Soil analysis of your site
We often use different fertilizers in calcareous soil, thinking that it is acidic. To find out whether the soil is depleted or acidic, it is necessary to conduct a soil test.
The main nutrients are determined: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), soil acidity (pH), humus content. You will find out the calcium and magnesium content. These elements are important not only for the human body, but also for plants. Magnesium (Mg) is part of chlorophyll. Calcium (Ca) in plants, as in humans, plays a fundamental skeletal function. How to correctly select a soil sample from your site? The soil for analysis is taken from the entire site using the envelope method. These are five points evenly spaced from each other. For example, your plot has the following ratio: 20 x 30, i.e. 6 acres. We retreat 1 m from the boundaries of the site and take 4 samples of earth with a shovel to a depth of 20 cm. Exactly in the middle of the shovel, a column of earth is taken for testing. We make the fifth land fence in the middle of the site, where the visual lines from the first four places intersect. We place all five selected soil samples in a clean basin, where we mix the soil evenly for 5-10 minutes. Then we take an average sample of soil from the basin and pack it in a clean plastic bag with a label. On the label we write the owner's surname, the name of the area and gardening association, as well as the date of sampling. Example: Ufa district, Milovka, s/t Rodnik, 07/25/15.
Soil analysis must be carried out at least once every 5 years. If the soil is acidic (pH below 6.0), it is necessary to apply Lime-Gumi Deoxidizer.When the soil pH is above 7.0, the soil is considered alkaline and the lime in your soil will bind up all the phosphorus. Phosphorus will be in the soil, but it will be in a bound state and will not enter the plants. Here it is important not to do without knowing the pH of the soil and to apply a deoxidizer only if the acidity is below 5.6. In most areas, phosphorus and potassium are contained in sufficient quantities, but nitrogen is often in short supply. If a summer resident is too keen on adding nitrogen, especially unrotted nitrogen, a dangerous concentration of ammonium nitrogen, toxic to plants, may arise in the soil. Both deficiency and excess of nitrogen should be avoided.
Humus is an indicator of soil fertility. Let's say an analysis of your soil showed that your soil is rich in basic nutrients, and humus is at the level of 2 units - do not expect high yields from your plot. By using Gumi, you will improve the situation with your land and increase the fertility of your soil. If the soil is depleted, fertilizers cannot be applied all at once. You know what happens from overeating. Apply some of the fertilizer in the spring, some in the summer as top dressing, some in the fall, and some the following year. Use green manure - green fertilizers that improve soil health and structure.
The acidity of the soil can be easily checked with vinegar. If the soil begins to react violently to it, then the soil is normal. If no reaction occurs, then the soil is acidic.
Some plant species grow actively in acidic soils. Their abundance can be used to judge the acidity of the soil. We have a third of the plot with acidic soil; the 5-test method is good, but in our case it would show the wrong result.
Of course, you can determine from the plants whether the soil is acidic or not, but if the garden is regularly weeded, then plants such as horsetail or plantain will not grow there anyway, because this requires seeds in the soil. Therefore, the easiest way is to use vinegar.
To create a fertile layer from which plants will receive nutrients, organic (60-100 kg/100 m²) and a complex of mineral (5 kg/100 m²) fertilizers are applied in the fall. Then the garden is dug up to a depth equal to the thickness of the fertile layer. On podzolic soil, where its thickness is small, the plowing depth is increased by 5 - 7 cm annually while simultaneously adding compost. I read in the article To improve the quality of the soil, it is sown for a couple of years with perennial grasses (alfalfa, clover) and then buried. Annual varieties are plowed together with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers (1-2 kg/100 m²).
It is impossible to create a fertile layer of soil only with the help of organic fertilizers. In such soil, all vegetables will burn. It would be better to bring black soil and fertilize it, but not excessively.