Rotten soil: Rotten soil, also known as humus soil, is a kind of cultivated soil mixed with leaves and weeds of various plants, water and human feces, and fermented and decomposed. The pH value is acidic. Exposure and screening are required before use.
Mountain mud: This is a natural soil containing humus, which is loose and acidic. Compared with Heishan mud, Huangshan mud is more viscous and contains less humus. Mountain mud is often used as the main cultivation soil for acid-loving flowers such as camellia, orchids and rhododendrons.
River sand: River sand has good drainage and permeability. When mixed with heavy clay, it can improve the physical structure of soil and increase the drainage and permeability of soil. The disadvantage is that there is no fertility. Can be used as a material for preparing culture soil, and can also be used as a cutting or sowing substrate alone. When sea sand is used as culture soil, it must be washed with fresh water, otherwise the high salt content will affect the growth of flowers.
Rice bran ash and plant ash: Rice bran ash is the ash after burning rice husk, and plant ash is the ash after burning rice straw or other weeds. Both places are rich in potash fertilizer. When it is added to the culture soil, the drainage is good and loose, the content of potassium fertilizer is increased, and the pH value is alkaline.
Bone meal: Bone meal is a fat powder made by grinding and fermenting animal miscellaneous bones, which contains a lot of phosphate fertilizer. Each addition shall not exceed 1% of the total amount.
Sawdust: This is a newly developed culture material in recent years, which is loose and breathable, with good water retention and breathability, strong heat preservation, light weight and cleanness. The pH value is neutral and slightly acidic. It can be used as culture soil alone, but sawdust is not widely available, so it can not fix plants when used alone. Therefore, it is often mixed with other materials to increase the drainage and permeability of cultivated soil.
Using pine leaves to prepare culture soil: under larch trees, there is a layer of fallen leaves every autumn and winter. Larch leaves are small, light, soft and easily crushed. After a period of accumulation, this kind of fallen leaves can be used as a material to prepare cultivated soil, especially to cultivate rhododendrons. Larix gmelinii can also be used as acidic and slightly acidic soil materials to improve porosity and permeability.
Four methods of preparing and farming soil:
▲ Mountain mud: garden soil: humus: rice bran ash (plant ash) equals 2: 2: 1: 1, or garden soil: compost: river sand: plant ash equals 4: 4: 2: 1. This is a light fertile soil, suitable for common potted flowers, such as poinsettia, chrysanthemum, begonia, asparagus, chrysanthemum, geranium and so on.
▲ Mountain mud: humus: garden soil is equal to 1: 1: 4. This is a thick fertile soil, suitable for acidic flowers, such as Milan, kumquat, jasmine, gardenia and so on.
▲ Garden soil: mountain mud: river sand = 1: 2: 1 or garden soil: plant ash = 2: 1, which is suitable for alkaline flowers, such as cactus, cactus and gem flower.
▲ Garden soil: rice bran ash is equal to 1: 1 or cut or planted with river sand alone.
Disinfection of potted soil: Generally, potted culture soil does not need special disinfection, as long as it is exposed to the sun. This is because, on the one hand, flowers themselves have certain resistance; On the other hand, soil contains a large number of microorganisms, and their activities gradually decompose many nutrients to maintain soil fertility and facilitate the growth of flowers and trees. It can also be disinfected at high temperature or with chemicals, but the microorganisms are killed and the organic matter in the soil cannot be decomposed, which is not conducive to the absorption of flowers and trees. The culture soil used for cutting and sowing should be strictly disinfected, because germs easily invade flowers and trees from cutting wounds, causing rot and affecting survival. For sowing, the newly born buds have weak resistance, and microorganisms often lead to mildew.
Commonly used soil disinfection method: cooking disinfection method is to put the prepared culture soil into a suitable container for cooking disinfection for 30 minutes. Chemical disinfection is mainly formalin disinfection. Spray 4 ml to 5 ml of 40% formalin solution evenly on each liter of culture soil, and then seal it so as not to leak. Leave it for 2 days before opening it.
Effect of soil pH on flowers: Soil pH is expressed by pH value. PH < 5.0 is strongly acidic, pH 5.0 ~ 6.5 is acidic, pH 6.5 ~ 7.5 is neutral, pH 7.5 ~ 8.5 is alkaline, and pH > 8.5 is strongly alkaline. If the soil pH is not suitable, it will hinder the absorption of nutrients by plants, because the pH is related to the solubility of mineral salts. The availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, boron, copper and zinc in mineral nutrients varies with the pH of soil solution.
Determination of soil pH value: take a small amount of culture soil, put it in a glass, add water according to the ratio of soil: water = 1: 2, fully stir, dip the clear liquid with litmus test paper or pan-pH test paper, and know its pH value according to the color change of test paper.
Adjustment of soil pH value: When the acidity is too high, some lime powder can be added to the culture soil or the proportion of plant ash (rice bran ash is also acceptable) can be increased. When the alkalinity is too high, an appropriate amount of aluminum sulfate (alum), ferrous sulfate (green alum) or sulfur powder can be added. Ammonium sulfate can also reduce soil alkalinity and increase soil acidity when applying nitrogen fertilizer. Shui Pi can also neutralize the alkaline basin soil, soak the apple peel and core in cold water, and often water with this water, which can gradually reduce the alkalinity of the basin soil.