Greetings, friends!
When creating a new personal plot or reconstruction of a very old important stage is to study the soil conditions of the existing territory. It is advisable to carry out this work before the design of the garden begins, in order to be able to improve the necessary soil characteristics.
This largely determines how the plants will feel in the new garden. It is no secret that in nutrient-rich, moderately moist, cultivated garden soil, yields are significantly higher. In addition, some adjustment of soil conditions allows you to expand the range cultivated plants on the site. So let's talk about how to conduct a soil test on a newly selected or existing site.
A complete and very detailed study of soils can only be done in a laboratory. But every summer resident is able to conduct a simple independent analysis and draw conclusions sufficient for further work. As part of such a field study, the following is established:
1. Mechanical composition.
2. Degree of aeration.
3. Acidity.
4. Hydrological features.
5. Fertility.
All these qualities are largely interrelated and are considered as a whole. To determine them, you can use simple methods.
Analysis of soil texture
To establish the granulometric composition, take a small moistened lump of soil and roll it with your palms into a cord 2-3 mm thick, then roll it into a ring with a diameter of about 2 cm.
If you can’t roll up the cord—it falls apart in your hands into many particles—then the soil is sandy.
If you succeed in rolling the cord, but when twisting it into a ring it falls apart, then the soil is sandy loam.
If, when rolled, a strong cord is obtained, but the ring cracks in several places or breaks up into large parts, then the soil is medium loamy.
If the lump produces a strong cord that easily curls into a ring, only slightly cracking at the edges, then the soil is heavy loam.
If the cord curls up into a strong, smooth ring, then you have clay in your hands.
Determination of soil aeration
This indicator is especially important in heavy clay soils, in which, due to high density Reduced aeration is often observed. Without the use of instruments, this indicator can be determined by color. In the presence of oxygen, clay soil takes on a characteristic reddish tint. In conditions of lack of oxygen, the substrate becomes bluish in color, reminiscent of cement dust or lake silt.
Such areas can occur only locally - in the form of limited islands or inclusions. Sometimes too wet ash-gray clay lies in a continuous layer in areas. The solution may be either to use drainage or to plant moisture-loving plants that will reduce the amount of water in the soil, which will promote better aeration.
Determination of acidity
There are many methods for this. If special devices and test strips are not available, then you can use other methods. Moreover, ready-made store analyzers determine only one type of acidity – actual. But for plants, potential and metabolic acidity are no less important. It happens that the test shows a neutral pH level, and the plants literally “burn”, which clearly indicates.
A more informative field test is phytoindication - that is, determining a parameter based on the prevailing natural vegetation.
Very low pH indicators:
Buttercup, white grass, cotton grass, sphagnum moss, horsetail, small sorrel.
Indicators of weakly acidic substrates:
Anemone lutinica, zelenchuk, wood sorrel, willow-herb, dog violet.
Indicators of neutral soils:
Hemlock stork, green strawberry, Siberian hogweed, meadow foxtail, coltsfoot, soapwort, cinnamon grass.
Alkaline soil indicators:
Crescent alfalfa, chicory, steppe aster.
Determination of hydrological features
This indicator can be approximately determined when digging a pit in your own or neighboring areas. If groundwater is located close to the surface, there will definitely be water in the pit.
Without any measurements, you can independently determine hydrological conditions also from plants. They perfectly show the degree of moisture content of the substrate.
On a waterlogged substrate there is a lot of:
Wild rosemary, wild rosemary, meadow geranium, blueberry, snakeweed, marigold, marsh cinquefoil.
On moderately moist soils there is a lot of:
Lingonberries, Phrygian cornflower, meadow clover, hoofed grass, stone berries.
In dry habitats there are many:
Feather grass, cat's foot, sedum, bearberry.
Determination of soil fertility
This criterion indicates the level of content of the main nutrients, primarily nitrogen. Phytoindication can also help any gardener out.
Phytoindicators of low fertility:
Cat's foot, round-leaved sundew, gorse.
Phytoindicators of moderate nitrogen content:
Veronica longifolia, river gravel, angelica, wood sorrel, swimsuit, bifolia, lungwort.
Phytoindicators of highly fertile, nitrogen-rich soils:
Fireweed, stinging nettle, brome, cinquefoil, raspberry, meadowsweet, meadowsweet, celandine.
I hope that now, knowing how to conduct a soil test on the site, you can’t go wrong with its choice, and if you don’t have much choice and you have to cultivate what’s suggested, you can always correct the soil according to in the right direction. Have a good harvest! See you later, friends!
A soil sample should be taken before applying fertilizers and liming. IN different places holes are made on the plot of land to the depth of a spade bayonet or a little deeper (25-30 cm). This is the depth that most plants require to freely accommodate the root system.
You should dig at least 15-20 holes, which will allow you to achieve more accurate results. From 100 m2 of plot area you need to take at least 15-20 samples. Then, from the wall of each hole, you need to scrape off a thin layer of earth with a shovel in the direction from bottom to top and put it in a bucket. After this, mix all samples thoroughly. At least 1 kg of the resulting soil mixture is placed in a plastic bag and closed tightly.
When submitting soil for analysis to the laboratory, indicate the characteristics of your site, its location and the main purpose for which you intend to use it. land plot(growing vegetables, fruits or other crops). This will allow you to receive more accurate analysis and appropriate recommendations.
Private dom.ru
When creating a new personal plot or reconstructing an old one, a very important step is to study the soil conditions of the existing territory. It is advisable to carry out this work before the design of the garden begins, in order to be able to improve the necessary soil characteristics.
This largely determines how the plants will feel in the new garden. It is no secret that in nutrient-rich, moderately moist, cultivated garden soil, yields are significantly higher. In addition, some adjustment of soil conditions allows you to expand the range of cultivated plants on the site. So let's talk about how to conduct a soil test on a newly selected or existing site.
A complete and very detailed study of soils can only be done in a laboratory. But every summer resident is able to conduct a simple independent analysis and draw conclusions sufficient for further work. As part of such a field study, the following is established:
1. Mechanical composition.
2. Degree of aeration.
3. Acidity.
4. Hydrological features.
5. Fertility.
All these qualities are largely interrelated and are considered as a whole. To determine them, you can use simple methods.
Analysis of soil texture
To establish the granulometric composition, take a small moistened lump of soil and roll it with your palms into a cord 2-3 mm thick, then roll it into a ring with a diameter of about 2 cm.
If you can’t roll up the cord—it falls apart in your hands into many particles—then the soil is sandy.
If you succeed in rolling the cord, but when twisting it into a ring it falls apart, then the soil is sandy loam.
If, when rolled, a strong cord is obtained, but the ring cracks in several places or breaks up into large parts, then the soil is medium loamy.
If the lump produces a strong cord that easily curls into a ring, only slightly cracking at the edges, then the soil is heavy loam.
If the cord curls up into a strong, smooth ring, then you have clay in your hands.
Determination of soil aeration
This indicator is especially important for heavy clay soils, in which, due to high density, reduced aeration is often observed. Without the use of instruments, this indicator can be determined by color. In the presence of oxygen, clay soil takes on a characteristic reddish tint. In conditions of lack of oxygen, the substrate becomes bluish in color, reminiscent of cement dust or lake silt.
Such areas can occur only locally - in the form of limited islands or inclusions. Sometimes too wet ash-gray clay lies in a continuous layer in areas. The solution may be either to use drainage or to plant moisture-loving plants that will reduce the amount of water in the soil, which will promote better aeration.
Determination of acidity
There are many methods for establishing pH. If special devices and test strips are not available, then you can use other methods. Moreover, ready-made store analyzers determine only one type of acidity – actual. But for plants, potential and metabolic acidity are no less important. It happens that the test shows a neutral pH level, and the plants literally “burn”, which clearly indicates increased acidity soil.
A more informative field test is phytoindication - that is, determining a parameter based on the prevailing natural vegetation.
Very low pH indicators:
Buttercup, white grass, cotton grass, sphagnum moss, horsetail, small sorrel.
Indicators of weakly acidic substrates:
Anemone lutinica, zelenchuk, wood sorrel, willow-herb, dog violet.
Indicators of neutral soils:
Hemlock stork, green strawberry, Siberian hogweed, meadow foxtail, coltsfoot, soapwort, cinnamon grass.
Alkaline soil indicators:
Crescent alfalfa, chicory, steppe aster.
Determination of hydrological features
This indicator can be approximately determined when digging a pit in your own or neighboring areas. If groundwater is located close to the surface, there will definitely be water in the pit.
Without any measurements, you can independently determine hydrological conditions also from plants. They perfectly show the degree of moisture content of the substrate.
On a waterlogged substrate there is a lot of:
Wild rosemary, wild rosemary, meadow geranium, blueberry, snakeweed, marigold, marsh cinquefoil.
On moderately moist soils there is a lot of:
Lingonberries, Phrygian cornflower, meadow clover, hoofed grass, stone berries.
In dry habitats there are many:
Feather grass, cat's foot, sedum, bearberry.
Determination of soil fertility
This criterion indicates the level of content of main nutrients, primarily nitrogen. Phytoindication can also help any gardener out.
Phytoindicators of low fertility:
Cat's foot, round-leaved sundew, gorse.
Phytoindicators of moderate nitrogen content:
Veronica longifolia, river gravel, angelica, wood sorrel, swimsuit, two-leaved myringue, lungwort.
Phytoindicators of highly fertile, nitrogen-rich soils:
Fireweed, stinging nettle, brome, cinquefoil, raspberry, meadowsweet, meadowsweet, celandine.
Selection of soil samples in natural conditions and their preparation for laboratory research are the main issue of the methodology, on which the result of all subsequent determinations depends. It is necessary to correctly designate places for soil sampling, which would allow identifying areas that are subject to the greatest contamination and, conversely, those that are good in their sanitary condition. To do this, one or more sites are selected near existing sources of pollution, and the other - in a place remote from them. The depth of soil sampling is determined depending on the nature of the soil, the task and type of laboratory research.
To determine the mechanical and chemical composition soil sampling is carried out at 3-5 points diagonally from an area of 25 sq.m. from a depth of 0.25 m, and if necessary - from a depth of 0.75 - 1 m and ],75 - 2 m. Samples are taken with a drill or shovel, mixed thoroughly and from the samples taken from each horizon, a single average sample is made for it weighing about 1 kg, which is placed in a jar with a stopper, a number is put on the label and sent to the laboratory with an accompanying document indicating the place and time of sampling, depth, meteorological features at the time of sampling and what should be determined in the soil.
In the laboratory, soils are weighed, mixed, sifted and, depending on the purpose of the study, analyzed in their natural form or in an air-dry state, for which the soil is dried in air at room temperature, followed by additional sifting through a sieve with holes 1 mm in diameter. The analysis of natural, freshly taken soil begins as soon as possible, since significant changes may occur in the soil due to ongoing biochemical processes. If it is not possible to test the soil on the same day, you can store it in the refrigerator for several days or add preservatives.
For bacteriological analysis, soil samples in the amount of 200-300 g are taken with sterile instruments also at 3-5 points of an area of 25 sq.m., placed in sterile jars and an average sample is made from them. Samples are taken from the depth at which bacterial contamination is suspected. IN populated areas It is recommended to study, first of all, the surface layers of the soil to a depth of 20 cm. From areas of irrigation fields, samples are taken at a depth of 20 cm. When studying the effects of soil pollution on groundwater and open reservoirs, samples should be taken at a depth of 0.75 - 2 m. In the latter case, for To do this, they use a Nekrasov drill, and if it is not available, they dig a hole and take samples from each side with a sterile spatula or knife. When monitoring the disinfection of household waste using the soil method, soil samples are taken from a depth of 25, 100 and 150 cm, depending on physical properties soil. Sterilization of instruments for taking soil samples is carried out at each new site by washing with water, wiping with alcohol and finally burning.
Jars with soil samples are closed with cotton plugs, wrapped in paper and bandaged. The jar is numbered, the necessary data is recorded (air and soil temperature, etc.) and immediately sent to the laboratory. If jars are not available, soil samples can be transferred in sterile containers. plastic bags or in a sterile parchment paper. In the laboratory, the soil is poured onto paper sterilized in a drying cabinet, freed from roots, crushed stone, glass, etc., large lumps of soil are kneaded, thoroughly mixed, and from here a sample of soil is taken for research. If, after delivering the samples to the laboratory, it is not possible to begin bacteriological research, they can be stored in the refrigerator at 1-5 degrees C for no more than 18 hours, since changes in the composition of the microflora occur over time.
For sanitary-virological analysis, first of all, samples of the arable layer are taken, since under natural conditions enteroviruses are adsorbed mainly top layers soil. According to G.A. Bagdasaryan, samples are taken separately from ridges and furrows from a depth of 0-20 cm, to determine the penetration of enteroviruses deep into the soil - at a depth of 50 and 100 cm. The sampling technique is similar to that used when taking samples for bacteriological research; therefore, the same soil samples can be used for both analyses.
Primary processing of samples should be carried out on the day of sample collection immediately upon delivery to the laboratory. It is allowed to carry out the analysis on another day, no later than 24 hours later, provided that the samples are stored in the refrigerator at A gr.C. Longer storage entails a drop in the titer of enteroviruses and the possibility of their isolation decreases.
For helminthological analysis, soil samples are taken separately from the surface and from a depth of 2-10 cm, since helminth eggs survive for different periods depending on the depth. From each plot of 50 sq.m. take at least 10 samples weighing approximately 100 grams in different places diagonally and from them average samples weighing about 1 kg are compiled separately for each horizon.
Soil samples are taken from the surface layers with a metal spatula, a tablespoon or a scoop, and from the depths - with a drill or shovel. Samples are collected and transported to glass jars with a stopper or in plastic bags, providing the container with a label and noting, as usual, the time and place of sampling, external conditions, etc. Upon delivery to the laboratory, soil samples, if they were not in glass jars, are poured into glass jars, mixed thoroughly and large particles removed. The analysis is carried out within the next few days; if this is not possible, then the samples taken are filled with a 3% solution of formalin in physiological solution or a 3% solution of hydrochloric acid and stored in open banks at a temperature of 18-24 degrees C, stirring frequently to improve aeration. When the soil dries out, add clean water.
For radiometric analysis, soil sampling is carried out in accordance with the task. To determine radioactive contamination of the soil in a given area, several areas with an area of approximately 50 sq.m. are selected. and in the middle of each of them on an area of about 1 sq.m. remove the grass cover and cut out the soil for testing in the form of a piece measuring 10x10 cm, 5 cm thick. The sample is packed in an oilcloth or plastic material and sent to the laboratory indicating the place where the sample was taken, date, etc. Vegetation is taken in quantities of about 75 g and packaged separately.
For chemical analysis of soil, the “Methodology for measuring the mass concentration of mercury in soil samples using the method of flameless atomic absorption with thermal decomposition of samples” PND F 16.1.1-96 is used. At the same time, a methodology is established for measuring the mass concentration of mercury in soil samples by atomic absorption analysis (flameless atomic absorption method.)
To assess the mechanical composition of the soil, a Knopp sieve is used, consisting of a set of individual sieves with holes of various sizes - from 0.25mm to 10mm. Each hole size corresponds to a specific sieve size. A sample of selected soil (200-300g) is passed through Knopp sieves, resulting in particles remaining on individual sieves different sizes. By weighing the contents of each sieve and determining their percentage composition in relation to the weighed portion of the entire sample, its mechanical composition is approximately estimated.
According to the classification of N. Kachinsky, particles retained on a particular sieve are classified as a specific type of soil:
On sieves with 3-10mm holes - stones and gravel;
On sieves with 1-3mm holes - coarse sand;
On sieves with holes 1-0.25 mm - medium sand;
At the bottom of the sieve there is fine sand and dust.
