Disinfection of the soil in the greenhouse before planting and after harvesting

Before planting plants in the greenhouse, in order to get rid of pests and other dangers that threaten the health of seedlings, the soil must be disinfect... Insects, fungal spores and pathogenic bacteria winter well in the greenhouse soil, and the high temperature and protection from the wind create favorable conditions for their development and reproduction. It is advisable to process the soil twice: at the beginning of the season, in spring, and at the end of autumn, after harvesting. There are many ways to do this, each with their own pros and cons.

Chemical and biological methods of soil cultivation

Correct processing has a beneficial effect on seed germination, growth and fruiting of plants. New seedling soil, like last year, you need to disinfect. For this, biological or chemical preparations, heat treatment are used. It is important to destroy only pathogenic microflora, and preserve useful ones. To reduce the risks of the spread of pests and diseases, certain rules must be observed while working in the greenhouse: clean shoes before entering, do not store sick and rotten plants inside, weed weeds and harvest crops in time, and disinfect inventory. In autumn, when the fruits have already been harvested, a general cleaning is carried out: in the process, the remaining plants are removed, the structure is cleaned, windows and doors are washed with special means.

One of the common ways to disinfect the soil in a greenhouse before planting seeds or seedlings is chemical. It helps get rid of pests for the entire season. But many of these drugs are hazardous to human, animal and plant health. They destroy not only pests, but also beneficial bacteria. Chemistry should be handled very carefully, use protective equipment when working with it and not violate instructions. The consequences of improper use of such substances can be chemical burns, poisoning, allergic reactions, edema. It is important to follow safety rules - then most of the negative consequences can be avoided.

Chemical treatment options

1. One of the most common substances used to cultivate the land in a greenhouse is bleach. 1 m² 200 g of lime is consumed, it is mixed with the soil. Disinfection using this method is possible only after harvesting. Both the soil and the structure itself are disinfected with lime.
2. Another option is 40% formalin: 1 liter must be diluted in 50 liters of water, per 1 m² soil is consumed 10 liters of solution. The wet soil is collected in a large pile, which dries out within 2-3 days, after which the soil is distributed throughout the greenhouse. The second way: make grooves or small grooves, pour the solution into them and cover them with soil. The main thing after such disinfection is to ventilate the treatment site well, since formalin vapors are poisonous, they can easily be poisoned. Ventilate for at least 2 weeks. A prerequisite when working with a substance is the use of a respirator.
3. The use of copper sulfate is another way to cultivate the land in the greenhouse before planting vegetables. It can be used both in pure form and as part of preparations for downy mildew, late blight and other fungal diseases. For 1 m2, approximately 100 g of the substance will be required. Copper sulfate is introduced into the soil during digging. It must be remembered that copper is considered a toxic substance, therefore it should be used with caution.A negative consequence of the use of this disinfection method is a decrease in soil gas exchange by almost 2 times, which inhibits the development of plants.
4. Disinfection of soil with potassium permanganate is often used not only among gardeners, but also in indoor floriculture. To do this, make a light pink one percent solution, which is poured into the soil before sowing seeds and planting seedlings. Potassium permanganate can be used to disinfect structures from the inside.
5. Sulfur dioxide can get rid of most pests, but this method is unsafe for plants that absorb it from the soil. For processing, a sulfur stick is used, which is placed in the center of an empty greenhouse and set on fire so that it smolders for an hour. At the same time, doors and windows are hermetically closed. After such disinfection, the greenhouse is ventilated for 2-3 weeks.

The biological method includes a complex effect on organic matter, as a result of which it decomposes, and microorganisms in the soil stop developing, but this method does not get rid of pests. The drugs used in this case are of low cost, but they do their job well. The most commonly used are "Fitosporin-M", "Baktofit", which do not affect the beneficial microflora and saturate the soil with microelements. The result is long-lasting with minimal damage to beneficial microorganisms. Usually, for disinfecting the ground in a greenhouse, such agents are diluted at the rate of 100 g per 10 liters, processing occurs twice, with an interval of 2 weeks. If the plants are sick with white rot, you can use the drug "Glyocladin" - 1 tablet is required for one bush. In a large greenhouse, it is better to use "Glyokladin SP".

Advice

To prepare the solution, you need to take settled water without chlorine, since it reduces the effectiveness of the biological preparation.

Thermal treatment and soil renewal

Temperature exposure is a common way to disinfect not only the soil in the greenhouse, but seeds before sowing. The impact of both cold and heat is used. Cold soil cultivation is usually carried out in winter, when the outside temperatures are low and it is easy to do it - just open the doors to freeze the soil well. It takes 5-6 days to destroy the bulk of pests and pathogenic microorganisms. You can freeze not only the soil directly in the greenhouse, but also collected in bags: it is kept in the open air in winter, then it is warmed up indoors for a week and again taken out into the cold. This method improves the soil, but exposure to high temperatures is required to kill insect eggs and pathogenic bacteria.

If the farm has a steam generator, you can use it to disinfect the soil in the greenhouse, but safety precautions should be followed when working with the device so as not to burn yourself. When steaming, fungicides can be added to the water. Another way is to spill boiling water over the soil and cover it with plastic wrap. If the greenhouse is heated, after watering, turn on the heating by closing the doors. This option is used before planting plants.

You can clean the soil from pathogenic bacteria and pests by replacing its top layer with a new one. This method is quite simple, safe and effective, it is permissible to use it before planting crops. In a small greenhouse, it is possible to replace the ground completely, in large ones, a layer of up to 10-30 cm is removed, filling in fresh soil instead, but not mixing it with the old one. The removed soil is stored separately by adding humus to it and sprinkling with disinfecting substances. This land can be used again after a few years.

Output

Before planting plants in the greenhouse and after harvesting, in order to get rid of pests and pathogenic microflora in the soil, it is imperative to disinfect the soil. There are several ways, each of them has positive and negative sides.With the help of chemicals, you can effectively disinfect inventory, but there is a risk of poisoning with toxic fumes if you do not follow safety rules and follow instructions. Disinfection of soil with biological agents is safer and cheaper. This method is effective for fungal plant diseases, but does not eliminate pests.

Thermal exposure is another way to disinfect soil in a greenhouse. High and low temperatures have a different effect: in the first case, insect larvae and eggs, as well as pathogenic microflora can be destroyed, but the second is somewhat simpler, since it does not need special devices: just leave the greenhouse doors open and let the soil freeze for several days ...

Another option for cleaning the soil is to replace the top layer with a new one. The removed soil can be folded into bags and disinfected by adding disinfectants and humus. After a few years, it can be used again in the garden beds.