How to find out what kind of soil is on the site: ways to check how light differs from heavy

Every gardener dreams of high-quality fertile soil on the plot, because the yield, the quality of the vegetables obtained, the amount of labor invested depend on this. But not all gardeners are aware of how you can find out what kind of soil is on the site, how the soil differs in composition, what acidity of the garden soil will be optimal for planting. Let's discuss these important questions.

Why do you need to know?

Knowledge about the type of fertile layer in the summer cottage, its composition, acidity is necessary to determine what substances should be added to grow certain types of vegetables.And also: how to arrange irrigation that is optimal for planting, what and how much to add to the soil in order to make the soil breathable, increase the yield on the site.

How to check the soil in the country?

There are simple and effective ways to check the basic soil parameters in a summer cottage. To determine the type of soil, you need water, and the level of acidity - litmus strips. They can be purchased at a pharmacy or garden center.

Type definition

Types of land on the site differ in the amount of clay in the composition of the soil, depending on this they are divided into several subspecies:

1. Lungs. There is a lot of sand in the soil, it is not prone to clumping, it is easily water and air permeable. This type includes sandy and sandy soils. Sandy loamy are optimal for growing any kind of vegetables. Such a fertile layer retains heat due to a small percentage of clay in the composition, while it is rich in oxygen and is able to retain the amount of moisture that is optimal for plants.
2. Medium heavy. They are called loamy, contain more clay than sandy loam, but are also suitable for cultivation.
3. Heavy. These are clay varieties of the fertile layer. It quickly cakes and forms lumps, water lingers in it, abundant watering can cause a supersaturation of the soil with moisture. The surface of heavy clay soil easily forms a crust, so it must be loosened.

To determine the type of land on the site, you should roll a small bundle from wet ground and try to connect its ends to make a ring. If it is easily obtained, the soil retains plasticity - these are heavy clay soils.

If the tourniquet rolls down from the ground, and it is impossible to make a “ring”, because it crumbles, the summer resident has a plot with medium-heavy soils. It will not work to make a tourniquet from sandy and sandy loamy soil, it will crumble in your hands.

Another way to determine the type of soil on the site: put some soil in a glass of water and stir. With loamy soil, after a while the water will remain clean, the sediment will fall in a small layer. The presence of clean water and sediment from grains of sand - the area is sandy. If the water is cloudy, soil particles float on the surface - the soil is peat. Turbid water with little sediment is produced by heavy clay soils.

Composition

As part of high-quality land in a summer cottage, suitable for growing various types of vegetables, garden trees, flowers and lawn grass, there should be: sand, peat and organic matter, which is provided by decayed remains of plants, insects, bird and animal droppings.

The soil can be made more fertile by adding manure, humus to the ground, periodically sowing green manure. The soil will become lighter if you mix clay soil with sand.

Acidity

To determine the acidity, samples of the fertile layer are taken from a depth of 10-20 centimeters. It is necessary to take several samples from the entire area of the site. Each sample is tied into a knot of several layers of gauze or thin linen, placed in a glass of water and shaken thoroughly for 1-2 minutes.

After that, a strip of litmus paper is placed in the solution. The paper will change color, depending on the level of soil acidity. The resulting shade is compared with the color chart on the package of litmus strips.

Acidic soils are not suitable for growing most vegetables in the country, so the acidity must be reduced, making the earth neutral.

How to quickly improve the soil

The fastest way to make the land on the site more fertile is to bring high-quality black soil.This type of soil, rich in organic matter, is distinguished by a pronounced black tint and “oiliness”. Such a composition is a rarity for most regions of Russia. Chernozem is brought from the Voronezh, Belgorod, Lipetsk regions. High-quality soil roads for the consumer.

With a clay type of land in a summer cottage, sand is added to it. This changes the type of soil, making it lighter and more permeable to oxygen. The earth stops cracking after rains and watering, it does not form a crust.

Acidity is reduced by liming the beds. A little slaked lime is added to the garden soil, ash is used. Planting green manure will take longer, but their roots perfectly loosen the ground on the site, and the remains of plants are an excellent fertilizer. Oats, buckwheat, legumes and other rapidly growing plant species are used as green manure.

In order for the plot to be fruitful, it is necessary to carefully monitor the quality of the soil.You should not wait until the fertility of the land decreases, green manure can be sown every 2 years, organic matter is applied every 3 years, sand is brought in if the clay content in the garden soil becomes more than 1/3. Knowledge of the soil and care of the site will allow you to get excellent yields, regardless of the initial composition of the soil.

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