The snow has melted, the garden has dried out a little - it’s time to start preparing for spring planting. An important task for every summer gardener is to prepare a greenhouse, because this is where the early plants will be planted first. The RMNT website will tell you how to prepare your greenhouse for planting in the spring.
We are sure that thanks to the detailed instructions on the portal website, you have carefully prepared the greenhouse for winter. In this case, you will have much less work in the spring, but there is still a lot to do. First of all, you need to inspect the greenhouse - after a snowy winter, damage is quite likely.
Under the weight of the snow, the polycarbonate coating could burst or bend, and damage to the glazing is not uncommon. And the frame itself could well break, bend, or crack in some places. In such cases, repairs are required, strengthening the base of the greenhouse, replacing polycarbonate, film or glass. Gaps in frames and transoms can be sealed with sealant, and minor damage to the film can be sealed with tape.
The next stage is cleaning. You carry out general cleaning of the house in the spring, so the greenhouse simply needs it. We understand that in the fall you already washed the polycarbonate or glass, washed, dried and hid the film. But over the winter, they all definitely became dusty, dirty, and everything needs to be done anew to provide the plants with normal access to sunlight. We remove garbage from the greenhouse and remove everything unnecessary.
Wash glass and polycarbonate inside and out; we recommend adding a little copper sulfate (100 grams per 10 liters of water) or bleach (300 grams per the same amount of water) to the soap solution. This will allow surfaces to be disinfected. You should work with gloves. Many summer residents simply use a solution of laundry soap, without any additives; it also disinfects surfaces quite well.
Important! Polycarbonate is washed with soft sponges and brushes, without abrasives, so as not to scratch it.
The frame of the greenhouse is also washed, preferably with water and vinegar. After such a thorough cleaning, the greenhouse should be left open to ventilate and dry.
Before you start arranging the beds, you need to prepare the soil. This is a very important point! Firstly, pests could remain in the soil since the fall, which you will then have to fight, and secondly, the soil in the greenhouse is depleted quickly, you need to improve its quality before planting.
The cardinal method is to completely remove the top layer of soil to a depth of 20-25 centimeters. That is, dig up and remove all the soil from the greenhouse, and then fill it with new, more fertile and pest-free soil. In a small greenhouse, this method, of course, can be used, although it is quite labor-intensive. But in larger greenhouses, this is already impractical, too much work.
The following simple methods apply:
- Thermal. The soil is simply spilled with hot water, almost boiling water. It will simultaneously kill harmful microorganisms and warm the soil, which is important for early planting of vegetables and herbs.
- Chemical. Use smoke chamois bombs, copper sulfate, phytosporin, bayleton, fitoverm, and other ready-made preparations that are diluted with water, according to the instructions on the package. They work well, but many summer residents try to do without chemistry.
- Biological. The most acceptable and effective. Such preparations as "Fitop-floras-S", "Emochka-Bokashi" and others are used. Apply them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
To improve the quality of the soil in a greenhouse, experts advise sowing green manure in it in the fall. Winter oats and rye are sown in winter. If you didn't, don't worry, there are other methods. Of course, the easiest way is to use ready-made fertilizers, but many gardeners prefer to simply dig up the soil, adding compost, humus, and peat prepared from last year. Such a natural fertilizer as sapropel has proven itself superbly. Add it to the soil and it will be almost completely renewed, and for several years to come.
Now we turn to the arrangement of beds, paths or their renewal. By the way, if you use raised beds made of boards, slate, or other materials, such a frame also had to be disinfected beforehand!
We wrote in detail about what should be in a greenhouse for convenient and fruitful work. That's all, now you can wait a little until the soil temperature rises to the +17 °C we need during the day and at least +5 °C at night to start planting cucumbers and tomatoes.
Video on the topic
Preparing the greenhouse for the new season in the spring is one of the most important procedures for the future harvest. Numerous plants are grown in greenhouses that would not ripen on time in our area without additional help.
Unfortunately, polycarbonate greenhouses are great for more than just growing vegetables or fruits. Harmful bacteria, such as late blight or spider mites, quickly multiply in these places. After each season, the greenhouse must be put in order and prepared for the new one.
Preparing a greenhouse for planting new seedlings is quite a long process. Activities to prepare greenhouses begin with the first spring warming - at the end of March or beginning of April.
Preparing the land is not the fastest process; it consists of several stages:
- Checking the design itself.
- Cleaning.
- Disinfection of greenhouse premises and soil.
- Fertilization and formation of beds.
- Warming up the soil before planting.
Checking structures, cleaning
First you need to physically clean the greenhouse:
The first step is to check the greenhouse itself. If it is made of wood, check the beams and treat them with a special protective solution for wood. If made of metal, make sure there is no corrosion, renew the paint;
Important! Be sure to fix any damage to the structure - straighten what is bent, close any holes if there are any. A broken greenhouse will not be able to perform its main functions - to create the right conditions for growing plants.
Remove plant remains, old garters and twines, and debris;
Hoses, barrels and other equipment must be thoroughly washed and dried, and stored in protected storage;
By the way, all this can be done not only in the spring, but also in the fall, after the last harvest. A tidy and clean greenhouse will survive the winter better, and there will be less work in the spring.
Diagnostics and disinfection of soil
Some gardeners think that low temperatures in winter themselves serve as disinfection, but this is not so - organisms harmful to plants simply fall asleep during the winter, and with the first warming they begin to actively reproduce. It is very difficult to grow anything in such soil; it needs disinfection.
There are several ways to disinfect:
Very important! It is strictly forbidden to be in the greenhouse during fumigation. The person who lays out and sets fire to sulfur must wear a protective suit, a gas mask and gloves.
Soil preparation
If the greenhouse has been in use for a long time, then the ideal option would be to simply remove about 5 centimeters of the top layer of soil. In place of the soil, manure is laid in a thick layer - one of the best means for fertilizing the land. This process is quite labor-intensive, but effective.
Important! The soil that was removed from the greenhouse does not have to be thrown away. If you throw it on other beds, in the open air, it will serve perfectly there.
Now the soil needs to be saturated with useful substances, that is, fertilizers. What exactly they will be depends on what plants they plan to plant. There are two types of fertilizers:
Organic fertilizers make the soil saturated with nutrients and create good living conditions for beneficial microorganisms. These substances also help warm the soil. The most popular of them:
- Manure;
- Bird droppings;
- Tree bark;
- River silt;
- Humus;
- Mineral fertilizers are chemicals that saturate the soil with a special element, for example, nitrogen or potassium. Any store sells whole complexes of these substances, which contain all the components necessary for good quality soil.
Do not forget! The main thing when working with mineral fertilizers is not to overdo it; too much of a substance can simply destroy the seedlings.
Warming up the soil
After the soil is in order, it is necessary to prepare the soil for sowing. The main procedure for this is warming up. It is done as follows: small, shallow trenches are dug across the beds, and then hot water is poured into them. Such manipulations raise the soil temperature to 10-15 degrees.
Another warming option, especially if the days are already quite sunny, is to cover the beds with a dark and very thick film.
Oxygen saturation
Experienced gardeners know that the best soil is loose and porous. Such land is saturated with a large amount of oxygen.
To saturate the earth with it, the following components are added to it:
- compost - rotted remains of organic waste;
- leaves, sawdust and tree bark;
- straw cutting;
Another simple and effective way to “revive” the soil is to plant mustard or watercress in it. These plants grow quickly and well - after a couple of weeks, the ground is dug up and seedlings can be planted in it.
The complex of these measures will create ideal conditions in the greenhouse. A well-maintained greenhouse gives amazing results - plants take root well, grow quickly and produce excellent fruit.
We install any greenhouse or greenhouse so that in the future, in these “houses,” we can create the necessary conditions for the crops that we are going to grow there. But what is good for plants is also very good for their pests and diseases. If you cultivate monocultures in a greenhouse for a long time, this seriously increases the concentration of dangerous pests in the soil. These are, as a rule, insects, and in addition to them various pathogenic fungi, as well as harmful microbes. That is why any greenhouses where the soil is constantly closed must be disinfected - the soil, as well as the structure of the greenhouse itself and all the equipment you have there. This needs to be done every year. Greenhouses made of polycarbonate are usually not often disinfected. The opinion of experts is to hold all such events in the fall (more about this is written here). It is best to do this disinfection as soon as you harvest. But, we all have our own things to do, and perhaps it was these very things that did not allow you to take care of your greenhouse in the fall. Then you will need to prepare the greenhouse for planting in the spring. This is usually done in February, or a little later, in March, when a prolonged thaw sets in.
How to prepare a greenhouse for planting in the spring? What and how should you do?
I think it’s clear that such preparation is far from quick. Usually it consists of several successive stages, which are designed together to expel from your greenhouse all (or almost all) insects harmful to your plants, as well as pathogens of any diseases. This is exactly what should be your final result, based on the results of these preparatory activities. Let's figure out where to start disinfecting the greenhouse, what to do next, and how to complete our efforts.
Removing plant debris from the greenhouse
This is the first step you will need to take in preparing your greenhouse for spring planting. Many people include only tops or last year’s fruits as such residues. But that, of course, is not all. Be sure to remove all roots from the greenhouse, as well as those weeds that are present there. Due to the planting density that is typically present in most greenhouses and due to limited space, some pests are bound to live in the greenhouse, even if there have been no outbreaks of any diseases at all. There is no need to leave remnants of garter material in the greenhouse, the same twine or trellises, all for the same reason. Always processing a greenhouse in the spring should be accompanied by thorough burning of all hazardous waste. This garbage may consist of last year's plants, the same garter material and other unnecessary things. If you have any difficulties with burning all this, then here it is written how you can significantly speed up this process.
Some people recommend using tops from a greenhouse for compost. Of course, it may be suitable for this, but not always. The following conditions must be met:
If all the above conditions are quite feasible for you, then you can use all the tops from the greenhouse to produce compost.
We process structures
The design of a greenhouse involves not only its frame, but also the covering material itself, in most cases today it is polycarbonate. When processing all these component parts, you need not to damage them (especially the polycarbonate itself), and at the same time fulfill the main task, that is, to destroy everything harmful that may be present on the components of your greenhouse.
As for polycarbonate, just start by washing it with plain soapy water or something similar, where there are no abrasives. After this, the surface of the polycarbonate is rinsed with clean water. You can limit yourself to this if everything was fine in your greenhouse the previous year. If there were any problems, in terms of pests or dangerous diseases, then during such treatment it is necessary to use drugs that will destroy the pathogen. To do this, such preparations are simply added to the same soapy water.
IMPORTANT! In spring, polycarbonate in the greenhouse should only be washed using SOFT sponges or brushes, as well as rags. Polycarbonate, of course, is convenient as a covering material for greenhouses, but with this treatment it can be scratched very easily. You don’t even need a hard brush for this; scratches can be left with a hard burlap. So immediately forget about metal brushes or meshes for cleaning this transparent covering material. They will only ruin your polycarbonate.
Before planting, the greenhouse will need to not only be mechanically cleaned, but also disinfected. This applies to racks (if you have them), equipment, containers and other components of your greenhouse. To disinfect all these components, you can simply use boiling water (of course, it is not suitable for plastic) and some useful substances. The same copper sulfate (we use it as a solution), also iron sulfate, and in addition to them formaldehyde and bleach are well suited for this. For shelving and wooden supports, it is ideal to treat with lime mortar, which must sit well for this purpose.
Disinfecting the soil in the greenhouse
This sanitary stage of preparing a greenhouse in the spring is one of the most difficult and troublesome. If your greenhouse is small and, accordingly, there is not much soil mixture there, then you can do all this with the help of boiling water. Just a few buckets of good boiling water (that is, the water should just boil) can destroy most pathogens of various diseases in a small greenhouse.
If you live in any southern region, then this method will suit you: you will need to spill the soil, wash the covering material of the greenhouse, close all the window doors in it, and also caulk all the cracks - a week will pass and the greenhouse can be “unsealed”. But many live far from the south and can carry out such a procedure only in June or July, when active fruiting is in full swing. Then how can we neutralize the soil in our greenhouses? This is quite difficult to do; it is easier to simply replace it. It may not even be all, but definitely 5-8 centimeters of the top layer. You can simply distribute this same layer throughout your garden, or cover this greenhouse soil with manure. 3 or 4 years will pass, and you will be able to use this seemingly waste soil again in your greenhouse. The soil in the greenhouse itself, where you removed this top layer, is usually covered with some kind of organic fertilizer, or simply dug up. You should also know that in the spring only fully “ripe” compost is added to greenhouses. Manure should be the same.
To disinfect the soil, you can use “chemistry”. The same solution of copper sulfate (or iron), as well as various special preparations that are intended specifically for this. If the soil in your greenhouse is acidic, you can use bleach. But, nevertheless, it is best to use “chemistry” for these purposes in the fall. In the spring, such events most likely will not contribute to the growth of plants in your greenhouse.
We carry out fumigation. How and with what?
This procedure will help you treat the greenhouse well, while your costs will be very small. There are some insects that can be “defeated” with an ordinary smoky fire. After this, the greenhouse will need to be tightly closed all night. Fumigation is annual; greenhouses with polycarbonate coating should be carried out more thoroughly. Here you can’t do without lump sulfur or a sulfur bomb.
Before you begin the process of disinfecting your greenhouse with sulfur, it will need to be prepared for this. The first thing, of course, is to remove all the debris, then water the soil, and carefully caulk the greenhouse. Only after these procedures will it be possible to process the greenhouse. To do this, sulfur in its pure form or ready-made checkers are laid out on suitable metal sheets. If you use lump sulfur, be sure to add a little kerosene to it.
ATTENTION! The gas that comes out when burning such bombs is extremely dangerous. That is why you should be present in a fumigated greenhouse to a minimum and be sure to take care of your protection. The greenhouse after treatment should be closed for 4 or 5 days. Then it can be opened and be sure to thoroughly ventilate.
Preparation of the greenhouse will go faster over time. Do you do this in spring or autumn. The main thing here is to practice all these skills and choose the most convenient methods for processing it. Don’t forget to do this every year, because when the greenhouse is clean and the material for sowing in it is of high quality, it will definitely give you a good harvest in the end.
Here is another useful video where they will tell you about preparing the greenhouse for the new season. All these events can be carried out both in autumn and spring. The main thing is to completely disinfect the greenhouse.
The arrival of spring is a good reason to think about the future harvest, about growing healthy, high-quality seedlings and early vegetables in a greenhouse. By and large, many problems can be avoided if you timely and correctly treat the greenhouse and prepare the greenhouse soil in the spring for planting seedlings. Read about how to do this thoughtfully and effectively in this article.
Preparing the greenhouse for the new season should begin at the end of February-beginning of March: if possible, you should come to the dacha and inspect the greenhouse for damage that it might have received over the winter. To do this, you will first need to remove snow both from the structure itself and lying next to it. If you notice that the tightness of the structure is broken, then you should definitely seal all the holes. After all, the main purpose of a greenhouse is to preserve heat and humidity.
Advice! Experienced summer residents and gardeners advise periodically clearing the greenhouse of snow on an ongoing basis throughout the winter.
Video: removing snow from a polycarbonate greenhouse
Cleaning the greenhouse surface inside and outside
Once you have completed the first stage of preparing the greenhouse, you can begin spring cleaning and cleaning of the greenhouse.
Throw out all the trash you didn't have time to clean up in the fall.
Thoroughly wash the greenhouse inside and out and all its components from dust and dirt:
- The film and glass are wiped with a soap solution (using laundry soap) and a sponge, and polycarbonate plates can be washed not only with soap, but also with a light solution of potassium permanganate (preferably hot).
- To clean metal structures, use regular warm water with the addition of vinegar.
- It is advisable to wash wooden parts with plain water without adding anything.
Video: how to wash a greenhouse with manganese
Treating the greenhouse against diseases and pests before planting seedlings
Now you have washed all the structures and the greenhouse itself, now it’s time to treat the greenhouse against diseases and pests, in other words, disinfect it.
There are 2 ways to treat or disinfect the greenhouse itself and the soil inside:
- chemical;
- biological.
Chemical treatment (use of sulfur bomb)
For spring treatment of a greenhouse before planting, fumigating it with a sulfur smoke bomb is excellent. But it is advisable to use such disinfection only for wooden greenhouses or for those whose frame is based on plastic pipes.
Advice! As for the timing of treating the greenhouse with a sulfur bomb, it is better to do this about a week before planting the seedlings. The sulfur will definitely have time to dissipate, and the bacteria and fungi from which the fumigation was carried out will not yet have time to reappear.
To properly treat a greenhouse in the spring with a sulfur bomb, you must:
- Remove the plastic film from the checker itself, remove the ignition wick from the packaging and install it in the checker.
- It is advisable to place the checkers at different ends of the greenhouse room.
- It is necessary to place something under the checker (brick, stone, foam block or tin sheet), because after it lights up, the temperature will be very high.
- After setting fire, you must immediately leave the room and close the door, having also closed all transoms.
- Never touch your face, wash your hands thoroughly.
- Smoke bombs burn out in about 30-90 minutes.
- At the end of the fire, enter the room Absolutely forbidden. You need to leave it closed for a couple more days.
- Then ventilate thoroughly, opening all doors and transoms until the smell of sulfur completely disappears. It usually takes the same couple of days.
- Planting seedlings in a treated greenhouse can be done only after you do not feel the slightest smell.
Warning! According to experienced agronomists, if you frequently treat a greenhouse with a sulfur bomb, which has a metal frame or is made of wood itself, but naturally contains various metal objects (for example, nails, a stove and pipes for its heating), then after In 2-3 years, all metal structures will become unusable. This is explained by the fact that the sulfuric acid formed will simply gradually corrode the metal, and it will begin to rust. Therefore, before fumigating the greenhouse with a sulfur smoke bomb, all metal surfaces must be treated with any greasy and viscous lubricant (such as grease).
Video: fumigating a greenhouse with a sulfur smoke bomb before planting seedlings in the spring
It is optimal to treat metal greenhouses with a solution of copper sulfate with lime or potassium permanganate.
To prepare the solution you will need 100 grams of copper sulfate per 1 bucket of water. Some sources advise taking an average of 0.5 kg of copper sulfate and adding 3 kg of slaked lime to it, but such a solution, for obvious reasons, will be too saturated.
Important! When treating a greenhouse with copper sulfate, you should wear rubber gloves. Remember that safety comes first!
Video: treating the inner surface of the greenhouse with copper sulfate
Land disinfection, including the use of biological products
An excellent way to treat the soil in a greenhouse is to water it with hot water and then cover it with ordinary polyethylene or other covering material. By spilling hot water on the soil in a greenhouse in the spring, you will destroy up to 80-90% of pests and diseases.
Advice! Biological preparations with microorganisms that disinfect the soil should be applied a little later, when the soil in the greenhouse warms up more.
How else should you treat the soil in a greenhouse before planting seedlings?
For example, using (calculating 1 tablespoon of solution in 10 liters of water) you can disinfect the soil in a greenhouse by lightly spilling the top layer. After the soil has absorbed this solution, it is recommended to lightly dig it up using a rake so that beneficial bacteria are found under the soil. At the end, you should cover the disinfected bed with a covering material (spunbond or film).
Video: soil preparation in a greenhouse in spring - disinfection with Fitosporin
How to prepare and cultivate the soil in a greenhouse before planting
The last stage of spring work in the greenhouse is the preparation and cultivation of the soil before planting seedlings, as well as the formation of beds.
In order to grow a rich harvest of greenhouse vegetables, the soil in the greenhouse must be appropriate, in other words, care must be taken to increase its fertility.
How to prepare the soil in a greenhouse for planting seedlings?
Sowing green manure
You can improve the structure and fertility of the soil in a greenhouse using. A month after their sowing, you will need to dig up the soil along with the slightly grown green manure and then plant the seedlings.
How to do this?
First you need to thoroughly loosen the soil. It is not necessary to dig too much; it is enough to do it half a spade length, or even 7-10 cm, for example, with a Fokin flat cutter. It’s very easy to sow: just take a handful of seeds and scatter them on top of the soil.
Simultaneously with sowing green manure, you can apply any fertilizers to which you are accustomed. These can be organic or mineral fertilizers (especially, as well as potassium and, to a lesser extent, more had to be added). It is best to use high-quality compost or humus as organic matter. It would not be amiss to add bone meal, because it is simply an excellent natural substitute for phosphorus fertilizers.
After sowing green manure and applying fertilizers, the soil should be watered with warm water. And so that the soil remains moist for a long time and warms up faster, the beds can be covered with spunbond or black film.
Interesting! Some vegetable growers leave a black film on the soil in the greenhouse until the end of the season, making cuts for planting and further growing seedlings (a kind of mulching). In such double greenhouse conditions, vegetables grow even faster. But we must make a reservation that for the normal development of plants in such conditions, it is necessary to organize a drip irrigation system so that there is no double overheating on very hot summer days.
With the first breath of spring, it is time to massively prepare greenhouses for the new season. Cleaning and whitewashing the greenhouse, its disinfection, as well as warming up and adding the components necessary for the earth - this is just an incomplete list of work awaiting gardeners during this period. But only timely and high-quality implementation can be a key factor in obtaining a decent harvest. Proper soil preparation in the spring in a greenhouse can significantly improve its performance.
Greenhouse prepared for planting
When the revision of the greenhouse structure is completed and all identified deficiencies have been eliminated, the next step on the path to obtaining a rich harvest is begun - cultivating the land before planting.
Basic methods and purposes of disinfection
First of all, it is necessary to protect future seedlings from the influence of microorganisms that harmed plants in past seasons. To do this, it is advisable to completely remove the top layer of soil, which contains most of the harmful fungi and bacteria that can destroy the crop.
Before planting, it is important to disinfect not only the soil, but also the room
If this is impossible to do, don’t worry. High-quality preparation of the greenhouse for planting is also possible when it is treated with disinfectants. It should be done several weeks before planting the first vegetation. Moreover, the amount of time before planting seedlings in a greenhouse is, first of all, determined by the characteristics of the use of a disinfectant.
There are several methods for disinfecting soil in greenhouses:
- thermal;
- biological;
- chemical.
Spring preparation of the greenhouse allows you to use them both separately and in combination. All of them are effective in their own way, but each has its own characteristics. We will try to talk about land disinfection methods in more detail.
Thermal treatment of soil
Thermal methods for improving the health of greenhouse soil include freezing and steaming. During the first of them, in winter or early spring, the snow cover is removed and the ground is allowed to freeze to sub-zero temperatures. Naturally, the lower the thermometer reading drops, the more likely it is to destroy microorganisms that can destroy future plants.
Freezing the soil allows you to get rid of many pests
Steaming not only destroys pests, but also speeds up the harvest.
Chemical methods of disinfection
Chemical methods for disinfecting greenhouse soil are the most popular. Among the main reasons for their widespread use:
There are two types of chemicals: for liquid or gas disinfection of soil.
Among the disinfectants for soil preparation in a greenhouse, the use of which is carried out in a liquid state, the following can be noted:
- copper sulfate;
- carbation;
- phytosporin;
- viracide;
- formalin and others.
Chemicals effectively disinfect the soil in the greenhouse
All of the above drugs are soluble in water (the proportions are indicated on the packaging) and can be applied to a wide range of pests of greenhouse crops. As for specific disinfection preparations, the following have proven themselves well:
- Bayleton – a remedy against gray rot;
- Fitoverm - a drug against spider mites, aphids and caterpillars;
- acrobat is an effective cure for late blight and downy mildew.
The essence of the gas method of disinfecting a greenhouse is to fumigate it with sulfur dioxide released by burning sulfur. Among the sulfur bombs that seasoned gardeners most often tend to choose, the following can be noted:
- pawn;
- climate;
- hephaestus
Carrying out this procedure requires careful sealing of the room, as well as compliance with the necessary safety measures. Such treatment of the greenhouse should be carried out at least two weeks before planting the first seedlings in it.
Disinfection with sulfur destroys pests even in hard-to-reach places
The effectiveness of chemical methods for disinfecting greenhouse soil is indisputable. But their use still does not make it possible to obtain environmentally friendly vegetables. Therefore, it is best to use such methods not in spring, but in autumn, immediately after harvesting. Accordingly, the spring volume of work associated with chemical disinfection of the soil in a greenhouse largely depends on how intensively the greenhouse was prepared for winter.
Safe biological soil renewal
Less effective than chemical ones, but most acceptable in the context of obtaining environmentally friendly products, are biological methods of soil treatment. Their essence is to introduce living organisms into the soil (with manure or compost) that are capable of destroying greenhouse pests on their own. In addition, you cannot do without:
- soil replacement;
- use of sewing shifts;
- growing green manure.
The results of using biological methods for disinfecting greenhouse soil are excellent, but there are several disadvantages:
- they are not always applicable for a greenhouse;
- their duration of action is calculated from 4-5 years of constant use, and a beginner in greenhouse business cannot use them;
- During the compost process, constant digging is necessary to protect yourself from weeds.
To get the maximum effect from biological soil improvement, it is important to remember three factors:
- The opinion that pests of greenhouse plants completely die under the influence of low temperatures is absolutely unreliable.
- To achieve the desired effect, disinfection as part of preparing the greenhouse for planting must be carried out in conjunction with disinfection of the entire greenhouse structure.
- Fumigation with sulfur is highly undesirable in greenhouses with a metal frame: the gas released significantly accelerates the process of rust.
Improving soil fertility
In addition to therapeutic procedures, preparing a greenhouse in the spring also cannot be done without preparing proper soil mixtures - a high-quality basis for the future harvest. After all, in order to promote normal growth and development of plants, the soil needs proper care, as well as a sufficient amount of minerals. In this section we will try to understand the features of greenhouse soils and their preparation.
High-quality soil significantly increases productivity
Features of an ideal greenhouse soil
Let us immediately make a reservation that soil for greenhouses, which would be suitable for absolutely all plants grown in them, simply does not exist in nature. The choice of greenhouse soil mixture depends on many factors:
- requirements of the crop being grown;
- time of year and the presence of additional heating;
- climatic features of the region;
- availability of necessary ingredients.
To ensure normal yields, the soil in the greenhouse must meet the following requirements:
- ability to ensure normal heat and air exchange;
- high-quality water saturation during irrigation, as well as the ability to transmit it when growing non-moisture-loving plants;
- absorption of necessary microelements in cases of its fertilization.
The best soil mixtures in terms of their physical properties are those in which the ratio of liquid, solid and gaseous fractions is 1:1:1.
Soil for greenhouses: components and their properties
Among the possible components of greenhouse soil are the following elements: turf, sand, peat, clay, as well as conifer bark, straw, sawdust and fallen leaves, green manure and fully prepared composts. In addition, organic agents in the form of pus, humus and bird droppings, as well as a full set of necessary mineral macro- and microelements, are added to the soil mixture.
Each of them has its own special purpose in creating optimal soil for growing plants. So, sand serves as a baking powder and insulation, and clay retains moisture well. Sawdust, leaves, straw, etc. maintain the desired volumetric mass, improve the water regime and release carbon dioxide, and the bark serves as an antiseptic. The introduction of these components perfectly replenishes the soil with organic matter.
Another supplier of organic fertilizers to soil mixtures is manure. In addition, it perfectly maintains the structure of the soil, and also saturates the plants with a full range of micro- and macroelements. Peat eliminates excess life-giving components, releases carbon dioxide and adds organic matter. And lime materials optimize acidity and improve soil structure.
The more components are used to create a mixture, the more the possibilities of proper nutrition, formation and development of plants improve. In addition, by qualitatively complementing each other, the elements of multicomponent soils also mutually neutralize negative manifestations.
So, if fertilizers are applied in excess of the norm, their excess will be absorbed by sawdust, bark or peat. In turn, bird droppings will enrich them with nitrogen, and sand resists oxidation.
Do-it-yourself preparation of soil components
In fact, preparing a greenhouse in the spring for harvest begins with the preparation of components for greenhouse soil. And their combination is carried out depending on where and what vegetables are planned to be grown. Let us consider here the features of preparing the main components for the production of soil mixtures: turf, humus and composts.
The harvesting of turf land is carried out in late spring or early summer in areas where perennial cereals and legumes grow. Manure, lime and mineral fertilizers are spread onto freshly plowed, harrow-crushed soil, after which they are raked and placed in piles up to 2 m high. Throughout the summer, they are watered several times with liquid manure and shoveled using improvised mechanisms.
Preparing humus
An excellent biofuel for greenhouses, humus is nothing more than completely rotted manure.
To prepare this component of the soil mixture, you need to take manure that has already been used in the greenhouse and lay it out in piles. The finished heaps are sprinkled with peat and systematically watered with slurry. To avoid drying out, the stacks need to be swapped from time to time.
Another great fertilizer for preparing soil in a greenhouse in the spring is compost. It can be harvested almost all year round, because the basis of this product is made up of almost any plant residues: mown grass and weeds, fallen leaves and kitchen waste, rotten vegetables or fruits, manure, peat and others. Each layer of organic matter is sprinkled with fertile soil and watered from time to time.
Conditions for natural ripening
Compost maturation lasts from 6 to 12 months. The readiness of the fertilizer can be determined by its color (it becomes uniform and dark) and, most importantly, its smell and substance. Mature compost has a rather pleasant aroma of freshly plowed soil or forest litter. To avoid drying out, compost containers are placed in the shade and sometimes covered with film. In winter, to protect from freezing, they are carefully covered with snow.
Composting
Important to remember:
- Regular ventilation significantly speeds up the compost preparation process.
- It is extremely undesirable to harvest turf in areas with marshy areas - the result will be a soil mixture with very high acidity.
- Dry peat crumbs, due to the impossibility of high-quality wetting with water, are not used in the production of greenhouse soils.
- Soil in which insects, pests or pathogens of various diseases are present is unsuitable for preparing greenhouse mixtures.
Warming up the greenhouse soil before planting
The final stage of spring soil preparation in a greenhouse is its warming up. The importance of the procedure lies not only in increasing the temperature in the greenhouse, but also in other factors:
- the indoor microclimate improves;
- the root system matures faster;
- as a result, productivity increases significantly.
To naturally obtain the 10-15 degrees necessary for the growing season, you can arrange high beds and use cellular polycarbonate as a covering. The excellent heat retention capabilities inherent in this material, along with good heating of the soil in the greenhouse, will allow you to achieve the desired result in a short time.
High beds in the greenhouse warm up perfectly
In addition, you can install forced heating of the room. To do this, special electric plates are placed under the main soil, which:
- absolutely safe for both humans and farmed products;
- have the ability to regulate the supplied heat;
- switched on in forced or automatic modes.
Important things to consider:
- To better warm up the greenhouse soil, you can cover it with a dark film.
- Under no circumstances should snow be thrown into the greenhouse, as it will become a powerful insulator between the soil and the warm air in the room.
High-quality preparation of the soil in a greenhouse in the spring will not only increase the yield of greenhouse crops, carried out taking into account the above recommendations, it will make it possible to grow healthy, environmentally friendly vegetables with which you can delight yourself and those close to your heart all year round!
