Substrates( soil mixtures)
When growing indoor plants, it should be remembered that the volumes of used vessels in which the root system develops are very small, so the substrate must be rich in easily assimilated nutrients and be air-permeable and water-permeable.
Soil mixtures are made in accordance with the requirements of certain indoor plants, the same requirements must be met by the reaction of the soil solution( pH).
When preparing substrates, we recommend to add modern inert substances, such as perlite, expanded clay, ground pumice, foam plastic, vermiculite, and others, for their ease. Mixing them in the appropriate proportion to the soil, you can get various substrates, characterized by some physical properties. Ready substrates sold in stores on the basis of existing GOSTs should be neutral, slightly acidic or slightly alkaline with a pH in the range of 5 to 7.5 and contain mineral fertilizers of prolonged action. At the same time, they must be water- and air-permeable, without seeds of weeds and pathogens.
In shops it is possible to buy a soil mixture made at enterprises by prescription of scientists, it is suitable for most indoor plants. When buying a soil mixture in a store, remember that it must have a quality certificate, which indicates the composition of the substrate, acidity, the presence of certain nutrients.
Below is their description. For vegetable, subtropical, fruit plants, strawberries, we recommend using environmentally friendly, universal "Biogrunt", it contains nutrients and microelements. It includes: black earth, peat, bird droppings and other organic components.
Substrates "Rose", "Begonia", "Palm" with a high content of humus and neutral reaction can be used. They can be used to completely replace the soil during plant transplantation, partial mixing or surface padding.
For plants requiring a slightly alkaline reaction, the most suitable substrate is "Cactus +".
Fans of indoor gardening often prepare various earth mixtures themselves. In this case, it must be remembered that the substrates of their own preparation must be clean, free from any impurities, have the appropriate volumes of a particular soil and be disinfected, if possible.
Below we describe some recipes for the simplest preparation of substrates at home.
How to make substrates
The basic requirements for the substrate being prepared: it must be loose, water and breathable. It should not contain pests and pathogens, as well as weed seeds.
When making a substrate, its constituent parts must be sterilized in an oven or in an oven on an iron sheet at a temperature of 120 - 125 ° C. The substrate should be sifted, it should not have foreign impurities - crocks, pieces of wood, glass. For the preparation of various substrates, the following components are used:
a) turf ground;
b) leaf humus( leaves of oak, willow are not suitable for leaf humus, since they contain a considerable amount of tannins);C) peat land;
d) heather land( formed from fallen pine needles);E) coarse-grained sand;E) fine charcoal.
Additions of perlite, foam plastic, expanded clay, peat significantly increase the humidity of the substrate, especially when growing certain plant species.
Soil mixtures for plants are of three types-light, medium and heavy.
• Light - is prepared for the seeding of seeds of all garden plants that have a shallow root system. For the preparation of a light mixture, it is best to use 50% of sheet earth, 10/6 claydite, vermiculite or foam plastic chips, 20% of greenhouse land, 10% of sod land and 10% of coarse sand.
• Medium - suitable for growing all citrus, nightshade, legumes, cabbage, leafy and spiknukusovyh vegetable plants. It consists of 30% leaf earth, 30% humus, 30% clayey-turf ground and 10% coarse sand or its substitutes( expanded clay, vermiculite, foam plastic crumb).
• Heavy - it is good to grow a noble laurel, tea, laurel cherry, medlar and others. To prepare a heavy mixture, it is necessary to include 50% of clayey-turf ground, 10% of peat, 15% of leaf, 15% of greenhouse and 10% of river sand or its substitute. In addition, you can prepare the substrates for the most diverse and demanding plants.
For example, for the cultivation of Peking cabbage, the soil must consist of 1 part of fresh turf ground, 1 part of sand and 2 parts of humus.
• Substrate for tea, laurel cherry, feijoa must contain 1 part of leafy earth, 1 part of garden ground, 2 parts of perlite or expanded clay. The substrate must be acidic( pH 4.5 - 5.5).
• The substrate for green plants should contain the maximum amount of nutrients and be water permeable. Its composition: 2 parts of compost land or peat, 1 part of coarse sand or perlite.
The composition of substrates can be very diverse and vary depending on the earth mixtures used, the requirements of plants for the soil, and the age of the plants. Usually, young plants are treated with lighter soil than with old ones. When preparing a substrate for plants growing on heavy kidneys, it must be ensured that it is not too dense and viscous.
In addition to conventional substrates, many vegetable plants can be grown on special nutrient solutions. It can be water and gravel.
The essence of this method is as follows: the root system of plants develops on a solid substrate, but not containing nutrients, or in water.
Plants are fed from a mineral solution that enters the roots. Nutrient solution includes salts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a number of trace elements( magnesium, zinc, copper, molybdenum, iron, etc.).
This way it is good to grow: tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, many cruciferous( eg salad) and onionculture.