How to blend the nutrient soil for planting flowers
A comprehensive analysis of how to blend the nutrient soil for planting flowers and an introduction to the soil needed for home gardening and green plant care. Let's learn about it together below.
With potted flowers entering millions of households, they have brought a relaxed and pleasant sensory experience to flower enthusiasts. However, blending the nutrient soil for potted flowers is not an easy task. Most flower enthusiasts buy nutrient soil from flower markets. If they can blend a nutrient-rich, well-structured soil that can retain water and fertilizer as well as provide good ventilation and drainage according to the different soil requirements of different flower varieties, they can not only enjoy the fun of blending but also sell it for income. Here is an introduction to its blending method:
I. Materials for blending nutrient soil
1. Garden soil. The surface soil from vegetable gardens or orchards, which contains a certain amount of humus and has good physical properties, is often used as the basic material for most nutrient soils.
2. Mountain soil. A natural humus soil that is loose and acidic. The humus content is highest in the Huangshan soil of Changshu. Mountain soil is the main soil material for cultivating acidic flowers and can also be used alone for planting camellias, azaleas, and other acid-loving flowers.
3. Peat soil. Formed by the carbonization of peat moss, it is divided into black peat and brown peat depending on the stage of formation. Black peat contains more minerals, less organic matter, and is slightly acidic or neutral; brown peat is rich in organic matter and is acidic.
4. Decomposed leaf soil. Made by mixing various plant leaves, weeds, etc., with garden soil and fermenting with water and animal manure. It has a high humus content, good water retention, good permeability, and an acidic pH, making it one of the main materials for blending nutrient soil.
5. Manure soil. Made by stacking cow, horse, pig, sheep, chicken, duck, and pigeon dung with grass mud and allowing it to decompose and ferment to form manure soil, which is rich in humus and nutrients. It must be sun-dried and sieved before use.
6. Rice husk ash. Mainly consisting of rice husk, wheat husk, and grass ash, also known as plant ash, it is rich in potassium fertilizer and can be used as a material for blending nutrient soil, with good drainage, loose texture, and slightly alkaline.
7. Sawdust. Made by stacking sawdust for fermentation and blending it with soil, it has the characteristics of being loose and having good water retention, and is a newly developed soil material in recent years.
In addition, there are moss, bone meal, river sand, pond mud, river mud, coniferous soil, grassland soil, perlite, vermiculite, etc., all of which are good materials for blending nutrient soil.
II. General blending ratios for nutrient soil
1. For flowers like camellias, azaleas, and laughing orchids, the nutrient soil can be prepared using decomposed leaf soil or mountain soil, charred soil ash, and sand. A mixture of 40% decomposed leaf soil, 30% mountain soil, 10% charred soil ash, and 20% sand, plus a small amount of bone meal.
2. For trees like cypresses and nandina, the nutrient soil is prepared using 45% mountain soil, 35% decomposed leaf soil and charred soil ash, and 20% sand.
3. For flowers like chrysanthemums, dahlias, and general greenhouse bedding plants, the nutrient soil is prepared using 30% decomposed leaf soil, 40% pond mud, and 30% garden soil. Then, mix 70% of the above mixture with 30% rice husk ash, and add a small amount of bone meal, lime, etc., to make the soil neutral.
4. For plants like asparagus and hanging baskets, the nutrient soil should have good drainage and ventilation and is preferably prepared with 60% garden soil or pond mud, 10% sand, and 30% rice husk ash.
5. For flowering trees like plum, begonia, and pomegranate, the nutrient soil is prepared using 35% decomposed leaf soil, 35% pond mud, 15% sand, and 15% rice husk ash, plus a small amount of bone meal.
6. For the substrate of indoor foliage plants, it is prepared using 2 parts peat, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part perlite, or 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, and 1 part bark.
III. Adjusting the pH of the nutrient soil
The pH value of the soil has a significant impact on the growth of flowers. Improper pH can severely hinder the growth and development of flowers and even cause diseases. Most flowers grow well in slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.0). Above or below this range, some nutrients become unavailable, leading to nutrient deficiencies in some flowers. Especially acid-loving flowers like orchids, gardenias, azaleas, osmanthus, laughing orchids, magnolias, and camellias, which are best grown in soil with a pH of 5.0-6.0. Otherwise, they are prone to iron deficiency chlorosis. Therefore, when using cultivated soil to grow flowers, the pH should be adjusted appropriately according to the needs of different flowers. If the acidity is too high, some lime powder or plant ash can be added to the potting soil; if the alkalinity is too strong, an appropriate amount of sulfur, humus fertilizer, or ferrous sulfate can be added. Applying sulfur powder to adjust the pH is quick-acting but short-lived, and it needs to be applied every 7-10 days.
How to blend the nutrient soil for planting flowers
IV. Disinfection treatment of nutrient soil
1. Steam sterilization method. Place the prepared nutrient soil in an appropriate empty container and steam it in a pot. This method is limited to small-scale cultivation with a small amount of soil. Additionally, steam can be passed through the soil for sterilization, requiring the steam temperature to be between 100-120°C for 40-60 minutes.
2. Formaldehyde disinfection method. Use formaldehyde to disinfect the entire nutrient soil. The method is to use 200-300 milliliters of formaldehyde (40% formaldehyde) diluted with 25-30 kilograms of water, spray it on 1000 kilograms of cultivated soil, mix well, and pile it up, covering it with plastic film, etc., and let it sit for 48-72 hours to completely kill bacteria. Then, remove the plastic film and other covers, loosen the soil after 1-2 weeks, and use it after the medicine smell has dissipated.
3. Carbon disulfide disinfection method. Stack the cultivated soil and make several holes in the top of the soil pile. Inject 350 grams of carbon disulfide per 100 cubic meters of soil, cover the openings of the holes with straw, etc., let it sit for 48-72 hours, remove the covering straw, spread out the soil pile, and allow all the carbon disulfide to dissipate.
The above sharing of how to blend nutrient soil for planting flowers and a comprehensive introduction to the soil needed for home gardening has been provided. I hope it brings some knowledge about green plants to green plant enthusiasts.