The purpose of the lesson:
Continue to acquaint with the rules for caring for indoor plants, show their role in human life.
Continue to form in children an interest in the plant world;
Bring children to the understanding that indoor plants are living organisms that require some care;
To consolidate knowledge about the basic needs of indoor plants;
Teach children how to build a statement;
Develop algorithmic skills
Cultivate a love for plants, a desire to care for and take care of them.
Answer the problematic question "Why do I need to care for indoor plants?"
Learn how to take care of indoor plants.
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Lesson topic: "The loosening of the earth".
The purpose of the lesson:
- continue to acquaint with the rules for caring for indoor plants, show their role in human life.
Tasks:
Continue to form in children an interest in the plant world;
Bring children to the understanding that indoor plants are living organisms that require some care;
To consolidate knowledge about the basic needs of indoor plants;
Teach children how to build a statement;
Develop algorithmic skills
Cultivate a love for plants, a desire to care for and take care of them.
Planned results of student achievement:
Answer the problematic question "Why do I need to care for indoor plants?"
Learn how to take care of indoor plants.
Used pedagogical technologies:
technology for the development of critical thinking, technology for problem-based learning, information technology for learning.
Equipment:
indoor plants, illustrations of indoor plants, pegs for loosening the soil, watering can, presentation.
Organizing time.
Hello guys and dear guests!
The bell rang and fell silent,
The lesson starts.
Everyone was looking at me
They smiled and sat down.
I. Definition of the topic of the lesson, challenge:
- (Slide number 1) Guys, look at the slide, what season is shown on it? (winter).
Now look out the window, what do you see there? (empty, everything is frozen, covered with snow…)
Despite the fact that along with winter, blizzards and blizzards come to us. Leaves were shed and trees, bushes and grasses froze. Frozen, but not dead. Under the dead cover of snow, they conceal the mighty power of life. But there is another group of plants that makes up for this deficiency - plants that bloom and delight us with their beauty not only in summer, but also in winter.
These plants are grown indoors. Look at the plants in the study.(Slide #2)
What is the name of this group of plants? (Houseplants).
- What do you guys think, what do indoor plants have to do with our lesson?
You are absolutely right. For several lessons now, we have been studying the rules for caring for indoor plants, and today's lesson is no exception. But first, we will recall the material of the topics covered.
Knowledge update
Before you are leaflets on them there are questions and answers to these questions, but not all answers are correct. You must circle the letters with the correct answers, these letters can be several or one. Now you sign your last name, first name and begin to complete tasks on your own.
Written test-survey:
- What plants are called indoor?
a) ... which are grown in the garden;
b) ... which grow in the forest;
c) ... which are grown in the room.
- Choose what any houseplant needs for life:
a) air;
b) water;
c) soil;
d) light;
e) ploughing.
- What kind of water should be watered indoor plants?
a) from the tap;
b ) water at room temperature;
c) hot;
d) boiled.
- What is used to remove dust from plants with small leaves?
a ) with a damp cloth;
b ) with a damp sponge;
c) with a brush;
G ) sprayer (sprayer).
- What care do houseplants need?
a) dust removal;
b) spraying;
d) drying;
c) watering.
We will check: I will show the correct answers, and you, if necessary, correct the wrong answers.(Slide number 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Set the leaves aside.
- (Slide number 8) So, we remembered the rules and methods for caring for indoor plants, tell me, butWhy care for indoor plants?
Well, we will return to this question at the end of the lesson and check if you answered it correctly.
Look at the board, in front of you is a table, the first column of which is called what?
- "I know".
So what do you already know about houseplant care? (fill in 1 column of the table)
But we still don’t know everything about caring for indoor plants, there is another way, do you want to know which one?
It's a way of loosening the earth (fill in the 2nd column of the table).
The third column "Learned" we will fill in at the end of the lesson.
II Understanding:
The theme of our lesson: "Loosening the earth."
What do you think loosening the earth is?
Guys, I received an e-mail from an experienced grower about “What is “loosening” for a plant?” Listen to it carefully:
(Slide number 9) Loosening is one of the important elements of flower care. This is the so-called "drywatering "And they say the truth:" It is better to loosen well 1 time than to water badly 2 times. When loosening, small capillaries of the soil are destroyed, through which water rises and thereby dries out the underlying layers of the earth. When loosening, air penetrates the soil and the roots of the plant breathe.
Why loosening is necessary for indoor plants?(Air penetrates the soil, makes the roots breathe).
(Slide number 10) Loosening rules:
- it is necessary to loosen the top layer of the earth the next day after watering;
- loosen the earth to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm;
- loosen carefully, mainly near the walls of the pot, so as not to damage the roots.
How to carry out loosening?
I have prepared for you a memo "Rules of Loosening", it will help us to carry out practical work.
Physical education minute
Game "Be careful"
I propose to leave the desks. You should raise your hands and clap your hands above your head as soon as you hear a word that is somehow related to flowers, and if it is not related to flowers, you stomp your feet:
Road, stem, window, leaf, flower pot, wind, bouquet.
Well done! Claps were not simple, but magic keys, thanks to which the doors to our practical platform opened wide.
Practical work
The plants in front of you are waiting for our care. To do the work of loosening the soil, we need a peg, it is in front of you. But you must observe the following rules when working with a peg for loosening. Everyone put the pieces of paper with the rules in front of them and we begin to read at the same time aloud, in an undertone, so as not to interfere with each other.
Safety rules when working with a peg for loosening:
1. Dangers at work:
- hand injury;
- eye injury.
2. Things to do while working:
- work with the peg carefully;
- pass the peg only with the blunt part forward;
- you can not lift the peg high.
3. What needs to be done at the end of work:
- wash the instrument.
4. What to do if you get injured:
- if injured, seek immediate medical attention.
Roll up your sleeves, put on aprons and remember that during work you can’t push, talk loudly, stand so that everyone is comfortable and everything is clearly visible, respect each other. (The teacher does the same).
Feel the soil in the flower hills. What does she feel like?
The ground is hard.
See how to loosen the soil in flower pots:
- I take the pot with the plant with both hands and put it in so that it is convenient for me to loosen the soil.
- I take a peg for loosening and begin to loosen carefully near the walls of the pot to a depth of 1.5 cm. It is marked on your pegs.
Kirill, show and tell again how to properly loosen the soil in a pot.
Now you yourself will loosen the soil.
How will Timothy start this work?
I take a pot with a plant and put it closer to me.
I take a peg and begin to loosen the soil near the walls of the pot.
Artyom, how should loosening be done?
Loosen carefully so as not to damage the roots.
Students independently loosen the soil in pots with indoor plants, the teacher walks along the rows and helps the children in their work.
Ksyusha, what was the soil in the pot after loosening?
The soil has become soft (loose).
Guys, put the plants with loosened soil in their original place. Rinse your hands and pegs, dry your hands and pegs with a napkin and fold everything neatly. We sit down correctly. We return to our table.
Let's answer the question "What did I learn?" (fill in column 3)
so d Why take care of indoor plants?
Green pets will thank you clean air, foliage, beautiful flowers and some even fruits.
(Slide number 11)
III. Reflection
"Mood Bouquet"
Guys, at the beginning of the event, I gave you flowers red, yellow and blue. Let's put these flowers in front of you, and if you are satisfied with your work in the lesson, then you take a red flower, yellow - I worked well, but I can do even better, blue - the work did not work out, I am not satisfied with myself. On the board is shown indoor plant but it hasn't bloomed yet. Now you attach your flowers to this plant, and it will delight us with its flowering.
In conclusion, listen to N. Grigorieva's poem "Indoor Flowers"
I love flowers in the room
Just like you love them too.
I caress them, water them,
I sing a song to them at night,
They respond with love
They greet you with a gentle smile.
Additional task:
- Do you believe that indoor plants purify, refresh and humidify the air (yes).
- Do you believe that houseplants are watered with cold water (no).
- Do you believe that houseplants are watered with settled water (yes).
- Do you believe that large and smooth leaves of indoor plants are wiped with a piece of soft, damp cloth (yes).
- Do you believe that pubescent leaves are cleaned of dust from a spray bottle (no).
- Why do indoor plants, despite changes in inanimate nature, still remain green and even bloom with the onset of winter?
As a rule, the owner of a houseplant knows when to water it, how much and how often. But many owners of a beautiful creation of nature do not know about the soil in flower pots. The soil must be selected depending on the individual characteristics of indoor plants. If the plant and soil do not match, the plant may wither, and the soil may become covered with a white shell.
Do I need to change the potting soil?
There is no specific correct answer to this question, but still, more positive opinions are given towards the periodic replacement of soil in pots.
Over time, the earth loses its mineral wealth and becomes unable to enrich the plant with useful substances. In addition, over time, a white coating appears on the ground. The reason for such a plaque can even be an excess of fertilizers, for example, salt contained in the water that is watered with a houseplant.
Also, plaque can form due to insufficient loosening of the soil cover, that is, the crust in the surface layer of the earth prevents the water from evaporating.
As a rule, it is recommended to change the land once a year, but this period is relative. You need to look at the external state of the earth. The more often watering is done, the shorter the interval between soil replacements. Also, the earth should change as the flower grows, when long roots grow, the soil becomes insufficient for their nutrition, so you need to transplant the flower into a pot of large volumes, respectively, and with a lot of land.
For small plants it is not recommended to use large pots, they inhibit the growth and development of the plant.
How to replace the soil in potted houseplants?
When replacing the soil, the earth grasped by the roots of the plant remains unchanged. The main land com must remain in place. First you need to carefully remove the flower from the pot along with all the earth, then carefully separate the areas that are not captured by the roots of the earth, as if with soft shaking movements. To fertilize the new land, powdered charcoal is added to it. He has excellent medicinal property- an obstacle to decay. And coal is able to absorb excess moisture from the soil and give it away when the earth becomes overdried. Thanks to coal, the earth has porosity, this helps the roots of the plant to breathe.
The prepared new earth is poured to the bottom of the pot, then a flower is placed there with its own clod of earth and the remaining spaces are covered with soil.
How to understand that we have a plant suffering from waterlogging? Leaf drop is one of the symptoms. In a number of plants, such as citrus fruits, they fall off in the literal sense - they darken and fall off. In others, for example, in aroids (aglaonema, dieffenbachia) or arrowroot, they darken, but still stay on the stems for a long time. In plants that form rosettes of leaves or pseudo rosettes (yucca, dracaena), the leaves do not darken immediately, but first become discolored, becoming pale yellow. But in other cases, the characteristic difference between leaves that die from waterlogging is the darkening of the leaf. The leaf does not just turn yellow, it just darkens, the color becomes from a healthy juicy green dirty swamp shade, gradually turning into brown. If waterlogging was preceded by overdrying, then the leaf first turns yellow, then the petiole of the leaf and the leaf itself darken.
Decayed roots exfoliate, the top layer of the root becomes dirty gray, peels off if you run your fingers, a thin hard core remains. These roots all died from waterlogging.
And these are healthy living roots - green, yellowish or whitish, in some plants of succulent Brown color.
Sudden or gradual falling of leaves, blackening of shoots, damp, sour earth ...
The trunk still seems alive, green, but the roots have rotted, the plant can no longer be saved.
When the plant does not have enough water, the leaves always turn yellow, while the leaf tissues may lose elasticity, droop, or remain dry. After watering, the turgor is restored, the leaves become elastic again. If there is insufficient nutrition, then interveinal chlorosis may appear, the leaves do not droop, continue to grow, but become smaller. When waterlogged, the leaves may lose their elasticity, wilt, but after watering, the elasticity is not restored, and the darkening of the leaves, on the contrary, increases. Sometimes the leaves can fall off even without darkening - still green. But leaf fall can also occur from watering with cold water. Ideally, the temperature of the water for irrigation should be 2-3°C higher than the temperature in the room, but not lower than 22°C. Cold water is not absorbed by the roots, causes the death of the suction roots from hypothermia, and, as a result, the leaves fall off.
As for the hardness of the water, it cannot be the cause of the sudden fall of the leaves and the death of the plant. If you water the plants with hard water, even the most capricious, sensitive to excess salts, the plants will not begin to massively lose leaves. All the damage manifests itself gradually: at first, chlorosis spots appear, the tips or edges of the leaves turn brown, one or two leaves turn yellow, new leaves grow small and the plant looks oppressed, but the leaves do not fall off.
In case of massive leaf fall, when the leaves fall off not one after another, but dozens at once, the reasons may be the following: sudden hypothermia (for example, when transporting home), watering with concentrated fertilizer (burning the roots), severe drying, and only hygrophytes and mesohygrophytes fly around in large numbers (and there are few of them), and waterlogging. Naturally, the first two reasons can be easily calculated, and it is also possible to distinguish overdrying from waterlogging, but for this the plant must be removed from the pot. Feeling the soil with your finger at a depth is not always possible (for example, the roots have grown a lot), and only by taking the plant out of the pot can you determine whether the earth is wet inside the root ball.
Some flower growers pull to the last, not wanting to take out the plant and inspect the roots. They are either selflessly sure that there was no waterlogging, or they are afraid that an unscheduled transplant will damage the plant. But if there is even the slightest suspicion of waterlogging, there is no need to doubt - take out and inspect the roots. Sometimes the root system of plants grows in this way: the roots are not thick at the top, the soil dries easily between them, and in the lower part of the pot the roots twist a dense ring, the interlacing of the roots makes it difficult to dry and the soil dries in the lower part of the pot for a very long time. This is especially aggravated by the fact that the holes at the bottom of the pot are small, clogged with pebbles or grains of earth.
On mandarin, the result of waterlogging and acidification of the earth. Chlorosis is a lack of various trace elements.
Such a deplorable state is the result of hypothermia of the root system: watering with cold water or the plant is left with damp earth on a cold balcony, on the street.
There is also a deplorable symptom, characteristic of the strongest prolonged waterlogging - darkening, blackening and withering of the tops of the shoots. If a similar picture occurred, then the matter is already very much running, it is often simply impossible to save the plant. If the tops of all shoots are rotten (yellowed or darkened), there is nothing to save. A similar picture is possible only with strong hypothermia of the roots, and never occurs when overdrying. When overdrying, wilting begins with old leaves, from the lower shoots, the trunk is exposed from below. When waterlogged, the leaves wither in any part of the crown, but more often from above, from the tops of the shoots.
And of course, any softening of the stems or leaves of plants with fleshy parts of the body, and these are yuccas, dracaenas, dieffenbachia, any succulents (fatties, adeniums, etc.), cacti - a sure sign of excess moisture.
Another symptom that is not entirely true and does not always indicate a specific plant, but still makes you think - the presence of fungal mosquitoes. If a swarm of midges flies up from the pot, it means that you watered the flowers too abundantly, perhaps it was once or twice, or perhaps it became a habit of watering excessively. Unlike mosquitoes, podura (colembolas) are white or dirty gray insects, about 1-2 mm, jumping on the surface of the earth in a pot - a sure sign that the flower is poured more than once.
Measures to save flooded plants
When you nevertheless established that the plant was flooded, you need to urgently take action. If you established the fact of waterlogging after you took the plant out of the pot, then you have to transplant. If the fact of waterlogging was determined by indirect signs (leaf fall, damp earth to the touch), then the need for a transplant depends on the severity of the situation.
- If the plant has lost one or two leaves, or one branch has faded in a mighty crown, and the soil in the pot is light enough, then you can not replant the plant, but only loosen the soil. After watering, especially plentiful, the soil spreads, and after drying, a dense crust forms on its surface. If this crust is not destroyed, then the roots suffer from a lack of air. If seed plantings are watered, then seedlings may not come to the surface of the earth and die from hypoxia.
- If there are small drainage holes in the pot, you can expand them or increase their number without removing the plant from the pot, using a knife heated on the stove.
- Personally, I never try to just loosen the ground, it is not very reliable and justified in cases where the flooded plant is in a very large pot, transplanting is difficult, or when the plant is transferred from a cold room to a warm one, and the very increase in temperature will accelerate the drying of the earth.
- In all other cases better plant transplant.
Signs of a bay in orchids - phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow, they are sluggish, wrinkled. The bark dries for a very long time, from constant contact with a damp surface, the roots rot.
Rotten roots must be cut off. In some cases, the new pot will have to pick up a smaller size than it was.
So, you take the plant out of the pot, and you need to determine the condition of the earth and the roots. Is the earth still damp and how much? Count when you last watered, how much it dried. Sometimes a person is convinced that the earth has been dry for a long time, say, a week has passed after watering, and upon examination it turns out that the earth inside the pot is still very damp. Then try to remember what the weather was like, how it happened that the soil did not have time to dry out! It is important to at least try to analyze in order to prevent this, or to calculate which plants could still be flooded. For some people, bays happen systematically over and over again. This suggests that it is necessary to radically revise the care system: perhaps change the soil in pots to a more structured, loose one, increase drainage holes, add more drainage to the bottom of the pot; water with less water; rearrange the plants in a warmer room or water less often when the ground dries out more. Sometimes you need to literally slap yourself on the hands so that you don’t rise with a watering can over the plant ahead of time ...
Examine the roots. The rotten ones are immediately visible - they delaminate, if you grab the spine with two fingers and pull, the skin slides off it - it is brown or dark gray, under it there is a bundle of vessels similar to a wire, a hard rod. If such a stratification has occurred, the root is rotten. Healthy roots do not delaminate, if you run your fingers over the surface, the top layer will not be removed. In some cases, the roots do not exfoliate, the fleshy juicy roots rot completely, and this is also immediately visible - they are dark, dirty gray or brown, sometimes softened. You can often determine healthy roots and rotten ones by contrast. appearance, some are light, white, light brown, others are dark, not only on the outside, but also on the break or places of the cliff.
There are times when rotten roots break off easily and, when the plant is taken out of the pot, fall off along with the ground. If you did not find definitely rotten roots, but the earth and root ball are damp, you need to dry them. To do this, we wet the measles lump in any hygroscopic material: in a pile of old newspapers, in a roll of toilet paper. You can even put a plant with an open root system (without a pot) to dry for several hours.
Having found rotten roots, you need to cut them off, no matter how many there are. This is a source of infection, there is nothing to regret here. We cut everything down to healthy tissue. If the roots are fleshy, juicy, watery, then it is advisable to sprinkle the cut points with charcoal (wood, birch) or sulfur powder (sold in pet stores). If neither is available, interpret an activated charcoal tablet. If there are very few roots left, much less than it was, you need to transplant the plant into a smaller pot.
I have already said that in itself a too spacious pot, not filled with roots, does not contribute to the rapid growth of plants, and in some cases even harms. In a spacious pot, the plant is easier to fill with light. And even if watered carefully, the plant tends to grow root system, to master a large surface of the earth and only then enhances the growth of the ground part.
Substrate for aroid, bromeliad and other plants. Instead of a pot, a basket, substrate: earth, coconut fiber, coconut substrate, wine cork, pine bark and moss (its very smallness). The rotting anthurium, transplanted into this mixture, bloomed in a month, and releases the third bud.
If you tend to water the plants, then use clay pots to plant the plants. But there is one important point: the inside of the pot should not be glazed. If the walls of a clay pot are glazed on the inside, it is no better than a plastic one.
So, you need to pick up a pot under the root ball remaining after removing the rot. In this case, the rule will be effective: a smaller pot is better than a larger one. It's okay if the pot is small, healthy roots will grow, notify you with their appearance from the drainage holes, and you just transfer the plant to a larger pot and that's it. During the growing season, plants can be transplanted at any time and more than once. Most plants, if they get sick after transplantation, stop growing, then this is most often due to improper care after transplantation, and not from root injuries.
After transplantation, plants should not be placed in the sun, even the most light-loving ones, they should be under shade for a week. You can not water the plants on the same day, especially those resuscitated from overflow - these are generally watered for the first time after 2-3 days. You can not fertilize transplanted plants for 1-1.5 months. And when transplanting patients (including flooded ones), dry fertilizers (neither manure, nor litter, nor granular fertilizers) can be added. Do not seal the transplanted plant in a plastic bag. This very package sometimes becomes a real evil. The fact is that transplanted plants, deprived of watering, must be placed in conditions of high humidity in the first days. And many tend to put the plant in a bag and tie it tight. In this case, the importance, of course, increases. But the supply of oxygen is reduced. As we remember, the plant breathes with both roots and leaves, if the plant was flooded, it especially needs fresh air, and if pathogenic microorganisms developed on it - various spots of fungal or bacterial origin, then it just needs fresh air!
Here you can do this: place the plant in a transparent bag, straighten its edges, but do not tie it. If the weather is very hot, then you can spray 1-2 times a day, if the plants do not tolerate water on the leaves, then simply place the pot on a wide pan with water on an inverted saucer.
If the plant has rotten tops, the ends of the shoots, they must be cut to healthy tissue. If possible, at the same time cut the plant - cut off healthy branches for rooting in order to be able to save at least something if the bay has already led to irreversible consequences. Sometimes it happens that the roots rot completely, but some of the shoots are still vigorous until they fade (this is temporary) and cuttings can still be cut from them. In some cases, when the roots rot, toxins (the aforementioned swamp gases, products of bacteria and fungi) enter the vascular system of plants and cut cuttings, even healthy-looking ones do not take root, they are already doomed ...
After transplantation, the flooded plant can be sprayed with growth stimulants (epin or amulet), only at night (most stimulants decompose in the light). If the leaves have dark spots, rotten tops of the shoots, it is advisable to spray the plant with a fungicide, or add the fungicide to the water for irrigation. From fungicides suitable: Fundazol, Maxim, Hom, Oksikhom (and other copper-containing preparations). 3-4 days after transplanting into fresh, dry soil, the plant can be watered with a solution of zircon.
If a plant with a wide rosette of leaves turned out to be flooded, in the form of a funnel, like in bromeliads, then it is necessary to dry the bases of the leaves. To do this, you first need to turn the plant upside down with leaves. When the water drains, pour 2-3 tablets of crushed activated carbon into the outlet. After 3-5 minutes, gently remove it with a soft fluffy brush. Many bromeliads rot when watered through a rosette of leaves in winter. Read carefully the recommendations for growing a particular plant, and especially care in the winter.
Another important point: after flooding, the soil in the pot turns sour: the roots of the plants continue to emit carbon dioxide, the renewal of humus slows down, and humic acids accumulate, which increases the acidity of the soil, many nutrients turn into a form indigestible by plants. For example, iron goes into its oxidized form (F3+), which causes a rusty-brown crust to form on the surface of the earth. Oxidized iron is not absorbed, as a result, the plant shows all the signs of its deficiency - severe chlorosis. This is especially noticeable on fruit plants: there are signs of deficiency of calcium, iron, nitrogen. At this stage, some flower growers do not pay attention to the condition of the soil, and are in a hurry to treat the effect, not the cause. As a result, the plant continues to suffer, turn yellow. At times it gets better (for example, after spraying with Ferovit), and after fertilizing the soil, it gets even worse.
In such a situation, the only way out is a complete replacement of the land. And if you are in a hurry to fertilize, then it is advisable to wash the roots when transplanting under a jet warm water. Then dry, remove the rotten ones, sprinkle with charcoal and plant in fresh, dry soil.
If a white or red salt crust forms on the surface of the earth, this is a signal: the earth dries for a long time! Such a salt crust must be removed, the top layer of the earth must be replaced with a fresh one.
Loosening the soil is one of the important agricultural practices for caring for plants. There are both opponents of loosening and its defenders. Everyone decides this issue in accordance with their views. Before taking one side or another, you need to figure out how much loosening is necessary for the proper development of plants. We will tell in the article why loosen the soil, how to do it correctly.
Why you need to loosen the soil in the garden or in flower pots
Loosening is of great benefit, allowing you to improve the structure of the soil, increase the yield. Consider all the benefits this method care:
Terms and methods of loosening
Loosening is carried out in the following terms:
- before planting or sowing seeds;
- after planting plants or sowing seeds, usually after 1-1.5 weeks for the plants to take root;
- before and after watering, fertilizing or heavy rain, how moisture is absorbed (usually the next day);
- loosening of row spacing is carried out as weeds and crusts appear on the soil.
The loosening technique is directly related to the types of soil, the characteristics of the planted plants, as well as the stages of their development. ". There are the following methods.
It is carried out in preparation for planting plants with powerful and long roots, especially on heavy infertile soil, often with the introduction of sand and fertilizers. Loosening is carried out to a depth of 35 cm to 50 cm. In this case, the top layer of soil is removed, the lower layers are dug up and loosened, and then the removed soil is returned to its place and is also carefully loosened.
Tip #1When deep loosening in spring, pay attention that the upper frozen layers do not fall down, at a depth they will not melt soon and will absorb the heat needed by young plants.
Loosening the subsoil
It is used in preparing the soil for planting. At the same time, the top layer of soil is thrown aside, the subsoil layer is loosened and sprinkled with the top layer located in the neighborhood, breaking all the lumps and thus loosening the entire intended area.
Please note - it is impossible to allow a gap in time between pre-planting preparatory loosening of the soil and planting seeds or seedlings, because there will be a loss of moisture from the top layer.
Fine loosening of the surface crust
It is used to improve gas exchange and destroy the crust. In the spring, deeper loosening is carried out - 7-10 cm, and in summer time smaller (3-6) so that the earth does not dry out. Carefully loosen the aisles when growing plants from small seeds or with short roots, so as not to harm the plantings.
Heavy soils need to be loosened frequently, while light soils can be worked less frequently. It is believed that each timely loosening is similar to two full-fledged irrigations, since it retains soil moisture.
Soil loosening tools and equipment
There are a variety of devices for tillage by loosening: manual, mechanical, electric. Please note that they are comfortable, ergonomic, reliable, made of durable material, such as special tool steel.
Tip #2 It is advisable to purchase hand rippers with bright colored handles so that they are clearly visible on the soil if they are accidentally forgotten.
For loosening, the following tools are used:
- Hoe;
- Rake;
- flat cutter;
- Manual rippers;
- garden forks;
- Baking shovel;
- Rotary hoes;
- Cultivators manual, electric and mechanical;
- Harrows of various configurations.
Tools for work are selected, focusing on the required depth of capture and row spacing. The soil must dry out from moisture and dew, so best time for work, this is the beginning of the day when there is no strong heat.
Tools are selected depending on the depth of loosening and the width of the rows, the soil must dry out from moisture
The earth is well loosened, removing the crust, and leveled. With deeper loosening, no large lumps and lumps of earth should remain on the surface, they are carefully broken, the soil is also leveled. Heavy soil is easier to loosen with a flat cutter.
Tip #3The earth should not stick to the tool when loosening, you should wait until the moisture is better absorbed.
Features of loosening the soil when growing vegetables
Loosening is necessary for any type of plant. It is not always used only in those places that are covered with a layer of mulching material. The depth of loosening, first of all, depends on the depth of the roots and their placement.
Rules for loosening beds with vegetables
The loosening depth (in cm) for vegetables is shown in the table:
Loosening the earth near berry bushes
The depth of loosening of the cultivated soil in the rows of shrubs is 4-8 cm, depending on the length and location of the roots, and 10-15 cm between the rows. It is carried out after rains, when weeds appear, several times a season.
Loosening the trunk circles of currants, gooseberries is carried out carefully and shallowly (3-4 cm), since the roots are near the surface. Regular loosening causes them to sink into the underlying layers of the soil.
Trunk circles of trees
Unmulched circles under the trees need loosening, which is carried out up to 3-6 times per season, a depth of 7-15 cm (depending on the occurrence of the roots). Heavy soil is loosened more often, and in dry weather - after each rain to retain moisture.
Trunk circles can be loosened with a hoe
Loosening and mulching grapes
- The first loosening by 10-14 cm is carried out after the shoots are tied up, then the soil is mulched.
- In the future, over the summer, several loosenings are carried out during the compaction of the earth.
A garden fork is used, piercing the mulch layer, however, without turning the soil layer. If roofing material or film is used as mulch, the material is moved aside for the time of loosening. If the mulch layer is thick - up to 10-12 cm, loosening can be omitted.
Loosening flower beds with flowers and perennials
Perennials need to loosen the soil from early spring, when it only thaws and dries a little. Spend it until such time, until the plants in a row close. Plants with long roots and perennials are loosened by 7-12 cm, with small roots and annuals - by 3-6 cm.
Tip #4 By autumn, many perennials form a large number of surface roots, so as not to damage them, it is better not to loosen the soil, but to mulch it.
Caring for potted plants
In all potted plants, it is necessary to loosen the upper layers of the earth after watering, when the earth shakes (usually the next day). Depth - no more than 1-1.5 cm. Use special hand tools or an ordinary table fork. Loosening is carried out carefully, mainly at the wall of the container, so as not to disturb the root system.
Loosening in the greenhouse is carried out every 1.5-2 weeks, starting a week after planting the seedlings, and the ground is also slightly loosened, hilling the plants if necessary after each watering. In terms of loosening depth, they follow basically the same rules as when growing vegetables in open ground.
Answers to current questions
Question number 1. What is more correct - to loosen or mulch plantings?
Both methods are equally applicable for the full care of plants, and have their pros and cons.
Question number 2. Is it possible to deal with the soil crust before germination by other methods than loosening and mulching?
If there is water on the site, it is possible to water the beds with sprinkling with a fine spray before emergence of seedlings, preventing the crust from drying out. And after germination, carry out fine loosening.
Question number 3. How to loosen beds with carrots, it takes a very long time to sprout, and when loosening, crops can be damaged?
For beds with tight seeds, there is a rule of processing "blindly". When planting, more fast-growing seeds are mixed with such seeds - radish, lettuce, radish. They represent rows. Loosening and weeding can be carried out, focusing on these "beacons".
Question number 4. Do I need to loosen the soil under the mulch?
This depends on the type of mulching material used and the condition of the soil. Under the mulch, a crust does not form, but if the soil is still compacted, then it should be loosened or pierced with a pitchfork.
Gardener's review of loosening
I grow on my small plot. various vegetables, greens, there is a little bit of everything. I always thought that loosening is very important element care, as well as watering. Without it, the earth is quickly compacted, becomes like a stone, and the plants wither, develop poorly. Therefore, I immediately made it a rule for myself - not to start the beds and loosen them after precipitation and watering so that a crust does not form.
Here, too, there are some tricks - you must definitely wait for the soil to dry out, but not dry out completely. Then start loosening it. With regular care, moisture is well preserved and watering will already be required much less. I like to work with such a tool as a flat cutter, but this, of course, is a personal choice for everyone.
Different vegetables require different attitudes. For example, beds with tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage at the very beginning of plant development can be loosened deeper, and then, as they grow, you will have to reduce the depth and move away from the stem so as not to damage the roots. And the root crops, on the contrary, are first loosened by 3-5 cm, and then we increase the depth as they grow. Such simple rules help keep the soil in a loose state, and the plants grow better on it, and the harvest is happy! ".
How to avoid mistakes when loosening?
Mistake #1. Sometimes gardeners carry out preplant loosening of the soil, and seeds are planted in prepared beds after a few days, moisture loss occurs.
Plant seeds or seedlings immediately after pre-plant loosening of beds to preserve soil moisture.
Mistake #2. Loosening after rain is carried out too early, when the earth is not yet dry enough.
Wait until the soil is dry enough. If there is still moist soil on the tools, loosening is not carried out.