Ecology of life: On the site we have already touched upon the topic of problematic soils more than once, what they are like, how to improve them and what to plant on them. But somehow everyone avoided alkaline soils, which are typical for many southern regions, so we will try to make up for it..
On the site we have already touched upon the topic of problematic soils more than once, what they are like, how to improve them and what to plant on them. But somehow everyone ignored alkaline soils, which are typical for many southern regions, so we will try to fill this gap.
Barberry
Barberry (Berberis) - thorny shrubs with medium-sized leathery leaves, golden-yellow fragrant flowers, red, blue or black, juicy, sour berries that stay on the branches for a long time, good for summer cottages in various design elements.
Features of cultivation
Deciduous species of barberries in central Russia are winter-hardy to varying degrees. Most of them are undemanding to soil, shade-tolerant, but develop better in the light, are drought-resistant, and do not tolerate stagnant moisture. There is little damage from pests. Many species of barberries are an intermediate host of the rust fungus (Puccinia graminis), which is dangerous for grain crops, so they should not be located near fields (minimum distance 250-500 m).
Application
Barberries are so diverse that they find their place in various groups of woody plants, are harmonious in flower beds with perennials and annuals, and spectacular in rockeries.
Privet
Common privet (Ligustrum vulgare) is a deciduous shrub 2-3 m high with leathery, dark green leaves and fragrant, white or cream flowers, collected in fairly large panicle inflorescences; bloom in June-August. Decorative forms are available. If you have allergies in your family, you should not use it!
Features of cultivation
Common privet is winter-hardy up to the latitude of Bryansk and Orel; in the central and northern regions of central Russia it can freeze above the snow level. It is quite shade-tolerant, but prefers lighted places, is drought-resistant, undemanding to soil, but grows better in fertile ones. Can be damaged by aphids, leafmining moths, thrips, scale insects; be affected by leaf spot, wilt.
Application
The big advantage of common privet is that it tolerates shearing well and retains its shape for a long time, so it can be used to create close, dense, high, molded borders, preferably narrow, single-row ones. Privet can form very dense, molded hedges 2-3 m high and even living walls. The cut rods are used for weaving. It can be used without molding as a honey-bearing hedge with trimming of the sides.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn (Crataegus) is a long-lived (up to 200-300 years), slow-growing, large shrubs, often with thorns, inflorescences of white flowers and apple-shaped fruits that are edible in most species.
Features of cultivation
Hawthorns are light-loving, can tolerate shading, but at the same time they bloom and bear fruit less abundantly, are drought-resistant, and are relatively undemanding to the soil. Soft hawthorn, large-thorned hawthorn, etc. grow well on calcareous ones. They are damaged by a significant number of pests and diseases common to traditional fruit plants. The main pests are butterflies (especially hawthorn), aphids, apple mealybugs, flower beetles; Diseases include powdery mildew and leaf rust.
Application
Because hawthorns are excellent at tolerating molded pruning, which promotes thorn development, they are one of the best species for creating beautiful, and highly thorny species - and completely impenetrable, molded hedges, trellises and free-growing living walls.
Bobovnik
Common bean (Laburnum anagyroides) is a luxurious golden shrub with drooping golden-yellow long tassels up to 30 cm; bloom in May-June. The entire plant is poisonous!
Features of cultivation
Common bean is a sybarite: in central Russia it can freeze over after a wet summer, but the crown quickly recovers. Light-loving, develops better in fertile, well-drained, lime-containing soils.
Application
Bobovnik is good both in solitary and in group planting. Many amateur gardeners, having seen on the Internet a pergola with a hanging golden waterfall of bean inflorescences, dream of the same one, but this is only possible in the southern regions with good care.
Black elderberry
Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a tall, spreading deciduous shrub. It does not stand out for the beauty of its small yellowish-white flowers in flat corymbs, but there are so many of them that in May the elderberry worthy competes with flowering viburnums. The fruits are shiny, black, small, ripen in August-September, and the elderberry is again transformed, decorated with them. Grows quickly. Fruit varieties with larger berries than the species have been bred. Decorative forms are available.
Features of cultivation
Black elderberry is winter-hardy to the latitude of Bryansk and Orel. It is resistant to shading, but the bright colors of decorative forms are better revealed in the sun, but direct sunlight, which can cause burns to young leaves, should be avoided. Black elderberry requires fertile soils and tolerates dry air and soil salinity. Can be damaged by aphids, black flies and verticillium.
Application
From black elderberry you can quickly form (by cutting) molded or free-growing beautiful flowering, fruit, and medicinal hedges. The dwarf form 'Nana' will do well in borders and low hedges. Variegated and yellow-leaved forms are suitable for very spectacular, colorful hedges.
Hardness of water
The level of water hardness is a slightly different indicator. It characterizes the presence of lime and salts in water, and to the greatest extent magnesium and calcium; they are called hardness salts. The more quantitatively these salts per unit volume of water, the harder it is. This indicator is designated Dh - “degrees of hardness”, which translates as “degree of hardness”.
measure the Dh level using the methods of aquarists. After all, this indicator is crucial in the process of growing fish! So, you can purchase special kits and test strips for determining water hardness in aquarium and pet stores. Among the technical innovations in calculating water hardness is the use of a TDS meter. This electronic device calculates the quantitative content of salts, minerals in water, as well as electrical conductivity.
tds meter
As you know, hard water dries the skin, and things lose their softness after washing in it. Also, salt-saturated water leaves limescale on plumbing fixtures and forms scale on the heating elements of a kettle and washing machine. If you have ever been to regions with soft water, you may have noticed that it is much more difficult to wash off shampoo or soap; even after washing, some kind of soap film remains on the skin. These are signs of soft water! In hard water, soap foams worse, but rinses off well.
For flowers, such water is not only not useful, but even dangerous; if you use it for watering regularly, heavy salts accumulate in the soil, which interferes with conductivity and the absorption of beneficial microelements.
Note: Although garden flowers are more adaptable, measuring water hardness is also important at your summer cottage. If you use water from underground sources for irrigation, it is important to know what its mineral composition is. But it is best to collect rainwater, which is often softer.
Syrian hibiscus
Syrian hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus) is a very spectacular deciduous shrub with red-lilac, pink-purple, rarely white, large, wide-bell-shaped, often double flowers that bloom from June to September.
Features of cultivation
Heat-loving, tolerates winters well in the southern regions without shelter. Light-loving, drought-resistant, little demanding on soil, develops better on loose loams.
Application
Effective and self-sufficient in single and group plantings; finds its place in mixborders and free-growing hedges. Valued for its late-summer extended (long) flowering.
Dogwood, or male dogwood (common)
Dogwood, or common dogwood, also known as dogwood (Cornus mas) is a modest, densely branched, durable, slow-growing, deciduous shrub, up to 5 m high, with golden-yellow flowers that bloom in March-April, long before the leaves appear. One of the earliest flowering tree species, providing the first food for bees coming to life after hibernation. The fruits are edible, cylindrical or pear-shaped, red, ripen in August-September. Decorative forms are available.
Features of cultivation
Male dogwood is quite winter-hardy; in central Russia, during severe winters, young shoots can freeze. It is photophilous, but tolerates significant shading and dry soil, but prefers rich, fresh, moist loams and limestones.
Application
Male dogwood is suitable for free-growing or espaliered, flowering, honey-bearing, fruit hedges; can be used for curly haircuts.
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster) species, varieties
Despite the fact that cotoneasters are not particularly beautiful for their flowers, leaves, and fruits, they are nevertheless in demand in landscaping. These are deciduous and evergreen, slowly growing, densely branched shrubs with small or medium-sized, simple leaves, white or pink flowers collected in corymbs or racemes, and small, red or black fruits.
Features of cultivation
Cotoneasters are shade-tolerant, undemanding to soil, and drought-resistant. Application
Cotoneasters have long taken root in dachas, and this is no coincidence: they have a lot of advantages. They are good honey plants. They are decorative during flowering, fruit ripening and in autumn decoration. They respond successfully to molding pruning, forming dense hedges. After pruning, they grow back strongly, maintaining their growth form. It is allowed to trim 1/3 of the length of the annual shoot. Can be damaged by a bear.
Method 1: Add organic matter to the soil
Organic matter improves soil structure and increases fertility. You can use not only the well-known compost, peat, manure and bird droppings, but also sawdust, bone meal, herbal infusions of dandelions, nettles, clover, etc. It is best to add organic matter in the fall, but this procedure will also bring great benefits in the spring.
Horse manure is considered more nutritious than cow manure. It decomposes quickly and is great for warm beds. When rotted, it can be used as mulch.
Everything you wanted to know about organic fertilizers. No “chemistry”, only environmentally friendly fertilizers.
Lavender angustifolia
Lavender angustifolia (Lavandula angustifolia) is a densely branched, bluish-green, evergreen, fragrant, low shrub. The flowers are small, from blue to violet, less often white-pink, in spike-shaped inflorescences; bloom in June-August.
Features of cultivation
Our southern lavender angustifolia can withstand frosts down to -25 ° C; in the south of central Russia it can winter under snow or covered with spruce branches. Among its advantages and disadvantages are the following: light-loving, drought-resistant, not demanding on soils, grows and blooms well on dry, drained, carbonate soils; sensitive to waterlogging, excess urea (it is necessary to avoid walking pets near lavender hedges).
Application
Angustifolia lavender is good in mixborders, rockeries, and free-growing borders (plants are placed in a row every 20-30 cm, depending on the size of the forms; double-row plantings with a distance between rows of 40 cm are possible).
Rosemary officinalis
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an evergreen, low shrub with fragrant flowers ranging from white, pale blue to light purple. Flowers bloom in spring, summer, and often in autumn and winter. It grows relatively quickly. Durable.
Features of cultivation
Our southerner rosemary already freezes when the temperature drops to -15 °C! It is light-loving, drought-resistant, undemanding to soils, grows on dry, rocky, sandy, saline soils; sensitive to excess moisture and shading. Application
Rosemary officinalis in the southern regions is good in molded (with pruning after flowering) or free-growing (with trimming of the sides) spicy borders and low hedges.
Boxwood evergreen
Evergreen boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is a slow-growing, densely branched, evergreen shrub that has been the best material for topiaries since ancient times.
Features of cultivation
Despite its “evergreen” nature, boxwood can withstand frosts of -20...-22 °C under the snow without damage and winters well at the latitudes of Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is quite shade-tolerant, but grows well in sunny places (especially variegated forms), prefers calcareous, fertile soils, and does not like waterlogging.
Application
Boxwood is commonly used for molded, dense borders and, in the south, for hedges. Low borders (especially from the 'Suffruticosa' form) can be used to decorate flower beds or garden beds. Each linear meter contains 10-15 plants, which are subsequently trimmed regularly from spring to late summer.
Why increase acidity?
Most garden and vegetable crops prefer neutral soil or soil with a slightly acidic reaction. If we denote these indicators numerically, we get from 5.5 to 7.5 units (pH). It is necessary to make the substrate acidic if the pH value is above 7.5-8 units. Alkaline soils are not particularly compatible with good yields. This reaction is usually demonstrated by saline soils formed on a calcareous base in the steppe or forest-steppe, in arid regions.
Often saline soils with an alkaline reaction are adjacent to southern chernozem soils. Why is this harmful: valuable elements such as iron, boron, as well as phosphorus, manganese, zinc will simply turn into hydroxides that cannot be dissolved due to an alkaline reaction and will become unavailable for crop nutrition.
The water-physical characteristics of the soil cover are also under attack: when dry, the soil will be very dense, aeration is difficult for it, and after watering or natural precipitation it may become too viscous and swollen. That is, if there is alkaline soil in the garden, it must be loosened and the acidity leveled to neutral levels.
Which crops prefer acidic soil:
- shrubs - these include wild rosemary, rhododendrons, azaleas, heather;
- conifers - spruce and pine, juniper and fir, thuja;
- berries - lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries, and blueberries;
- perennials - gravilat, ferns, primroses, dicentra.
Plants that love acidified substrate are considered acidophilic. This means that initially they prefer to grow in wetlands, peat bogs, and coniferous forests. Evolutionarily, the roots of these crops have adapted to take food from aggressive soils. Acidophiles simply do not have root hairs; they have been replaced by very small fungal organisms that penetrate the root tissue and act as transporters of nutrition and moisture. The ideal basis for such plants is an acidic environment.
But out of ignorance, you can increase the acidity of the soil where it is strictly forbidden to do so. For example, peonies, plane trees and climatis prefer a soil acidity of 7.5 units. Just like peach, quince, the same apricot.
Common Mackerel
Many people know this original shrub by its autumn decoration of red, “burning” foliage, covering the bush right down to the ground, and fruit panicles, turning the scumpia bushes into colorful bouquets. When cut, it produces abundant growth from the stump. Decorative forms are available.
Features of cultivation
Common mackerel (Cotinus coggygria) is quite winter-hardy, but in central Russia it can freeze over in severe winters, especially at a young age. The forms are less winter-hardy. It is photophilous, drought-resistant, can tolerate moderate shading, is relatively undemanding to the soil, can grow on sand and saline soils, and responds well to the presence of lime in the soil.
Application
Mackerel is used in solitary and group plantings, as well as in free-growing hedges.
How to determine soil acidity
There is a simple method that allows you to determine the acid-base indicator of the soil. Take a small amount of soil from your garden or vegetable garden. Place the soil in a glass bowl. Pour 9% strength vinegar into the container. Stir the mixture and watch for reactions.
If you notice the active formation of a large number of bubbles on the surface of the earth, then this is a sign of alkaline soil. The complete absence of a chemical reaction indicates severe acidification of the soil.
If bubbles form in small quantities, this indicates a neutral soil reaction. This soil is ideal for growing most plants.
Spiraea or meadowsweet
Spiraea, or meadowsweet (Spiraea) are densely leafy shrubs up to 2 m high with a varied bush shape, often with curved branches, decorated during the flowering period with white, pink, red inflorescences, blooming in spring or summer, long-lasting, abundantly. They grow quickly. There are many decorative forms.
Features of cultivation
Most species are winter-hardy over a fairly wide area. In central Russia, only in very severe winters is possible slight freezing of young shoots of some species (Nipponian spirea, lilac-flowered, Japanese). They are light-loving, some species tolerate slight shading (spiraea oakleaf, spiraea middle), are quite unpretentious, develop better on fertile, well-drained soils. They can be damaged by the blue meadowsweet sawfly, spirea and beet aphids, and meadowsweet bud gall midge.
Application
Exquisitely elegant shrubs during the flowering period. They tolerate haircuts well, after which they quickly restore their crown. They are often used in molded borders, which is not a very good solution, since when cutting, “the color itself” is removed. It is better to plant spirea in free-growing borders and low hedges, removing half the length of spent shoots after flowering and, if necessary, light trimming of the sides. The distance between plants in rows is up to 0.4-0.5 m, between rows 0.3-0.4 m.
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Tamarix, or comb
Tamarix, comb (Tamarix) is a very peculiar shrub, as if putting small “beads” of soft pink flowers on its twig-like, reddish-brown shoots. The small scaly light green leaves are not visible at all. This beauty blooms in spring in May or at the end of summer - beginning of autumn. They grow quickly. Durable.
Features of cultivation
Tamarix have little winter hardiness; some species (juniper tamarix and branched tamarix) can grow in central Russia with slight freezing of young shoots. They are light-loving, undemanding to the soil, can grow on poor sands and tolerate significant salinity. Indispensable for use in saline soils and loose sands. Resistant to pests and diseases.
Application
They form beautiful high hedges, molded or when cut annually onto a stump (in this case, the hedge will consist of annual growth with flowering in the same year).
Forsythia
Forsythia (Forsythia) are small golden-yellow shrubs that bloom continuously in early spring, mostly long before their leaves appear.
Features of cultivation
The most winter-hardy in central Russia is forsythia ovate; other species can be grown here with cover with dry leaves, spruce branches and bending branches to the ground. They are drought-resistant, avoid excess moisture in the soil, prefer sheltered, sunny places from the wind, but can also grow in the shade, are relatively undemanding to the soil, and grow well in light, non-acidic soils. Forsythia is not pruned in spring, but after flowering, in mid-summer, because The flower buds of this shrub are formed in the summer of the previous year. The best time for pruning is the end of June.
Application
Beautiful forsythia in the spring in the country! As if the sun marked shrub “highlights” every corner of the garden. It is good in solitary group plantings and in free-growing hedges of medium height. Forsythia is suitable for forcing (January-March, flowers bloom indoors in 8-12 days) and cutting flowering branches for bouquets. The practice of trimming forsythia borders deprives these shrubs of the beauty of spring flowering.
Chaenomeles
Chaenomeles blooms in early spring (some forms before the leaves appear) and are deciduous, thorny, low shrubs. During flowering, chaenomeles dresses the spring garden in a truly festive outfit. Breeders have worked hard and developed entire hybrid groups and numerous varieties with red, crimson, orange and white flowers. The fruits are of various shapes and colors, sour, very aromatic apples.
Features of cultivation
Chaenomeles are quite winter-hardy in central Russia (except for Chaenomeles beautiful). However, it is better to cover young plants with spruce branches. They prefer open sunny places, are quite drought-resistant, but in dry, hot summers they need watering, they grow better on fertile soils. Relatively stable, sometimes can be damaged by scale insects and aphids; be affected by moniliosis, fire blight, coral spot, fusarium.
Application
Chaenomeles are indispensable for creating low, free-growing, thorny hedges and borders with possible shallow trimming of the sides. They can be used as a forcing crop (January-March) and for cutting. When planting, it is necessary to take into account that seedlings that bloom in the 3rd-4th year can vary greatly in height, shape of bushes, color of flowers, weight of fruits, so it is better to use vegetatively propagated planting material for planting a hedge.
Alkaline soil: improvement
In the previous article, we learned which flowers will take root in acidic soil (read here). The opposite problem is high alkalinity, which also negatively affects many representatives of the flora. Alkaline soil is characterized by high Ph (7 and above) and salinity. Typically, such soils are considered “heavy” due to the high content of calcium salts, large doses of which interfere with the absorption of iron and other beneficial microelements, which weakens plants and leads to chlorosis.
Note: Methods for measuring soil acidity at home - read here.
Alkalinized soil is not fertile and breathable; when wet it becomes viscous, and when it dries it takes on the appearance of a “crust”, and this prevents the flow of air to the roots, as a result of which they quickly wither. It is especially difficult for young plants and seedlings, which lose their ability to form chlorophyll and become susceptible to disease. Of course, the ideal growing medium is neutral or slightly acidic, but most often there is no choice. Therefore, it is within our power to acidify the soil. What methods are there?
Soil improvement:
- Adding high-moor (brown) peat is an excellent opportunity to improve the soil structure as a whole. After all, peat itself has an acidic reaction, and its presence makes the soil more loose, “breathable,” and receptive to fertilizers. In small doses, peat is good even for acidic soils, and on heavy clay soils it is absolutely necessary. But it is important to remember that peat is not a fertilizer! Application rate – approx. 1.5 kg.\ 1 sq.m. soil.
- Among organic matter, fresh manure is called the best deoxidizer. It not only fertilizes the soil and saturates it with microelements, but also increases acidity. The dose of fresh manure should be three times less than rotted manure, because in its fresh form it is much more active! The application rate, exclusively for digging, is no more than 1 kg. \ 1 sq.m. soil.
- Rotted pine litter is a good organic component that does not give quick results, but provides gradual and gentle acidification of the soil. This additive decomposes well and also acts as mulch. You can use pine sawdust or coniferous forest litter. Application rate – approx. 3 kg. \ 1 sq.m. soil. Similar to pine needles, leaf compost is used, which has a relatively low acidity, but with prolonged application it improves the acid balance.
- Urea, or carbamide, is a chemical compound that already belongs to mineral fertilizers. A significant nitrogen content improves the growth and development of plants in the early stages, therefore it is recommended to apply urea in early spring at the beginning of the growing season. Fertilizing garden flowers: a gardener's guide. When digging, the urea is buried to a depth of 3-4 cm, and a water-based solution is prepared to feed the plants. Application rate – approx. 50 gr. \ 1 sq. m. soil.
Attention! Urea impairs the germination of seeds, therefore, before sowing, the fertilizer must be absorbed by the soil. Do not plant the seeds right away, wait 1-2 weeks.
- Ammonium nitrate, or ammonium nitrate, is also a chemical fertilizer based on nitrogen and sulfur, which, acting together, improves the absorption of active substances from the soil and strengthens plant immunity. Sulfur in the macrofertilizer helps nitrogen to be better absorbed and at the same time enhances its effect. However, strictly follow the instructions; in large doses, saltpeter is dangerous for plants! Application rate – approx. 20-30 gr. \ 1 sq.m. soil.
- If you are just planning to plant a flowerbed on your site, the flowery-blog.ru website advises preparing the soil by planting green manure - plants that improve the properties of the soil, maintain the balance of acids, enrich the soil with nitrogen, making it loose and well-drained. Such useful plants include: rapeseed, oats, white mustard, rapeseed, as well as lupine, soybean and vetch.
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Chubushnik
Mock orange (Philadelphus) is a luxurious fragrant shrub up to 4 m high, with white or creamy white flowers. A good honey plant.
Features of cultivation
Mock oranges are quite winter-hardy, but in central Russia, during severe winters, frosting of the ends of annual shoots of crowned mock orange and small-leaved mock orange, as well as decorative varieties of foreign selection, is possible. They are shade-tolerant, but bloom better in sunny places and are demanding on soil fertility and moisture. Can be damaged by spider mites, bean aphids, and green leaf weevils.
Application
Mock orange, often called garden jasmine, has long settled in many dachas. Its species and varieties have become loved by all family members, and now from year to year everyone waits for their dazzling flowering, which gives a feeling of joy and love. Mock oranges lend themselves well to shaping, producing dense hedges, but it is still preferable to use them for free-growing high and medium-sized hedges and borders with trimming of strongly protruding shoots. The minimum distance between bushes is 0.5 m.
Many varieties of roses also grow and bloom well in alkaline soils, but this topic is so vast that it is impossible to devote only a small paragraph to it in this article. There is a lot of material on the site about growing roses, for example:
What does acidity affect?
Acidity (pH) is a biochemical term. It denotes the ability of soil to exhibit the properties of acids. The hydrogen ions present in the soil solution, as well as exchangeable hydrogen and aluminum ions, if incompletely neutralized, lead to an acidic reaction. Soil acidity is determined by:
- soil-forming material: on sandstone and granite the soils are acidic, and on limestone they are alkaline;
- abundance of precipitation - in regions where it is frequent and significant, moisture accumulates in the soil and washes out the mineral-salt composition from the root layer;
- intensity of irrigation with low acidity water;
- an excess of mineral fertilizers and organic matter introduced into the soil;
- the quality of soil air permeability - when organic matter decomposes without the participation of oxygen, organic acids and carbon dioxide released during the chemical reaction remain in the ground.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, about a third of soils suitable for agricultural work are acidic and require regular liming. For example, in Siberia and central Russia these are soddy, soddy-podzolic, and gray forest soils. Reduce acidity by adding so-called fluff, dolomite flour, chalk, and wood ash. Soil liming is very often carried out, but such a measure is not always necessary.
For reference
Alkaline, that is, highly alkaline soils are completely unsuitable for grapes and most fruit crops, which in this case begin to suffer from chlorosis (the leaves turn yellow, the tips of the shoots dry out and grow poorly). But with relatively low alkalization, at a pH of less than 8, you can plant and harvest pears, quinces, peaches, apricots, dogwoods, cherries, walnuts, almonds, mulberries and some other fruit crops. Many plants cannot tolerate a large percentage of lime at all, so they cannot be planted on alkaline soils (rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers, etc.).
Soil acidity level
The acidity of the soil is affected by the amount and composition of chemical elements. The level of acidity is indicated by the pH symbol. The pH value depends on the amount and composition of chemical elements in the soil. Based on the results of chemical experiments, it was established that nutrients are optimally available to vegetable and horticultural crops at pH = 6.0...7.0. A soil pH of 7.0 is considered neutral.
All values below 7.0 are considered acidic and the lower the number, the higher the acidity. Like acidity, biological processes in plants are also affected by alkalinity, which is caused by alkaline elements contained in the soil. Alkalinity is reflected in pH values above 7.0 units (Table 1).
These and other deviations from the neutral indicator indicate the degree of availability of certain elements to plants, which can decrease or, conversely, increase so much that the nutrients become toxic and the plant dies.
Table 1. Types of soils by degree of acidity
| Soil acidity level | pH, units | Soil types |
| strongly acidic | 3,5 – 4,5 | bog soils, lowland peat |
| sour | 4,6 – 5,3 | peaty, coniferous, clay-turf |
| slightly acidic | 5,4 – 6,3 | heather, turf |
| neutral | 6,4 – 7,3 | turf, humus, deciduous |
| weakly alkaline | 7,4 – 8,0 | carbonate |
| alkaline | 8,1 – 8,5 | carbonate |
| highly alkaline | 8,5 – 9,0 | carbonate |
Determination of soil acidity and its deoxidation
What and how to acidify the soil
It is recommended to ensure a suitable level of soil acidity at the planting stage. In this case, in the future you will only need to slightly acidify the soil from time to time.
Scheme for preparing the soil mixture for planting hydrangea:
- Prepare an acidifier by adding 10 ml of electrolyte to 10 liters of water.
- Loosen the seat.
- Pour over the solution.
You can also use humus . It is added to the soil for additional oxidation. In addition, to create the necessary acid background, you can add peat and bark to the soil. To do this, they must first be treated with acidified water.
Over time, the acidity level decreases as the plant absorbs all the nutrients. To maintain the required balance, the soil must be periodically acidified.
The soil can be acidified by adding the following acids:
Vinegar
It is necessary to acidify not only the soil, but also the water with which the plant is moistened. For watering, you can use a solution of apple cider vinegar.
It is prepared as follows:
- Dilute vinegar (50 ml) in a bucket of water (12 l). Up to 10 such buckets are used per 1 m².
- At the beginning of spring (March), when sap flow begins, treat the bush with a solution.
- Apply every two weeks until the end of the growing season.
Citric acid
You can water the plant to oxidize the soil with a solution of citric acid. To do this you need to dilute 1 tsp. products in water (12 l). In this case, you need to make sure that the crystals are completely dissolved.
The bush is watered with a solution at the rate of 12 liters (1 bucket) per 1 m². The frequency of watering is once every two weeks. Treatment should be carried out during the growing season (spring).
Succinic acid
Watering with the addition of succinic acid is used as a disease prevention. In addition, it is suitable for slight soil acidification.
Method for preparing the solution:
- Dilute pure crystallized acid (2 g) in a small amount of warm water.
- Mix the resulting concentrate with 2 liters of water.
- Water the plant once every two weeks.
The shelf life of the prepared solution is three days.
Oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is well suited for light soil acidification. Watering with the addition of this oxidizing agent allows you to maintain an optimal level of acid-base balance.
Preparation:
- Dilute 100 ml of acid in 10 liters of water.
- Water the flower bed at the rate of 10 liters per plant.
- Watering should be done every two weeks during the growing season.
What kind of soil do indoor plants like?
The following components are most often used to prepare soil for indoor plants:
- Sod land
- Leaf ground
- Coniferous land
- Humus soil
- Peat land
- Charcoal
- Fern roots
- Sphagnum moss
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