Peat is a bargain: how to use it correctly. Peat or humus - which is better

How to choose between black soil and peat, what to give preference to, what is really lacking in the soil for a good harvest or a beautiful appearance? It is worth understanding everything, starting with the difference between peat and black soil.

Chernozem

The real "black earth" in nature is formed under two types of climate:

• temperate continental;
• subboreal.

In Russia, both belts are marked in the European part of the country and in Western Siberia.

The dark-colored layer of the earth is formed under the following circumstances:

• the soil is loamy or clayey;
• washing water regime;
• rich herbaceous vegetation;
• appropriate climate;
• flat-ravine relief.

In conditions of sufficient humidity, warm average annual temperatures and a large number rotting vegetation, mixed with humus, is formed natural way chernozem.

The "black earth" is characterized by: lumpy structure and excellent water-air balance, which preserves warm temperature. In addition, the chernozem contains nutrients necessary for the growth and maturation of plants.

Main useful elements:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• calcium;
• sulfur;
• etc.

Constantly updated due to the accumulation of decay products of vegetation, the method of formation of dark-colored earth was proved by Mikhail Lomonosov, before him it was believed that this was a primeval natural phenomenon. The very concept of "chernozem" was also introduced by M. Lomonosov.

There are no plants that would not benefit from such a fertilizer. It is no coincidence that in steppe zone Russia, where chernozem is a natural resource, harvests several crops a year. Largely thanks to unique properties soil, connected by nature with geological, biological and climatic factors.

A high level of fertility in this case gives the necessary humus content: from five to fifteen percent.

For those summer cottages and household plots that nature has endowed with other types of soil, it is recommended to periodically apply as an additional layer of chernozem. With its appearance, the soil is healed and filled with air-water balance, which is necessary for the life and growth of absolutely all plants.

Chernozem is also good for landscaping, in addition to the fact that it gives a beautiful healthy appearance plants get the nutrition they need.

Another advantage: the price per cubic meter for black soil in Moscow is no higher than for peat.

Peat

A unique natural wealth, consisting of not completely decomposed remains of vegetation in swampy areas.

In its natural state, peat contains 86 to 95% water. This high rate humidity indicates the necessary water-air balance of the soil.

Key Nutrients:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• potassium.

Russia in the development of this fertilizer ranks second in the world after Canada. Therefore, the benefits of this fertilizer for most summer residents and plant lovers are so widely known.

Peat or black soil

The choice between black soil and peat may depend only on the purpose of the fertilizer. Because both types of soil mix well with others: sand, loam, etc. to improve the fertility of the land. Another thing: where the fertilizer will be used. So, chernozem is recommended to be used on large areas to fertilize the soil. Peat is preferred in cases when the land is renewed in greenhouses, greenhouses, indoor and greenhouse pots for plants.

If we consider the aesthetic indicators of the two types of fertilizer, it is worth giving preference to the "black earth". The fact is that peat also contains plant remains that have not decomposed to the end: bark, branches, roots, etc. Chernozem does not contain such elements, therefore, for the top layer of flower beds and landscaping, all the same better fit chernozem.

Usually they offer cars for sale the following types substrates:
- Soil garden universal;
- Peat-;
- Peat-land mses;
- Chernozem;
- Vegetable soil;

Let's briefly analyze how these soils should look and what is included in the composition.

1. Soil garden universal.
Composition: lowland peat - 40-50%; compost - 30-40%; biohumus - 5%, sand - 10-20%.

It is a dark brown mass with a homogeneous loose structure, a pleasant smell of forest litter, inclusions from unripe plant residues, sand. This substrate is optimal in terms of the selection of elements useful for plants; it can be immediately used in beds, greenhouses, flower beds, when laying lawns.

2. Peat-sand mixture.
Composition: peat - 70-80%, sand - 20-30%
It is a loose mass of black color interspersed with sand. Sand grains must be available.

Such a substrate can be used immediately when laying lawns and flower beds, and is also an excellent improver of clay soil with which it must be mixed.

3. Peat-earth mixture.
Composition: vegetable soil - 60%, peat - 20%, sand - 10%, compost - 10%

This is a denser soil than the previous substrate, since it contains 60% of the local soil (meaning the Central region, where clay soils predominate). Usually it is bought to improve overly drained and quickly drying soils (sandy, sandy loam), since the clay included in the composition retains moisture well.

4. Chernozem.
Composition: black soil 100%

It looks like a substrate of a very dark color with a granular-lumpy structure.

Can be used to improve any kind of soil. Regarding black soil, the following can be added. most northern part, where it is filmed, is for Muscovites the Tula and Ryazan regions. The southern suburbs of Moscow can still count on the fact that real black soil will fall to it, and then the cost of delivery here is 4000 rubles). To the north - you are unlikely to buy real black soil, it will be either local clay soil, blackened with waste from a thermal power plant, or grassroots peat (which also has a rich black color). Don't be naive, you can't buy black earth cheaper than 20 thousand rubles (per 10 cubic meters) in the north of Moscow!

And does it make sense to buy it? After all, chernozem in our climatic conditions loses all its properties for which it is acquired. After all, the soil is not only the composition, it is also the structure. And the structure of chernozem is formed only when evaporation exceeds precipitation (moisture coefficient is less than 1). In the Central region, this coefficient is greater than one, and after a couple of months, the chernozem loses its structure, "floats", a crust forms on the surface. In our country, this soil can only be used as an additive (no more than 10% by volume) to different kind earth mixtures, including peat. Why go after him with such fanaticism?

5. Vegetable soil.
Composition: 100% upper layer local soil.

Be sure to carefully consider the content. The structure should be loose, dark in color. Large conglomerates of clay and various debris are excluded. Such soil, if good quality, can be used to raise the level of the soil in the area or as a filler for ridges, subject to the application of fertilizers.

Keep in mind, often under the name "Vegetable Soil" you will try to "fuse" "Construction Soil", which is a mixture of clay clods with construction waste.

To avoid being scammed, you should follow following algorithm research.

Take:
- a long smooth pointed stick-probe from 1.5 meters ("stick - checker");
- determinant of soil acidity "Soil Control", sold in the garden departments;
- some clean water.

a) We take a "stick-checker" and sharp end we pierce a bunch of land that you acquire. If the probe is without special efforts crawling through the earth different places, then there are no large pieces of clay and debris.

b) An acidity test will show you what to expect from the soil. If the acidity is increased, then there is a lot of high-moor peat in the mixture, it cannot be used on its own, only mixed with other components. If the soil is strongly alkaline, then this is another extreme, obviously it was taken out from some industrial waste dump.

C) We check for structuredness: we moisten a handful of soil with water to the consistency of dough, roll it into a cord with a diameter of about 3 mm in the palm of our hand, and fold it into a ring. At the same time, we get the following results: it is impossible to form a cord, it crumbles - a lot of sand; the cord is covered with cracks when rolling - light loam; the cord is solid, but the ring breaks up when folded - medium loam; the cord is solid, the whole ring is clay (you can do pottery).

d) In addition, it is advisable to check the substrate for radioactivity with a household counter. Now very often they sell cheap outwardly high-quality, but with increased radiation activity substrate.

Be carefull! Take care of your health and your relatives, try to purchase the substrate from old trusted companies that provide quality certificates for all components, even if it comes out a little more expensive.

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On the this moment a huge number of people are beginning to understand that the land on their site in without fail needs to be fertilized. A similar procedure may be required in order to significantly improve soil fertility. Thanks to this, in the future, your plants will feel quite comfortable. The only feature during fertilization is that you need to choose black soil or peat. These are two types of soil that may have certain differences. If you want to order black soil with delivery, then remember that in this case it will be possible to make an acquisition in our company.

Chernozem features

If we study the features of the chernozem, then we can conclude that the formation of such a land will occur during the formation of two types of climate: temperate continental or subboreal. Chernozem will have a dark color, which will be formed only under certain circumstances. The main factors that may affect its formation include:

1. The soil must necessarily be loamy.
2. The earth will need to receive enough moisture.
3. There should be a lot of herbaceous vegetation.
4. The climate must necessarily contribute to the formation of such a climate.

With sufficient moisture and the presence of the required temperature, the vegetation will be able to mix with the soil and black soil will begin to form.

Features of peat

To date, lowland peat is also very popular. The formation of such a product will occur in the presence of 85-90% humidity. Only these conditions allow you to get really high-quality products. This high moisture balance may indicate that the peat will further saturate your soil with moisture. After purchasing this product, you will notice that the following nutrients will be present in the composition:

• Nitrogen.
• Phosphorus.
• Potassium.

What to choose?

When choosing a particular fertilizer, you need to proceed carefully. If you do incorrect choice, then remember that in this case it will also be possible to harm your soil. Before choosing a particular fertilizer, you first need to decide what exactly will be grown on the site in the future. Chernozem must be used to completely replace the soil in your area. Accordingly, if you plan to use peat, then you need to be careful with it. Replacing all the soil on the site with peat is simply irrational. That is why you just need to mix the peat with the soil that is already present on your site. Thanks to this, it will be possible to obtain more significant results that can please in the future.

Now you know exactly all the features of peat or black soil. If you plan to make a purchase, then be sure to study all the features of this product. If you have a desire, then if necessary, you can read a variety of reviews. With their help, you can determine exactly which product you need. After contacting our company, you can be completely sure that we are ready to deliver the products.

AT last years it has become fashionable to divide gardens into household plots. However, not everyone manages to choose the right earth mixtures necessary for the active development and creation of favorable conditions for plant life. So how is it right CHOOSE SOIL for your area?

All owners of suburban areas are trying to acquire land blacker and fatter. Growing demand gives rise to supply: dozens of companies are engaged in the delivery of soil, black soil, compost, peat and simply fertile soil. Unfortunately, many suppliers do not even know what they are delivering to the customer's site. Sometimes, instead of a milled (mixed) fertile peat-sand mixture for a lawn, they bring pure low-lying peat with blocks of gray clay and rotten logs, which certainly will not bring any benefit to your site. Therefore, when buying vegetable soil, one should not fully rely on the supplier, it is advisable to understand how Tula and Voronezh black soil, humus and compost differ, what types of peat exist and how to be guided when choosing soil mixtures.

CHERNOZEM
For education chernozem it takes 5 - 10 thousand years. Chernozem soil is one of the most fertile on the planet. This high fertility is due unique combination factors influencing the formation of chernozems. Among them are climatic, geological and biological. High summer temperatures prevail in the chernozem zone, stimulating intensive metabolism between plants, soil and microorganisms. If less precipitation falls than moisture evaporates from the surface of the earth (the deficit is replenished by groundwater), this also contributes to an increase in fertility. With this amount of precipitation, nutrients are not washed out of the soil in ground water(as in the Moscow region), but, on the contrary, are taken by roots herbaceous plants from a rich soil-forming rock and accumulate in plant tissues. root system crops have a significant impact on soil structure. Penetrating it, small roots break the soil into lumps (aggregates); due to the gaps between the units, the optimal ratio of water and air for plants is maintained. A huge number of microbes, worms and mites live in the black earth soil, which also loosen it and transform plant remains providing nutrient cycling.
When purchasing black soil for preparing the soil mixture on the site, you need to keep in mind that you will not be able to solve the problem of creating a fertile top layer once and for all. After 10 - 20 years, a significant part of the nutrients will be washed out of it, due to exposure low temperatures the number of representatives of the soil fauna will decrease, the microbiological composition will change, and due to the lack steppe vegetation the supply of nutrients will decrease and soil aggregates will collapse. As a result, only a clay substrate will remain, which cracks when dry, and after rain turns into impassable mud.
Of course, when landscaping work, you should not completely abandon the black soil. You just need to use it in small quantities - to optimize water permeability, density, particle size distribution (particle ratio different size) soil. At the same time, the greatest effect is achieved on light sandy soils. On more clay soils, peat and compost should be used.
In spite of vast territory distribution of chernozem, there are two main "deposits" - Tula and Voronezh. The chernozems of the south of Tula, the west of Ryazan and the north of Lipetsk regions are among the poorest (leached), in terms of fertility they occupy an intermediate position between the soils of Moscow (soddy-podzolic) and the best chernozems of the Kursk and Voronezh regions. As a rule, leached chernozems are slightly acidic (pH=A.5 - 6.5), and are characterized by a low content of magnesium and phosphorus. Delivery of such soils is cheaper than chernozems from Voronezh. Kursk, Voronezh and Tambov chernozems are rich in nutrients and therefore preferable. Unfortunately, there are few companies on the market that supply from these areas.

HUMUS AND COMPOST
Black color, except for chernozem, have lowland peat, compost and humus. Usually, lovers of digging in the area call all the dark-colored soil black soil, so confusion often arises. In fact, humus and composts are anthropogenic soils created specifically to increase soil fertility. Humus is a black homogeneous earthy mass formed from rotted manure, in which plant residues are indistinguishable. This fertilizer is rich in nutrients, so it should be used at planting as an additive to soil mixtures. However, if the humus content in the planting mixture is too high, plant immunity may decrease.
Compost is a rotted homogeneous organic fertilizer of dark color. Compost consists of two main components - peat or sod land, as well as horse manure, slurry, etc. (a source of nutrients and microorganisms). The aging period of industrial compost, which is supplied by specialized companies, is at least two years. When buying it, you need to pay attention to sanitary certificates. You can also make your own compost. compost heap at least 1.5x2 m in size are arranged on level ground, near economic block. Under its size, a small depression is made in the soil with an earthen roller at the border so that liquid waste does not spread. For the preparation of composts, any waste of plant and animal origin is suitable. You can not only lay infected plants, weeds with seeds formed and resistant weeds - wheatgrass, gout, nettle, coltsfoot. Composts are used not only as fertilizers, but also added to planting mixtures.

PEAT
Currently, peat has become the most popular fertile soil in landscaping and landscaping; planting mixtures for lawns consist of almost 70% of it. Lowland peat is a black soil, loose, fertile and relatively cheap. Despite the fact that peat- organic fertilizer, it also has a mineral component. The most important characteristic peat is the ash content determined during its combustion, showing the percentage of mineral components. These inorganic compounds were formed as a result of metabolism in plants or were brought by water flows from elevated parts of the relief. The higher their content, the more fertile the peat. On other soils, fertility increases with an increase in the content of organic matter. Ash content can vary from 1% in high-moor peat to 50% in lowland peat.
When using peat mixtures for lawns, it is necessary to take into account the changing living conditions for peat. In personal plots, groundwater is located lower than in peat extraction, and with good aeration, the delivered peat is quickly decomposed by microorganisms. In a few years, a significant part of the imported organic matter will go into carbon dioxide and disappear, and the lawn will sag. Therefore, the predominance of peat in soil mixtures should not be allowed; fertile soil with a higher ash content should be chosen. Some suppliers extract peat in advance and store it in heaps (heaps), there is not enough sand, and the soil is poorly processed. It is preferable to prepare such a mixture yourself, at the rate of one machine of sand for two machines of peat. In the future, the peat-sand mixture must be properly mixed with the natural soil of the site.
So, we summarize: when preparing soil mixtures for lawns, the proportion of peat should not exceed 25 - 30%; when choosing it, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to ash content and acidity; it is advisable to prepare the soil mixture yourself; suitable for most crops soil mix with low-lying peat, and high peat is suitable only for plants that prefer acidic soil. Also, soil based on peat-sand (TPS) or peat-earth mixture (TZS) must necessarily have a certificate from the Moscow Ecological Register (MED), which guarantees its quality, purity and safety. At Stroy Nerud, you can buy soil with a MED certificate at an attractive price with delivery to your facility.

FERTILITY LAND
In addition to black soils, fertile garden soil from greenhouses, topsoil (fertile soil) and floodplain soil are on the market. Greenhouse land is usually heavily depleted and contaminated with pathogens, so it should be strongly abandoned. Floodplain soils are among the most fertile, besides, they are not transported several hundred kilometers away, transferring them to other climatic conditions, which means that their structure and properties are not disturbed as much as those of chernozems. The only problem is that the customer can bring not only the soil, but also the underlying rock, which is often represented by clays and is not so fertile.

Finally, one more advice: when ordering fertile soils, specify them chemical composition. Many are interested in how many proteins, fats and carbohydrates are contained in food, in the same way you should know about the content of humus, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil.

Today, more and more gardeners and gardeners prefer to use organic fertilizers in their areas. Quite similar on the outside and so different on the inside. This is exactly what can be said about peat and humus, which are so often mistaken for the same type of fertilizer by inexperienced gardeners. However, these two fertilizers have various properties and characteristics. In each case, an individual approach is needed, so decide what exactly is worth using or what you need, after weighing the pros and cons.

What such peat ?

Peat is the compressed remains of plants and animals that have decayed to varying degrees and contain minerals. In nature, peat is formed in large quantities in swampy areas. All plants and organisms that live in such an environment die over time, forming a biomass that is layered on top of each other and gradually pressed.

Peat has found its application in many areas. So, it is used as a fuel, for the manufacture thermal insulation materials and as a fertilizer. Peat can be used for the following purposes:

1. Improvement of soil characteristics. The introduction of peat has a positive effect on the microbiological and nutritional composition of the soil, increases its porosity, density, moisture and air permeability.
2. Increasing soil fertility. Organic matter and minerals in the composition of peat have a positive effect on yield.
3. Stimulation of plant growth. Composts containing peat are used.
4. Making pots for growing seedlings.

Advantages and limitations humus

Humus is an organic fertilizer formed by overheating manure, in which plant residues are no longer distinguishable. The popularity of this fertilizer is due to its excellent characteristics and properties that it possesses:

• Saturates the earth with all the necessary nutrients.
• Good for use on any soil. clay soil makes it looser, retains moisture and nutrients in sandy soil.

3) Using humus as a mulch attracts earthworms, which increase the efficiency of the roots.

4) Nutrients from such mulch gradually come to the roots during watering of plants.

However, the use of humus also has its drawbacks. First, it is necessary to carry out a series preparatory work with soil. Humus must be applied to the ground in the fall, having dug fertilizer with the ground. Secondly, in the area where humus was used, there is a high probability of a large number of weeds.

What it is better : peat or humus ?

In order to pick the right fertilizer for your site, you must first compare the characteristics of peat and humus.

Peat has a high acidity, so it is perfect for clay and sandy soils, as well as for areas with a very depleted soil composition. The humus, in turn, is universal fertilizer which is suitable for any type of soil. However, its use requires special preparation of the land, in addition, weeds will have to be fought.

In any case, which fertilizer to choose must be decided, taking into account all factors and desired result to be achieved. The main thing to remember is that using the right amount organic fertilizers will allow you to get good harvest and avoid negative consequences.

The Samosvalov company also deals with peat in Krasnoyarsk, as well as throughout Krasnoyarsk Territory. The land in this region has not the most best performance, so the use of organic fertilizers, such as humus and peat, is simply necessary here.