How to prepare the soil for seedlings - advice from experienced summer residents

A guarantee of a good harvest tomato , cabbage, pepper and eggplant from your summer cottage will be properly grown seedlings. Therefore, first of all, you need to take care of the soil in which the seeds will germinate. The seedling soil must meet certain characteristics. It should have good porosity, looseness and not too acidic environment. Such indicators can be achieved provided that the soil for seedlings is properly prepared.

We select components for the soil

A typical mistake of novice gardeners is sowing seeds in ordinary soil taken from their garden. Therefore, many people fail in growing vegetable seedlings at home and prefer to buy plants that are ready for planting. The secret to getting good seedlings is to properly prepare the soil for the seedlings. Therefore, we will take care of its preparation ourselves, especially since there is nothing complicated in this process.

The soil for seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, eggplant and cucumbers should consist of the following components:

1. Humus... It is obtained from rotted manure or plants, which makes this soil the most nutritious and fertile of all existing types of soil.
2. Peat... An integral component of any seedling soil mixture. It provides the required amount of moisture to the plant. It also contributes to the creation of good soil looseness.
3. Baking powder... In addition to peat, the soil for seedlings acquires good porosity after adding coarse-grained river sand. It is this component that creates the best conditions for growing garden plants in seedlings. River sand and peat can replace sawdust, but before using them, they must be treated with boiling water.
4. Leaf land... A distinctive feature of this type of soil is its high friability, but the low content of nutrients does not allow using it as the main soil for seedlings. Therefore, its use is possible only after combining with other types of soil. Leafy soil is most often collected in a forest belt where deciduous trees grow. Vegetable growers do not recommend using the soil collected under willow, oak or chestnut, since it will not work out of it to prepare soil for good quality seedlings: it is too saturated with tannins.

We mix the components

Preparing the soil for seedlings is not a very difficult process, but nevertheless, it requires some effort and free time from the vegetable grower. Therefore, many people prefer not to bother and purchase a ready-made soil mixture. However, not all manufacturers of such products are conscientious, and there is a chance to purchase peat land with an acidic environment. Even if you add mineral fertilizers to it, good seed germination and strong seedlings can not be obtained.

For this reason, experienced summer residents prepare the soil for seedlings of tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and eggplant with their own hands. It is best to do this process in the fall, and by the spring the soil for seedlings will settle down and sit down. If you leave it for storage in a barn, then it will also freeze well, which will only benefit it.

Soil preparation for seedlings begins with the soil mixing process. To do this, spread polyethylene on the ground and pour each component in the required proportions.

Experienced vegetable growers are advised to make the composition of the soil for seedlings for different crops separately, since each vegetable has its own individual needs and preferences.

The soil for seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant should have the following compositions:

• Add 1 part of peat and river sand to one part of the sod land. The resulting composition is thoroughly mixed, after which it is well watered with a nutrient solution consisting of 25-30 grams of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and 10 grams of carbamide per 10 liters of water.
• Sod land is mixed in equal proportions, peat and humus. You can add a couple of superphosphate matchboxes and 0.5 liters of ash cans to a bucket of the resulting mixture.

To prepare the soil for cabbage seedlings you will need:

• Mix humus (compost), leafy soil and river sand 1: 2: 1. For a bucket of mixture, 1 cup (200 g) of ash, 0.5 cups of lime - fluff, 1 matchbox of potassium sulfate and 3 matchbox of superphosphate will not be superfluous. If it is not possible to use mineral fertilizers, then they can be replaced with ash in the amount of 3 glasses.

The soil for seedlings of cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, watermelons is prepared in the following composition:

• Mix one bucket of leafy earth with the same amount of humus. 1 cup (200 g) of ash, up to 10 g of potassium sulfate is poured into the resulting mixture, and about 20 g of superphosphate is added. Everything is thoroughly mixed.

I would like to warn vegetable growers against excessive use of fertilizers when preparing the soil for vegetable seedlings, if the basic soil used is nutritious in itself. This is due to the fact that at the initial stage of seed germination, the plant does not need many microelements. The need for them arises only when the first true leaves appear. Therefore, additional nutrition is usually applied by liquid fertilization several weeks after germination.

Soil disinfection

This process is necessary to remove pathogens from the soil. You can disinfect the soil mixture for home seedlings in various ways, one of which is freezing it. But, if this is not possible, then watering with disinfectants or steam treatment can be used.

1. Method one. It is good to pour the prepared fertile mixture with a solution of potassium permanganate (3 g per 10 l of water), and then carry out additional treatment with antifungal drugs.
2. Method two. The soil for seedlings is placed in a cloth bag or in a perforated container and set to steame for 45 minutes. You can, of course, ignite the earth in the oven, but along with the pathogenic microbes, the necessary nutrients also disappear.

After the disinfection process, seed can be placed in the earthen nutrient mixture. Prepared soil for seedlings according to all the rules will guarantee a high and stable harvest at your summer cottage. Have a great season!

Video advice for preparing land for seedlings