The soil
Soil plays an important role in plant life. Thanks to the microflora of the soil and the organic and mineral fertilizers that enter it, it is continuously changing. Its structure changes, the ability to retain moisture. The soil should be considered not as an abstract substance, but as a living organism. The properties of the soil depend on the subsoil on which it was formed, from bacteria, fungi and animals that contribute to the decomposition of organic matter that has entered into it, from vegetation on it, and also from climatic conditions.
Various garden and home flowers make very specific requirements to the properties and qualities of the soil. Some flowers grow and develop relatively well on soils with not particularly good qualities. And others, with the majority, put great demands on the soil. For the cultivation of flowers, very heavy clay soils, on which, after rain or watering, water is delayed for a long time, are not suitable without first improving. And also cold, sandy and stony soils, in which sand and stones prevail.
Council for the care of flowers: Be sure to regularly loosen the soil. Loosening the soil helps maintain moisture in it. For the better, its physico-chemical properties change, its water-air regime improves and the content of microorganisms increases severalfold. Also loosening affects the water, air and thermal regime. Soil cultivation contributes to the regulation of the vital activity of microorganisms, which are necessary for the transformation of nutrients into substances assimilated by plants.
Fertilizers
Mineral and organic fertilizers, containing one or more nutrients in high concentration, make it possible to improve soil fertility very quickly. And, consequently, contribute to the growth of home colors. In essence, mineral fertilizers are simple, mixed, complex and concentrated. One of the advantages of mineral fertilizers is that it is more convenient to transport them and easier to introduce into the soil than organic ones.
Nitric fertilizers use ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and urea. Ammonium nitrate contains 33-34% nitrogen, so it refers to concentrated fertilizers. Introduced into the soil, it dissolves very easily and acts quickly. It almost does not change the reaction of the soil, therefore it is used for the fertilization of both alkaline and neutral soils and weakly acidic soils. Ammonium sulphate dissolves well in water. Contains about 20% nitrogen. The continued use of ammonium sulfate, especially on light soils, leads to their souring. Therefore, if you notice that the acidity of the soil rises, lime or bone meal must be added to it. Or fertilize in combination with other mineral fertilizers that neutralize the harmful effects of ammonium sulfate. The addition of ammonium sulfate together with manure also prevents soil silt. Urea (carbamide) is the most concentrated solid nitrogen fertilizer. Contains 46% nitrogen.
Phosphate fertilizers . Most often, when cultivating home colors, powdery and granulated superphosphate are used. Powdered superphosphate is a fast-acting fertilizer and differs depending on the phosphorus content. Granular superphosphate contains 20-22% phosphorus and has better physical properties than powdered phosphorus. Therefore, when feeding home flowers should be given to him preference. Bone flour contains 29-34% phosphorus, 1.2-1.7% nitrogen and up to 45% calcium (limestone). Used to fertilize acidic soils. Recently, it has become less used. Potassium chloride, potassium sulfate and vegetable ash are the most important potassium fertilizers for growing flowers. Potassium chloride contains 54-62.5% of potassium. Some types of flowers do not tolerate potassium chloride, since they have increased sensitivity to chlorine ions in the soil. Potassium sulphate contains between 45 and 52% potassium. Vegetable ash contains a different amount of potassium, which varies between 20 and 30% depending on the plants from which it is obtained. The content of potassium depends on the degree of combustion of plants: the better they burned, the higher the content of potassium. In addition, it depends on the way ash is stored. Ashes lying on the rain are poor in potassium.
Organic fertilizers are best assimilated by plants. But they may contain a lack of certain trace elements. Therefore, organic fertilizers are often supplemented with mineral fertilizers. Organic fertilizers include compost, manure, peat and preparations based on it. Another organic can be used: rotted leaves, needle, sapropel, etc.
What is fertilizer for? Microelements contained in fertilizers are absolutely necessary for the growth and development of plants. Along with the basic nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), home flowers need many other nutrients. Such as: boron, bromine, chlorine, aluminum, iron, iodine, silicon, magnesium, copper, molybdenum, sodium, sulfur, zinc. They are needed in such small quantities that often do not pay any attention to the application of fertilizers.
Council for the care of flowers: When simultaneously introducing various fertilizers, you need to know the rules for mixing them. If the mixing is incorrect, a negative effect is obtained, since insoluble compounds appear, which reduce the effect of individual elements. For example, it is not recommended to mix superphosphate with calcium nitrate. The easiest way to use ready-made fertilizers in a beautiful package, designed for certain types of flowers. However, this is an expensive pleasure, especially when growing a large number of flowers. In addition, much depends on the acidity of the soil, its composition and consistency.
Preparing the earth mixture for planting home flowers
The very first thing you need to know when growing potted flowers is that the root system of plants develops in a small volume of soil. Therefore, the soil must be rich in nutrients and bacteria. In addition, you also need to know that pot flowers always impose higher demands on the soil than flowers grown in the open ground. Typically, for indoor and greenhouse flowers grown in pots or on racks, mixtures of garden soil are prepared taking into account the characteristics and requirements of certain types of home colors. It is possible to note the following most important types of garden land and individual substrates: sod land, leaf land, peat land, greenhouse (humus) land, heath land, garden land, wood land, pine bark, perlite, river sand, moss, crushed charcoal and etc.
The sod land is of great importance as a component that participates in almost all types of earth mixtures. Due to the large amount of plant residues in it, it is porous and rich in nutrients, but prone to compaction. Leafy earth is light, loose and quite rich in nutrients. It is obtained as a result of pereprevaniya fallen leaves of coniferous and deciduous trees. It is widely used in floriculture, especially for growing plants that do not tolerate manure. Leafy ground in a mixture with turf ground is suitable for growing most of the potted flowers. It is also suitable for sowing some seeds, such as seeds of begonia, gloxinia. In a mixture with peat soil and sand, it completely replaces the definitive heath land. Leafy land, taken from coniferous forests, has an acid reaction, so it is used in the cultivation of azalea, anthurium. Litter from the leaves of poplar, willow, oak and some other trees is of poor quality, so it should not be used. Peatland is light, loose and moisture-consuming. It is obtained as a result of the decomposition of bog peat and is used to improve the qualities of other types of land. Its nutritional value is not very high. The introduction of peat into the soil increases its acidity.
Greenhouse land is a mixture of completely reparted manure, used to heat greenhouses, and poured on it the land in which the seedlings were grown. Greenhouse land is stacked by heaps, like compost, and after a short time it is ready for use. It improves the physical and chemical properties of soil mixtures, it can also be used to fertilize open ground. Heather land is very light and loose, rich in nutrients. It is obtained as a result of the rotting of some plants of the Vereskov family. Since it is too difficult to receive it, it is quite expensive. It can be completely replaced by a mixture of four parts of peat, two parts of leaf land and one part of sand. Orchard land is taken from sites where garden plants were grown, which were periodically fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers. It is harvested in autumn after harvesting, and only arable layer is used. Woody land is obtained from rotten wood stems, stumps, knots, wood shavings and wood dust from the old tree ashes. In its properties, it is close to the leaflet, but is used less often, as it causes an increase in acidity. Suitable for growing orchids, ferns and representatives of the family Bromelgea. Recently, the stores sold land, "processed" by California worms .
Council for the care of flowers: add to the ground before planting chopped charcoal. A small amount of crushed charcoal absorbs excess moisture from the soil. And then, with a shortage of moisture, it gives it back, thereby protecting the soil from souring.
Of all the listed types of garden land and substrates in pure form only leaf, heather and peat are used for sowing small seeds (begonia, gloxinia). And also sand and perlite - for rooting cuttings of some kinds of house colors. If you trust the manufacturer, you can purchase ready-made soil mixtures. However, with a large number of grown flowers, the purchase becomes not cheap. In addition, some manufacturers do not comply with the dosage of mineral fertilizers, which adversely affects the further growth of home colors. And for an earthen mixture prepared by own hands, you can vouch!
How to change your home flowers
The plants are transplanted as follows. According to the requirements of the species, prepare the necessary mixture from various types of garden soil, which is moistened to such an extent that it crumbles when compressed in the hand. To ensure good drainage in pots, use shards and coarse sand. In the vessels where they are to be transplanted, drainage is done in the following way: on the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot the crock is placed with a convex side up and to this level the prepared coarse-grained river sand is poured.
With an incomplete transplant with a pointed stick, gently loosen and remove the surface layer of the earth, and the soil around the roots is slightly broken and knocked out by a lump of pot. The old drainage is also cleaned. If there are decayed roots in flowers, then they are cut to living tissues. On the drainage prepared in the pot, pour a bump of nutritious soil, then plant it in the middle of the vessel so that the root collar is 1 cm below the pot edge. If the neck is above the upper edge of the vessel, then the plant is removed and the part of the poured earth is removed. If it is too low, then add more land. The space between the clod and the wall of the pot is filled with nutritive ground, and it is several times pressed with the fingers of both hands and a new amount of soil is added. If the plant is transferred to a vessel of large size, then the ground is caught with a slightly pointed peg. Vessels with transplanted plants are not filled with earth to the top, so that it can be watered. Transplanted plants are watered abundantly and kept in warm, slightly shaded rooms with moist air, where they are in the period of rooting, when they are recommended to be repeatedly sprayed with water.
When growing certain types of plants, transshipment is used. Transshipment is a method close to transplantation, which must be applied several times during one growing season in relation to herbaceous fast-growing plants, so that they become strong, well developed. The difference between transplantation and transshipment is that if during transplantation a greater or lesser part of the earth, and sometimes a part of the roots, has to be removed, then during transshipment the earth clod with roots remains undisturbed and is completely transferred to a new vessel. The technique of transshipment of flowers is the same as in the technique of transplantation. After transshipment, the plants are kept in the same conditions as they were before, and only with a very strong sun they are pritenyayut
Council for the care of flowers: By transshipment, to a certain extent, it is possible to regulate the flowering time of plants. With a greater number of transshipments, the flowering slows down, and at a smaller - accelerates. An increase in the number of transshipments leads to the production of stronger and more powerful plants.
Thanks to the basic tips for caring for home colors, you can grow really beautiful and fragrant plants. If the flowers are planted incorrectly, then from further care there will be little sense!