The use of ash and manure when growing carrots
Getting a rich harvest of vegetables depends on many factors, some of which gardeners can influence before planting crops. Having determined what qualities of a plant a person wants to get, it is important to make every effort to prepare the necessary conditions. The basis of productivity is the favorite soil of carrots.
The use of ash and manure when growing carrots
Choosing soil for carrots
The best types of soil for planting carrots are sandy loam, loamy and peaty with a neutral or slightly acidic balance.
Excessive clay in the soil makes it heavier and leads to the formation of a hard crust on the surface, which does not allow root crops to develop normally. It retains moisture or does not let it in, blocks air access to the roots, squeezes them.
The land in which vegetables will grow should always be loosened, filled with a sufficient amount of useful mineral and organic substances.
Site preparation
When preparing a site for sowing plants, its location plays an important role.
Preference is given to well-lit areas that are sheltered from the winds. Snow melt there should be earlier, so that before the time of sowing the seeds, the earth is heated and at the same time it is moist. During sowing, the soil for carrots should be warmed up to 10 ° C-14 ° C. For planting before winter, the soil temperature must be kept at a level not lower than 5 ° C. Under these conditions, the seeds will not be destroyed by frost and will not germinate prematurely.
Crop rotation and neighbors
An important role is played by the predecessor crops, which grew before planting carrots in this place for the last 3 years.
It is not recommended to sow root crops in areas where representatives of the Celery family were previously bred: fennel, parsley, dill, celery. They attract pests and diseases common to these plants. The soil after them loses microelements and useful components necessary for growth. More successful places where melons, cucumbers, cabbage, early potatoes, tomatoes grew.
Soil preparation
Soil for carrots is prepared following several steps:
- loosen the earth to a depth of at least 25-35 cm;
- remove the remnants of last year's plants, extra roots, pebbles, sift the soil through a special sieve;
- combine fertilization and the second digging of the earth;
- watering and leaving the soil under steam, covered with a film for 10-14 days.
The use of ash when growing carrots
Wood ash is a complex fertilizer.
It contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compounds, as well as other elements useful for plants. Ash has a large amount of ballast particles, while useful components are difficult to access, therefore this fertilizer is used only in diluted form, mixing with water, settling and filtering several times.
Ash increases the sugar content of carrots
There are several characteristics of wood ash fertilizer:
- fertilizer helps to lower the acidity of the soil, but it cannot be used together with lime, because the soil becomes too low in acidity;
- mixing ash and manure is fraught with the destruction of the useful components of these substances due to the occurrence of a strong chemical reaction;
- in the ground, ash likes to combine with free particles of phosphorus, which leads to the formation of compounds that are unbearable for plant roots to assimilate;
- suitable as an effective remedy for pest and disease control: aphids, wireworms, powdery mildew, while sprinkling ash between rows;
- how ash is fertilized immediately before planting, digging up the soil with it;
- the composition of the ash should be homogeneous: either woody or derived from burning dry stalks of vegetables.
The use of ash as fertilizer when planting carrots in the open field should not be frequent. This component is applied no more than once every 2-3 years at a concentration of 1 tbsp. infusion or 2-3 tbsp. dry ash per 1 m². For cooking, take 200 g of wood ash per 3 liters of water, mix and boil. Then they insist for 6 hours, filter and add 10 liters of pure water, as well as several crystals of potassium permanganate. Such a solution is able not only to protect against pests, but also increases the sugar content of carrots.
Application of manure when planting carrots
Carrots love soil that contains a lot of organic matter - humus. This can be easily done by replacing the corresponding predecessor plants with manure fertilization. It has a long decay period, therefore, after several years, there are still many useful components that have already been broken down and split by the roots of other cultures. Such manure is easier and faster for seeds and the root system of ripening vegetables to assimilate.
How to fertilize the soil correctly
Putting fresh manure under the carrots in the spring is not a good solution. This will lead to nitrogen starvation, since the nitrogen in the soil will be used to decompose the plant components of manure, and not to feed the roots. Such fertilization can cause a wave of growth of weeds, the seeds of which are present in its composition.
When carrots are planted before winter, the soil is also not fertilized with fresh manure. The best way out in this case is to introduce a well-rotted one. Often they dig up the soil with humus and leave it so for the winter period so that the melt water washed out some of the substances deeper into the soil. So potent elements will affect the growth of root crops softer and will not be able to burn the root system by their close placement. If humus is used directly during sowing, it is thoroughly mixed with soil and peat.
Which manure to choose
The most popular fertilizers are horse, cow and chicken waste products. They are rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The ratios of these chemical elements per 1 kg of raw materials are different:
- horse manure has 6.9 g of nitrogen, 2.6 g of phosphorus and 7.2 g of potassium;
- for cow dung, indicators of nitrogen - 5.6 g, phosphorus - 2.8 g, potassium - 6 g;
- chicken manure includes up to 16 g of nitrogen, 15 g of phosphorus and 8 g of potassium.
Horse manure is considered to be more successful for fertilization. The amount of its useful components is ideally consumed in 1-2 years. Such feeding does not harm plants with its aggressive chemical reactions. For safety reasons, it is better to use well-rotted manure with the calculation of ½ bucket per 1 m² of soil. This humus is used on an individual basis, without using other mineral fertilizers at the same time.
Conclusion
To obtain a rich harvest in the open field, its ability to saturate plant roots with useful substances and elements is assessed. The soil that carrots love can be balanced on your own by adding wood ash and manure.It is necessary to accurately calculate the amount and frequency of introduction of these substances so as not to harm root crops.