Preparation of soil for seedlings at home. Simple and effective ways to self-prepare the soil for tomato seedlings How to prepare a soil mixture for vegetable seedlings

Our future harvest of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other crops largely depends on the quality of the soil for seedlings, which we harvest ourselves or buy in a store.

Each vegetable has its own requirements for the composition of the soil, but the main components of the correct seedling soil have been and remain earth, peat and sand. Depending on the crop grown, additional components are added to them in certain proportions: mullein, ash, sawdust, lime, chalk, mineral fertilizers.

We bring to your attention the reference table “How to properly prepare the soil for seedlings of the main garden crops”.

• Fertility: the soil for seedlings should contain all the nutrients the plant needs.
• Balance: All components of the soil must be in optimal proportion. Too high or, on the contrary, too low concentration of one or another mineral substance can adversely affect the quality of seedlings.
• High air and moisture permeability: the soil mixture should be loose, light and porous without plant residues.
• Absence of pathogenic microbes, weed seeds, fungal spores, larvae, worms, etc., which can kill young plants.
• Purity, that is, unpolluted by heavy metals, hazardous waste products, etc.

Reference table with options for preparing soil for seedlings of garden crops

culture	Soil options for seedlings
Tomato (tomato)	Option 1: 4 parts peat, 1 part soddy soil and 1/4 part mullein or 3 parts peat, 1 part sawdust, 1/2 part mullein. For 10 kg. of such a mixture is added 3 kg. river sand, 10 grams of ammonium nitrate, 2-3 grams of superphosphate, 1-1.5 grams of potassium chloride. Option 2: 1 part humus, 1 part peat, 1 part sod land, 1 part rotted brown sawdust. 1.5 cups of wood ash, 3 tablespoons of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate, 1 teaspoon of urea are added to a bucket of such a mixture.
Sweet pepper	Option 1: 1 part of sod land and 2 parts of manure humus. Option 2: 2 parts peat and 2 parts humus. Option 3: 3 parts of humus and 2 parts of sod land; Option 4: 2 parts peat nutrient mixture and 1 part soddy soil. Option 5: 4 parts of peat, 2 parts of soddy land, 1 part of humus and 1 part of stale brown sawdust.
Cucumber	Option 1: 2 parts of peat, 2 parts of humus, 1 part of rotted sawdust. 1 cup of wood ash and 1 teaspoon of urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to a bucket of this mixture. Option 2: 1 part sod land, 1 part compost or humus. 1 cup of ash, 10 grams of potassium sulfate and 20 grams of superphosphate are added to a bucket of such a mixture. Option 3: 6 parts peat, 1 part humus, 1 part sawdust, 1 part sand, 1 part mullein. Option 4: 1 part of sod land, 1 part of peat, 1 part of humus and 1 part of old sawdust.
Eggplant	Option 1: 2 parts of compost or manure humus, 1 part of peat and 1/2 of the lying sawdust. Option 2: Garden land from under cabbage or cucumbers. Half a glass of ash, 1 tablespoon of crushed superphosphate and 1 teaspoon of urea and potassium sulfate are added to a bucket of earth.
Cabbage	Option 1: 1 part of sod land, 1 part of humus and 1 part of peat. Option 2: 5 parts sod land, 1 part ash, 1/4 part lime, 1/4 part sand. Option 3: 3 parts peat, 1 part sod land, 1/4 part sand.
Celery	6-7 parts of peat, 2 parts of humus, 1 part of sod land and 1 part of mullein.
Salad	3 parts of peat, 1 part of sod land, 3 parts of humus, 1 part of sand.
strawberries	Option 1: 3 parts garden soil, 3 parts manure or compost, 1/2 part wood ash. Option 2: 4 parts vermiculite, 3 parts peat, 3 parts sand.
Basil	Option 1: 2 parts coconut fiber, 1 part humus or biohumus. Option 2: 2 parts peat, 1 part humus. This mixture should be spilled with a solution of mineral fertilizers: 1/8 teaspoon of urea, potassium sulfate or potassium chloride and superphosphate per 1 liter of water.

After preparing the soil mixture, store it in a cool room: in a garage, cellar or shed - let the soil freeze rather than dry out in the apartment.

It is also necessary to remember that before planting seeds on seedlings, it is recommended to disinfect the soil - to get rid of possible pathogens, larvae and spores. Usually for this it is recommended to steam the soil. How it's done? The soil is laid out on a fine mesh and kept over boiling water for 35-40 minutes, after which it cools down and is laid out in pots for seedlings. A laborious process, isn't it? But effective.

But if there is no desire to steam the soil for seedlings, the soil mixture can be cleaned of unnecessary microflora and fauna by freezing. In this case, the soil is kept at a negative temperature (for example, on an open balcony) for a week, and then brought into a warm room for thawing for 3-4 days.

There is another option for the lazy - shed the soil before planting with a hot raspberry solution of potassium permanganate. Then it remains only to wait until the soil dries up, and you can safely plant the seeds for seedlings.

We wish you success and great harvests!

With the advent of the new year, summer residents begin preparations for the new summer season. Already in January and October, they begin to grow seedlings of peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and other vegetable and berry crops. During this period, more than ever, the problem of preparing the soil for seedlings is relevant. Someone decides to buy ready-made, and someone cooks it on their own, with their own hands.

Requirements for purchased soil

A very convenient option for planting seeds of nightshade and flower crops for seedlings is the acquisition of ready-made nutrient soil. In stores you can find two main varieties:

• seedling soil (soil);
• Seedling substrate.

The first is a soil mixture, which includes components of organic (earth, peat, crushed bark) and inorganic origin. The nutrient substrate consists of sand, sawdust, perlite and everything that can replace the soil - for example, mineral wool.

Regardless of the composition, all commercially prepared seedling soil must meet the following requirements:

• It should be loose and breathable;
• It is good to absorb moisture;
• Soil acidity (pH) should be in the range of 6.5 ... 6.7 units;
• Contain in an accessible form all the macro- and microelements necessary for each culture;
• Possess a basic set of nutrients - potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.

IMPORTANT! If you purchased a package with soil whose acidity is below 6 units, then it should be deoxidized using one of the components: lime, dolomite flour or ash.

When choosing a ready-made soil mixture for sowing seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and other crops, pay attention to the content of Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. Their quantity should be less than 300…400 mg/l. If this value is exceeded, the soil can only be used as a component. In it, you can transplant the picked plants and plant adult seedlings.

With a significant excess of the content of the main nutrients, it is strictly forbidden to use ready-made soil for seedlings. Sprouted seeds will actively grow, gain green mass. At the same time, the formation of flower brushes and buds will proceed at a slow pace.

How to cook on your own?

Those who know how to prepare the soil for seedlings prefer to do the mixture with their own hands. There is nothing complicated here, we wrote an article about this, with which you can. The main thing is that the substrate is light and loose. It should not contain coarse lumps and dense large particles. Do not sift it through a sieve with a small cell. Such a substrate will not lead to anything good. The sifted soil, when watered, swims and turns sour.

To prepare classic soil for seedlings, only four components are needed:

• Garden land - 2 parts.
• Humus or rotted compost - 1 part.
• Lowland peat - 1 part.
• Hardwood sawdust or river sand - 1 part.

All components are mixed, resulting in an excellent quality substrate suitable for growing basic vegetable crops. In order for the seedlings to receive all the nutrients, 40 ... 80 grams of complex fertilizer are added to a bucket of prepared soil. The following types can be used as top dressing:

• Azofoska.
• Nitrophoska.
• Agricola.
• Kemira.

ATTENTION! To neutralize the acidic environment of lowland peat, use lime or ash in small quantities. If you use sawdust instead of sand, then they should first be shed with a solution of urea. In proportion to 1 liter of water, 10 ... 15 grams of urea are taken.

For those who are not satisfied with the universal composition, we recommend preparing soil mixtures for seedlings of each individual vegetable crop. On the one hand, it will take a lot of time. On the other hand, each plant will receive everything necessary for successful growth.

How to prepare soil for seedlings of cucumbers?

Summer residents with experience try to avoid ready-made substrates for growing seedlings of cucumbers. Despite the full range of mineral fertilizers, such soil contains processed peat, which is the main problem. If you forget in time to water the plants, it forms a dense lump that cannot be moistened. At the same time, all the moisture intended for young seedlings will go by.

It is best to prepare the soil for seedlings of cucumbers yourself from the following components:

Composition No. 1

• Lowland peat - 2 parts.
• Humus - 2 parts.
• Hardwood sawdust - 1 part.

Composition No. 2

• Leaf land - 1 part.
• Sod land - 1 part.
• Rotted compost - 1 part.

In both compositions, 3 tablespoons of wood ash and 1 tablespoon of complex fertilizer are added to a bucket of the mixture. Before sowing, before fertilizers are applied, the soil mixture is disinfected from mold and spores of various fungi in one of the following ways:

• Pour boiling water over;
• Using a water bath, steam the soil for one and a half to two hours;
• 2 ... 3 hours, heat the composition in the oven at a temperature of 200 ... 220 ° C.

Preparing soil for cabbage

A nutrient soil mixture for cabbage seedlings is prepared from humus and lowland peat. The ratio of the main components is 1:1. Here, based on one bucket, add 1 glass of fluffy lime. But since there are very few nutrients in such soil, the following fertilizers are added:

• Superphosphate - 3 matchboxes;
• Potassium sulphate - 1 matchbox.

If desired, both fertilizers can be replaced with wood ash at the rate of 3 cups per bucket of soil mixture.

Some summer residents for seedlings of cabbage prepare soil from two parts of sand, five parts of garden soil, one part of ash and 1/4 of fluff lime. After mixing all the components, the mixture must be disinfected by steaming for 2 hours.

What should be the soil for tomatoes and peppers?

Seedlings of peppers and tomatoes require a slightly different soil composition. Here you can use:

• 1 part - rotted humus;
• 1 part - garden or forest land;
• 1 part - washed river sand.

All components before mixing must be sieved through a sieve for a homogeneous composition. The optimal cell diameter is 5…6mm.

The mixture thus prepared is steamed in a water bath for about 2 hours. After that, the steamed soil is poured into a trough, where it is allowed to cool. The next step in preparing the soil for seedlings of peppers and tomatoes is to fill it with mineral fertilizers. As such, ash and crushed egg shells are used. On a bucket of substrate take 200 grams of sifted ash and 100 grams of crushed shells.

This soil composition is best prepared in the fall, since the ash used in it can burn the tender roots of seedlings and destroy plants. During the winter period, it is completely neutralized. If the soil is prepared immediately before sowing, then it is better to use an extract from the ash. It is prepared as follows: 100 grams of wood ash is taken per 10 liter bucket. The solution is infused for 2 days. After which it is ready for use.

For sowing tomatoes for seedlings, you can buy a special one (for tomatoes) or a universal one in the store. High-quality soils of well-known brands are balanced in terms of acidity and nutrients. But there are also such products where the contents of the packages do not correspond to the composition indicated on the package. Experienced gardeners prefer to prepare soil mixtures for tomato seedlings on their own, this guarantees their quality and is much cheaper.

Soil preparation for tomatoes

The simplest and most optimal composition of the soil mixture for tomatoes is obtained if you mix 2 parts of peat, 1 part of garden soil, 1 part of humus or compost and 0.5 parts of sand. Peat, as a rule, has a higher acidity, so add 1 cup of wood ash or 3-4 tablespoons to a bucket of the resulting mixture. dolomite flour. In addition, 10 g of urea, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 10-15 g of potash fertilizer are added to the mixture. These fertilizers can be replaced with complex fertilizer, which contains more phosphorus and potassium, and less nitrogen.

Soil for sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

At different periods of seedling development, the composition of the soil mixture must be adjusted. When preparing the soil for sowing seeds for seedlings, they add a little more sand and less humus to it. The mixture for sowing tomatoes must be sifted and disinfected. Steaming in a double boiler gives the best effect, in which not only pathogenic bacteria and fungal spores die, but also seeds. It is advisable to steam the land mixture 7-10 days before sowing, so that the vital activity of beneficial bacteria is restored in the soil.

The soil for sowing tomatoes should be loose, breathable and, at the same time, sufficiently moisture-absorbing. To increase breathability after steaming, dry crushed sphagnum moss (sphagnum) can be added to the ground.

If you don't have sphagnum on hand, you can buy various baking powders at the store, such as coconut flakes, perlite, or vermiculite. This will contribute to the good development of the root system of tomato seedlings.

Soil for picking seedlings of tomatoes

For picking tomato seedlings, sifting and steaming the soil mixture is no longer necessary, but, in addition to baking powder, several hydrogel granules can be added directly to the pot. When watering, it will absorb excess moisture, and then slowly give it away.

Folk ways of preparing soil for tomatoes

It is clear that every gardener has garden soil and sand, but what if you didn’t have other components for making the soil mixture? Now there are many opportunities for this. Peat, for example, can be successfully replaced with a purchased mixture for seedlings, which is made on the basis of peat. There are also on sale (very fertile silty deposits of fresh water bodies) and. Biohumus can successfully replace humus or compost.

Experienced gardeners sometimes grow tomato seedlings in a mixture of 2 parts sawdust (preferably hardwood) and 1 part sand. At the same time, sawdust is impregnated with a solution of a balanced mixture of mineral fertilizers containing all the necessary nutrients. Sawdust can also be used as a baking powder for the soil mixture. To do this, they must be small, not contain chips and various inclusions in the form of sticks and dry leaves. If necessary, they can be sieved. It is better to use stale sawdust, and if you use fresh ones, then you must first brew them with boiling water, squeeze them out, mix with urea (30-40 g of urea per bucket of sawdust), mix thoroughly and dry a little for flowability. Such sawdust can be added to the mixture up to 20%.

The topic of today's article is the ideal soil for peppers: for seedlings and for planting mature seedlings. Do-it-yourself soil preparation for pepper seedlings.

Correct soil

Good land for planting should:

• be loose, light, with a porous structure, provide free access to air and water;
• contain life-giving microflora, organic;
• contain in optimal proportions for seedlings potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc;
• correspond in composition to the soil in which it will be;
• be water-permeable, retain moisture for a long time without forming a surface crust;
• have an adequate neutral pH for peppers pH ~ 5-7. This acidity protects peppers from black leg and keel.

A good land should not:

• be infested with weeds, larvae, eggs of pests, worms, fungal spores, toxic substances, pathogens, rotting organic matter;
• have an admixture of clay.

An ideal soil composition for pepper seedlings, containing phosphorus and potassium oxides, sulfur, boron, molybdenum, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, and calcium in the right proportions.

On a note! Pepper seedlings develop well in the removed surface layer of soil from under the acacias.

seedling mixtures

How to prepare the ground for seedlings of peppers:

1. One part each: sand, peat, humus, earth.
2. Sod, garden soil, compost, sand - in equal shares. Sprinkle with wood ash at the rate of a glass per 10 kg of the compound.
3. Equally low-lying peat, humus. Enrich with potassium sulfate and superphosphate.
4. One measure of compost (peat), sand (perlite), two sods.
5. To one part, equally mixed sawdust and sand, add three shares of soddy soil.
6. Equally leaf and sod land, the same amount of humus, a little sand, vermiculite, perlite to choose from.
7. Earth, humus, sand, wood ash.
8. Mix soddy soil, river sand, peat in equal proportions, pour a bucket of water with superphosphate, potassium sulfate (30 g) and urea (10 g).
9. Earth, humus, peat in the same volume, half a liter of wood ash, 2 matchboxes of superphosphate.

On a note! If you buy ready-made soil, carefully study the composition. Often it is 100% peaty. In such an environment, pepper seedlings do not develop.

More about the components of mixtures

Peat

It is used as a baking powder. Most soil mixtures require peat additives. There are three types:

• lowland: not acidic, rich in nutrients;
• transition;
• surface requiring enrichment with lime or ash. The introduction of phosphate, magnesium fertilizers is welcome.

coarse sand

Provides proper drainage, contributing to the formation of the supporting part of the bush. Makes the soil porous, light.

Turf

To saturate the soil mixture, improve the structure in the summer-autumn period, the top soil layer is removed along with the grass. Stacked in boxes. Warm up before use.

sphagnum mosses

Increase moisture content. With bactericidal properties, prevent rotting of the root system of seedlings.

Sawdust

Wood waste additives lighten the soil, increase its permeability.

Compost

Contains humus, so necessary for the successful development of seedlings. Increases fertility, ventilation.

Perlite

When growing seedlings in mixtures containing a substance of volcanic origin, the risk of fungal diseases and decay of seedlings is reduced. Protects against the formation of lumps, caking, tamping, temperature changes.

Vermiculite

Crushed layered mineral saves from drying out.

Ash

Experienced gardeners prefer birch.

On a note! To facilitate seedling land cocktails, they add: husks of seeds, husks from grains, expanded clay, hydrogels, foam plastic granules, rotted foliage that does not contain tannins (oak, willow, chestnut leaves), ground eggshells. To remove acidification, lime fluff, chalk and dolomite flour are added.

Preparing the land for pepper seedlings

At the end of summer and autumn, store the available components: earth, turf, peat, moss, sawdust, compost. You can keep blanks in plastic bags, bags, boxes, buckets, at sub-zero temperatures. It is desirable that they freeze well.

On a note! Land from a garden plot may contain seeds of unwanted plants, harmful insects and their larvae, pathogens. Do not use without decontamination, or replace with store bought.

Do not add fresh manure, fresh compost, untreated turf to seedling mixes.

You can improve the soil for seedlings in the following ways:

• To lower pH levels, neutralize unwanted chemicals, treat with preparations such as Flora-S.
• Treat with fungicides, insecticides. This procedure is reliable and lasts a long time. It must be borne in mind the danger of such drugs for health, follow all the precautionary rules.
• Steam for up to an hour, stirring occasionally. Store the steamed soil in sterilized containers in a cool, dark place. With this treatment, pernicious bacteria, fungus, larvae and eggs of insects die, but the necessary trace elements and minerals are preserved.
• To improve microflora treat with a solution like "Baikal", "Gumi" in accordance with the instructions.
• Ignite for half an hour in the oven, oven at a temperature of + 40-50 °. The disadvantage of this method is that along with undesirable factors, the necessary beneficial substances are destroyed.
• Freeze. 30-40 days before planting, warm up, mix with the rest of the ingredients, freeze again.
• Disinfect with potassium permanganate solution. Additionally, walk with an antifungal agent.

On a note! Don't overdo it with . With properly selected components, the soil mixture turns out to be quite fertile. Experienced vegetable growers advise applying liquid fertilizers after the appearance of two true leaves on the seedlings.

Start mixing the components kept in heat 2-3 weeks before the start of sowing. Sift the earth, sod, peat, humus. Select the remains of plants, pebbles, foreign objects.

Place the selected components in a suitable container. Break up lumps. Mix thoroughly until smooth. Add sand, perlite. They will combine all the components into one whole, mix again.

A week before, fill the seedling containers with the prepared composition. Irrigate with a light manganese solution. Add ash, fertilizer.

On a note! Modern technologies make it possible to grow pepper seedlings on landless substrates: a mixture of sawdust and sand, coconut tablets, a peat cushion. It is possible to grow seedlings simply on paper. The advantage of this unusual method is the sterility of the material.

Is it possible to add earth to pepper seedlings?

Pepper seedlings do not require additional land.

But, if such a need arose, sprinkle seedlings without covering the first cotyledon leaves left from planting with soil mixture, or sprinkle with a mixture of cultivated land with used tea brewing. Add in multiple steps.

After lignification of the lower part of the stem, stop adding seedlings, otherwise the formation of the root system will slow down, and rotting may begin.

Soil preparation for pepper seedlings

How to prepare the ground for pepper seedlings? In order not to destroy carefully grown seedlings, you should prepare the soil at the permanent residence of pepper:

• Arrange beds in advance, apply a complex of fertilizers corresponding to the type of soil.
• A few days before produce abundant.
• Make holes, depth equal to the capacity of the finished seedlings, fill with distilled water room temperature.
• plant peppers.

The more carefully, in compliance with all agrotechnical rules, the soil was prepared, the stronger, more resilient the seedlings will grow. depends on the fertility of the soil