A greenhouse is usually a small, enclosed "room" designed for growing more heat-loving plants.
Usually the same crops are planted in greenhouses, and this eventually leads to one of the most important problems in gardening - the soil begins to rapidly become depleted.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , an expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", an agronomist and landscape designer, told when to change the soil in a greenhouse.
It is quite easy to notice a deterioration in the quality of greenhouse soil - all you need to do is monitor the abundance of your harvest and, based on this, draw the appropriate conclusions.
Simply put, if you notice that the harvest in the greenhouse has become worse compared to the previous season, then this indicates a decrease in the amount of nutrients in the soil.
In addition, other noticeable signs will help you understand the deterioration of soil fertility. For example, the fight against pests and diseases has become more difficult, and the top layer of soil has become compacted. All this indicates that it is time to change the soil in your greenhouse for a new one!
If you are exclusively growing tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse, then it is recommended to replace the fertile layer every two to three years. This procedure will help make the harvest much more abundant and will also simplify the care of the plants.
When you decide to change the soil in your greenhouse, do not forget to thoroughly wash the soil and disinfect the entire greenhouse beforehand. Scientists have found that the optimal air temperature during the soil replacement procedure is + 10 ... + 15 degrees Celsius.
The process of replacing the soil occurs as follows: the old and depleted layer of soil is removed to a depth of approximately one shovel blade, then the resulting depressions are filled with a new portion of soil.
To replace old infertile greenhouse soil, it is not necessary to buy new soil, because you can replace it with ordinary black soil from the garden. To improve the quality of the new soil, it is recommended to add a small amount of sand or compost to it.
As a preventive measure to maintain the fertility of the soil in the greenhouse, you can also treat it with phytosporin. In addition, you can sometimes plant green manure in the soil.
Earlier we talked about what is needed to grow seedlings .