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Fertilizing the soil in the fall: what fertilizers to apply
Fertilizing the soil in the fall is a must for those who want to get a good harvest for next year. Top dressing will saturate the earth with nutrients, help trees, shrubs and other perennial crops overwinter.
What fertilizers should be applied to the soil in autumn?
The soil, depleted during the summer season, will gladly accept any nutritious feeding. But it is advisable to select fertilizers directly for each type of plantation individually.
Fertilizing the soil in autumn is a guarantee of yield for the next year
Briefly about each type of fertilizer:
- Organic fertilizers. The use of manure and droppings has a beneficial effect on soil fertility. But you need to be extremely careful with them, because a high concentration can harm the root system. The best option for their introduction will be at the time of digging, mixing with the ground. Such a top dressing is introduced no more than 3 years later.
- Mineral fertilizers. In specialized stores, there is a wide selection of such fertilizers, the composition of which is selected for each type of plant and crop. You just need to select the necessary ones, marked “Autumn application”.
- Organic compost. This type of feeding is very popular among gardeners and summer residents. It does not require material costs, but it is one of the best fertilizers that preserve soil fertility for a long time.
- Potash fertilizers. The chlorine contained in the top dressing has a negative effect on the soil, but if it is introduced before the beginning of winter, then all negative properties are neutralized, and only favorable ones remain.
- Ash. A universal fertilizer that can be found on every site after the autumn harvesting of the garden and the burning of all dry plants, branches and grass. Ash must be brought in for digging.
- Peat. Contains a large amount of organic matter and helps to retain moisture. The ideal option would be a mixture of peat and compost, these two types of fertilizers complement each other perfectly.
- Small grass, chopped bark, sawdust. Initially serving as a loosening agent for the soil and a holder of moisture in it, they will eventually turn into nutritious humus and saturate the earth and plants with all the necessary substances.
- Siderat plants. Their seeds are purchased from specialized gardening stores and are sown in the soil at the end of summer. In the fall, when the grass grows up, the garden is dug up, mixing the soil with the plants.
When adding top dressing, it is important to take into account the fact that the plantings take the necessary substances only in liquid form, therefore, all fertilizers must either be diluted with water or the soil must be watered after application.
How and what fertilizers to apply in areas with increased soil density
Areas with increased soil density, which is dominated by clay, need to be dug up. If this is not done in the fall, then in the spring it will be difficult to plant and grow something there.
After deep loosening, the following types of fertilizers must be applied:
- Manure. Once every 3 years, for each square meter of dug up soil, up to 4 kg of manure is stacked.
- Grass and plants. Chop finely and lay in the ground in several layers of 6–8 cm. The alternation of layers of soil and small grass will prevent the soil from compaction.
- Siderata. The plants planted at the end of summer and grown by 10 cm are dug up with the soil to the depth of a shovel bayonet.
After such preparation, clay and loamy soils will not shrink strongly under the weight of snow. But with the arrival of the spring months, it is better to repeat the digging.
The fertilizers applied in autumn will be a good start for the next harvest year. This will be the final phase of preparing the site for wintering.