Planting Tips

Chapter 15 Which soils are commonly used for home flower cultivation and what are their characteristics

Soil is the basis for the growth of flower plants, the sustenance of the root system of flowers, and the source of nutrition, water and air supply.Therefore, attention should be paid to the selection of soil when cultivating flowers.Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, water and air, and can be divided into sandy soil, sandy loam soil, loam soil and clay soil according to the particle size of mineral particles in the soil.The characteristics of these soils are described below.

Sandy soil: It is a kind of soil mainly composed of sand grains.Among them, the sand content can reach 85%-100%, while the fine soil content only accounts for 0-15%, and sand grains of various sizes can be clearly seen.The sandy soil is ventilated and water-permeable, and the soil temperature rises quickly in spring, which is suitable for germination and emergence, but the fertility is poor, it is easy to grow early, and its own nutrients are low.It can be improved by mixing clay, usually using sticky manure, pond mud, etc., and it is not suitable to apply more chemical fertilizers.It is better to use phosphorus fertilizer and trace elements on sandy soil.

Sandy Loam: A soil that contains more sand and less fine soil.The sand content can reach 55% to 85%. Generally, it can be spherical when wet, the surface is uneven, and the dry soil is easy to crush.This kind of soil is loose, airy and permeable, non-sticky and not hard, suitable for farming, poor in fertilizer and water retention, prone to small seedlings, not old seedlings, and poor stamina.More sticky manure should be applied, and chemical fertilizers should be applied less frequently to prevent fertilizer loss.

Loam soil: It is a kind of soil with good soil properties and suitable sand content.The characteristics are loose but not loose, sticky but not hard, not only ventilated and permeable, but also retains fertilizer and water, and has high fertility, suitable for planting various plants.The artificially prepared soil can be fully mixed with 20% clay, 30% to 40% silt, and 30% sand.

Clay: A soil with a predominantly clay content and little sand content.Clay accounts for 45% to 100%, of which sand particles with a particle size of 0.02 to 2 mm only account for 0 to 35%.It has high water and fertilizer retention capacity, and contains more nutrients needed by plants, but has poor permeability, wet sticky and dry hard, and large clods are difficult to cultivate.If the improvement needs to be mixed with sand, apply more organic fertilizer.

Most of the garden soil in vegetable gardens and orchards in various places is loam or sandy loam that has been decomposed for many years, which is very suitable for potting.In addition to the above four kinds of soil, in order to achieve a certain purpose and meet the requirements of potted flowers for different types of potted flowers and different growth and development stages, other kinds of soil can also be artificially prepared. These soils contain fertilizers of different components and are ideal for planting flowers Commonly used soils are described below.

(1) Humus is also called stable soil.It is made by fermenting and retting the mixture of livestock manure, litter and feed residue, and contains a variety of organic matter and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.Its composition is mainly composed of humus, light texture, acidic reaction, rich in various nutrients.Fertilizer and water retention are strong, but drainage is poor.Can be mixed with leaf humus or other soils.

(2) Leaf humus is the topsoil of forest areas in nature, which is formed by the accumulation and decay of fallen leaves for many years.Leaf rot is loose, porous, acidic or slightly acidic (leaf rot is acidic, leaf rot is slightly acidic), rich in nutrients, suitable for planting various acid-loving soil flowers, and is also a good way to prepare One of the main materials of potting soil.The humus soil can also be obtained locally and made by itself.

Usually in autumn, the fallen leaves of broad-leaved trees, manure and garden soil are piled up layer by layer, and an appropriate amount of water and human excrement can be poured in. When retting, an appropriate amount of bone meal or superphosphate is added, and the fertilizer effect will be better.

(3) Peat soil, also known as peat soil, is collected from peat swamps.It is formed by the continuous accumulation of organic matter under flooding and degassing conditions, some of which have been carbonized, dark brown in color, acidic, rich in organic matter, some as high as 80% to 90%, and can improve the physical properties of the soil .Peat soil itself does not have many nutrients for plants to absorb and utilize, but it contains a lot of fiber and humic acid, and has a strong ability to absorb fertilizer and retain water. It is a good material for preparing flower cultivation soil.Peat soil can be mixed with clay to make it loose soil; mixed with relaxed sandy soil, it can change its cohesion and improve its water holding capacity.Peat as a substrate plus various fertilizers and other ingredients can be formulated into various culture soils that are light in weight, good in quality, and free from diseases and insect pests.

(4) Turf soil is formed by weeds, straw, etc. mixed with soil and manure, etc., and accumulates and rots. It contains more humus: and contains more minerals, showing a weak alkaline reaction.It is mainly used to cultivate rose, chrysanthemum, carnation and other flowers and aquatic flowers.

(5) Coniferous soil is formed by accumulation and decomposing of fallen leaves and branches of coniferous trees of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae and mosses.The coniferous soil formed by the fallen leaves of spruce and fir is the best.The coniferous soil has a strong acid reaction (pH3.5-4.0), rich in humus, and is suitable for the cultivation of acid-loving flowers such as rhododendrons.

(6) Mountain mud, commonly known as orchid soil, is a natural humus soil produced in the mountainous areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which is formed by the decay of fallen leaves accumulated for many years.It is dark brown in color, loose, light in weight, air-permeable, drainable, and retains fertilizer and water. It is a good soil for potting. It is slightly acidic. It is suitable for the cultivation of orchids, rhododendrons, camellias, etc. that love acidic soil, and can be used as stump bonsai cultivation. earth.

(7) Plain sandy soil This is a kind of fine-faced sandy soil with pure texture, good ventilation and water permeability, but no fertility, no aggregate structure, and poor water retention.It is often used as soil for sowing or cutting of general flowers, and it is also one of the main raw materials for preparing cultivation soil.

(8) Guangdong pond mud is fertile pond mud in South China. It is the surface soil deposited at the bottom of fish ponds for many years. It is rich in organic matter, rich in nutrients, slightly acidic, and hard in texture.In the north, this soil is often used as the cultivation soil of Jianlan and Bailan.In addition, there are lake soil, river mud, garden soil, field soil, slag soil, horse manure, etc., too many to list.

The soil with the same name, due to different collection areas, some are neutral, some are acidic or alkaline, and the effect on planting is different, which can only be determined according to the local conditions.

(End of this chapter)