How to start preparing for sowing seeds for seedlings? Of course, with the preparation of soil mixture! Ogorodniki, who are lazy with their own hands to make land suitable for seedlings, often come across the fact that the seeds simply do not germinate in the purchased substrate. This is immediately blamed for "unscrupulous" producers, but often the reason is not hidden in the substrate itself, but in its illiterate application. Many believe that if the seeds are planted in maximally enriched soil, then everything will rise as best as possible, but this judgment is fundamentally wrong. In this material, we will tell you how to properly prepare the soil for seedlings, so that it grows strong and healthy in it.
General information
To understand the general principle that determines which land will be best for growing a seedling of a particular crop, you need to know one simple rule. Soil mixture should at the maximum correspond to the composition of the one where the plant will grow in the future. But this does not mean that you should use land from your garden for this. The optimal option, which is suitable for most crops, is the top layer of soil from under the acacia trees. If the acacia does not grow near your house, then you can use the purchased mixture, but before that you should treat it, because it can contain pathogenic microorganisms. For these purposes, the soil can be etched with fungicides or steamed in a water bath. The processing of the soil for seedlings is one of the key moments, because pathogenic bacteria can "doze" in the soil. In addition, the soil can contain both larvae and eggs of insect pests that do not mind eating your young plants. If for each type of seedling you need to choose your soil composition, then the methods of its processing are always the same, we'll talk about this later.
Soil disinfection
So, how to prepare the earth so that its "inhabitants" cease to pose a danger to seedlings? Let's start with the simplest and most effective way - steaming the soil in a water bath.
To do this, we need a capacious colander and a pan, selected in such a way that it does not fall into it. In the pan, pour so much water that it reaches the bottom of the colander, but does not penetrate through its openings inward. Then we collect a full colander of the soil, put it on a pan, cover it with a lid. Soak the soil for one to two hours at low heat. This method does not destroy minerals and trace elements, but it also destroys fungus, bacteria, larvae, and eggs of insects. After this procedure, it is recommended to "populate" the soil with useful microorganisms. For this purpose, Baikal or the like can be used.
The next way to disinfect the earth before planting seeds on seedlings is to treat it with a weak solution of manganese. This process is very simple. A liter of dry potassium permanganate should be diluted in a liter jar, and the soil treated with the solution obtained.
The next way how you can prepare the land for