Ingredients For Substrates

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

When growing vegetables indoors, it is very important to pay attention to the quality of the suspension in which the plant develops. You can tinker around peppers and tomatoes for as long as you like, watering and creating a favorable microclimate, but if there is no nutrient medium in the pot, the roots will have nowhere to take a resource for development, because the volume of the container is limited. Consider what components are needed to compose soil mixtures

Leaf land

It is one of the most readily available materials for formulating nutrient substrates. You just need to remember that for these purposes you can not collect the foliage of oak and weeping willow. You need to start harvesting raw materials in the spring. It is folded somewhere in a shady corner. This heap needs to be moistened with slurry, mullein. You can use a solution of mineral fertilizers - urea, superphosphate, potassium layers. It is also good to water this mixture with hot water and shovel it regularly. If these rules are followed, by the fall, you can get excellent material for compiling soil mixtures in indoor beds.

Compost

The main difference between compost and leafy soil is that, in addition to leaves, other plant residues can be laid in it: sawdust, tops of garden crops, straw. Food waste is also sent there. Can be composted with paper and cardboard. And, of course, do not forget about moistening with slurry, mullein or bird droppings. However, unlike leafy soil, compost will take longer to decompose.

Humus

Humus is a more nutritious element in the substrate than compost. It is based on livestock manure. The only exception is that you should not use pig manure, it becomes the cause of the appearance of parasites more often than other components. Wet manure is immediately mixed with leaves, straw and tops. If you got the organic matter in a dry form, you need to moisten it with hot water. It will take about a year for this whole mixture to properly re-grind and decompose.

Peat

Peat is very useful for indoor gardening, and for growing seedlings, and for mulching. To prepare this material, it is laid on a pile in layers, sprinkled with lime or phosphate rock. Thanks to this technique, the peat will not remain sour. And if this is not done, the plants will die in it.

Sod land

Sod land serves as the basis for many nutrient suspension recipes. To harvest this component, they are sent to pastures or meadows. The layers of earth are cut to a thickness of approximately 10-12 cm. To make it easier to fold the sod, it is better to cut it out in identical pieces. They are stacked on top of each other in their own area, interlayering with mullein and poured with slurry. Mineral fertilizers can also be used. When the sod is removed from the acidic ground, lime should be added to the mixture.

Harvesting begins in the summer. For this, the end of June - the beginning of July is suitable. During the season, the heap is shifted a couple of times. In the fall, it must be hidden under a film or brought under a shelter or indoors. For the mixture to acquire the necessary qualities, it takes about two years to mature.

What else is needed

In addition to the main components, you need to stock up on other materials. So, it is extremely useful to have coarse-grained river or lake sand on hand. It is useful not only for loosening a heavy mixture, but also for mulching.

Ash is good both as a fertilizer and for improving the substrate. For example, mixed with sand, it is used to combat fungi and algae. In its pure form, it is useful for processing fresh cuts and places of plant decay. Charcoal is also used for the same purpose. Charcoal is also an invaluable tool for creating a favorable microclimate around plants. By absorbing excess water, it then returns this moisture to the plants gradually.