Processing of peat soils for growing crops
It's no secret that garden plots are mostly located in the area of peaty and boggy soils, which are characterized by such disadvantages as low relief and a small distance to the groundwater. Such soils, of course, should be subjected to special treatment before anything is planted and grown on them. Therefore, the cultivation of peat soils is an important aspect in the cultivation of crops.
Novice summer residents, striving to get a quick harvest, often do not worry about any preparation processes and sow seeds, plant seedlings immediately, which is a gross mistake and negligent attitude towards the future harvest. And the harvest, in this case, may not be foreseen at all - the growth and development of plants is inhibited, deteriorates, they become weak, depleted due to non-compliance with a number of conditions, and ultimately simply cease their vital activity. Then those who hastened begin to regret their thoughtless decision. Peaty soil, it should be remembered, is unsuitable for growing most plants without proper radical improvement. The main nutrients and elements are found in such soil in extremely small quantities, especially in the form that plants prefer to assimilate - therefore, in any case, you first have to work on the adaptation. The soil itself is characterized by a low temperature on the surface and inside, since peat is a poor conductor of heat, and, as you know, heat is vital for most vegetation. An excessively dark color of peaty soil also suggests the risk of uneven heating under the influence of the sun - if the upper layers are still exposed to it in the autumn, often even drying out, the lower ones remain cold. The thawing process of soils of this type is also slowed down by an average of 10-15 days in comparison with others.
Due to the very different chemical composition and level of acidity, the conditions for the formation of peaty soils are also different. There are types of transitional, lowland and high-moor peat. If high-moor peat of brown color is characterized by weak decomposition due to an increased degree of acidity, then low-peat, on the contrary, surpasses high-moor peat in its composition, differs in a weak, or even completely neutral, degree of acidity, has a black earthy color.
In order to start cultivating, peaty soils should first of all be subjected to a drainage process. This makes it possible to improve the indicators of food, water and air regimes of the soil in the zone where the habitat layer of the plant root system is usually located. The processing of peat soils, namely Drainage, involves a change in the conditions of the soil formation process, that is, the necessary level of aeration is created, the decomposition of the organic component of peat is accelerated and intensified, and those compounds that can pose a particular hazard to vegetation are oxidized. It is best to start draining in the spring season, at the same time throughout the territory intended for growing crops. If you are not sure that you are doing the process correctly, seek help from a specialist who will give accurate recommendations specifically for your soil. This is a very important point that should not be overlooked.
Peat soil cultivation implies that the peat should be replaced with sand or clay, then the appropriate fertilization rate should be applied, thereby reducing the unfavorable level of acidity in the soil.
Loamy soil, clay or sand, as a rule, is mixed with peat, thereby contributing to the creation of mixed artificial soil at a depth of no more than 40 centimeters. In the process, the level of the site should be slightly raised. In areas where the soil is characterized as swampy, especially with a close location of groundwater, the level has to be raised even higher, up to 1 meter. In this case, the soil is required in large quantities. Boiler slag can serve as an effective loosening agent in this case. In a crushed form, such slags can also be used to reduce the level of acidity, or even completely neutralize it. These can be converter slags, open-hearth furnaces, blast furnace slags and other types of slags.
At first, on drained peaty soils, the effective use of mineral fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium is noted. As for potash salt, it is applied in proportions of about 3 kilograms per 100 square meters of territory, in the case of superphosphate - in the region of 5 kilograms, any other complex mineral fertilizer is enough in an amount of 5 to 6 kilograms.
If you do not have the opportunity to prepare the soil at once throughout the entire territory of the site, then here the method is used with planting plants on bulk hills, or it is recommended to process the territory in stages, in parts. Fill hills can also serve as a good guarantee against groundwater lying close to the soil, but in this case, their height should be at least one and a half meters. The procedure for erecting such hills is to drive in a stake, which must be sufficiently high and strong for greater structural reliability. Subsequently, a layer of gravel is laid around it, which functions as a kind of drainage, on the surface of the soil, then the hill of fertile land itself is poured, a plant is planted, followed by tying it to a hammered stake.
Soil cultivation is a natural process for gardening that a summer resident faces, who competently and in advance determined the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of the soil that is located directly on the territory of the site. If you want plants to take root and feel comfortable, consider all the features and requirements for a particular type of soil.