Ignite the earth for flowers in the microwave. Preparing the land for seedlings. Chemical disinfection of soil

Before you start sowing seeds for seedlings, you need to prepare the ground. Experienced gardeners know that the health and development of seedlings largely depends on the quality of the land.

Someone buys land for seedlings in a store. When buying land, you need to pay attention to its composition, since often the main component of purchased soil up to 90% is peat with mineral additives. It is best to use a multicomponent mixture for growing seedlings, in which the main part is sod land, humus, and peat and sand are also added.

Many gardeners prefer to prepare the soil for seedlings on their own, in order to save money, and so they are sure that the basis for growing seedlings is prepared as needed. You can take meadow soil for seedlings on your own, removing 10 cm under the roots of plants, in the forest under the crowns of trees they get excellent loose soil. However, many gardeners do not have the opportunity to take land except from their own garden. In this case, there is a risk of contamination of the earth with spores of fungi, bacteria, which cause diseases of vegetable crops. Also, in self-collected land, there may be larvae and wintering pests, weed seeds.

There are many ways to disinfect the soil for seedlings, but we try to choose not only effective methods, but also not laborious ones, in order to clear the land of diseases and pests.

1. The first method is freezing the earth ... Soil for growing seedlings is collected in buckets in the fall, in breathable bags, in boxes. If you store soil for seedlings in a basement or in a shed, then in winter, in the most severe frost of more than -20 degrees, the soil should be taken outside and kept for a week. After the first freezing, return the earth to heat, where the temperature is above zero degrees, from such a drop, weed seeds, harmful microorganisms, will begin to wake up, like in spring. After 7-10 days in a warm place, move the soil for seedlings to frost for a week and all awakened seeds, pathogens, pest larvae will die. It is recommended to freeze the soil 2-3 times, alternating heat and cold with a temperature of less than -15 degrees. You can freeze the soil in the freezer, but in this case you will be limited in volume.

2. Annealing or steaming the earth well cleans the earth from diseases and pests. There are ways to disinfect the earth in the oven, in the microwave and in a water bath by steaming.

When the earth is calcined in the oven, the earth is poured with boiling water, poured into a suitable container with a layer of about 5 cm and placed in an oven preheated to 90-100 degrees for half an hour.

A faster way of calcining the earth in the microwave, but at the same time, the cultivation of the earth must be done in small portions of about 1 liter in a glass jar or in a plastic bag. Place the moist soil in the bag in the oven and turn it on for 4-5 minutes with maximum power. The container where the ground is warming up should not be tightly closed, if you do this in a bag, then pierce it in several places.

The method of steaming earth in a water bath is quite time consuming, but perhaps someone uses it. The earth is poured into a cloth bag and placed on a wire rack or in a colander over boiling water in a saucepan; steaming the earth should last 30-40 minutes.

The most important thing in the way of warming up the earth is not to overestimate the temperature by more than 100 degrees, since in this case you risk getting sterile and dead soil free of harmful and beneficial microorganisms.

3. The method of disinfecting the earth using disinfectants, for example, using potassium permanganate, is very popular, since it is the easiest ... It is only necessary to dilute potassium permanganate in warm water to a pink color, not dark and not too light, and pour the soil abundantly. After a while, watering is done with clean water.

All of the above methods of disinfecting the earth have one significant drawback - with harmful microflora in the soil, useful microorganisms also die. , the land becomes poor, not alive. Therefore, after any procedure for disinfecting the earth, we must add beneficial microorganisms and nutrients to it in order to revive the earth. You can use available biofertilizers - these are phosphobacterin, azotobacterin, Baikal M, Shining.

4. The most gentle and simple way to disinfect the earth can be called biological , since in this case preparations with beneficial bacteria are used, which in the soil will suppress the growth of harmful microorganisms, the soil becomes safe and at the same time does not lose its properties. Available and popular drugs for soil disinfection are trichodermin and phytosporin. This method can also be used as an additional one, after the procedure of freezing, calcining or watering with potassium permanganate in order to populate the earth with beneficial microorganisms.

5. In addition to disinfecting the land in preparation for sowing, it is necessary to take care of disinfecting containers in which you grow seedlings from year to year. Plastic cups and containers must be thoroughly washed with the addition of Whiteness. Wooden boxes can be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The next steps in preparing the land for growing seedlings are to determine the acidity of the soil and add various components that will make it the right structure and enrich it with nutrients.

Next, read in the new issue how to prepare your own land for growing seedlings of tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumbers and other crops. To do this, subscribe to the channel so as not to miss the release of new articles.

The disinfected substrate is the key to strong and healthy seedlings. So, the initial point of preparation for sowing seeds. Processing can be carried out using folk methods or using chemical or biological preparations. To figure out which technology is right for your site, consider the most common, low-cost and effective methods.

Why is this needed?

The method consists in heating the substrate to a high temperature, which will allow it to be cleared of pathogens. Initially, the earthen mixture is poured into a basin and poured with a small amount of boiling water.

Then, when the contents in the container have cooled slightly, it is thoroughly mixed and placed on a baking sheet with a layer of up to 5 cm. After the performed manipulations, the soil can be sent to the oven.
At the same time, it is important not to overdo it with the temperature, since too hot conditions contribute to mineralization, as a result of which it loses nutrients, and some of them acquire a form inaccessible to plant fibers. Within 30 minutes, the earth must be calcined in the oven, setting the timer to 90 ° C.

Important! Regardless of the method of soil disinfection, at the end of the procedure, it must be poured into clean containers wiped with chlorine.

Steaming

Such a technology for disinfecting the soil for seedlings takes a lot of time, but is more gentle than radical calcination.

The soil is poured into a fine metal sieve, which is placed in a cloth bag. You can do the opposite: pour soil into the bag and place it on the grate. They put a bucket of water on the fire, bring it to a boil and set a grate with earth on top. Make sure that the water does not completely evaporate. Steaming must be done for 1.5 hours. At the same time, strictly follow the recommendations of the organization and conduct of a water bath, do not overexpose the soil mixture on it. Otherwise, you will get not just a disinfected lump, but completely devoid of everything nutritious and useful.

This is what summer residents often complain about, who resorted to this method of disinfection. Many, fearing a mixture that is completely sterile and unsuitable for seedlings, immediately before sowing seeds, introduce bacterial fertilizing into it.

Biological agents

If you decide to resort to the use of purchased products for disinfection, first decide how and from what you plan to cultivate the land: either with potassium permanganate.

Did you know? It takes a century for 2 cm of fertile soil to form.

Among the effective biological fungicides, an impeccable reputation is at, "Extrasol", "Planriz", etc.
In addition, the listed drugs contribute to the development of useful microflora and relieve fatigue from greenhouse and greenhouse soils, where the same are cultivated every year.

After treatment with biological agents, pathogens disappear, the toxicity of iron and aluminum decreases, the amount of necessary fluorine, nitrogen, and magnesium increases.

Agrochemists are distinguished from a large list of effective drugs. It contains Trichoderma lignorum fungal mycelium, which prevents the development of cancerous fungi and other pathogenic microbes.

The working solution is prepared at the rate of 1 g of the substance per 1 liter of water. Spraying is carried out, observing measures of their own safety, exclusively from a spray bottle.
Some people do without the development of the agrochemical industry in the usual "old-fashioned" ways. They consist in sprinkling the prepared soil mixture with tincture of mustard or.

Important! Never disinfect sod-podzolic acidic soil with potassium permanganate, as the drug will contribute to even greater oxidation.

Chemical

It is recommended to resort to the use of potent chemicals only in extreme cases, when agrotechnical and biological methods are powerless.

The most popular substance from this group is potassium permanganate, which is ideal for disinfecting soddy-carbonate and chernozem soil.
The working solution is prepared with the calculation of 3 g of the substance per bucket of water. They need to deep water the prepared soil. According to experts, this method is suitable for greenhouses and hotbeds only in combination with other pesticides:, "Thunder",.

It is believed that when processing the soil with potassium permanganate, pathogens die only in the surface layers, therefore, 15 days before planting seedlings, it is important to sprinkle (50 g / 10 l).

If you plan to grow crops susceptible to fusarium, gray rot and sclerotinia, it is necessary to disinfect the soil with Iprodion. The drug is simply mixed with the substrate or scattered over the territory.

Did you know? 27% of the world's black soil fund is located in Ukraine.

Bleach acts radically, killing most pathogenic microbes. The disadvantage of the substance is that many plants react poorly to the inherent chlorine. For disinfection, agronomists advise to add formalin 2 weeks before planting seedlings.

To prepare a working solution, dissolve 40 g of the substance in a glass of water, and then pour the mixture into a bucket of water. The substance is advised to be used for crops that are vulnerable to blackleg.
After processing, be sure to cover the soil with a film, and after 3 days, remove it and dig it up well. This is done so that formalin fumes come out and do not kill the plants.

For the disinfection of greenhouses, the chemical fungicide "TMTD" is also suitable, which can be used dry and in suspension.

How to change the acidity of the soil

You can create favorable conditions for seedlings by adjusting the acidity of the soil. After all, it's not a secret for anyone that an acidic environment promotes the multiplication of pathogens. Let's consider what methods exist to lower and increase the pH reaction.

Before planting seedlings, you need to carefully prepare the soil, disinfect and feed the soil. What is the best way to do this? Treat with a solution of potassium permanganate, phytosporin? To ignite in the oven or in the microwave? Let's discuss all the known methods and find out why this or that method is good.

It's all about the soil

The healthier the soil, the stronger the seedlings that have risen on it, this is an axiom. But not everyone has the opportunity to buy ready-made soil for seedlings every year. So practitioners are thinking how to disinfect last year's or vegetable garden soil.

Competent disinfection acts on various bacteria, nematodes, insect eggs and pupae, and fungal spores. And protects against blackleg, a common disease of young seedlings.

Before planting seedlings, the soil must be decontaminated in order to destroy bacteria and pest eggs

And it is even better to carry out the processing so that the earth is protected from pathogenic bacteria and does not harm beneficial microorganisms.

All methods can be roughly divided into two groups. In the first, folk methods, in the second - disinfection using various purchased means. Let's start with folk methods.

"Hardening" of the soil by frost

The easiest way to process is freezing.

Attention! After any type of disinfection, you need to fill up the soil in sterile containers, wiped with bleach.

For disinfection, the soil can be frozen - on the street, or, if there is not much of it, in the freezer

This method also has a drawback. A negative temperature negatively affects not only pathogenic, but also beneficial microflora. Therefore, freezing is not recommended for soils containing vermicompost.

Another disadvantage is that low temperatures will not cope with carriers of diseases such as late blight. They will only be affected by heat treatment.

Roasting in the oven

It turns out that you can fry, steam and stew ... earth. Various pests do not survive in heat-treated soil.

Attention! Fire disinfection is carried out at a low temperature. Its increase leads to nitrogen mineralization and deterioration of soil quality.

• to ignite the earth in the oven, you need to pour the soil into a large basin and pour it with a small amount of boiling water;
• when the mixture cools a little, mix it thoroughly;
• Pour the wet mass on a baking sheet in a layer of no more than 5 cm and place in the oven;
• ignite for half an hour at a temperature of 70-90 degrees.

Steaming in a water bath in a large container

It is believed that steaming is a more gentle method than roasting over a fire. But at the same time, it is quite reliable.

Tip: after any heat treatment, the cooled soil must be scattered over paper or polyethylene with a layer of up to 10 cm and leveled. This will fill it with air and become looser.

• it is necessary to prepare a large container, for example, a tank;
• lay bricks or an iron grate on the bottom;
• pour water below the level of the bricks;
• put earth on the grate or bricks in a canvas bag or cloth bag;
• cover the tank with a lid, put on fire and steam the earth in a water bath for about two hours.

Steaming in a water bath in a colander.

• cover the colander with a cloth;
• fill a large saucepan with water and let it boil;
• reduce heat and hang a colander with earth over a saucepan. Or install it on top so that the water does not touch the ground;
• warm up for half an hour. The steam penetrating the soil sterilizes it.

According to the same principle, gardeners are advised to fry the earth in a frying pan, ignite it in a microwave oven, stew it in foil or in a sleeve. When processing the last two methods, the water contained in the ground is heated and additionally cleans the soil. You can also pour boiling water over the ground in a shallow container and cover with foil.

Steaming the soil can also be carried out in a double boiler, in a special container

There is one nuance, during heat treatment, both pests and useful microflora die. This means that the above procedures must be done in advance in order to have time to restore the soil before planting.

Steaming purchased soil

Attention! Immediately after treatment, the soil is sterile. But after a couple of weeks, the microflora in it will recover. Where is the guarantee that it is only useful? Experts recommend that after disinfection, the soil should be packed in tight sterile bags. Open just before planting and add Biohumus (one-liter jar to a bucket of soil) or Supercompost (1-2 glasses per bucket). So you will finally protect the plants.

Some practitioners advise to cultivate not only garden soil, but also purchased soil. To do this, place a closed bag with ready-made potting soil in a bucket. Pour boiling water along the side of the bucket and close the lid tightly. Remove the bag only after it has cooled completely.

Disinfection of soil with special means

You can also disinfect the soil chemically:

Reducing soil acidity

Simultaneously with disinfection, it is necessary to equalize the acid-base balance of the soil. Indeed, even in a disinfected soil that has an acidic reaction, the sulfur leg and keel develop perfectly.

Peat soil and garden soil have an acidic reaction. For alkalization, slaked lime or dolomite flour is added to the soil. And different cultures have their own proportions.

Slaked lime or dolomite flour is used to reduce the acidity of the soil.

From early spring, gardeners and summer residents begin their vigorous activity associated with sowing and germinating seedlings. It is not so easy to get healthy and strong shoots that can easily adapt in the open field and will please you with a good harvest in the future. The main condition for their growth, and, consequently, the basis for the future harvest, is a properly selected or independently prepared land.

Soil for seedlings: do it yourself

Some novice vegetable growers do not think about how to properly prepare the soil for growing seedlings, but simply take land from the garden and sow seeds into it. Imagine their disappointment when the long-awaited seedlings never appear or grow slowly. And by the time they are transplanted into the open ground, they are still fragile and weak. These plants will most likely not survive the stress of planting in the garden and will die within a few days.

Before you start taking action, you need to responsibly approach the question of how to prepare the ground for seedlings with your own hands.

With the correct use of biological preparations, they not only destroy the pathogenic flora, but also accelerate the growth of seedlings.

Chemical disinfection of soil

Chemical disinfection of seedling soil is best used only in exceptional cases. As in the situation with biologicals, it is important here not to violate the instructions. Some of these drugs not only destroy pathogenic flora, pathogenic bacteria and fungi, but also inhibit plant growth.

The most harmless, but also ineffective method of chemical disinfection is potassium permanganate. It eventually turns into potash fertilizer.

By decontaminating the soil for seedlings by mechanical or chemical methods, we deprive it of not only pathogenic flora, but also beneficial bacteria. They can be restored by introducing them into the soil ("Rizotorfin", "Azotobacterin", "Phosphorobacterin"). Some gardeners use conventional yeast for this purpose.

Purchased soil mixture. How to improve the quality of the finished land

It is worth noting that all the above procedures for preparing and disinfecting soil for seedlings are not suitable for "lazy" gardeners. Preparing the substrate yourself takes time and effort. It is much easier and faster to buy a ready-made composition for sowing seedlings. Those who choose this option should be aware of the existing pitfalls.

Unfortunately, manufacturers do not always write truthful information on the packaging in good faith. It so happens that by choosing the package with the best composition, you get a poor soil based on peat. When planting seeds in such a composition, there is a high risk of being disappointed with the result. The seedlings will either not sprout at all, or even if the seedlings do appear, they are unlikely to meet expectations. Therefore, you should not be too economical in this matter, but choose the products of well-known companies.

Even if you have such a poor-quality peat-based mixture, try to fix the situation yourself. To do this, you need to mix it with the garden soil, previously disinfected. How to disinfect the soil for seedlings, we discussed earlier in our article. Next, be sure to check the resulting substrate for acidity, and if it is above the norm, we correct this problem as well. It is lowered by adding chalk or Since there are not enough own nutrients in such a soil mixture, additional mineral fertilizers must be added.

It is necessary to approach the issue of preparing land for seedlings very seriously and scrupulously. Experienced gardeners know that the correct soil composition is 80% of success when growing seedlings.

In the process of transplanting a plant in indoor conditions or planting a new one, it is recommended to disinfect the soil mixture before putting it in a pot. You could come across this information from all experienced gardeners - they often mention in passing the need to disinfect the soil or its individual components. Let's take a closer look at what the process of disinfecting soil for indoor plants implies and what tools can be used for this.

How to disinfect the ground for indoor flowers?

Considering the types of soil mixtures, we can safely divide them into purchased and homemade ones, prepared by our own hands. Purchased soil mixtures are often sold fully prepared for planting, so the grower does not need to disinfect them, although there are known cases of infection of plants with purchased land, so it is still worth playing it safe.

In the case of homemade earthen mixtures that have been collected by hand, decontamination is a necessary factor. First, the florist uses sand (river, garden, purchased) to form a loose mixture. Sand can become an excellent carrier of bacteria, larvae, mold spores, so it must be washed in water, treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, or heated in a frying pan.

Disinfection of the soil can be carried out with the same weak solution of potassium permanganate, or simply steamed it. It is not recommended to use heating - only in the case of sand it is possible - especially with organic components.

Land cultivation for indoor plants can be carried out with hot water. You can also hold the potting mix in a cloth over hot water - the steam will remove fungi and bacteria.

How can the land be cultivated for plants?

It is not recommended to disinfect the soil mixture with roundup or herbicides, since they also kill useful substances and tend to accumulate, which will lead to further death of indoor, especially delicate, plants.

The soil is cultivated, which does not contain bugs, insects, worms. Throw away the contaminated potting mix. Such animals as enchitreus, centipede, nematodes, mealybug, butterflies and May beetles are difficult to hatch. It is better to purchase non-contaminated soil and submerge your favorite plant in it.

Do not mix preparations that acidify the soil with an earthy mixture of a neutral or alkaline reaction - you will create an unacceptable environment for the development of a plant, which, for example, needs acidic soil for development. Carefully study the peculiarities of planting, as well as what ingredients the mixture should contain, before planting a plant in it and, even more so, in order to carry out all sorts of manipulations.

It is not recommended to take a soil mixture from under weeds or diseased plants, and treatment rarely helps - the smallest organically particles remain, which can become a breeding ground for pathogenic microflora for a plant.