Good day, friends!

With the onset of spring, gardeners become more active and begin the summer season with preparatory work Location on. The main spring work in the greenhouse is aimed at awakening the earth and saturating it with all the substances necessary for planting young seedlings.

To grow a bountiful harvest vegetable crops in a closed structure, a number of urgent measures are required, one of which is the improvement of the soil.

Unlike open beds, the inhabitants of greenhouses are more demanding on the condition of the soil. The yield of grown fruits directly depends on the quality of the land, its structure and biochemical composition. Since plants absorb almost all nutrients from the soil mixture during the growing season, experienced gardeners try late autumn or in early spring completely change the soil.

Greenhouse soil replacement, disinfection and fertilization

Replacement allows not only to improve the conditions for plant growth, but also to get rid of the larvae of pests and pathogens accumulated in the upper layers. dangerous diseases. A 30 cm layer of earth is removed from the greenhouse, replacing it with fertile soil. In the absence of such an opportunity, only the top layer of soil of 6-10 cm is disposed of, in which most of the pathogens are accumulated. It is advisable to replace the top layer with soddy soil mixed with rotted mullein with the addition of mineral fertilizers.

It happens that the replacement of the soil for some reason is impossible. In this case spring work in the greenhouse aimed at restoring last year's soil. The soil must be disinfected by spilling a solution of potassium permanganate or blue vitriol, Bordeaux mixture, fungicides, for example, Fundazol, Maxim, Fitosporin, Planriz, etc. The disinfection procedure is carried out regardless of whether there were outbreaks of plant diseases (powdery mildew, bacterial rot, etc.) last season. Sanitation time - after warming up and awakening of the soil.

To enrich the soil with nutrient compounds, the application of organic fertilizers is widely used, in particular, humus, manure, manure straw, vegetable ash, mature compost that has rotted for at least two years, bone meal, lowland, high, transitional peat, etc. These materials are a valuable source nitrogen and trace elements bioavailable for plants (magnesium, iron, boron, iodine, calcium, manganese, sulfur, etc.).

Cultivation of green manure

Another way to structure the land and increase its fertility is sowing followed by plowing the green mass into the ground. Plants that quickly decompose in the soil are a pantry biologically active substances, nitrogen compounds, proteins, starches, macro- and microelements. Due to the presence of greenery in the soil, with the help of beneficial soil microorganisms, a rich, indispensable for the ripening of a large number of fruits is formed.

In some situations, green manure can completely replace traditional organics (farm animal manure, bird droppings). The following crops are considered the most valuable for the soil of closed agricultural structures: white mustard, clover, alfalfa, oilseed radish, phacelia, oats, wheat, mallow, buckwheat, amaranth, legumes, vetch, annual lupine.

Green manure is sown in greenhouses both in autumn, after harvesting and harvesting plant residues, and in early spring. Embedding of green mass in the soil is carried out 15-30 days before the expected moment of planting seedlings or sowing early cold-resistant crops.

Soil heating

By raising the temperature of the soil in the greenhouse to +13°C -+15°C, you can start planting early-ripening crops that normally tolerate frosts - lettuce, onion for feathers, garlic for greens, parsley, wild garlic, radish.

First of all, to warm the earth, it is loosened. This increases the aeration of deep layers and speeds up the process of temperature rise. Experienced gardeners, after loosening, shed the earth with warm water with the addition of nutrients, for example, Baikal, Emmochek, etc. Effective microorganisms awaken the soil and revitalize it. In the future, the sun's rays will maintain the temperature of the soil.

Another way to warm the earth is to cover it with a dark dense film that attracts heat in sunny weather and gives it to the soil. This method is advisable to use after warming.

Few people know that the cucumber is actually a native of the tropics. That is why he is afraid of the cold, and only in the southern regions grows on open ground without any special problems. And for a different climate, sometimes the only way out is good greenhouse. But the very first landings are usually planned when the snow has not yet melted there. And it’s just not possible to start the usual work in it - you need to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for planting in the spring, and it depends on it how healthy, strong and pleasing your crop will turn out to be. And we will help you figure out all the subtleties!

Washing and cleaning every crevice

The first step in deciding how to prepare your greenhouse for planting in the spring is to start with a simple cleanup. Throw away old twine and garters, and wash watering hoses and water barrels well. All vegetation that remained for the winter will need to be removed completely. This will not be a good fertilizer - on the contrary, on such organic matter pathogens love to winter the most, which is dangerous for future seedlings.

You need to wash the greenhouse correctly:

  1. Wash the film and glass with ordinary soapy water.
  2. Clean PVC and metal frame elements hot water with vinegar.
  3. Cellular polycarbonate will best clean and disinfect a weak, barely pink solution of potassium permanganate.

After washing, open all windows and doors, and dry the greenhouse well.

Spring disinfection

Let's start with the fact that in any greenhouse soil there are pathogenic microorganisms and pests, and it will not work to completely clear the land of them. So, all these living creatures also have their own cycle of activity, and just in the spring their “awakening from sleep” falls. You don't want your newly planted seedlings to be eaten, do you? Therefore, at this time of the year they spend important procedure- disinfection, unless you did it in the fall.

Preparation for decontamination

Before chemical treatment, it is necessary to carry out a mechanical one: remove moss from the base of the greenhouse and other places, and “cure” all these surfaces with a 5% solution of ferrous sulfate. Only in this way can you destroy all disputes. If you didn’t clean up plant debris in the fall, do it now, and be sure to disinfect then. Take the discarded tops outside the site, because. usually it contains all pathogens.

Approach the issue of disinfection seriously: fungal spores are able to maintain their vital activity even in severe frosts.

Sulfur disinfection

We advise you to use a sulphurous cartridge, which in the process of combustion forms a gas that penetrates everywhere. It cleans well even those places that cannot be reached with any brush, which is especially valuable for a greenhouse. And sulfur is afraid of all insects, malicious spider mites, mold and even slugs. During disinfection, wear rubber gloves and a face mask, and close all gaps in the structure itself. Soak it in smoke for 3-5 days, then open and ventilate thoroughly.

Disinfection with a sulfur checker can be carried out already at a temperature of 14-16 ° C. All garden tools, shovels and watering cans must be kept indoors during processing.

Do not use a sulfur bomb if your greenhouse is on a metal frame. The gas that will be released reduces the service life of such structures, but for wood, such processing is absolutely safe.

bleach disinfection

The second option for safe disinfection is spraying with a solution of bleach. They need to process both the soil and the entire structure from the inside, even ropes and drip irrigation tapes. By the way, lime cleans even heavily contaminated soil.

To do this, prepare a solution of bleach by mixing 400 g in 10 liters of water, leave it to infuse for a day (so that its splashes do not cause burns later), and brush all the wooden parts with a brush. Especially generously pour the solution into the cracks - everything is microscopic and hides there. Then take the liquid for spraying the soil into the spray bottle, and coat the wooden parts of the greenhouse with sediment.

Disinfection with biological products

Even safer, although less effective, modern biological products. Their main purpose is to destroy pathogens and increase soil fertility. There is no need to especially ventilate the greenhouse after biological preparations, and seedlings can already be planted in just a few days. However, if in the previous season you suffered from diseases and pests, then be sure to renew the top layer of soil.

But disinfection is undesirable, because. applied chemical substances can negatively affect the entire crop. If it so happened that you didn’t do all this in the fall, then try to disinfect everything as early as possible so that there is a certain period before planting seedlings. That is why it is better to decontaminate the closed ground in the fall, and in the spring - only wash the structure from the accumulated dust.

Finding and repairing damage

So, the first thing after the winter we start repair work. We check the integrity of the greenhouse, replace the broken sections, and, if necessary, align the walls and arches after the snow.

It is important not just to inspect the greenhouse, but to check for strength: all connections, all supports and guides. If you find warped, rotten or corroded parts, be sure to replace them.

Unfortunately, there are such situations: in early spring, people come to the country and see their beautiful greenhouse broken under the snow! But the manufacturer stated that it is powerful, strong, stable ... But it doesn’t matter, almost any design can be corrected:

Soil replacement and fertilization

In the spring, the soil is replaced with a new one, and, if desired, the so-called warm beds are arranged.

Most of all harmful bacteria accumulate in the upper layer of the earth. And therefore it is better to completely remove the upper 5-7 cm, so in a simple way by 90% improving the soil. And instead of the removed layer, sprinkle humus and mineral fertilizers. And yes, do not throw away the top layer - it will be quite healthy under open sky, especially in flowerbeds or beds with other crops.

If this spring it's time to change the soil completely, approach it responsibly. Try to fill the new land with organics to make it "alive". Here is one of best recipes: we take four parts of loamy soil, three parts of manure or humus and three parts of peat. Another one: six parts of loamy soil and four parts of humus. This - universal recipes, but for each individual vegetable there is also its own, the most suitable one.

  1. After preparing the beds, be sure to check the acidity of the soil. For a tomato, the soil must have a neutral pH, which can be achieved by mixing 60% peat, 20% sand and 20% compost. And put sawdust or straw at the bottom of the bed to further warm the cold-sensitive tomato roots.
  2. For cucumbers and vegetables close in demand, prepare the following soil: 6 parts of peat, 2 parts of humus and 2 parts of woody soil. If desired, make a bedding of rotted sawdust here.
  3. For berries, make soil on light soil: 6 parts of sod and 2 parts of sawdust.

What matters is where exactly you get the land from. It is desirable that this is not a nearby state farm or garden, where a priori there are already pathogenic disputes. Only fresh peat can be called absolutely sterile, but its reuse is no longer safe.

When replacing soil, be guided by what problems you had to face last season. After all, there are still regions in Russia where there are almost no contaminated soils - pests have not yet been brought there. And therefore, if the degree of spread of pathogenic microorganisms and insects was small before, and there were no phytophthora, then you can remove only 10 cm of the surface layer. Otherwise, change everything. But believe me, this process is quite laborious.

After you form beds from the new earth, add a glass of ash and any mineral fertilizer. By the way, you can not throw away the soil that you pulled out of the greenhouse - just disinfect it: put it in a stack, pouring dry bleach in layers. Leave it like that for three years. Recipe: 250 g of lime per 1 m2 in a 20 cm layer. This soil can then be used, unless it has never had blackleg pathogens or phytophthora. You can also plant something in it that does not get sick precisely from these misfortunes.

And finally, the finishing touch is the application of fertilizers.

If you competently alternate the cultivation of vegetable crops every year, then you can not change the soil, you just need to disinfect it.

In the spring, peat is also added to the greenhouse. This special kind soil, rich in humus and collected in swamps. Harvesting peat, alternate its layers with manure and lime. And add to the greenhouse soil with the following calculation: 20-25 kg per 1 m 2 if the soil is light, and up to 15 kg if it is heavy.

Acceleration of warming up of greenhouse soil

The spring sun warms up the air quickly, but the soil takes much longer. But for sowing seeds or planting seedlings, the temperature of the earth needs at least 10-15 ° C - is it really necessary to wait for April? Not at all - there are a lot of tricks on how to warm up the beds faster, and as a result, get the desired harvest much earlier.

So, watering with hot water not only warms the earth well, but also activates many beneficial microorganisms and bacteria. It is better to do it twice, then the temperature of the earth quickly reaches 15 ° C. And if your greenhouse also has electricity, install a floor fan. So you get rid of the cold air, which, as you know, always accumulates from below.

Any black covering material will help to warm up the soil additionally.

Saturation of the soil with oxygen

Strive to ensure that the prepared soil is loose, porous and oxygenated.

That is why at this stage we add compost to the greenhouse soil. These are rotten in a year or two food waste and products that need to be put on the site in a separate box. The result is a high organic content, which is especially good for growing herbs and vegetables.

When using sawdust, try not to take fresh ones - they acidify the soil. Better old, overripe. If there are none, then put the fresh ones in some container, scald with boiling water and fill with water overnight, about 10 liters per three buckets of sawdust. The next day, fertilize the sawdust with a solution of fresh mullein, three liters per bucket of water. And in two days this soil baking powder will be completely ready.

To further feed the greenhouse soil for future plantings, many gardeners sow green manure: watercress and mustard. These plants do well in low temperatures and give a lot of greenery, and after a week or two after them, seedlings can be planted.

Preparing beds for planting seedlings

In early spring, many greenhouse owners arrange warm beds - so that they can plant earlier. For this purpose, horse manure is ideal, as it produces the most heat, in second place is cow manure. It’s good if you stock up on these raw materials since the fall, because. in the spring, over melting snow, it will be difficult to deliver this good.

Warm beds should be done like this:

  • Step 1. Water the manure with hot water.
  • Step 2. We dig trenches about half a meter deep.
  • Step 3. We put this biofuel on the bottom with the outer layers down, and heated up - above.
  • Step 4 Lightly tamp the manure and cover with a film.
  • Step 5. We are now waiting for 3-4 days until the manure settles. The final layer should be at least 40 cm thick.
  • Step 6. Powder with lime to stop the reproduction of fungi, and sprinkle with earth.
  • Step 7. After a week, the temperature inside the manure will be 30 ° C, when you can plant seedlings.

They also do this: they bring manure in the second half of summer, lay it in a thin layer, dry it, and then stack it tightly in a pile. Top covered with straw and roofing material, so as not to get wet. In the spring, it is more convenient to use such raw materials, only it is necessary to additionally feed nitrogen with nitrogen - during shrinkage, this element partially evaporates.

Dried manure from summer, when laid in beds, must be additionally heated by watering. hot water, but fresh, just brought - no need, it is already hot inside due to active decomposition processes. It is advisable to even lay such a pile around the yard for about a week, so that it starts to “burn”, which will be noticeable by light steam.

Applying all these simple “tricks” in practice, you will open the greenhouse season in March, and in April you will enjoy the first vitamin vegetables!

Spring. Its approach in many gardeners is associated with tedious but pleasant chores, for example, preparing a greenhouse for spring. Basically, it's new gardening season, which must be met fully armed.

April outside. This is a month of sharp contrasts in nature, often it begins with snow drifts, and ends with blossoming greenery. During the day in early April, the sun warms more and more, and the nights are still cold. No wonder the Russian proverb says: "Do not break stoves - April is still at your shoulders."

From the end of March - the beginning of April, a hot season begins for gardeners - this is the time intensive training greenhouses and greenhouses for the mass sowing of early vegetable crops. Many, including us, in mid-April, with sufficient heating of greenhouse ridges, are already planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, seeds of cucumbers, watermelons, melons, eggplants in the ground, sowing various greens, etc.

What is the preparation of greenhouses for the spring season? In many ways, it is determined by the amount of work that you did in the fall, after harvesting. If you are in the pre-winter period, due to the circumstances:

- they did not clear the greenhouse (hotbed) from plant residues;

- did not disinfect the greenhouse itself and the soil;

- not cleaned from dirt and dried leaves of the coating Tie greenhouses, both from the inside and from the outside;

- did not put fertilizers in the land ridges,

you have to gradually carry out all these activities (and not only them) in the spring, already in the course of direct preparation of the greenhouse for planting.

Stage 1 - a complete revision of the entire structure of the greenhouse, from the frame to the cover

If the frame has a wooden base, then the strength of all guides, supports, and battens is checked. Rotten and loosened elements must be replaced. If the frame is metal, then the inspection is carried out for deep traces of corrosion. And if one is found, the elements also change. There are times when, during wintering, the frames bend due to excessive snow load, or even the greenhouse “folds”. This is due to the insufficient rigidity of the greenhouse frame and its unsatisfactory preparation for winter. In this case, the frame will have to be partially disassembled, the bent elements will return to their original state, and the frame will be supplemented with elements that enhance its rigidity.

In addition, an audit of the greenhouse cover is mandatory. Glass fragments that break during the winter are changed unconditionally. This is the safety of the host and the plants grown. Last year's film is examined for tears and other damage. All of them are eliminated either by gluing with a wide transparent adhesive tape, or they are overlapped in a new way. The polycarbonate coating is also carefully inspected. Deflections, torn channels and dark areas are detected, which also need to be replaced.

Stage 2 - cleaning the greenhouse from last year's plant residues

For example, tomatoes are most often affected by phytophthora. It is her pathogens that are preserved and transmitted through the leaves to other crops. The discarded remains of plants from the greenhouse should not even be sent to the compost heap - it is better to burn them immediately or remove them outside the site. By sending the infected plant remains to the compost, you give an excellent opportunity for pathogens to develop and thrive there, and then you yourself will bring them back to the greenhouse.

Experienced gardeners, meanwhile, act differently. The remains of tomato stalks collected in the greenhouse are cut with garden shears into small pieces of 10-15 cm and laid out in a thick layer under the berry bushes in the garden. From above, you can add a little humus or compost and cover with straw. Berry bushes do not care about “tomato diseases”, and in winter such a “fur coat” will warm and feed in the spring.

It is advisable to remove the top layer of soil 5-7 cm thick in the greenhouse. It is in these five centimeters that the greatest accumulation of bacteria and fungi is noted, which can cause various plant diseases. To harvest next year was not infected with diseases, we remove the soil, and put humus, manure or mineral fertilizers in place of the removed soil.

The laborious process of changing the soil can be replaced by its disinfection with chemical solutions, for example, by spilling the soil with a solution of copper sulphate or Bordeaux liquid immediately after shallow digging. These funds are especially helpful in the fight against spotting, late blight, downy mildew, scab, gray rot and rust.

You can use the removed land in open ground: in flower beds or in beds where there will be no related crops.

Stage 3 - disinfection of the greenhouse in spring

One of the main enemies settling in the greenhouse is phytophthora. Since 1985, when new species of the fungus appeared, the harmfulness of late blight has especially increased. Phytophthora can ruin your entire crop.

Reproduction of the fungus is asexual (conidia) and sexual (oospores). Oospores of the fungus, hidden in the ground, safely endure even severe winter frosts, maintaining their viability for several years. That is why it is so important to disinfect regularly.

For gas disinfection of a greenhouse in the spring, sulfur bombs are usually used (such as "Climate"). In addition to sulfur, they contain combustible material and, during combustion, emit gases that penetrate everywhere, even into cracks that are inaccessible for washing or spraying. When interacting with moisture, oxides form sulfuric and sulfurous acids on all surfaces, destroying all kinds of small and harmful animals: ticks, insects and slugs that have settled down for the winter, and at the same time bacterial infections, fungi, mold and microbes are destroyed.

Sulfur is taken at the rate of 50-80 g per 1 m3 of greenhouse volume. If the greenhouse was affected by a spider mite, then the dosage is increased to 150 g per 1 m3. This procedure can be carried out only at a temperature of 10-15 ° C. Before burning sulfur, all cracks should be well covered so that the resulting gas does not escape from the greenhouse. Sulfur must be mixed with kerosene (but not with gasoline) and burned on iron pans, pre-placed along the entire length of the greenhouse. You need to set fire to sulfur first on the baking sheet farthest from the door, and then sequentially on the baking sheets, moving towards the exit. For safety, such disinfection should be carried out in a gas mask and rubber gloves, last resort- in a respirator. 3-5 days after fumigation, the greenhouse can be opened and ventilated.

Sulfur compounds are very aggressive towards the steel structures of the greenhouse, so the steel frame, in order to avoid corrosion, must be multi-layered painted. Aluminum profile, wooden parts do not noticeably suffer. Glass and plastic do not interact with sulfuric acid, so there is no danger to them.

Wet disinfection is much more accessible - abundant spraying of the greenhouse from the inside and the entire soil with a solution of bleach infused for 3-4 hours (400 g of lime per 10 liters of water). The spray liquid is carefully drained off, and the sediment is used to smear the wooden parts of the greenhouse with a bast brush. If there was a spider mite in the greenhouse, then the amount of bleach is increased to 1 kg per 10 liters of water.
From personal experience- a few seasons ago, in our greenhouse, unexpectedly for us, a spider mite "attacked" cucumbers. Plants were dying, as they say, “before our eyes”, to combat this pest, the drug “Lightning” had to be urgently used. In autumn, we also carried out wet alcohol disinfection (a bottle of 0.5 liters of cheap vodka per 10 liters of water) of the greenhouse, the mite did not appear next season.

Simultaneously with the chemical treatment of the greenhouse, it is necessary to mechanically destroy the mosses and lichens on the logs at the base of the greenhouse, and also treat all wooden surfaces to destroy their spores with a 5% solution of ferrous sulfate.

And finally in Lately Increasingly, biological preparations are used to treat the soil of greenhouses and greenhouses - they are safer than chlorine and sulfur. Of course, they are not as strong, but quite good as prophylactic. In addition, they effectively affect not only pathogens, but also the very fertility of the soil:

- fix nitrogen

- bind heavy metals;

- produce natural growth hormones;

– decompose pesticide residues;

- enhance action chemicals by 20-30%.

At the same time, biological preparations do not require ventilation of the greenhouse and a break of several days before continuing work in it.

Having carried out such a thorough disinfection of the greenhouse (greenhouse), you can count not only on facilitating your work in the spring season, but also to prevent outbreaks of diseases and minimize the risk of losing a significant part of the crop.

Stage 4 - soil preparation in the greenhouse

Plants are taken out of the soil every year a large share nutrients, and therefore the stocks of these elements must be replenished. Healthy and fertilized soil allows living microorganisms in the humus layer to constantly produce necessary for plants substances. It turns out that we must constantly enrich the soil with nutrients, gradually forming a fertile humus layer, so that the soil microorganisms themselves begin to supply the plants with the necessary components. Here, organic fertilizers are indispensable, which contain almost all the nutrients necessary for plants: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, boron, molybdenum and others.

Since ancient times, manure and straw have always been the most important in Rus' in the peasant economy: "Put the manure at the right time - you will collect a mountain of grain." As an organic different time river and lake silt, peat, bark, meat and fish meal, reeds and algae were also used. The choice is large, everything is determined by financial capabilities. There is no need to recommend strict recipes for the preparation of soil mixtures for greenhouses and hotbeds - in each zone they are approached differently, due to the resources that gardeners have and the experience accumulated in the area.

Vegetable growers know that from 50 to 90% of the crop depends on the condition of the soil in the garden. The earth should always be loose, airy, light, with beneficial microflora. The more organic matter is added to the soil, the easier it is to take care of it, half of the work will be done for you by worm-ploughmen. The land should never be bare - this is the most important principle of OHL (organic living agriculture). And in this context, it is useful to recall the green manure.

Green manure (green fertilizer) - plants that quickly form a green mass, grown for the purpose of their subsequent plowing into the soil as a source organic matter and nitrogen for plants and soil microorganisms. Green manure may well exclude the use of manure on the site as a fertilizer (3 kg of green mass can replace 1-1.5 kg of manure). The list of the most commonly used green manure plants is quite large:

- primarily legumes (lupins, beans, soybeans, lentils, sowing and field peas, alfalfa, sweet clover, spring and winter vetch, seradella, clover, sainfoin, fodder beans, sap grass, etc.);

- cruciferous (rapeseed, colza, oilseed radish, mustard);

– cereals (wheat, rye, oats, barley);

- sunflower, phacelia.

Green manure can be sown in greenhouses both in spring (end of March - April) before planting the main crop, and in autumn - after harvesting. In spring - densely, so that they stand as a wall, less often in autumn. In early spring plantings, early ripening cold-resistant plants are selected - mustard, fodder peas, oats, phacelia, vetch.

Cultivated green manure, as a rule, is plowed 1-2 weeks before planting the main crop. Plants are cut with a chopper or flat cutter and planted in the garden to a depth of 2-3 cm. The roots remaining after mowing die off and serve as food for worms and bacteria that improve the soil.

The effectiveness of green manure is highly dependent on the age of the plants. Young and fresh plants are very rich in nitrogen and quickly decompose in the soil. Therefore, after their incorporation, the main crop can be planted in 1.5-2 weeks. However, you can not close too much a large number of raw plant mass, since in this case it will not decompose, but sour. The decomposition of plants is more middle age occurs more slowly, but such plants enrich the soil with organic matter more.

Stage 5 - warming up the soil for planting

In most cases, the final "chord" in preparing the greenhouse for spring plantings (green manure or main crops) is warming up the soil after winter.

The soil in the greenhouse in winter usually dries up a lot, becomes dusty. Dry soil is a good thermal insulator. This is good, because the ground below it freezes shallowly (and sometimes does not freeze at all). But this is bad, because with the beginning of spring it will warm up for a very long time. Therefore, it is very important in the very early spring to quickly bring the soil "to its senses", that is, to warm up its entire volume to a temperature of 10-15 ° C. It is this soil temperature that plants need for vegetation.

The earth receives heat from the sun, while the air in the greenhouse warms up almost instantly, in a matter of minutes. But the soil itself remains cold for a long time, several weeks. Actually, the very rate of soil heating, and the very need to take any measures here entirely depends on design features greenhouses and garden beds.

Covering the greenhouse with cellular polycarbonate, arranging in it raised (by 40-50 cm) beds, which are also thermally insulated from the floor level, practically eliminates special measures for warming up the soil. Polycarbonate holds heat much better than glass, not to mention the film.

Raised ridges are simultaneously heated from three sides, especially those in the center of the greenhouse.

In other cases, the following recommendations can be made. First, the soil itself must be loosened to make it more permeable to air. Then trenches should be made in the beds to the depth of a spade bayonet. This will significantly increase the contact area of ​​warm air with cold soil. After that, we recommend moistening the soil with an EM solution or spilling warm water. This will start the vital activity of soil microorganisms, and the ridges between the trenches will quickly warm up and, having leveled them, we will get a sufficient layer of already warm and living soil.

Do not throw snow into the greenhouse! Many people do this, ostensibly to soak the earth with water. It will be saturated with water, but the season will start a couple of weeks later because of this (snow isolates the soil from the warm air of the greenhouse).

You can cover the soil before sowing with a dark film for better warming up, but do not mulch the soil until a constant positive temperature is established in the greenhouse. Many vegetable growers plant the main crops themselves without removing the dark film from the garden. To do this, a cruciform incision is made in the film, its edges are turned away and, after planting in the resulting hole of the plant, they fall again. But this is a completely different story (article).

After carrying out the simple work outlined above, you will be fully prepared to open the spring season at the very early term, available for your region. And in the first decade of May (for the Leningrad region) you will already delight your family with the freshest and most environmentally friendly greens from the greenhouse. Successes to you, on health!!!

Text and photo: Mikhail and Tamara Tsurko, gardeners

We set up any greenhouse or greenhouse in order to create the necessary conditions for the crops that we are going to grow there in the future, in these "houses". But what is good for plants is also very good for their pests and diseases. If you cultivate monocultures in a greenhouse for a long time, then this seriously increases the concentration of dangerous pests in the soil. These are, as a rule, insects, and besides them, various fungi of a pathogenic nature, as well as harmful microbes. That is why, any greenhouses where the ground is constantly in a closed state, it is necessary to decontaminate the soil, as well as the very structure of the greenhouse and all the inventory that you have there. This must be done every year. Greenhouses made of polycarbonate are usually often not disinfected. The opinion of experts is to hold all such events in the fall (here it is written in more detail). It is best to do this decontamination as soon as you harvest. But, we all have our own affairs, and, perhaps, just these same affairs did not allow you to take care of your greenhouse in the fall. Then you will need to prepare the greenhouse for planting in the spring. This is usually done already in February, or a little later, in March, when a long thaw sets in.

How to prepare a greenhouse for planting in spring? What should be done and how?

I think it is clear that such preparation is far from a quick thing. Usually it consists of several successive stages, which are designed in combination to expel from your greenhouse all (well, or almost all) insects harmful to your plants, as well as pathogens of any diseases. This is what should be your end result, based on the results of these preparatory activities. Let's figure out where to start disinfecting the greenhouse, what to do next, and how to complete our efforts.

Removing plant debris from the greenhouse

This is the first step you will need to take when preparing your greenhouse for spring planting. Many of these residues include only tops or last year's fruits. But, of course, this is not all. Be sure to remove all the roots from the greenhouse, as well as those weeds that are present there. Because of the density of planting that is typically found in most greenhouses and the limited space available, some pests are bound to live in the greenhouse, even if there have been no disease outbreaks at all. It is not necessary to leave the remnants of the garter material in the greenhouse, the same twine or trellis is all for the same reason. Always processing the greenhouse in the spring should be accompanied by a thorough burning of all hazardous debris. This garbage may consist of last year's plants, the same garter material and other unnecessary things. If you have any difficulties with burning all this, then here it is written how you can significantly speed up this process.

Someone advises using greenhouse haulm for compost. Of course, it can be suitable for this, but not always. The following conditions must be complied with:

  • for the entire previous year in your greenhouse there were no serious outbreaks of any diseases, and the number of pests did not increase;
  • you should be able to let the compost simply "digest" all pathogens. This process takes quite a long time, and it usually takes no less than 4 years;
  • this compost, which in the end you still get, you will not use in the future to fertilize the crop from which you just received it;

    • If all the above conditions are quite feasible for you, then you can use all the tops from the greenhouse to get compost.

    We process designs

    The design of the greenhouse implies not only its frame, but also the covering material itself, in most cases today, it is polycarbonate. When processing all these constituent parts, you need not to damage them (especially the polycarbonate itself), and at the same time perform main task, that is, destroy everything that is harmful that may be present on the components of your greenhouse.

    As for polycarbonate, it is simply washed for a start with plain soapy water, or something similar, where there are no abrasives. After that, the surface of the polycarbonate is rinsed already clean water. This can be limited if everything was fine in your greenhouse in the previous year. If there were any problems, in terms of pests or dangerous diseases, then it is imperative that with such treatment it is necessary to use drugs that will destroy the pathogen. To do this, such drugs are simply added to the same soapy water.

    IMPORTANT! In the spring, polycarbonate in the greenhouse should only be washed using SOFT sponges or brushes, as well as rags. Polycarbonate, of course, is convenient as a covering material for greenhouses, but with such processing it can be scratched very easily. To do this, you don’t even need a hard brush, scratches can be left with a hard burlap. So immediately forget about metal brushes or nets for cleaning this transparent covering material. They will only spoil your polycarbonate.

    Before planting, the greenhouse will need to be not only mechanically cleaned, but also disinfected. This applies to racks (if you have them), inventory, containers and other components of your greenhouse. To disinfect all these components, you can simply use boiling water (of course, it is not suitable for plastic) and some useful substances. The same copper sulfate is well suited for this (we use it as a solution), also iron sulfate, and besides them formalin and bleach. For shelving and wooden supports, lime thickening is ideal, which must be well settled for this.

    Disinfecting the soil in the greenhouse

    This sanitary stage of preparing a greenhouse in spring is one of the most difficult and troublesome. If your greenhouse is small and, accordingly, there is little soil mixture, then you can do all this with the help of boiling water. Just a few buckets of good boiling water (that is, the water should just boil) can destroy most of the pathogens of various diseases in a small greenhouse.

    If you live in any southern region, then this method will suit you: you will need to shed the soil, wash the covering material of the greenhouse, close all the doors of the window in it, and also caulk all the cracks - a week will pass and the greenhouse can be “printed out”. But, many people live far from the south and can carry out such a procedure only in June or July, when active fruiting is in full swing. Then how can we neutralize the soil in our greenhouses? It is quite difficult to do this, it is easier to just replace it. You can even not all, but be sure to 5-8 centimeters of the upper layer. You can simply distribute the same layer throughout your garden, or transfer this greenhouse soil with manure. It will take 3 or 4 years, and you will be able to use this already seemingly worked-out land in your greenhouse again. The soil in the greenhouse itself, where you removed this top layer, is usually covered with some kind of organic fertilizers, or simply dig. You should also be aware that in the spring only fully “ripened” compost is brought into the greenhouses. The manure should be the same.

    To disinfect the soil, you can use "chemistry". The same solution of copper sulphate (or iron), as well as various special preparations that are intended for this. If the soil in your greenhouse is acidic, you can use bleach. But, all the same, it is best to use "chemistry" for these purposes in the fall. In the spring, such events most likely will not contribute to the growth of plants in your greenhouse.

    We are fumigating. How and what?

    This procedure will help you to process the greenhouse well, while your costs will be very small. There are some insects that can be "beaten" with an ordinary smoky fire. After it, the greenhouse will need to be tightly closed for the whole night. Fumigation is annual, greenhouses with a polycarbonate coating should be carried out more thoroughly. Here you can’t do without lumpy sulfur or sulfur checkers.

    Before you begin the process of decontaminating your greenhouse with sulfur, it will need to be prepared for this. First, of course, all the garbage is removed, then the soil is watered, and the greenhouse is carefully caulked. Only after carrying out these procedures it will be possible to process the greenhouse. To do this, sulfur in its pure form, or ready-made checkers are laid out on suitable sheets of metal. If you use lump sulfur, be sure to add a little kerosene to it.

    ATTENTION! The gas that is obtained during combustion, such a checker is extremely dangerous. That is why you should be present at a minimum in a fumigated greenhouse and be sure to take care of your protection. The greenhouse after treatment should be closed for 4 or 5 days. Then it can be opened and thoroughly ventilated.

    The preparation of the greenhouse over time will be faster for you. Do you do it in spring or autumn. The main thing here is to work out all these skills and choose the most convenient processing methods for you. Do not forget to do this annually, because when the greenhouse is clean, and the material for sowing in it High Quality, then this will definitely give you a good harvest in the end.

    Here is another useful video where they will tell you about preparing the greenhouse for the new season. All these activities can be carried out both in autumn and spring. The main thing is to carry out a complete disinfection of the greenhouse.