Content
When growing garden crops through seedlings, the success of the future harvest largely depends on the soil in which the seedlings grew. This is especially important for delicate and capricious eggplants. Of course, high-quality soil, rich in minerals and organic matter, should also be in the garden bed, but in a permanent place, the roots of the plants have more opportunities to provide the above-ground part of the eggplant bush with nutrients. Particularly strict requirements are imposed on the soil for eggplant seedlings.
But all soil mixtures for seedlings also have common properties:
- breathability. The structure of the soil should be loose so that the roots are provided with a sufficient amount of oxygen, and light so that the soil does not cake after watering;
- moisture capacity. The soil must absorb water well and retain it.In this regard, peat soil would be a very bad choice, since peat stops absorbing water when it dries. If you forget about watering once, it will be a real problem to restore the moisture capacity of the peat substrate;
- fertility. The soil mixture must be able to provide the seedlings grown in it with all the nutrients necessary for successful growth and development;
- balance of components. Seedlings need not only organic matter, but also micro- and macroelements. All elements must be present in the soil in a form accessible to seedlings. But an excess of any element will also negatively affect the development of seedlings;
- acidity. There are very few garden plants that prefer acidic soil. One of them is sorrel. But eggplants are one of those plants that grow in soil with neutral acidity. Therefore, the soil pH should not be less than 6.5 and more than 7.0;
- disinfection. The soil for seedlings must be cleared of pests, pathogens and weedy seeds;
- no chemical contamination. The soil mixture for seedlings should not contain waste from hazardous industries and heavy metals.
Components for soil mixtures are divided into organic and inorganic.
Organic components of soil mixture for seedlings
In essence, this is what most understand by the words “earth” and “organic”.
Peat
As already mentioned, it is not a very desirable component of the soil mixture for seedlings, but in relatively small quantities it can be used as a soil loosening agent.
When buying peat, you need to remember that it can be high, middle and low. Only lowland varieties with an acidity very close to neutral are suitable for eggplant seedlings.But even when using low-lying peat, you need to add ash or lime to the soil mixture for eggplant seedlings in order to neutralize excess acid. High peat is not suitable for garden crops at all. It's too sour.
Sphagnum
In fact, this is the raw material for the production of peat. The peat may contain remains of other plants, but rotted remains of sphagnum moss make up the bulk of the peat.
Sphagnum can be used as an absorbent component in soil mixtures for seedlings, as it is highly hygroscopic and was once used instead of cotton wool.
Sod land
This is not exactly what is often understood by this word when looking at one’s feet in a meadow. Soddy soil cannot simply be dug up; it must be prepared.
To do this, in the fall, the upper part of the soil with intertwined roots in the meadow is cut into squares and the squares are stacked in pairs with their faces facing each other. To speed up the process of overheating, fresh cow manure can be laid between pieces of turf. In spring, rotted pieces of turf can already be used as turf soil in a soil mixture for seedlings.
Compost
In autumn there is always a lot of plant debris in the garden. You can burn them and get ash for fertilizer. Or you can put them in a hole and leave them to rot in the compost. In a year, the plants will not have time to completely rot. To prepare the soil mixture for seedlings, you must use at least two years of compost.
Leaf ground
This is the same compost, but made exclusively from fallen tree leaves.The method and time of its preparation are the same as for compost.
Humus
High-quality rotted livestock manure. Different gardeners have different opinions about its preparation. Some believe that clean manure without bedding should be used. Others are convinced that manure without bedding is waste food. The fact is that in manure mixed with litter soaked in urine, when overheated, much more nitrogen will remain than in pure manure. But here everyone decides for himself.
It is also better to keep humus for two years to ensure that there are no seeds in it weed. Fresh manure cannot be used in seedling soil mixture for two reasons:
- when decomposing, fresh manure releases a lot of heat, and at a soil temperature of more than 30°, the roots of the seedlings will “burn”;
- Fresh manure contains too many weed seeds. As a result, not seedlings, but weeds will grow in pots.
From humus and compost, you can produce another type of soil for seedlings, which is not very popular due to the complexity of its production.
Vermicompost
A waste product of earthworms. Worms feed on decaying organic matter, so it is quite possible to offer them annual (semi-rotted) compost and humus. But for the production of vermicompost, significant volumes will be required for storing “raw materials” over the next year and, of course, worms. Not everyone has the ability to make vermicompost, and some are also afraid of worms.
However, you can see how to make vermicompost in the video
Production of vermicompost for the garden - the beginning:
woody ground
Compost made from sawdust. Sawdust rots very slowly. They require at least three years to rot properly.Moreover, the larger the chips, the slower they will rot. But half-rotted sawdust can be used as a leavening agent in a soil mixture for seedlings or used to produce vermicompost.
It is not advisable to add fresh sawdust to the soil, even in garden beds. Unless you need to remove excess nitrogen from the soil. As sawdust rots, it absorbs nitrogen from the soil.
Eggshell powder
This component can only be used as lime to reduce soil acidity and, to some extent, as a source of calcium.
Vegetable ash
It is a good tool for maintaining soil fertility, as it contains almost all the elements necessary for plants in an easily digestible form. It can also be used as a growth stimulator when preparing seeds for planting and as a neutralizer of high acidity in soil mixtures for seedlings.
Inorganic components of soil mixture for seedlings
A soil mixture for seedlings consisting of only organic matter is unlikely to meet the requirements for high-quality soil for seedlings, such as air permeability and water permeability.
Agroperlite
Perlite is a mineral of volcanic origin. After special processing, expanded perlite is obtained, which is also called agroperlite. Agroperlite is used in soil mixtures for seedlings to improve characteristics such as air permeability. Does not allow the soil mixture for seedlings to cake into a dense lump, promoting the uniform development of plant roots.
Has good moisture capacity. Just 100 g of mineral can absorb up to 400 ml of water.By gradually releasing water, agroperlite helps to uniformly moisten the soil, allowing you to reduce the number of waterings and save water and fertilizers, which are not washed out of the seedling soil along with excess water. Protects the roots of seedlings from rotting, as there is no waterlogging of the soil.
Vermiculite
It belongs to the hydromica group and has the ability to absorb moisture even greater than that of agroperlite. 100 g of vermiculite can absorb from 400 to 530 ml of water. It is used in soil mixtures for seedlings for the same purpose as agroperlite. And also for mulching beds.
Sand
Usually used, if there are no better quality fillers at hand, to “lighten” the soil mixture for seedlings. Purpose of sand: maintaining air and water permeability of the earthen coma. But sand does not have the ability of agroperlite and vermiculite to retain water and then gradually release it into the soil.
Expanded clay
The "crushed stone" or "gravel" varieties are used as a drainage layer at the bottom of seedling pots. The “sand” variety can be used in soil mixtures for seedlings to maintain soil looseness and control moisture evaporation.
Made from a mixture of fired clay and slate.
Hydrogel
A new component of soil mixtures for seedlings, which promotes uniform moistening of the earth ball in the seedling pot and allows reducing watering.
Shredded foam
It has no special functions other than loosening the soil. In addition, many fear that polystyrene foam releases harmful substances into the environment, which will be absorbed by the seedlings.
Clay, especially in large quantities, can practically compress an earthen lump in a seedling pot into a single whole. In such soil it will be very difficult for tender seedlings to grow and, most likely, they will die.
Using garden soil to grow eggplant seedlings
The debate on the topic “whether to use garden soil as a component of the soil mixture for seedlings” is probably worthy of being immortalized in the annals of history. Some people think that this is impossible under no circumstances, since garden soil is heavily contaminated with pathogens and pests. Some people are convinced that by using garden soil to grow seedlings, it will be easier for young plants to adapt to a permanent location. Those who prefer to use garden soil for seedlings try to disinfect it in one of four ways.
Disinfection at home
At home, you can disinfect soil for seedlings in one of four ways: calcination, freezing, pickling and steaming.
Calcination of the earth
Calcine the soil in the oven at a temperature of 70-90 degrees. A layer of soil 5 cm thick is poured onto a baking sheet, moistened and heated in the oven for 30 minutes. After cooling, the soil can be used to prepare a mixture for seedlings. Not everyone likes this method, believing that heating can kill the fertile properties of the soil.
Freezing the ground
When planning to use this method, garden soil is collected in bags in the fall. With the onset of frosts of at least -15°C, bags of earth are taken outside for several days. Then the frozen soil is brought into a warm room for several days to awaken the seeds of weeds and pests, and the bags are again sent out into the cold.This procedure is carried out several times.
The disadvantage of this method is that severe frosts do not occur everywhere, and even where they do occur, they do not always last long. This method is guaranteed to work in the northern regions.
Steaming the soil
With this method, the soil is not only disinfected, but also moistened. About a liter of water is poured into a bucket, a fine mesh net is put on top (you can use a colander) and put on fire. After 40 minutes the soil is ready. It is cooled and used for seedling soil mixture.
Etching the ground
The simplest method available. The soil is spilled with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.
After all the selected ingredients have been prepared and disinfected, you can begin preparing the soil for eggplant seedlings.
Options for making your own soil mixture for eggplants
There are usually two options for preparing soil for eggplant seedlings.
First option
All ingredients are indicated in parts of the whole.
2 humus/compost: 1 peat: 0.5 rotted sawdust.
Second option
Ingredients are listed in specific units.
A bucket of garden soil, half a glass of ash, a tablespoon of superphosphate, a teaspoon of urea or potassium sulfate.
All ingredients containing large particles must be sifted through a fine sieve. This is especially true for peat. Long fibers of peat when picking eggplant seedlings will certainly damage the sprouts, since the roots of young eggplants will become entangled in the long fibers of unrotted sphagnum and break. These fibers can be used later, when planting eggplant seedlings in their permanent place.
In addition to these two recipes, experienced gardeners often create their own.How to properly prepare the soil for eggplant seedlings can be seen in the video
Land for seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants:
Conclusion
You can also use purchased soil mixtures for growing nightshade seedlings, also sifting them through a sieve.
With proper preparation of the soil mixture, eggplant seedlings will not need nutrients and suffer from waterlogging or lack of moisture.
