How to maintain soil fertility: the best tips on how to increase soil fertility

Each gardener-Ogorodnik once sets in such a time when he notes with chagrin that he began to harvest from his personal plot than in the past years. Why did the vegetable and fruit and berry crops have an occasion to arrange a “strike”, because the owners did not take less care of them, and among the abundance of seeds they try to choose the most elite ones for sowing and water the plants on time?

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Often gardeners notice that they produce all the same manipulations as before, but the final result is not at all pleased. Why is this happening? Yes, simply because over many years of use, the soil begins to lose its fertility, which needs to be periodically restored. How to do it? Read and use our tips!

Signs of low soil fertility

Indicators characterizing the low level of soil fertility:

Bad friability And insufficient oxygen enrichment
Useful natural elements are present in negligible quantities
Minerals and salt present in excess amounts
Sufficient aeration is not carried out and heated due to a deficiency of bioorganisms.

The determination of soil fertility is possible due to laboratory tests - it is impossible to do this by eye. Therefore, if you are a passionate gardener, and your plants began to bear fruit worse, immediately contact the laboratory where specialists will do chemical, thermal and biological analysis of soil, as well as his physical test.

Of course, the services of agrochemical laboratories are very expensive, so it is worth using them if the yield in your site will drop sharply or you want to explore the newly acquired land plot.

How can you independently determine the fertility of the soil?

Of course, the determination of the amount of useful substances in the soil layer “by eye” is an impossible thing. But there are some signs by which the approximate level of fertility is established.

It is worth taking a closer look at the following:

Soil color. The closer the Earth’s color, the higher the content of the humus in it. That is why chernozemwhich is the most fertile soil, differs saturated black shade, which is inherent in bold shine.
The presence of worms. There are no worms in the ground, because they produce biohumus, passing a solid ground and the remains of plants through their body. The best fertilizer than the one that worms leave behind, and you can’t imagine!

To maintain the fertility of the soil, you need:

Organize proper watering. Each culture requires a different amount of moisture and different times between irrigation. If the plants are initially abundantly irrigate, and then leave them without water for a long time, then they can die.
Therefore, it is worth it make a schedule for yourself And be sure to adhere to him in order not to forget what and when you watered for the last time.
Take pests in time. The fertility of the soil is reduced due to pathogens of diseases and pests. In summer, they activate and harm the crop, so this should be prevented.

This follows:

Take advantage of the action insecticidesdestroying both harmful insects and their larvae;
In the fall to engage digging soils;
Free the plot from garbage, tops and leaves, Because it is a fertile environment for development malicious fungi, bacteria and insects.
From the leaves and tops, after 2 years, a good compost will be obtained, but they need to be assembled and put in a compost pit to begin with.
Use fry -cutter Fokin. It replaces a shovel that harms the soil during its loosening (when the lands of the Earth turn up from the bottom up).
Such an operation reduces its microflora, since important bacteria can die. If you loosen the ground with a plane cutter of Fokin, then the layers will not turn over.

How to maintain soil fertility and what affects it?

To maintain soil fertility, it is important to know what affects this very fertility. So, living and healthy land has the ability to:

Self -cleaning - She gets rid of all kinds of harmful components and extra pesticides.
Balanced biological diversitywhich leads to a self -sufficient and stable ecosystem.
The manifestation of stable properties, protecting the upper layer with the seeds laid in it from blowing.
Production of beneficial microbes, which resist pathogenic microorganisms and inhibit them.

The quality of chernozem also depends on:

humus content
acidity level
moisture, ability to absorb water
air saturation and ventilation
nutrition
bacteria and fungi.

Humus is the most important substance for the soil, it is determined by soil fertility.

It acts on the soil multilaterally due to the contained in it the main nutrients are phosphorus and nitrogen.
Under the influence of humus, the water -resistant structure of the Earth is formed, a favorable level of temperature, air and water balance are supported, and the maintenance of nutrients occurs - all this allows it is good to develop the root system and plants themselves.
Humus can be said responsibly that this is the main substance that affects the qualitative characteristics of the soil. In all other above the above factors, the role is secondary.
The effect of acidity. The content of acidity in the soil can be too low or, conversely, too high. This can lead to toxicity or deficiency of substances necessary for plants.
About moisture and ability to absorb water with soil. If the ground is well absorbed into the ground and the moisture is held in it, then it will be fertile and rich in useful substances. If plants, due to poorly retaining moisture by the earth, will not receive nutrients, then they can wake up.
About air saturation and ventilation. Good circulation allows oxygen to saturate microorganisms and bacteria useful for soil. Bad - indulges in diseases and pests.
About the nutrition of the soil. Minerals, vitamins and biological elements irreplaceable for the soil layer make up its nutritional value, which ensures the correct growth and development of plant crops. With the constant use of land for planting plants, it is depleted. So that this does not happen, you can enrich the Earth using it for this Natural additives and minerals.

It is important to saturate with minerals

About bacteria and fungi. Microorganisms and mushrooms are always present in the soil, having a beneficial effect on soil fertility. When there are too few of them, then diseases can develop in plants, they will suffer and wither. The main role of mushrooms is to decompose natural organics (their role is 80-95%in this process); Bacteria - give minerals and organic substances to oxidation, participate in the process of photosynthesis.

How to restore soil fertility?

The exhaustion of the fertility of the soil layer signals not only reduced productivity. In this case, the plants have lack of natural immunity to protect against a negative environment, and the consequence of this is the susceptibility of all diseases.
From this, some cultures may even die, and prevent it it is impossible only with organic mineral fertilizers. Here, a different approach is required, which, in principle, does not require any huge investments from the avid gardeners, but only - the desire to change the situation on their site, labor and the right approach to business.

Here are the simplest, but effective ways that can restore soil fertility in the garden. Experts recommend amateur gardeners:

Correctly organize crop rotation. Cultural one-year-old plants and two-year-olds need to be sown annually or planted in different places. At least 5 years should pass before growing the same culture again in the same area.
Sow therapeutic plants. You can improve the soil with marigolds, nettles, wormwood, garlic, calendula, shepherd bag - these plants have a therapeutic effect of not only the human body, but also the Earth.
Use worms. California, prospectors (such a name gave worms) and ordinary ring worms are a subspecies of our usual, known rainworms known to all, famous for their useful functions. Each person dealing with the ground is known that if there are many of them in the soil, then such a black earth is fertile. Why are California worms better than ours, domestic worms? They live longer and are more prolific, and even all the organics that are found on their path are successfully processed, which is very useful for plants.
Conduct thermal treatment of soil. This radical method allows you to destroy many harmful insects (or their larvae) and weed seeds. Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to cover the large areas of the Earth, but, for example, the greenhouses and greenhouses are processed - everyone can do. There are two methods. First: Collect the upper part of the Earth from the desired plot and place it in a vat, under which water and a half will boil water in a vessel. After this procedure, the earth needs to be scattered in the same place. Second: Place a thin layer of hay on the desired area and set it on fire.
Make organic fertilizers. The good old organic fertilizers, such as ash, manure and compost, will help to quickly and without much cost put the soil in order.
Mix plants when planting. During mixed planting near the main plant, a small area for sowing on it is a satellite plant. If the neighborhood is correctly selected, then this will help strengthen the main plants, reduce their incidence, scare away pests and even improve the taste of vegetables and fruits; In addition, the soil is not exhausted in such areas.

Mulch the beds. This will help improve the quality of the Earth - its upper layer is gradually mixed with mulch and, passing water and air, loose will appear in it. Mulch will save plant roots from overheating and protect against drought. It can consist of sawdust, straw, foliage, husks, chips.
Apply natural fertilizers, That is, environmentally friendly. You can fertilize the earth with manure or with a margin, humus, ash, peat, compost.
Use for watering drip system. This method of watering will not pickle, does not get watering and will not compact land plots. At the same time, uniform water supply occurs, pesticides decrease, soil rot does not develop, moisture enters directly into the root system.
Em-preparations to the soil. We are talking about effective microorganisms that provide the soil of fertility, normalize the acidic environment, relieve pathogenic microflora and are destroyed by pesticides.
Fungi and bacteria, grown in laboratories, there are in drugs that can be bought in stores: in “Baikal EM-1”, “Renaissance”, “East EM-1”, “Humate EM”, “Radio”.
Give the earth to rest. If the crop was bad for two consecutive seasons (provided that the earth is fertilized, and the weather conditions are favorable), then at this place it is not worth growing anything within a year - this is enough for the soil to recover.
Enter silt into the soil. Useful elements and microorganisms contained in the silt are pulled out of the soil of harmful substances, and therefore they do not fall into the plants. The best option is to use lake silt, But there will be nothing wrong if you take it from the pond or ditch (if there is no production nearby). Il should be made at the rate of 2-8 kg of silt per 1 square. m square.
Swinkle brick crumbs. It should be covered with a 10 cm thick with a thickness of 10 cm. It can be a coal slag, but it will be enough for it to cover the ground by only 2 centimeters.
Give plants the opportunity to improve the soil themselves. In order to eat dead roots to eat, you have to break deep in the ground, which are filled with waste and form the basis of a fertile layer. So plants help themselves.

Having sowed with basil, rosemary, thyme, marigolds, chamomile, a row -spacing or perimeter of the site with cultivated plants, you can get double benefits. In addition to all of the above, bees will fly into the smell of flowering satellites, which will help pollinated with your tomatoes and cucumbers. The yield from this, of course, will increase.

Let's relax. Divide the garden territory into conditional areas and, for example, do not sow one of them for a whole year - let the soil “rest”. But it is still necessary to process it at the same time: and apply fertilizers, and pluck, and mulch. In the fall, it should be dug up so that the upper part of the layer is below.
Sow siderates. Siderates are plants that are contained in large quantities of nitrogen, starch and protein, which are able to effectively and quite quickly increase soil fertility. Their large percentage is in rye, oats, mustard, sunflower. It is necessary to approach this case correctly. Sow Siderates in August-September, after gathering the main crop. When the siderats begin to bloom, they should be dug, leaving both the “tops” and “roots” winter.

This is only a small list of measures designed to maintain soil fertility - in fact, there are a lot of them. To establish the correct “diagnosis” and choose effective means for its “cure” will help you with agronomist professionals.

Of course, if there is such an opportunity, then every lover-torn should take before landing for analysis, soil sample. In an agrochemical laboratory after a thorough study of chernozem, specialists will give professional recommendations regarding measures by which you can quickly restore the fertility of the earth.

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