Every gardener wants his land to consist entirely of chernozem. Therefore, it would be good to learn to improve it so that everything planted grows and matures as quickly as possible.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – June 07, 2021 – Agriculture
Good rippers will help to achieve a rich harvest. There are only five of them, and each has its advantages.
But first, you need to determine exactly what kind of soil is on the site. To do this, dig a little earth and, throwing the ball up, catch a shovel. The earth, which has returned and stuck together, indicates that there is clay in the garden.
How to improve clay soil
One of the best leavening agents is compost or manure that has already been well fermented. It should be used in spring or autumn, adding to a depth of not more than 10-12 cm (a third of the bayonet shovel) before digging the ground in the amount of one and a half to two buckets per 1 sq. Km. meter. The most suitable for the improvement of clay soil is rightly considered to be humus from horse or sheep manure. In fresh form, they are also used, but only in autumn: application in the spring will burn the roots of plants.
The second useful remedy is dependent (in no case fresh!) Sawdust. It should be added at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 sq. Km. m, but not dry, otherwise it will absorb nitrogen from the soil, and the plants will not have enough. Soak should be as follows: 3 buckets of sawdust pour a solution of 1 cup of urea and 10 liters of water and leave for 24 hours.
Faster than the previous ones, the sand from the river bank will loosen the clay. It must be made together with organic matter in the amount of 1 bucket per 1 sq. Km. m annually for five years. After this time, the fertile layer on the site will reach a thickness of 15-18 centimeters.
Green manures will also help. It is necessary to sow lupines or phacelia after harvesting early vegetables, and in mid-October to dig them together with the ground, in the spring the clay soil will be loose and fertile. You can use winter rye, sow in late summer and dig in the spring.
You can enhance the effect of organic matter, sand, and green manure with earthworms. They can be diluted more. For this purpose, it is necessary to prepare “housing”. Take a square wooden or plastic box measuring 50 by 50 cm and 30 cm in height, drill a few holes in the bottom with a diameter of 7-9 mm, arrange it, and put there “special food”.
One layer – hay, straw, or sawdust; the second – compost, the third – “food”: cuttings of fruits and vegetables, but not potatoes, old tea, coffee grounds; the fourth is also compost. After that, the worms dug in the garden are placed in a box, and it is placed in a cool place, in the shade, and covered with a piece of wet cardboard.
When fed, they will produce dark brown granules, which will also be an excellent baking powder. Only they need regular feeding and watering the “house” when it dries, defended with water for three or four days. Worms multiply quickly, they should be removed from the box and sent to the garden.
If the clay soil is too dense, all of the above leavening agents will not suffice. One year during digging it is necessary to make straw, small branches, ground bark, or crushed brick, which will create pores, air will penetrate into the ground, then the next year you can use compost, sawdust, etc.
Read also: Effective Ways to Improve Clay Soils
Source: Ukrgate