Soil organisms: fauna, bacteria, fungi and algae

Every person wants to use a garden or personal plot to the maximum: plant vegetables, sow greens, and create a flowering flower bed. However, the soil tends to deplete. That is why it is worth figuring out in advance how to improve the soil, enriching its composition to increase fertility.

• 1 Signs of poor soil
• 2 Video "How to improve the quality of the soil on the site"
• 3 Changing the soil structure
• 4 We sow green manure
• 5 Mulching
• 6 We apply fertilizers

How to determine the type of soil in the garden

First of all, the gardener will need to determine the type and composition of the soil, and based on this, choose certain agrotechnical measures to improve the soil, including the introduction of compost or fertilizers, irrigation, drainage, and regulation of acidity. You can correctly determine the composition of the soil yourself, without the use of complex laboratory studies.

Sandy soil - ways to improve

If the soil quickly absorbs moisture and also evaporates it, then this type of soil is sandy. The sandy type of soil does not hold moisture well, but it warms up faster in spring than others, therefore it is suitable for early crops.

Sandy soil - photo

Sandy soils have good air permeability, so they practically do not require a loosening procedure.

This is an important positive characteristic of sandy soil.

Important!

The disadvantage of this type of soil is poor moisture retention. All introduced organic and mineral fertilizers, salts of alkalis and metals are easily washed out of it. This contributes to the possible acidification of the soil.

To improve sandy soil it is required to apply a large amount of various fertilizers, planting green manures, and carry out mulching.

Also, to improve sandstones, dry clay has been applied for more than 5 years (1-2 buckets per 1m2).

Plants that can be grown in sandy soils

If you regularly carry out work to improve the fertility of sandy soils and regular watering, then you can successfully grow various crops on them.

Fruit bushes feel good on sandstones: raspberries, felt cherries, cherry plums.

Ornamental plants can be planted on sandy soil: Irga Lamarca, common dogwood, silver sucker, field maple, broom broom, dyeing gorse, yellow acacia, Kuril tea, hawthorn, lilac.

Plants for sandy soils - video

From flowers on sandy ground, you can grow: gatsania, marigold, iberis, cleoma, cosmea, lavender, Syrian hibiscus, sea lobularia, escholzia, penstemon, wrinkled rose, calendula, oak sage, cornflowers.

Vegetables (worth experimenting): potatoes, onions, beets, tomatoes, peas, beans, and generally all legumes.

Sandy soils are great for growing conifers: pines, junipers.

You can also plant deciduous trees: alder buckthorn, hanging birch, willow, maple, white acacia.

Sandy loam soil - how to improve

If the earth rolls into a ball, but cannot keep the shape of a cylinder, then this is sandy loam soil. The sand cannot be squeezed into a lump, as it immediately wakes up.Sandy loam soil consists of approximately 20% sand and 80% clay.

Sandy loam soil - photo

The sandy loam type of soil is considered favorable for the cultivation of various crops, but if the sand values ​​are higher than the indicated values, then the fertility also decreases.

Loamy soil

Loamy soil keeps the shape of the cylinder well. Loamy soil usually does not need any major improvement, as it has good air permeability and composition.

Possesses high fertility.

Loamy soil - photo

Important!

Loamy and sandy loam soils do not require any major improvements, and almost all desired plants can be grown on them.

Ways to improve clay soil

If the earth can be rolled into rings and bundles, then it is heavy, greasy and clayey earth. And also the clay type of soil can be determined by the long-lasting puddles after rain. Plants that love moisture, such as rose bushes, raspberries and cherries, grow well on clay soils.

Clay soil - photo

Clay soil has the highest density, there are practically no pores in it, so it will be impossible to organize high-quality air exchange in the ground. Such soil, when irrigated, absorbs a large amount of water, remaining sticky and moist. All this negatively affects the condition of the roots, which do not receive the oxygen they need, are constantly in conditions of high humidity, which leads to the weakening of plants and their mediocre productivity.

You can improve clay soil by adding sand and ash

- this helps to improve air permeability and facilitate oxygen access to plant roots.

Also contributes to an increase in the fertility of clay soils, the introduction of compost, organic matter, regular mulching and planting of grass-siderates.

Plants that grow well in clay soils

With proper care, clay soils can be used to grow potatoes, cabbages, legumes, berry bushes, fruit trees, and other crops.

Important!

Perennial plants for growing on clay soils must be frost-resistant. Clay soils that are very cold and thermophilic plants will not be able to winter favorably on them.

Plants that can be planted in clay soil - video

On clay soil, you can plant: various varieties of roses, decorative climbing honeysuckle, laurel viburnum, soft cuff, lungwort, fern, lilac, blood-red currant, Japanese spirea, decorative bird cherry, maple, alder, juniper.

Lime soil

This type of soil resembles a sandy type. It absorbs water quickly after heavy rainfall. If the weather is hot for a long time, then the calcareous soil becomes white or gray. Nutrients are quickly washed out of such soil, as well as from sandy soil. It contains a significant amount of calcium salts and has a pronounced alkaline structure.

Calcareous soil - photo

To improve the calcareous soil, planting green manures is used, organic matter is introduced, mulching is carried out to retain moisture. Lime soil has a rather loose structure and does not require loosening, suitable for growing almost all cultivated plants.

Important!

Potatoes do not like soils with low acidity, so calcareous types of soils are not suitable for growing potatoes.

Peat soil

The peat type of soil is not so common; it can be found in places where swamps were drained.

Peat soil - photo

This soil is rich in organic matter and lacks other mineral components. To improve peat soils, clay and sand are added to them in large volumes: 2 buckets of clay and up to 5 buckets of sand should be added per 1 m2. Also, this land should be improved with nitrogen, you can make compost - 1-2 kg per 1m2.

Peat soils usually do not require loosening and have good air permeability.

They retain moisture well, but this quality favors the multiplication of various fungal diseases.

Important!

Peat soil loves potatoes, strawberries, strawberries, berry crops.

It is also necessary to pay attention to what level the groundwater approaches the surface.

If they are located closer than a meter, then it is recommended to make high ridges for growing plants.

Holzer ridges

The famous Austrian permaculturist and nature farmer Sepp Holzer applies his method of quickly creating humus reserves in extremely poor soils and in harsh climates. In place of the garden bed, a trench 40-50 cm deep and the same width is being dug. It gets clogged with dry trunks, branches, and rot. This is a primary supply of slow organic matter and a “sponge” for moisture during a drought.

Then the trench is dug in, and in Sepp's version the earth is thrown from the sides, fitting into a rampart 70–100 cm high. The rampart is about a huge difference in microclimate. The sunny upwind side is hot and dry. Solar leeward - hot and humid, subtropics. Shadow without wind - humid and not hot, shadow with wind - not hot, but blows out moisture.

From the shady side, plants will climb up to the ridge. On the sunny day - they will bush and fly, like on the beach. With all this in mind, Sepp sows a tree with a mixture of different plants - cereals, pumpkins and squash, beans, corn and sunflowers - with anything that has large seeds and quickly builds up biomass.

By the way, the area of ​​the rampart slopes is one and a half of the area of ​​its base.

The finished shaft is covered with straw or hay, strengthened from the wind with branches, and the branches - with longitudinal poles. The huge advantage of the shaft - early and fast heating of the soil... A trench was formed between the ridges - branches were also placed in it and covered with straw. The roots will reach here too.

Classification of garden lands

Garden lands, depending on the type of their origin, are usually divided into several main characteristics. Ideally, this should be leafy or humus soil, which will provide the highest possible yield indicators.

By introducing peat or sand, you can significantly change the characteristics of garden lands, improve the quality and composition of the soil and increase the fruiting of cultivated vegetables and fruits.

Sod land

contains a large amount of nutrients, initially well breathable, but subsequently compacted, which requires additional processing. In summer, the turf should be mixed and slurried over. To obtain an excellent harvest, a gardener will only need to use complex mineral fertilizers with potassium and nitrogen on a regular basis, which will provide the plants with all the trace elements and nutrition they need.

Sod land - photo

Humus earth

differs in low density and has high organic content. To obtain such soil, it is necessary to compost fresh manure for two to three years, after which, in a consistency of one to three, add to the horse garden soil.

Humus earth - photo

Important!

Summer residents need to remember that high doses of humus can be dangerous for young plants, respectively, for seedlings of vegetable crops, you should choose the right soil, avoiding excessive organic content in it.

Leaf land

differs in low density, contains a large amount of rotted natural organic matter. To prepare such leafy soil on the site, it is necessary to add aspen, birch, maple and linden leaves to the soil. Additionally, the beds are fertilized with slurry and the soil is liming. This leafy soil is especially good for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and various fruit crops.

Leafy land - photo

Analysis of fungi and bacteria in the soil

It is rather difficult to study subsurface processes and, in particular, nitrogen transformation in laboratory conditions. Of all the known habitats of microorganisms, the soil is the most unstable: during the growing season, moisture, acidity, oxygen and nutrient content, the number and species diversity of microorganisms can change significantly.

However, with the help of modern technology, an accurate understanding of soil processes can be obtained. Thus, the Dutch company Eurofins Agro, one of the world leaders in laboratory analyzes in agriculture, is investigating the potential nitrogen mineralization in soil and the BFI parameter (presence of fungi and bacteria in the soil).

The most advanced soil analysis technology is NIRS - Near Infrared Spectroscopy. In an NIRS study, a sample is exposed to near infrared radiation. Modern equipment measures in a few seconds which wavelengths are reflected from the test material and which are absorbed. The resulting spectrum contains precise information about the composition of the sample.

NIRS results are calibrated using the classic BFI method. It is an anaerobic incubation test that measures Potential Mineralizable Nitrogen (PMN). This is the proportion of organic nitrogen that, under certain conditions, can be converted into forms available to plants. Soil samples are immersed in water for a week, creating an anaerobic environment. Anaerobic microorganisms during this time decompose all organic residues and dead aerobic organisms, releasing mineral nitrogen. The inorganic nitrogen levels before and after the dive are compared and the BFI is eventually calculated.

How to improve soil composition

Most summer cottages cannot boast of ideal soil, therefore, without carrying out any agrotechnical procedures to improve the composition of the land, it will be problematic to achieve good yields.

How to improve soil fertility and structure - video

The preparation of the soil begins with the simplest measures for its cultivation. Cuts are made with a plow, which allows you to determine the presence and depth of the fertile layer.

The easiest way to improve the structure of the soil is by introducing a large amount of humus, peat or fresh manure into it.

But to change the acidity indicators, for example, to deoxidize the soil, it is required to liming the earth, and this procedure is performed for two to three years, after which you can see the first results of the work.

Worms are the key to purity and fertility

Organisms-reducers (microbes, bacteria, fungi, earthworms) in the process of life decompose dead organic matter to the state of simple inorganic substances. They play an important role in the formation of a fertile layer of the earth. Only 10% of the vegetation on the planet is consumed by other organisms (humans, insects, herbivores). The remaining 90% process decomposers.

Earthworms are the main utilizers of plant waste. The density of their population ranges from a couple of tens to several hundred pieces per square meter. On an area of ​​1 hectare, up to 400-500 tons of waste are processed by worms alone per year! About 40% of this mass goes to the life support of animal organisms, the rest 60% returns to the soil in the form of fertilizer - vermicompost. With a sufficient amount of food, animals increase the fertile layer by 3 mm per season.

Little orderlies cleanse the ground from a huge amount of rotting debris, in return enriching the soil with the products of their vital activity - coprolites. The rate of organic matter processing in worms is much higher than that of microorganisms, and vermicompost is many times superior in nutritional value to any types of conventional compost.

Liming - how to change soil acidity

One of the most important agrotechnical procedures is liming the soil, which allows you to cultivate the land, preserving its lumpy structure, providing optimal chemical parameters of the soil for the growth, development and fruiting of vegetable crops.

According to acidity, soils are subdivided into:

• neutral with pH 5.5 - 7
• acidic with a pH of 4 - 5.5
• alkaline with pH 7 - 9

How to change the acidity of the soil - video

You can measure the acidity of the soil, for example, by sending it to a laboratory for study, or you can do it yourself, at least approximately. To measure the acidity of the soil, there are simple methods that are used by experienced gardeners and gardeners.

In specialized retail outlets, sets of litmus tests are sold to determine the acidity of the soil on their own.

Next, you need to collect land from different parts and depths of the garden, the samples are diluted with water in a ratio of 5 to 1 and infused for 5 minutes. Then, using litmus paper placed in a liquid medium, the pH value of the soil is determined.

The easiest way to determine the acidity of the soil at home is with regular table vinegar. If you take it and pour it on the ground with vinegar, then the alkaline soil will hiss. If bubbles just appear on the soil, then it is neutral.

To determine acidic soil, additional manipulations will be required: you should dilute the vinegar with water and add a pinch of baking soda to the solution. After watering the ground with this composition and finding that a reaction with hissing and foam has gone, it can be stated that the soil in the area is acidic.

Important!

Lime is a valuable agrochemical that neutralizes the excess acidity of the earth, and at the same time is food for most plants.

On heavy clay soils, the introduction of lime allows you to decompose nutrients, converting them into easily digestible forms. In acidic areas, liming of the soil binds nitrates and nitrites. On loams and clayey soils poor in organic matter, such work allows you to mobilize nutrients.

Liming is carried out in early spring or late autumn, while the gardener should refrain from introducing large doses of chemicals, since the latter will have a bad effect on the productivity of the plants grown.

To change the acidity of the earth, it is necessary to add slaked lime in small doses to the beds for two to three years, which will solve the problems of acidic and alkaline soil on the site.

What kind of soil needs to be improved?

In his youth, my friend lived in the famous village of Starocherkasskaya - the capital of the Don Cossacks. The floodplain of the Don, meadow chernozems, two meters high, soft. And his garden was, moreover, on the site of the old regimental stables.

I remember he sincerely complained: well, it’s sheer agony to harvest! Potatoes in weeds - almost a bucket from a bush, beets - two pieces are no longer fit into a bucket! Of course, to improve such soil is only to spoil it. It is enough for her to return as much organic matter as it has grown on. And digging it is a crime. But we have few such happy places. My friend was just lucky.

For us, simple clayey, in order to achieve good fertility, we need to work with the soil. And in order not to wait for years, it is better to immediately improve the soil in the beds - for the first and last time, but radically. Oh, how many times I wished I did it right away!

Plants for soil improvement - the use of green manure

Sideration of the soil is an extremely simple and effective way to improve soil fertility indicators,

at the same time, the gardener receives a noticeable result the next year after carrying out such an agrotechnical procedure.

The crop grown on the site is environmentally friendly and has a great taste.Greening means planting a catch crop after the main harvest, which is subsequently embedded in the soil, rotted, enriching it with various nutrients.

Siderata plants - photo

The following crops are used to improve the soil: mustard, beans, peas, lupine, alfalfa, and so on. They are planted at the end of July - in August, the plants, under suitable conditions, grow the green mass literally for two months, after which they are mowed and embedded in the soil to a depth of 20-30 centimeters.

Additionally, it is recommended to enrich the land with phosphorus and potash fertilizers, which are vital for plants for the development and active fruiting.

Four whales of soil fertility

You give your whole soul to the garden, and instead of gratitude - bags of rotten tomatoes and a bucket of small potatoes. Let's look around and think about what we were wrong about? What are we doing wrong? How to help the soil become fertile again, and the garden trouble-free, joyful and productive? Let's try to fuss less and think more!

Mulching is the first step to soil fertility

Everyone, of course, knows that in the forest weeds are not weeded out and fallen leaves are not removed, no one would even think of watering birches or spilling mushrooms. Under a thick layer of last year's leaves, bark, fallen twigs, the ground is cool and moist. And in his native garden at summer noon, the earth heats up, becomes covered with cracks, no matter how much they loosened and do not water.

Here is the first answer: the soil is never bare in the forest. Last year's leaves and the remnants of grass cover it with a thick layer, preventing moisture from actively evaporating. This creates ideal conditions for microorganisms that convert organic matter into nutrients needed by plants. The soil remains loose, airy, alive.

Let's try and create similar conditions in our garden.

1. In autumn, we will cover our empty beds with a thick layer of straw, fallen leaves, and crushed bark. This will prevent the soil from freezing in winter, especially in years with little snow. By spring, organic matter will rot and become an additional fertilizer.
2. Throughout the summer, we will put weed-out weeds without seeds, hay, straw on the beds. Under a layer of mulch, the roots of plants do not suffer from overheating, in drought they practically do not need watering, since moisture evaporation is minimal. True, during prolonged rains in a humid environment, fungal diseases develop rapidly, but this problem can be solved by treating the plantings with fungicides in advance.
3. Most of the weeds cannot germinate from under the mulch layer, which means that the time that was previously spent on weeding is freed.

Mulching the soil improves its structure. Gradually settling, the mulch mixes with its top layer. The soil becomes loose, moisture and air permeable. There is no need to loosen and dig it up. When it comes time to plant seedlings, you can make indentations with a planting cone, and then only add mulch as needed, this will replace the traditional hilling.

Siderata to replace fertilizers and shovels

What else is needed in order to improve the structure of the soil, make it looser, enrich it with nitrogen, calcium, potassium and phosphorus, and activate beneficial microorganisms? Experts will answer you: green manure. This method of soil enrichment was known in ancient times. It originated in China, and then ended up in Europe, where it immediately gained recognition, especially in the Mediterranean countries.

Mustard, alfalfa, phacelia, rye, barley can be used as siderates. Legumes are great for enriching the soil with nitrogen.

• Siderata can be sown when the crops are harvested from the beds, usually from the third decade of July to early August.
• Many summer residents sow them in the spring, before planting the main crops. In this case, you need to mow in May.
• Sometimes siderates are sown before winter.Then they are either left to grow until spring, or they are cut off and covered with mulch on top. In spring, the soil in this place will be fluffy, nutritious and will not require plowing.

Vegetable growers argue about whether to leave the green manure in the garden or to plow it. Proponents of digging say that this improves the moisture capacity and permeability of the soil, and improves its structure. Opponents believe that digging has a bad effect on microorganisms and earthworms living in the soil.

It is much more useful to distribute the mown green manures over the surface of the beds, cover them with straw to prevent them from drying out. Then, soon the green mass will turn into compost, the inhabitants of the soil will process it and turn it into a valuable fertilizer. In both cases, the roots of the green manure are left in the ground. When decomposing, they become food for earthworms - the best restorers of soil fertility.

Organic fertilizers are the key to the harvest and the basis of natural farming

If the land on your site is poor and heavy, organic matter is simply necessary for it. The most valuable organic fertilizer is manure. It contains a lot of trace elements that play an important role in the growth and development of plants: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium. The carbon dioxide released by it is important for the processes of heat exchange and photosynthesis. To fertilize the garden, cow and horse manure is used, less often sheep and pork manure. Manure can be replaced with poultry or rabbit droppings.

Other organic fertilizers - ash, lake silt, peat, compost, humus. They are also rich in trace elements, with their help, you can adjust the acid-base balance in the beds, depending on the preferences of the crops growing there. And, of course, organic matter significantly increases the yield and taste of the fruit.

Land composting and peat insertion

Most often, gardeners, when it is necessary to improve the indicators of soil fertility, compost the soil or introduce a large amount of peat into the ground. Composting is usually understood as the use of various organic compounds that have been pre-aged for 6 months or more, which allows you to transfer the contained mineral elements into easily digestible forms.

Photo of compost preparation

On the basis of peat, composts from organic-mineral mixtures can be made. In most cases, gardeners do not have any difficulties in finding peat bogs.

Good to know!

For the cultivation of the soil on a plot of 6 acres, one KamAZ or 30-40 wheelbarrows of such soil, containing a large amount of rotted organic matter, will be enough.

Also, peat not only enriches the soil with micronutrients necessary for plant development, but also improves its chemical composition.

Use of organic fertilizers

First of all, organic matter is, of course, good compost.

But besides the good old compost heap, there are other organic fertilizer options. For example, you can prepare an original liquid fertilizer, the recipe for which was shared by one of our readers. Place a barrel or container in a sunny place to collect rainwater and cover it with a lid. Collect any plants that catch your eye: dandelion, plantain, clover, nettle, wood lice, etc. Chop them and place in a container with water, let the composition brew and ferment for 10 days.

This organic “cocktail” needs to be diluted - 9 parts of water must be added to 1 part of the solution. You need to water the plants at the root.

Do not throw disease-infested plants and weeds with seeds into the compost heap. Such organic fertilization can ruin the entire crop!

Also, do not give up composting using the cold fermentation method. Its recipe is as follows: lay cut branches, dry leaves, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, unnecessary paper in layers and sprinkle it all with earth. After about a year, the compost will mature and can be used.

Purchased organic mineral mixtures for soil improvement

Today, in gardening stores, you can find ready-made organic-mineral mixtures that are designed to make flower beds and flower beds in personal plots. Such soil can also be used to improve the indicators of the structure of the earth and increase the fruiting of the site.

The main raw material in such a mixture is peat,

to which sawdust, tree bark, fermented feces, as well as various mineral fertilizers, including potassium salts and nitrogen, are added.
The only drawback of such organic-mineral mixtures is their high cost,
therefore, gardeners usually use them pointwise to improve soil structure in greenhouses and greenhouses.

FERTILIZERS FOR THE GARDEN AND GARDEN!

• Nitrogen fertilizer • Azofosk fertilizer • Ammofosk • Nitrofosk fertilizer

It is on the physical properties and chemical composition of the soil on the site that the yield indicators of the grown vegetables, berries and fruits will depend.

A gardener, if necessary, can improve the land on the site, for which lime, peat or humus, a large amount of other organic matter, mineral fertilizers are added to it, or fast-growing green manure crops are planted. Carrying out such a simple work to improve the composition of the soil will significantly increase the yield, and the gardener will see the first results literally a year after fertilizing and domesticating the soil.

Crop rotation

Long-term cultivation of the same crop depletes the soil and leads to a decrease in the chemical and physical properties of the soil. If you constantly plant cabbage in one place, it will cause an increase in the level of acidity of the soil. The annual planting of onions in one place causes an increase in the population of nematodes, etc. To prevent this from happening, there is a crop rotation - an annual alternation of crops planted in one place.

Cucumber roots break down urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia

The soil is literally "tired" of interacting with the same culture. It accumulates colins - by-products of plant life. For example, an apple tree releases ethylene gas, which inhibits the growth of seeds of other plants. The most “toxic” are cabbage, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers. To enable the soil to repair itself and maintain the optimal composition of trace elements, it is necessary to alternate the planting of different crops annually in accordance with the table below.

Improving the fertility of sandy soils

On the one hand, sandstone has excellent air and moisture permeability, but there is a minimum amount of nutrients, and moisture evaporates very quickly, so it is simply impossible to get a rich harvest without introducing a large amount of organic matter. Such soil must be saturated with substances that seal the structure and retain moisture. Peat, manure, compost with the addition of clay, which will retain moisture and compact the structure, are perfect.

Sandstones are minimally dug up, because they are easily weathered and washed out. Imported soil is the fastest way to change the position, because even a single large application of organic matter does not change the situation for many years.