not affect the layer of soil located 1-2 cm above these roots. Over time, the depth of mechanical penetration may change. If the soil is loose enough, there are few weeds in it, it is enough to carry out surface loosening (up to 12-15 cm).

• Stages of basic tillage

The main work in the garden to care for the soil is carried out in the fall, when the yellowed leaves begin to fall en masse. At this time, the inevitable damage to the roots is not so dangerous, since fruit plants activity ceases. With the onset of spring, as soon as the earth dries up and stops sticking in lumps to the shovel, it should be loosened. The frequency of subsequent surface treatments depends on the frequency of precipitation, irrigation, and the degree of weediness.

Soil fertilizer should be dosed

• Negative factors

The greatest danger to the soil of the garden, which is under black fallow, is represented by root shoots and rhizomatous weeds, the reproduction feature of which is division by segments of the roots. It can be a pollinated pig, a field boletus, mustards, creeping wheatgrass, common gout, field bindweed. A small part of the root (2-5 cm) preserved in the soil can lead to massive growth, the formation of a whole clogging focus. There are several ways to remove these weeds.

1. The first method is to break the upper layers of the soil into clods, extracting weed roots. The site is dug up again, and all the remains are selected.
2. The second way is to closely monitor the site throughout the summer. As soon as the first signs of contamination appear, the allotment is subjected to mechanical processing. Plants are removed from the soil during loosening with a rake.

For an allotment that is under black fallow, frequent walking on its surface is highly undesirable. Soil compaction prevents the flow required amount air and moisture to the root system of trees.

Prolonged long-term maintenance of the earth in a state of constant digging can also be harmful. On the site, the level of fertility is significantly reduced, the top layer hardens strongly, as a result of which the soil structure is destroyed, organic matter is lost. Yes, and constant loosening and digging is quite laborious.

An example of crop rotation in a summer cottage

Sod-humus system

For summer cottages and household plots that have an established and regular irrigation system, it is recommended to keep the soil on the principle of a sod-humus system. Its essence is that in an amateur garden they grow perennial grass. As soon as it reaches a height of 12-15 cm, it is mowed. Such work is carried out once a month.

The green mass is not removed from the garden, it remains in place, evenly distributed over the entire surface. In this case, digging is completely excluded. After 3-4 years, the soil is under a layer of light breathable mulch. The organic mass decomposes over time and serves as an excellent natural source of nutrition for microorganisms in the soil, promotes the reproduction of earthworms. Trunk circles (radius 0.5 - 1 m) should preferably be kept under black fallow.

• Why do you need grass for the garden

As practice shows, shade-tolerant, resistant to frequent mowing grass with a long development cycle is best suited for an amateur garden. They must quickly accumulate organic mass and develop turf. Cereals meet all these requirements well: red and meadow fescue, white bent grass, cocksfoot, high ryegrass, meadow bluegrass. Since the mowing process is quite time consuming, you can also use such a short-rhizome cereal as bent grass to create a layer of mulch. This grass can not even be mowed. Its height is 10-12 cm, while the roots branch up to 15-20 cm and thus form a good turf.

During the overwintering period, part of the roots and ground shoots die off, in connection with this, organic matter is constantly replenished in the soil.

Grass in the garden

• How to sow grass

Before sowing grass, the soil is carefully prepared. The site is cleared of weeds, leveled and dug up. After the top layer settles, the garden is loosened and applied per 1 sq. m. manure (7-8 kg), phosphorus-potassium (5-10 g), nitrogen (15-25 g) fertilizers. After that, the earth is again well loosened with a rake.

In the second half of the growing season, grasses are sown by hand: the seeds are scattered along and across the entire area of ​​the orchard. After sowing, the allotment is rolled up (for this purpose a thick and wide board is used) and immediately watered. The main seeding rate is per 1 square. m - 5 g of seeds. It will be much better for garden soil if mixtures of herbs are used. Bluegrass, bent grass, ryegrass, fescue are well combined.

Competent mulching

During mulching, the active growth of weeds is suppressed, organic and temperature conditions. Straw, manure, reeds, grass clippings, sawdust, compost, as well as synthetic films and paper are often used as mulch. Recently, sand, and even natural stones, have been actively used.

well maintained area

The layer should not be less than 10 cm. If the mulch material is too light, then in order not to be blown away by gusts of wind, they throw it on top thin layer earth. Before the mulch is laid, the soil is loosened, weeds are “combed out”, and debris is removed.

Competent care of the soil in the garden is a guarantee good harvest. Treat these works responsibly, then you will be pleased and appearance your garden, and the fruits it will give you.

The soil is the most important part of any garden or vegetable garden. To grow big harvest you need to regularly take care of the condition of the soil on your land. A very important period for such activities is autumn. After harvesting, you need to prepare the soil for cold weather, prevent infection with various diseases and pests.

How to cultivate the soil in spring, what means to use, how to properly cultivate the soil? These questions are of interest to all gardeners and gardeners. It is important to choose the right period of time, use the right tools. Observing special rules, your harvest will be the envy of all the neighbors.

• Possible soil problems in autumn
• Loosening the top layer of soil
• Digging the soil
• Manure
• Urea
• Mulching
• green manure plants

It is necessary to cultivate the soil in the fall every year, but in certain circumstances it is simply necessary to do this. Sometimes in a certain area the yield drops sharply, which indicates various soil problems:

Regular care of the soil will help to overcome these problems, especially in the autumn season.

See an overview of the most effective means from cockroaches in the apartment, and also find out the rules for their use.

Preparing for autumn processing

Preparation for tillage consists of several points:

• against uninvited large guests (rats, hares, mice), hill up bushes, wrap around tree pillars;
• burn all garden debris, fallen leaves;
• cut dried branches, "top" shoots;
• whitewash the trunks;
• it is recommended to lay out simple traps for rodents;
• treat trees and shrubs with special chemicals against diseases and pests. So you can collect a rich and high-quality harvest in the future.

Loosening the top layer of soil

Do the manipulations after harvesting, removing from land plot organic residues, loosen the beds four centimeters. By doing this, you will remove the soil crust. Carry out activities before the onset of the first cold weather. Loosening the soil promotes the growth of weeds, they will grow in the fall, after digging, the weed seedlings will die, thereby reducing the time for weeding next spring.

Digging the soil

Before starting the manipulation, make sure that your soil is heavy clay, sandy crumbly soil does not need to be dug up. Such manipulations have a positive effect on clay soil: voids are formed in it that will fill the air. The lack of oxygen negatively affects the future harvest.

Note! Carry out digging before the start of the rainy season (until the beginning of October). If the earth is wet by more than 10 cm, it is no longer recommended to process it. The recommended digging depth is 15 centimeters.

Fertilizers and pest control

Having carefully prepared the soil for autumn processing, you can begin to choose the right remedy. What fertilizers are recommended to be applied to the soil in the fall? Let's figure it out.

Many gardeners know this tool, they often use it in the autumn period. If there is nowhere to compost, then store the substance, then it is recommended to purchase it in the fall, then immediately apply it to the soil. The rest is recommended to lay for maturation. Contribute fresh manure in autumn it is allowed for planting cucumbers, celery, late cabbage, pumpkin crops. If the manure includes sawdust, other organic compounds, then you will get an excellent result only after a year, so add nitrogen supplements for the desired effect.

Why does manure need to be applied in the fall? The substance is saturated with weeds, they will rise to the main planting, you can easily remove them while loosening the soil. In autumn, manure is saturated with moisture, mixes well with the soil.

Manure is applied during soil loosening for perennial fruit crops, raspberries, strawberries, all varieties of apples. Carry out manipulations immediately after harvesting.

Urea

It is a nitrogen fertilizer, the second name is carbamide. The substance releases nitrogen, binds the nitrogen already present in the soil, and retains it until spring. You can get the desired result only by covering the ground, otherwise the urea will have time to evaporate. In autumn, it is desirable to fertilize the soil with urea in parallel with phosphorus. For such purposes, a special mixture is used: combine one hundred grams of chalk with a kilogram of superphosphate, three parts of urea are added to one part of this product. Thoroughly mix the mineral fertilizer, apply at the rate of 150 grams of the finished mixture per square meter soil.

Mulching

In a simple way, such manipulations mean saturation of the soil with organic matter. Gardeners use as mulch:

• organic compounds: needles, sawdust, hay, bark, even shredded waste paper (cardboard, paper);
• inorganic substances: polypropylene fibers, expanded clay, zeolite.

A thin layer of mulch is recommended to cover the beds that are free, those that are occupied perennials. Sometimes they use both organic and inorganic compounds, the recommended thickness of the mulch is up to seven centimeters. Such manipulations protect the soil from certain pests, such as nematodes, flies, and various diseases.

Important! Keep in mind that when using tops, there should be no seeds. Zealous with needles is also not recommended, it is fraught with an increase in soil acidity. Everything should be in moderation.

green manure plants

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Green manure plants include:

• legumes,
• clover,
• mustard,
• oats,
• rye,
• sunflower,
• buckwheat.

It is recommended to plant them precisely in the autumn period, so that the green mass has time to form before frost, but they will grow for several more weeks in the spring. If the weather is warm in autumn, then such plants can grow strongly, start buds. Before they form, cut off the ovaries, preventing the presence of buds.

EM technology (use of microorganisms)

Compost and humus are excellent fertilizers, but saturate the soil useful minerals, protect against diseases, pests will help modern technologies. Now there is no need to guess whether the process of decay is proceeding correctly, whether the amount of beneficial substances into the ground. It is possible to improve processing organic compounds by adding ready-made preparations.

Effective microorganisms include over 80 strains of beneficial microbes. They have a beneficial effect on the decomposition of mulch, increase the fertility of the earth, helping to destroy pests, pathogens of various plant ailments. EOs inhibit the development of harmful bacteria, increasing plant resistance to various pests and diseases.

First, green manure is planted, and the soil is first enriched with effective microorganisms. Other areas of the soil are treated with mulch, then EO is applied. Only an integrated approach will give a positive result.

Attention! Only today!

Every gardener knows that the soil must be prepared in the fall, because. autumn processing is much more useful than spring. It's hard work, but lately there have been more and more voices from organic farming advocates calling for it to be abandoned.

They believe, not without reason, that by digging the soil, we create ideal conditions for the death of soil microorganisms and for the growth of weed seeds, and by trying to give air to the roots, we often get rid of the roots themselves (of course - in the garden).

Therefore, autumn tillage in the garden depends entirely on what kind of soil you have. For heavy clay and uncultivated soils, autumn digging of the soil is required. And on light, loose, deeply cultivated soils, deep digging should not be done at all, replacing it with deep loosening.

Soil cultivation begins immediately after harvesting. It is carried out primarily to remove weeds and fertilize the soil. If the weather is dry, then the dried tops of vegetables and weed roots can be burned, and the ashes can be used here when digging. Of course, when the tops of tomatoes and cucumbers from the greenhouse are burned, all disease-causing principles will also die.

But still, it is more useful to lay the bulk of weeds, leaves, tops of vegetables and root crops in compost heaps, if possible, treating this mass with the Baikal EM1 preparation, or lay it in shallow trenches for the device warm beds. And then the hardest of the garden work begins - autumn tillage.

Everyone agrees that it is necessary to loosen the soil in the garden and remove perennial weeds, especially if these are heavy loamy and clay soils, the structure of which is imperfect. Because the roots of plants breathe underground, they consume the oxygen contained in the pores of the soil and release carbon dioxide. This means that too dense clay soils greatly interfere with breathing. Wherein root system plants are deficient in oxygen.

Do I need to dig deep into the soil often? Twice a year (often incorrectly) tillage and its continuous loosening in the summer do not contribute to improvement, as many gardeners believe, but to spraying the soil structure. This means that such deep tillage in the garden should not be abused without the need, although in autumn it is practically impossible to do without it on heavy clay soil.

Digging heavy soil to a depth of no more than 15 cm should be done only in the fall, and not turning the soil over, but only shifting it and removing the roots of perennial weeds.

The thing is that the flora and fauna of the upper soil layer does not take root well in the deeper layers of the soil and vice versa. But, by digging with the turnover of the reservoir, we bury the microorganisms that are accustomed to living from above, into the depths of the soil, where they will die, and we bring the inhabitants of the depths to the surface, where they also have no life.

And finding themselves in unusual conditions for themselves, the microorganisms that form humus die with our help. And in place of the ruined soil-forming microorganisms, pathogens settle.

And abundant, sometimes countless waterings, caused by the rapid evaporation of water from the unprotected surface of your garden bed, lead to the washing out of the calcium necessary to maintain the structure of the soil from the cultivated fertile layer. And all this leads to the destruction of the soil structure, the deterioration of its physical properties.

When to till the soil in autumn

Autumn tillage for vegetables next year should be carried out as early as possible, before the onset of stable cold weather. Usually it starts immediately after harvesting late-ripening vegetable crops and harvesting plant residues. The success of getting a good harvest of vegetables next year largely depends on how the soil is cultivated and fertilized at this time.

Autumn tillage cannot be replaced by spring. It must be completed before the onset of heavy rains, otherwise, instead of loosening the soil, it can be compacted, on the contrary, especially if it is heavy clay soil. The best time, for such tillage, the end of September-beginning of October.

It is advisable to start such preparation with a light loosening of the topmost layer of soil on each bed immediately after harvesting the previous crop on it. This can be done easier, faster and easier with a rake.

The purpose of this work is one - to provoke the germination of weed seeds, which are in abundance on your site. Two weeks after such loosening, your beds will be covered with numerous and friendly shoots of weeds. Now it's time to show the weeds who is the boss on your site.

If you do not have the opportunity or desire (it happens so) to prepare the soil in the fall, then these young weeds (and most importantly, perennial ones) still need to be destroyed with the same rake, having harrowed the entire plot. But this is far from the best way because the soil needs to be loosened.

This is best done with a Fokin flat cutter, which destroys weeds, including perennials, and loosens the soil. Such an autumn “attack” on weeds is important because the garden gets rid of adult plants that contribute to the spread of pests. Even if later on the beds a shoot of young weeds appears, it is not dangerous, because. during the spring loosening of the soil, they will be destroyed.

In the land cleared of weeds in autumn, healing processes are in full swing. With regular carrying out of this work, weeds such as dandelion, wheatgrass, coltsfoot, etc. disappear, since only mature plants have their outstanding vitality. And their young shoots have tender roots, which, when the aerial part of the plant is removed, quickly die.

Good tillage in the fall helps to control and reduce the chances of disease and pest attacks, thus providing favorable conditions for the seeds and seedlings you will plant in the spring.

How to till the soil in autumn?

In autumn, tillage from diseases and pests begins immediately after harvesting and should end before the onset of cold weather. First, the garden is dug up with a garden shovel, tilling the soil to a depth of 35-40 cm. After that, the earth is harrowed with a metal rake and ridges are made.

Depending on what is planned to be planted in a particular area next year, organic or mineral fertilizers are added to the ground. So, under cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce and celery, manure, compost or humus are added at the time of digging the soil. Only mineral fertilizers are placed under carrots, beets and radishes.

Removing weeds in the fall along with the roots refers to tillage from pests that can overwinter in these thickets and in the root system. In addition, digging leads to the fact that the sources of diseases are outside and die during winter frosts.

EM technologies for autumn tillage against pests and diseases

Application effective microorganisms(EM) in autumn when tilling the soil from diseases allows adherents natural farming solve the problem of insect larvae and pathogens hibernating in the soil. Microorganisms actively multiply and destroy in the course of their life all the roots of weeds, which are a haven for all harmful phenomena.

Soil treatment with "Baikal" in autumn should be carried out as early as possible, immediately after harvesting, so that warm weather contributes to a higher temperature in the soil and more active reproduction of the introduced microorganisms.