What is better for the garden, peat or black soil? Peat fertilizer: composition, types and application What is better peat or humus for the garden.

For guaranteed collection big harvest The soil on the site must be suitable. It is a mistake to believe that absolutely everything will melt on black soil and bear fruit several times a year. Each plant puts forward its own conditions for the soil, which the gardener/gardener must fulfill. Of course, chernozem is present in almost every type of soil. It is only important to ensure the correct combination with others components soil.

One of the main problems when buying black soil is fraud. Visually, black soil is not yet black soil. Summer residents without great experience in gardening, they often do not have the ability to distinguish between truly natural chernozem and its “cheap substitutes”. Naturally, buying ordinary soil at the price of black soil is idiotic. On the website http://ekogrunty.ru/chernozem/ you can be guaranteed to buy chernozem of the highest quality. Logistics problems can also be solved.

In order to reliably distinguish chernozem from peat, it is necessary to have a detailed understanding of their specificity. Chernozem is a type of soil that is formed naturally as a result of the rotting of huge amounts of root material.

In addition, we should not forget that chernozem is a participant in the natural ecosystem. In fact, chernozem cannot arise if living organisms do not live in it: earthworms, marmots, moles, etc.

Peat is formed exclusively in swampy, wet areas. It occurs as a result of decay of animal and plant remains. Moreover, for peat to form, a natural lack of air is necessary.

Chernozem can be used on the site immediately. It is enough to scatter it over the surface of the soil and dig it up for enrichment. It is strictly forbidden to introduce peat into the soil unprepared. It must first be composted.

By and large, today there are two methods for identifying these differences:

• squeezing a ball of soil in your hand;
• filling a lump of soil with water and waiting for it to dry.

Indeed, it is enough to squeeze a lump of black soil to understand whether the seller is deceiving you or not. After you release the compressed lump from your hand, a greasy and dark mark will remain on the skin. This will never happen after peat.

The second method is even simpler. The lump of chernozem and the lump of peat are saturated with moisture to the limit. After this, they are left in the sun - you need to wait until dry. Chernozem retains moisture very well and for a long time.

Peat dries out literally before our eyes (after all, peat in the overwhelming majority is used to ensure soil looseness).

The video explains how to use peat in gardening:

Of the two plots of land, one is located on soil rich in humus, and the second is on a peat bog. Which one is preferable to choose for your dacha? Anyone who has at least some experience of working on the ground will not be slow to answer - naturally, the first! It is useful for a novice gardener to learn how peat differs from chernozem, if only in order to correctly compose a soil mixture for seedlings.

Note: the presence of a peat layer does not frighten a competent gardener, but, on the contrary, makes him happy. Stable harvests are guaranteed to the owner - of course, with proper agricultural technology and correct selection crops

"Rust of the earth" and "combustible earth"

“Noble rust of the Earth” – the founder of soil science V.V. Dokuchaev briefly and aptly called the soil. Main component, without which soil formation is impossible, is vegetation that is born and dies year after year. Invertebrates and bacteria, feeding on organic residues, decompose them to the state of humic acids. Soil rich in humus is black in color, which is why it is called chernozem (also known as humus).

Peat is a valuable source of energy. Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD e. referred to it under the name "combustible earth". Like soil, peat is also formed from plant residues. But not on a hard surface, but in the depths of bogs, with excess humidity and lack of oxygen.

In a cool climate, swamp vegetation, dying, does not have time to completely decompose. Gradually, under the pressure of more and more layers of turf, the layers are compressed and go deeper. There they can remain for many millennia, undergoing almost no changes.

Thus, the difference between peat and chernozem lies in their very definition: the first is a combustible mineral, the second is soil.

Appearance

In mound form, both substrates are often similar. It’s easier to determine by touch what is in front of you - light and elastic peat is difficult to confuse with weighty, sticky black soil.

Chernozems have a characteristic soil profile: dark on the surface, the soil gradually becomes lighter downwards and smoothly turns into the parent rock. The richest chernozems are two meters deep, they are rare and are a national value; their average thickness is 30-50 cm.

In the territory Western Siberia There are 36 types of peat, which vary greatly in color (from yellow to black), structure and thickness. The most common is high-moor peat of bog origin. Its layer in section consists of large quantity fine-fiber identical layers, their total thickness can reach tens of meters. Woody peat is homogeneous and plastic, while low-lying, heavily decomposed peat is black and lumpy.

Physical properties and composition

Peat is flammable and, when dry, is prone to heating from the inside and spontaneous combustion (which leads to peat fires). It is a valuable energy carrier - in a number of regions boiler houses and power plants operate on it.

When peat is burned, only a little ash remains (5-10%), since it consists mainly of organic matter. If the course of natural metamorphoses continued, then today's peat layers would eventually turn into brown coal, and then into anthracite.

Chernozem, like any soil, consists primarily of minerals. After annealing at high temperature all humus burns out, and about 90% of the original volume remains. The residue has a reddish color and a powdery structure, and when moistened it acquires all the properties of clay. Thus, the basis of chernozem is clay or heavy loam enriched with humus.

Comparison from an agronomist's point of view

On summer cottage Both peat and black soil will be useful. In the gardener’s opinion, the main difference between peat and chernozem is the method of their use: chernozem is used as is, and peat needs preliminary preparation. Freshly mined peat is kept in the open air for one to three years in order to reduce its acidity.

Even prepared peat is not used in pure form. It is a valuable component of soil mixtures and composts. Peat is added to the soil in order to optimize the mechanical composition and structure of the soil: it makes heavy loams and clays more loose, permeable to roots, sandy soils improves moisture accumulation and increases overall fertility. Peat is used to regulate the acidity of the substrate - it is especially useful on leached, calcareous soils.

Peat and black soil are mixed in various proportions - usually when growing indoor flowers, seedlings or for the needs of greenhouse farming. Peat fibers can be easily pressed - they are used to make convenient and environmentally friendly containers (in the form of cups or cubes) for seedlings - when they get into the soil, such a container eventually becomes part of it.

Table

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

Chernozem

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.

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

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

Under conditions of sufficient humidity, warm average annual temperatures and a large amount of decaying vegetation mixed with humus, chernozem is formed naturally.

“Black earth” is characterized by: lumpiness of the structure and excellent water-air balance, preserving warm temperature. In addition, chernozem contains nutrients necessary for the growth and maturation of plants.

Main useful elements:

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

The method of formation of dark-colored earth, constantly renewed due to the accumulation of decay products of vegetation, was proven by Mikhail Lomonosov; before him it was believed that this was primordial a natural phenomenon. The very concept of “chernozem” was also introduced by M. Lomonosov.

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

High level of fertility gives in in this case required humus content: from five to fifteen percent.

For those summer cottages and garden plots that nature has endowed with other types of soil, periodic application of chernozem as an additional layer is recommended. With its appearance, the soil becomes healthier and fills it with the air-water balance necessary for the life and growth of absolutely all plants.

Chernozem is also good for landscaping work, in addition to the fact that it gives a beautiful, healthy appearance, the plants receive the necessary nutrition.

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

Peat

Unique natural wealth, consisting of incompletely decomposed remains of vegetation in marshy areas.

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

Key nutrients:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• potassium.

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

Peat or black soil

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

If we consider the aesthetic indicators of the two types of fertilizer, we should give preference to “black soil”. The fact is that peat also contains plant remains that have not completely decomposed: bark, branches, roots, etc. Chernozem does not contain such elements, so for the top layer of flower beds and landscaping it is still would be better suited black soil

IN last years It has become fashionable to set up gardens personal plots. However, not everyone is able to choose the right earthen mixtures necessary for active development and creation. favorable conditions for plant life. So how is it right? SELECT SOIL for your site?

All owners suburban areas They are trying to acquire land that is blacker and richer. Growing demand creates 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 exactly they are transporting to the customer’s site. Sometimes, instead of milled (mixed) fertile peat-sand mixture for the lawn, they bring pure lowland peat with blocks of gray clay and rotten logs, which certainly will not bring any benefit to your site. Therefore, when purchasing plant soil, you should not completely rely on the supplier; it is advisable to understand the differences between Tula and Voronezh chernozem, humus and compost, what types of peat exist and what to use as a guide when choosing soil mixtures.

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When purchasing in bulk, the cost of soil starts from 1,200 rubles/m3, seeded soil from 1,250 rubles/m3, depending on the location and method of delivery*.

CHERNOZEM

For education black soil it takes 5 - 10 thousand years. Chernozem soil is one of the most fertile on the planet. Such high fertility is explained by a unique combination of factors influencing the formation of chernozems. Among them are climatic, geological and biological. In the chernozem zone, high summer temperatures prevail, stimulating intensive metabolism between plants, soil and microorganisms. If there is less precipitation than moisture evaporates from the surface of the earth (the deficit is replenished by groundwater), this also helps to increase fertility. With this amount of precipitation, nutrients are not washed out of the soil in groundwater(as in the Moscow region), but, on the contrary, they are taken up by roots herbaceous plants from 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); Thanks to the gaps between the units, the optimal ratio of water and air for plants is maintained. IN black soil lives a huge number of microbes, worms and mites, which also loosen it and transform plant debris, ensuring the circulation nutrients.
When purchasing chernozem to prepare a soil mixture on your 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 soil fauna will decrease, the microbiological composition will change, and due to the lack of 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 it dries, and after rain turns into impassable mud.
Of course, when doing landscaping work, you shouldn’t completely abandon black soil. You just need to use it in small quantities - to optimize water permeability, density, particle size distribution (particle ratio different sizes) soil. In this case, the greatest effect is achieved on light sandy soils. On more clayey soils, peat and compost should be used.
Despite the vast territory of chernozem distribution, there are two main “deposits” - Tula and Voronezh. The chernozems of the south of the Tula, the west of the Ryazan and the north of the Lipetsk regions are among the poorest (leached), in terms of fertility they occupy an intermediate position between the soils of the 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
Except for black soil, they have a black color lowland peat, compost and humus. Usually, those who like to dig around on a site 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 remains are indistinguishable. This fertilizer is rich in nutrients, so it should be used when 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, dark-colored organic fertilizer. Compost consists of two main components - peat or turf soil, as well as horse manure, slurry, etc. (a source of nutrients and microorganisms). The aging period of industrial compost, supplied by specialized companies, is at least two years. When purchasing it, you need to pay attention to sanitary certificates. You can also make compost yourself. A compost heap measuring at least 1.5 x 2 m is placed on level ground, near the utility unit. To suit its size, a small depression is made in the soil with an earthen ridge at the border so that liquid waste does not spread. Any waste of plant and animal origin is suitable for preparing composts. You just can’t plant infected plants, weeds with formed seeds and resistant weeds - wheatgrass, duckweed, 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. Although peat- organic fertilizer, it also contains a mineral component. The most important characteristic peat is the ash content determined during its combustion, indicating 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. In other soils, fertility increases with increasing organic matter content. Ash content can vary from 1% in high-moor peat to 50% in low-lying peat.
When using peat mixtures for lawns, it is necessary to take into account the changing living conditions for peat. In household plots, groundwater is lower than in peat mines, 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 will evaporate, and the lawn will sag. Therefore, peat should not be allowed to predominate in soil mixtures; fertile soil with a higher ash content should be chosen. Some suppliers extract peat in advance and store it in heaps (piles), 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 car of sand for two cars of peat. Subsequently, the peat-sand mixture must be thoroughly mixed with natural soil plot.
So, to summarize: when preparing soil mixtures for lawns, the proportion of peat should not exceed 25 - 30%; when choosing it, first of all you need to pay attention to ash content and acidity; It is advisable to prepare the soil mixture yourself; For most crops, a soil mixture with low-lying peat is suitable, and high-moor peat is suitable only for plants that prefer acidic soil. Also, soil based on peat-sand (TPS) or peat-soil mixture (TSM) must necessarily have a certificate from the Moscow Environmental Register (MED), which guarantees its quality, purity and safety. At the Stroy Nerud company you can buy soil with a Ministry of Economic Development certificate at an attractive price with delivery to your site.

FERTILE LAND
In addition to black soils, the market offers fertile garden soil from greenhouses, topsoil (fertile soil) and floodplain soil. Greenhouse soil, as a rule, is severely depleted and contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, so it should be decisively abandoned. Floodplain soils are among the most fertile, and besides, they are not transported several hundred kilometers, being transferred 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 be delivered not only soil, but also underlying rock, which is often clay and not so fertile.

In conclusion one more advice: when ordering fertile soils, please specify them chemical composition. Many people are interested in how much protein, fat and carbohydrates are contained in food products; in the same way, you should know about the content of humus, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil.

It is no secret that in the spring many people are faced with the problem of choosing fertile soil, for landscaping various areas, or gardening at your summer cottage. Ordinary plant soil, which is located in the Moscow region, is quite poor, it contains too little fertile and plant particles, and therefore it is too poorly suited for these purposes. So, what is peat, peat mixtures, fertile and vegetable soil, black soil, soil and top layer? So in what cases is it better to use? We will try to answer all these questions in this short article. We would like to note right away that we do not professionally engage in landscaping or gardening. But we collected all the information posted on this page during communication with our customers, and among them I can assure you that there were quite a few professionals in these difficult issues.

Materials for landscaping and gardening:

Peat - depending on the process of decomposition of the elements included in it, comes in different colors, from brown-yellow to brown turning into dark black. But this is not the main thing that characterizes its properties. Peat itself is not the most the best fertilizer- this is mainly due to the low percentage of ash particles in it, but it maintains the optimal ratio of water and air in the soil for plants.

Peat sand mixture- mixing peat and sand in specified proportions. Active natural starting substances (sand and peat) ensure that the peat-sand mixture optimizes the agrochemical properties of the soil, increases the bearing capacity of the soil, etc. Peat - 70%, Sand - 30%.

Plant soil is a special form of soil. That is, the soil, in fact, is top part fertile soil layer. But also a wide variety of mixtures of soil with other nutrients, such as peat, mineral fertilizers, microelements and other things also represent plant soil of high fertility. Vegetable soil is mostly used to restore the fertile properties of depleted soil. Peat and peat-based soils are already self-sufficient, high-quality helpers in restoring the fertile functions of the soil. Moreover, by purchasing plant soil from us, you guarantee yourself high quality properties of the fertilizer. Peat - 60-70%, Soil - 30-40%.

Fertile soil (top layer) is ordinary soil mixed with any other layers of soil. For example, when a new site is being developed in a sand quarry, the top layers of soil or the so-called sandy soil are cut off to get to clean layers of sand. Fertile soil is not very expensive compared to its counterparts and is very actively used for preliminary landscaping or leveling plots of land before subsequent landscaping.

Chernozem is a highly fertile soil. Chernozem has a granular-lumpy structure and black color. Chernozem is formed by perennial herbaceous vegetation in the steppe and forest-steppe zones and is considered better soil for agriculture. The differences between chernozems include: good water-air properties, acid reaction is neutral or close to it. Chernozems contain a lot of humus (up to 15 percent in the upper horizons). The method of using chernozem is the same as the use of peat and peat mixtures. When mixed with sand, heavy loamy chernozem forms an optimal fertile layer rich in nutrients.