What to do after working with the soil. Autumn tillage: removal of weeds, loosening, fertilization

Soil care is a labor-intensive process that allows you to get high yields of crops and at the same time increase the fertility of the land. It includes a number of activities: preparatory work, digging or loosening (depending on the type of soil and the preferences of the gardener or gardener), fertilizer and watering, without which a rare plant can do without in the dry summer months. There are many devices and methods of soil care that allow you to achieve the best results, making your work as efficient as possible.

The soil is a complex natural body, consisting of mineral, organic components, various gases, liquids and living organisms. A person with the necessary knowledge can grow all kinds of crops so that the quality of the land does not deteriorate over time.

Soil care begins with the preparation of the site, which consists in cleaning up debris, stones, uprooting old trees, stumps and shrubs, eliminating large weeds, as well as leveling the area allotted for a garden, flower bed or vegetable garden. The next step is digging the soil.

A personal plot can become a flowering corner, pleasing with its crops, if you pay enough attention to soil care

Digging is necessary, especially if the site consists of heavy clay soils that are periodically compacted, in places where it is planned to break a new bed or flower bed, as well as in areas heavily overgrown with weeds. The digging process itself consists in taking out a certain amount of earth on the bayonet of a shovel, which is turned over and placed in the previous hole. It is important to remove weed roots and stones.

Digging is carried out most often once or twice a year, depending on the type of soil.

It is best to dig or plow in the fall, leaving large clods of earth on the site, which will be destroyed by wind and natural precipitation until spring. This will bring the greatest benefit to heavy loamy and clay soils. If the earth has had time to freeze slightly, then it should not be touched, because as a result the soil can be compacted, and its structure can be broken.

Loosening as an alternative to digging

Some owners of household plots and gardens refuse to dig up the site, because they believe that this leads to a violation of the physico-chemical composition, deterioration of the soil structure, and destruction of channels formed by underground organisms. These passages allow moisture and oxygen to pass into the depths of the soil, and the spring awakening for the inhabitants of the soil will take longer.

It is also believed that the mixing of the upper nutrient and lower poorer layers of the earth reduces the overall fertility. Therefore, they manage with only minimal processing: a layer of peat, compost or manure is formed on the soil surface. Seeds are sown in this nutrient medium. It is advisable to cover the soil from above with mulch.

Loosening with a pitchfork can replace digging in some cases

This method can be effectively used for those plants whose root system does not grow deep into the soil. In other cases, a thorough turning of the earth is indispensable. If the soil is not very clayey and rather crumbly, then you can dig it up every 3 years, and the rest of the time it will be enough just to loosen the soil and fertilize. It is important to consider that this event will bring maximum benefit if it is carried out in advance before planting seedlings and sowing seeds, then earthworms will learn a new layer of earth.

The process of loosening and watering options for plants

Soil care includes loosening the earth. This measure makes the soil surface more structured, improves the penetration of liquid into the depth and reduces moisture loss. During the loosening of the earth, all ascended weeds are simultaneously removed. Loosening the soil is much easier than digging. For this process, you can use a pitchfork, sticking them into the ground every 10 cm and swaying them from side to side. Then a cultivator, a hoe with a powerful rounded tooth or a grubber is used. The result is a very loose layer of soil suitable for planting.

Further care of the soil is actually reduced to timely fertilizer, top dressing and watering. Moisture is essential during the dry summer months and enters the ground most different ways. Watering can be drip, subsoil, surface and sprinkling. It is advisable to lay irrigation networks immediately during the development of the site. The choice of a particular irrigation method depends on the equipment available, climatic conditions, and terrain.

The drip irrigation system is good because the required amount of moisture enters directly into the root development zone.

With a drip irrigation system, the liquid flows directly to the zone of development of the root system. Subsoil irrigation is carried out through pipes with holes that are laid in the ground. For surface water supply, open channels are arranged; for sprinkler installations, a closed pipeline is made where sprinklers are installed.

Types of fertilizers and the benefits of mulching

Fertilizers should be applied after autumn digging. Allocate organic, mineral products. In addition, soil quality can be improved by planting certain plants (colza, turnip, mustard, rapeseed, etc.), called orgo mineral fertilizers. Organic means can be animal or plant origin. The first include bird droppings and manure, and the second - peat and compost.

With mineral fertilizers, you must be extremely careful, follow the instructions. Most often, potassium, nitrogen, lime, manganese and other preparations are used. As necessary, grown crops are fed with both diluted organic and mineral fertilizers.

Mulching can help maintain plant health as well as improve soil quality. In summer, it helps to fight weeds, prevents the land from drying out. In the fall, mulching is good for protecting soil, especially soil that is not dug up for the winter. First, you can dig in the compost and cover it with a layer of foliage and sawdust on top.

Mulch is used to control weeds and prevent the soil from drying out in summer.

Important to remember. Dense mulching materials may attract mice. The benefit of this event is that the soil in winter period it will freeze and clog less, and in the spring underground organisms will wake up there earlier. For those areas where there are a lot of slugs, it is better not to mulch.

Caring for the soil is not easy, but it gives a positive effect. With the proper implementation of a set of these measures, it is possible to improve the condition of the soil, its structure, and increase the amount of substances important for plant growth.

The harvest is ready, the jars of pickles are already on the shelves, which means it's time to take care of the greenhouse. Simple care and competent autumn preparation will help to avoid various troubles in the winter and make the soil for crops. next year loose, soft, saturated with air and moisture. And also safe and completely free of pests, viruses and pathogens, so next season's harvest will be healthy and rich.

Greenhouse cleaning after harvest

So, first of all, you need to put things in order in the greenhouse. After all, after harvesting, plant roots, unnecessary seeds, and, of course, pests always remain in the soil. That's why it's so important autumn work in a greenhouse - this is the only way to protect spring seedlings from various misfortunes.

And for this, all plant residues should be carefully selected, then 5-7 cm of soil should be removed - this is where the most harmful plants live. It will be necessary to do such unpleasant work as cleaning the larvae. So, the larvae of the bear can die themselves if they dig up the soil in the greenhouse for the winter, but from the May beetle they like to settle in dense, newly developed soil. And, if there are a lot of them, you will have to work manually or at least sift the soil. The larvae of the wireworm, a lover of greenhouse plants, will not freeze out in winter either. And they are also not afraid of digging.

And after working with the soil, you can begin to cultivate the soil and the walls of the greenhouse - all this must be done even before the first frost hits. All dried dirt and dust should be cleaned.

Autumn disinfection of greenhouse soil

It is also important to take care of the destruction of established pathogens in the soil. So, a spider mite, for example, is only afraid of burning with sulfur. And in order to completely destroy all pests in the greenhouse soil, it is necessary to disinfect. This can be the fumigation of metal and wooden structures with sulfur, 100 g per square meter, or with sulfur blocks, 60 grams each. The latter are evenly placed on iron sheets in the greenhouse and set on fire - all this must be done carefully and in a gas mask. And in order to increase the toxicity of the gas, the racks and walls of the greenhouse should be pre-sprayed with water.

After the autumn disinfection, the greenhouse should be well ventilated, and its glass surfaces should be washed. It is best to do this with a 1-2% solution of pemoxol, using a knapsack sprayer. After that, everything is wiped with nylon brushes and washed again - already with clean water from a hose.

Now the soil should be dug up well, fertilized with manure, humus and peat - half a bucket for each square meter. It is advisable to sprinkle more sand and ash on top of the fertilizers, per liter for the same area, and cover it all with straw. And with the first snow, the snowdrifts will need to be transferred to the greenhouse, so that they protect the earth from freezing, and with the spring sun nourish it with life-giving moisture.

Washing and processing the walls of the greenhouse

If the greenhouse is with a removable film cover, the latter must be washed before being removed from the frame, so that it can then be dried well. And the design itself is to be treated with bleach at the rate of 400 g per bucket of water, insisting and stirring periodically for about 4 hours. The resulting top layer of the solution can be used for spraying the soil, but the greenhouse structures themselves are already coated with sediment using an ordinary brush. Soaking in bleach will not hurt and garden tools.

If the frame of the greenhouse is made of wood, then in the fall it is good to process it with freshly slaked lime with blue vitriol. This treatment will continue until spring, and it will even be lighter in the greenhouse. But boxes, cups and other containers must be scalded with boiling water, even after harvesting.

Strengthening the frame with special supports

Even the most vaunted industrial greenhouses, which are made of quality galvanized steel, sometimes still collapse under the snow. And the shocked owners then seek a refund from the seller for years, and not always successfully. It would seem, how can fragile snowflakes, even if there are many of them, bend a double structure, as in the "Kremlin" greenhouse? After all, the same arcs in the photo perfectly withstood the weight of five or six men in the Mowgli pose ... In fact, everything is simple, if you look from the point of view of physics - if you do not remove snow from the roof of the greenhouse all winter, then its pressure per meter can even reach a ton ! And especially in this regard, Siberian snowfalls are insidious. But the bearing capacity of the design of even the most expensive greenhouses in best case reaches 500 kg / m2, and for ordinary ones - even 200 kg / m2. That is why it will not be superfluous at all, even in a calm winter, to strengthen the frame of the greenhouse since autumn - with special additional arcs, if the manufacturer offers to purchase them, or with wooden props in the form of the letter “T”, made by hand. It is they who will prop up the skate - the very top of the greenhouse.

For reference: the maximum load on any greenhouse is 30 cm of wet snow or 70 cm of fluffy snow. In total, the number of supports must be calculated as follows: 3-4 for a greenhouse six meters wide. But in those places where there is generally a danger of the formation of snow caps (and this is near the fence and in leeward places) - the supports should be placed twice as much. And so that they do not fall and do not go deep into the ground, it is advisable to fix them on the top crossbar and put something solid under their base.

It is not necessary to treat good galvanized steel with special solutions in autumn - it is enough to either grease it with lime or paint only non-galvanized fittings - door handles, latches, hinges. But painted and unpainted greenhouses from another material will have to be given much more attention - they already need special treatment and painting to prevent natural corrosion.

But the film, no matter how strong it is, needs to be removed from the greenhouse for the winter - otherwise it will become brittle in frost and quickly turn into rags. And the wire frames, on which the film was held, must be wiped with kerosene.

Preparing for the winter greenhouse for tomatoes

If only tomatoes are grown in the greenhouse from year to year, then autumn work should be carried out according to its own scheme.

So, in early October, you need to pull out the tops of tomatoes and leave them to dry in the sun on dry days. After that, all the stems should be collected in a heap, burned, and the resulting ash should be placed in a container and hidden in a dry place for storage - in the spring this will make an excellent fertilizer and protect the future crop from many pests. The main thing is that the tops themselves are clean, without mold or rot.

It is desirable to treat the soil with iron sulphate at the rate of 250 g per 10 liters and dig it well. After that, you need to dig grooves and fill them with dry grass with leaves. After that - sprinkle with earth. On warm spring days, this grass will rot, warm the ground and stimulate the growth of tomatoes. Of course, the temperature will not be high, but for the root system of tomatoes and their rapid growth - just right. Yes, and rain lands in such a warm earth will add their fertilizers.

It will not hurt to put things in order around the frame - it is better to remove all the grass and the remains of plants, because either aphids or whiteflies will certainly remain in them for the winter. After that, it will be possible to rest - neither snow nor wind will be terrible for the greenhouse, and next year's harvest will certainly please.

Under the conditions of the middle lane, the best system for maintaining soil in a fruit-bearing garden is considered to be perennial black fallow with periodic application of organic and mineral fertilizers. However, if the soil is kept under black fallow for a long time, it can have a negative effect on it: the soil spends its supply of nutrients, its structure is destroyed. To avoid this, when cultivating the soil using the black fallow system, it is necessary to periodically introduce manure and other organic fertilizers into the soil, sow cover crops for green manure.

With this method of caring for the soil in the garden, which is kept under black fallow, it is necessary to carry out the following basic agrotechnical measures.

When the soil is kept under black fallow in orchards with relatively wide and unshaded aisles, free from compacting crops, cover crops for green manure can be applied in addition to manure. These crops are sown in the second half of summer (early - mid-July) and plowed in autumn. The soil is kept under black fallow before sowing. Cover crops give the greatest effect in tillage with black fallow on moist soils, well seasoned with fertilizers in previous years. In dry years, and also in the absence of irrigation on comparatively dry soils, they develop poorly and do not produce a large crop of green mass for fertilization. Under these conditions, they are not recommended to sow.

Autumn tillage system in the garden

The autumn tillage system is one of the ways to care for the garden. In autumn, after the active growth of trees and harvesting, row spacing is plowed to a depth of 15-18 cm for pome and 12-15 cm for stone fruit plantations, depending on the depth of the roots. Trunk circles and strips, both of the main planting and of compact crops that remain unplowed, should be dug up with a shovel or garden pitchfork to the same depth. Treat the soil with particular care so as not to damage the roots of the trees. It is necessary to dig near-trunk circles within a radius of 0.5 m to a depth of 8-10 cm.

In gardens located on steep slopes, only trunk circles are dug up, leaving row-spacings for turfing. Sometimes in this case, plowing is performed across the slope through the aisle. After 2-3 years, it is necessary to plow the sod row-spacings, and leave the plowed ones earlier for sodding for the same period. This method of processing prevents soil erosion. In compacted orchards on such slopes with compactor crops located between rows, continuous tillage is carried out.

During autumn cultivation, the soil (plowed and dug up) is left unharrowed for the winter.

How to improve the soil in the garden: ways to loosen the surface

To improve the soil in the garden as quickly as possible, it is necessary to carry out early spring loosening. To save the moisture accumulated in the soil in early spring, as soon as the soil is ready for cultivation, it is necessary to harrow the row spacing. Using this method of loosening the soil, heavily compacted soils must be harrowed with disc harrows or loosened first with cultivators or cultivators, then harrowed.

Simultaneously with harrowing, the trunk circles and strips are loosened with shovels, hoes, pitchforks, rakes, depending on the degree of soil compaction.

It is also necessary to carry out summer loosening of the soil surface. During the summer, 3-5 loosening of row-spacings is carried out by cultivators or cultivators to a depth of 5-8 cm, and trunk circles and strips - with hoes. It is necessary to loosen the soil as a compacted top layer is formed and weeds. For the timely completion of the growth of trees and the maturation of wood, loosening must be stopped in the first half of August.

Knowing how to care for the soil by loosening, you will not only get rid of weeds, but also achieve an increase in gas exchange in the upper soil layer.

How to properly fertilize the soil in the garden

The question of how to properly fertilize the soil worries all gardeners without exception. For the growth and fruiting of trees, a large amount of nutrients is consumed annually, especially in the years of the largest harvests. As a result, the soil becomes poorer, and the trees begin to experience a lack of nutrition. In fruit trees, in this case, there is a weakening or complete cessation of growth, a decrease in the size of leaves and fruits, and, consequently, a decrease in yield.

The application of fertilizers to the soil contributes to its fertility and improves the structure of the soil.

How to fertilize the soil with manure, compost, peat feces, phosphorus and potash supplements? This must be done during autumn processing. To do this, they need to be evenly scattered over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe garden and it is possible to plow deeply, and in the near-trunk circles and strips to close up when digging.

Deep incorporation of fertilizers brings them closer to the bulk of the active root system of fruit trees, and the deeper it is done, the greater the effect it has on the growth and fruiting of the tree. When cultivating the soil with fertilizers, it is necessary to close up phosphorus and potassium mineral fertilizers more deeply, since they are strongly absorbed by the soil and penetrate little into its deeper layers.

Soil cultivation in the garden: what fertilizers to apply

Fertilizers that need to be applied to the soil are nitrogenous, phosphorus-potassium, mineral and organomineral supplements.

Nitrogen mineral fertilizers, as fast-acting and easily washed out into the deep layers of the soil, are applied and embedded superficially.

A good phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, especially for stone fruits, is ash. It can be applied instead of superphosphate and other phosphoric acid fertilizers and potassium salt at 5-10 centners per hectare.

Great effect on growth and yield fruit crops provide granulated mineral and organomineral fertilizers. In view of their greater digestibility and use by fruit plants, they are introduced into the soil at somewhat lower rates compared to ordinary powdered fertilizers. Granular fertilizers are prepared from the usual ones: superphosphate, potassium salt and organic fertilizer (bird, sheep, cow droppings, decomposed compost, greenhouse humus and peat).

When preparing organic-mineral granules, you must first grind and sift through a wire sieve prepared organic fertilizer, then mix it with mineral fertilizers in the ratio (by volume): 4 parts organic and 1 part superphosphate or 6 parts organic, 3 parts superphosphate and 1 part potassium salt and slightly moisten the mixture with water or slurry; after that, start rolling (granulating) the mixture. Granulation can be carried out by rotating the barrel mounted on the axis, filling it with the mixture up to 1/4-1/3 of the volume, or by thoroughly mixing the mixture laid out on the floor with a wooden rake until lumps - granules begin to form and then roll them on suspended wooden trays or under-sowing sieves (back and forth movement). After drying, the granules go to fertilizer.

A good and effective method is deep nested (local) fertilization: into holes or pits up to 40-50 cm deep, made in the amount of 4-8 pieces within the trunk circle, depending on its size.

To enhance the growth of shoots, better and timely setting of fruit buds and keeping the crop on the tree (especially on trees that are weakened and with a large yield), fertilizing with nitrogenous fertilizer in liquid form is used. Using this method of tillage, during the growing season, top dressing is carried out in three periods: in early spring - to enhance growth and fruit set, after flowering - to enhance the development of the leaf apparatus and fruit set, after June cleansing - to develop fruits and lay fruit buds.

In systematically irrigated gardens, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out at the specified time simultaneously with watering.

Soil care in a young and fruitful garden: watering timing

By watering during the period of tree growth, it is necessary to keep the soil moist to the depth of the location of most of the active root system (50-100 cm). When caring for the soil in a young and fruitful garden, it is important to comply with the norms and terms of watering, which are determined in each farm, depending on the species composition. garden plot, density of plantings, their age, degree of fruiting, weather, soil and other conditions.

Loamy soils are watered less frequently, but at higher rates than sandy loam soils, which are watered less, but more frequently.

Young orchards are watered at lower rates than fruit-bearing ones. Dense stands are watered more and more frequently than less dense stands. With heavy rainfall during the growing season, watering is also limited.

During the growing season, gardens should be watered 3-5 times at times linked to the growth and fruiting phases.

In a young garden, the timing of watering is as follows:

• at the beginning of shoot growth (beginning - mid-May);
• in the midst of growth (mid-May - late June);
• before the end of shoot growth (July - early August). The last watering should be carried out in such a way that the trees complete their growth in a timely manner and receive proper hardening for the winter.

Terms of proper watering of the soil in a fruit-bearing garden:

• in early spring, after thawing of the soil and before bud break; this watering should ensure normal flowering and fruit set. In the case of strong soil moisture from melting snow, this irrigation is not carried out;
• after flowering and fruit set (early June - mid-July);
• after the June shedding of the ovary to enhance the growth of shoots and set fruits (mid-June - early July);
• before the end of shoot growth, to create the best conditions for laying flower buds;
• 15-20 days before the mass collection of fruits, especially with a plentiful harvest, to ensure the normal end of tree growth (end of July - beginning of August);
• in late August - early September to ensure the autumn growth of the root system and prepare trees for winter.

If at the end of the growing season the soil moisture reserves in the garden are insufficient, winter watering should be carried out so that the soil gets wet to a depth of 1.5-2 m.

Orchards at the age of full fruiting with abundant crops are watered more than with small crops.

Correct watering rates in the garden

Based on the data of experimental institutions and the production experience of irrigated horticulture, the following approximate norms for watering soil in a garden (with mechanical irrigation) are recommended:

• young gardens at the age of 3-5 years, providing for the watering of trees within the near-stem areas, within a radius of 1-1.5 m;
• for a garden older than 5 years, watering rates are slightly increased.
• In the absence of mechanical irrigation, watering in the first two years after planting is carried out at the rate of 3-5 buckets per tree in each watering, and in the next 3-4 years - 5-10 buckets. After watering, the holes are leveled and mulched.

All available water sources and local runoff are used for irrigation. Where there are springs coming out of relatively elevated places, it is necessary to use them for gravity irrigation of the lower gardens.

The main methods of surface watering of the soil in the garden are flooding near-stem areas (bowls) or ring ditches, irrigation with furrows, irrigation by flooding (flooding) and irrigation by sprinkling.

The method of watering the soil in the garden with furrows

For irrigation in the near-stem areas, they make holes (bowls) around the trees, usually within the radius of the crown, somewhat deepened with a horizontal surface of the bottom. In the middle of the row spacing, one distribution furrow is carried out, which, when irrigated, is connected by grooves to the bowls. Instead of bowls around trees, ring ditches are sometimes made. The disadvantage of this method of irrigation is the uneven saturation of the soil with water, as a result, part of the root system receives little or no moisture.

The furrow method of watering the soil in the garden is a simple and rational way of irrigation. Furrows are cut before irrigation with a plow or hiller in the row-spacing at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the trees and 1 m from each other. Furrows must be leveled after watering.

Watering by flooding (flooding) is carried out by continuous irrigation of the garden. To do this, the entire area of ​​​​the garden is divided into sections depending on the relief, their surface is leveled, and the edges are bunded. The disadvantage of this method is the high water consumption and the destruction of the soil structure.

The main methods of watering the soil in the garden: sprinkling

Irrigation of the soil by sprinkling is carried out using a special sprinkling installation, consisting of a pump that supplies water under high pressure, a pressure pipeline with branches of distribution pipes and water spray devices. Sprinklers are "long-jet" and "short-jet". The latter for fruit and berry plantations are the best.

Sprinkler irrigation is the most advanced and economical method of irrigation, allowing you to adjust soil moisture in accordance with the needs of plants. The use of this method is especially effective in young orchards and berry fields.

When caring for the soil after irrigation by sprinkling, loosening of the stuck together surface of the soil is carried out.

Maintaining soil fertility is a top priority for every farmer. It is impossible to get a constantly good harvest of vegetables without observing crop rotation on the site. Dead plant residues of one plant species, accumulating in the soil from year to year, form toxic compounds over time. These toxins disrupt the metabolism in plants, change them chemical composition. Remember: the same thing happens in the human body, if he leads the wrong way of life.

“But what about perennial grasses?” - you say. They grow for years in the same place and do not get any worse. But in such conditions, only grass and weeds can grow well. Yes, and the land under meadow grasses has a coarse-grained structure, which will have to be improved for more than one year. Vegetable crops, on the other hand, require much more nutrients for normal growth, and, moreover, their composition must be balanced.

Ways to improve soil fertility

We will return to this topic more than once, and today we will only briefly describe the ways in which soil fertility can be restored or increased.

Soil rest

It is advisable to give the land a rest from time to time, not occupying the plot with vegetable crops for one season. Earlier in agriculture the practice of "pure fallow" was often used, when the land was left free of any crops. But now, green manure sowing is most often used to improve the composition of the soil.

Crop rotation

The correct one is to return the same vegetable crops to their original place no earlier than after 5 years. During this time, the soil should make up for the lack of elements used during the previous planting. Unfortunately, this is difficult to achieve in a small area. But still possible. This, for example, is evidenced by the scheme of planting vegetables and crop rotation according to Mittlider.

Application of organic and mineral fertilizers

Organic fertilizers play a major role in this tandem. After all, the introduction of mineral fertilizers into the soil gives a short-term effect, and the next season will have to be repeated all over again. And organic matter decomposes for more than one year, enriching the soil with useful elements and at the same time improving its structure.

Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers has another disadvantage: these compounds inhibit the development of soil microflora and impoverish its composition.

Lime and gypsum nie

Most vegetable crops develop normally if the soil has a slightly acidic or normal acidity. To bring the soil reaction to this level of acidity, various methods are used.

If the soil in the area is acidic, then you need to carry out. For these purposes, during digging or plowing, lime, chalk, and dolomite are periodically added.

Soils with an alkaline structure are mainly solonetzes, limestone soils. In such areas, most vegetable crops grow very poorly. Used to improve alkaline soils plastering.

Sowing green manure

Green manures - plants containing an increased amount of nitrogen, proteins, microelements - have a very good effect on the composition of the soil. Their branched roots improve the structure of the soil, increase its saturation with oxygen. Rye, lupine, mustard, buckwheat, phacelia, etc. are used as siderates. They are sown after the main crops or are specially included in the crop rotation scheme.

Soil mulching

As mulch, you can use mowed grass, hay, straw, dry leaves. A layer of mulch not only protects the soil from drying out, but also serves as a natural top dressing. Various microorganisms, earthworms and other inhabitants of the upper soil layer are very actively developing under a layer of mulch. In a very short time, with their help, the soil structure can improve markedly. Mulching in combination with periodic watering gives a particularly noticeable effect.

Shallow loosening

Instead of the usual plowing and digging, it is better to cultivate the land with a manual or mechanical flat cutter to a depth of 10-15 cm. At the same time, the beneficial microflora is not destroyed and moisture is much better retained in the ground.

I'll add from my own experience.

We have a large lot, 25 acres. Every year they plowed the land, tried both spring plowing and fall. organic fertilizers in last years were almost not introduced, so soil fertility gradually began to decline, and the structure of the soil deteriorated.

A year ago, we decided to give up plowing. In the spring, as soon as the earth dried up a little, the site was treated with a cultivator. That is, the arable layer was not turned over, but only deep loosening of the soil was carried out. For planting all, without exception, vegetable crops, such a depth is quite enough.

And now for the second year we have been observing a constant improvement in the structure of the soil, which cannot but rejoice 🙂 So far, we are increasing fertility with the most accessible ways(nitroammophoska, agrolife - fertilizer based on bird droppings).

Restoring soil fertility is a lengthy process that requires considerable effort from the gardener. But over time, the soil will surely thank everyone who takes care of it with love and patience.

After harvesting on a personal plot and placing it in storage, gardeners cannot yet rest. The thing is, their work doesn't end there. Experienced gardeners know that the basis of the future harvest is not only the observance of all agrotechnical rules when growing crops, but also the correct cultivation of the land in the fall. If this work is carried out correctly, then optimal conditions for the existence of plants will be created in the soil. As a result, the air and hydro regime will improve, heat will be maintained, thickets of harmful weeds will decrease, and the percentage of pests and many diseases will decrease.

general information

To begin with, all weed plants must be removed, and in such a way that no seeds are left of them. All remnants of garden crops are also removed. If the stems of the plants are already dry, then they can simply be burned on a non-rainy day. Experienced gardeners use even the resulting ash. They add it to the ground as fertilizer while digging the garden, or they fall asleep in the compost heap.

Removing weeds, as well as burning roots, tops and stems, helps to destroy pathogens of various diseases and those pests that remain on the plant. If the culture has obvious signs of infection, then it should be burned away from the garden, and the ashes should not be used, but destroyed by burying them in a hole outside the site.

Where to begin

Autumn tillage should begin with light loosening of the top layer with a rake. This process should be carried out on each bed separately after all fruit-bearing crops have already been removed from it. It should be borne in mind that after about a week, weed shoots may appear in this place. They also need to be destroyed. For this purpose, experienced gardeners use Fokin's flat cutter, which grinds their stems and roots, while simultaneously loosening the ground. In general, there is an opinion that weed shoots that appear after the removal of plant residues are not dangerous at all, since they usually die from winter frosts, and those that survive can be removed already by loosening the soil in spring. However, many gardeners remove them. Such preparation for winter leads to rapid self-healing of the soil. In addition, chopped green weeds can serve as a very valuable natural top dressing.

Why do you need to dig the earth

The main task facing gardeners is the correct implementation of this stage of soil cultivation in the fall. For digging, you will definitely need a shovel. Plow the land should be at a depth of thirty to thirty-five centimeters. If there is a small layer of humus in the soil, then twenty cm will be enough.

Autumn tillage should be carried out as early as possible - even before the onset of stable cold days and before prolonged rains. The fact is that otherwise, instead of loosening the earth, it will be trampled down and compacted, especially in clay areas. Moreover, it is the latter that need measures aimed at increasing their fertility.

To this end, experts recommend digging such soil at a depth of about sixteen centimeters, and increasing it every year. It is very important to simultaneously introduce sand and organic matter in order to reduce the layer of the clay barren part and increase the percentage of the fertile part.

For heavy loamy soil, digging the soil in autumn should take place at a greater depth. In this case, you need to make peat, sand, organic matter, which contribute to aeration and improve the structure. As a result, the "breathing" of the roots of crops will be facilitated.

Processing light soils in autumn

Such soil does not need to be dug too often. Since structural spraying occurs in it, and as a result it becomes more loose, the work becomes more complicated. If the top layer is fertilized too deeply, then beneficial microorganisms die, and pathogenic pests begin to multiply in their place. In addition, abundant watering in dry weather leads to a rapid leaching of most of the minerals that are necessary to maintain the density of the soil structure, and this primarily concerns calcium. As a result, worsening physical properties soil. Therefore, in order not to abuse it, it is still better to carry out only autumn tillage.

fertilizers

Many gardeners on their site make their own organic top dressing. To do this, they create compost heaps or pits in which they put uninfected plants and substandard fruits, waste generated after cleaning vegetables or fruits, onion husks, droppings, fallen spruce needles, ashes. Fertilizers that have rotted over time are used during site preparation before digging.

In the process of plowing the soil, it is also recommended to apply other organic fertilizers, for example, manure or compost. In this case, you should not go deep into the ground, otherwise the top dressing will decompose less and be poorly absorbed by plants.

During the autumn digging, experienced gardeners introduce all the organic, phosphorus and potash fertilizers necessary for the future harvest, and, if necessary, clay and sand are also added. It must be borne in mind that manure must be used carefully. It is better to close up this organic fertilizer at a shallow depth, so that during the winter it has time to decompose and serve as a habitat for many beneficial microorganisms. Whereas in dense low soil layers, it practically does not change the structure. It is recommended to use rotted cow or horse manure in the fall, so that by spring it will completely rot in the soil due to looseness, moisture and the correct temperature of the earth.

During digging, humus and compost should be applied precisely to those areas where the gardener plans to grow gourds, cabbage, celery, and lettuce next season. will be needed where radishes, beets and carrots are to be sown. Manure for these crops in the fall is not recommended to be added. Fresh droppings of birds or animals also cannot be brought in during digging; it is better to compost them first.

In the case when only a small layer of humus is present on the site, that is, the land is completely “poor”, it is better to “feed” it in the fall. To do this, during digging, it is recommended to increase the dose of mineral fertilizers and organic matter, which is laid a little deeper. After that, the earth is carefully harrowed with a metal rake so that the top dressing mixes well with the soil.

Liming

Land with a high level of acidity requires proper autumn processing. This indicator, as you know, negatively affects not only the yield, but also the growth of garden crops. The fact is that vegetables require a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. Therefore, the high level of soil acidity must be reduced in the fall. To do this, once every five years, a liming procedure is carried out. Calcium oxide can not only deoxidize the earth, but also increase its fertility, improve air permeability, hygroscopicity, optimizing the structure due to the calcium content.

For liming, you can use chalk or slaked lime, cement dust, as well as dolomite flour and ash - peat or wood. Their dose will depend on the degree of acidity of the soil, its structure and the amount of calcium content. Liming will result from the fact that the clay soil will be much looser, easier to work with, and the moisture capacity increases in sandy soil and it will become viscous. As a result, the most favorable conditions are created for the development of beneficial microorganisms and improving fertility.

Overfatigue of the soil and green manure

Autumn has come, gardeners have already harvested vegetables and began to think about how to restore the fertility of the land on the site. Few people know that overfatigue of the soil also leads to the occurrence of many diseases in plants. Signs of this problem are as follows: disturbed soil structure, when it resembles dust, as well as cracking crust after watering or rain. In this case, comprehensive measures are needed for self-healing of the soil, since tillage in the fall against diseases is not a sufficient measure. In this case, siderates come to the rescue. These are plants that are grown on the site not for the purpose of obtaining a crop from them, but to enrich the soil with organic and mineral substances, as well as to improve its structure.

Vetch, rapeseed, lupine, vetch, clover, peas, mustard are often used as green manure. For fertilizing the soil in the fall, the latter is best suited. Moreover, mustard is able to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and many other trace elements that enter the soil. Green manures are also excellent fertilizer. Plus, they increase the aeration and hygroscopicity of the earth, loosening it thanks to branched roots. It is better to plant them in the fall, so that the green mass is formed before frost, but they will grow for a few more weeks in the spring. If the weather is warm until mid-October, then they can grow and even start buds. In this case, the ovaries should be cut off.

Pest control

In addition, siderates emit substances that serve as excellent insecticides. Today, tillage from pests in the fall with the help of mustard is very common. It perfectly repels wireworms, bears and cockchafer larvae thanks to its root secretions. Insecticides are best sown immediately after the beds have been cleared of fertile crops. Experienced gardeners always monitor the condition of the soil in order to decontaminate it in time. Otherwise, after the plant is affected by the disease, it will be very difficult to get rid of it. There are several ways to deal with this problem. First, you need to know what. Most often, gardeners use chemicals, for example, a solution of vitriol. Moreover, the composition should not be too concentrated. To obtain the desired result, a one or two percent solution is sufficient. Another way is biological disinfection, when special preparations are introduced into the soil fifteen days before the first frost. For those who do not know how to treat the soil from phytophthora, in the fall, experienced gardeners recommend digging the soil well, and then adding a solution of copper sulphate to it.

What to sow after potatoes to improve the soil

For the next season, one unspoken rule must be observed: do not plant nightshade in the same place. After harvesting potatoes, strawberries or tomatoes, they cannot be sown in the same soil for at least three years. In cases where the site is small enough, the task of gardeners becomes more complicated. They have to solve the problem of what to sow after the potatoes. To improve the soil, you can plant green manure plants: phacelia, mustard, oats, lupins, etc. Legumes help enrich the earth with nutrients and nitrogen. Mustard is a reliable barrier for a wireworm that loves to feast on potato tubers. To obtain the maximum effect, the planting of green manure can be combined with the application of organic fertilizers.