Leaf soil, or leaf humus, is formed from leaves that are piled up to rot.
Leaves of deciduous trees are collected in parks, gardens, squares after leaf fall. Oak and chestnut leaves are less suitable because they contain a large amount of tannic acid, which negatively affects root system garden plants and slowly decomposes. The piles are stacked 1-1.5 m high, and in dry summers they are watered abundantly. During the year, the heaps are shoveled 2 times. After 2 years in heaps, the leaves completely decompose, turning into a homogeneous earthy mass, suitable for use in gardening and indoor and greenhouse floriculture.
Leaf soil is considered nutritious and light. In complex earthen mixtures used in indoor and greenhouse floriculture, it ranges from 1/5 to 3/4 parts.

Related concepts

Heather land. It is used for potted and tub culture of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, some types of orchids, ferns and other ornamental plants.

Chlorophytum (lat. Chlorophytum) is a genus of herbaceous plants. Previously, Chlorophytum was classified as a member of the Liliaceae family; among modern research there is no consensus regarding the place of this genus: according to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the genus belongs to the Asparagus family, according to the GRIN website - to the Agave family.

Tree peonies are a group of species, natural and artificial hybrids and varieties of the genus Peony (Paeonia) characterized by thick, low-branched, erect perennial shoots.

Houseplants are plants that are grown in rooms and public spaces. Most indoor plants come from the tropics and subtropics.

Mentions in literature

NIDULARIUM STRIPED (Nidularium innocentii var. striantum Wittm.). Bromeliad family. Homeland - tropical regions of America. Herbaceous perennial stemless plant. The leaves are sessile, belt-shaped with longitudinal white-yellow stripes. They are arranged spirally, forming a funnel in the center of the spiral, from which the lower leaves absorb water with nutritional mineral elements. During the flowering period, the middle bract leaves turn bright red, which gives the plant a special decorative appearance. The flowers are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences emerging from a leaf rosette. Nidularium blooms in late winter - early spring. Propagated by young rosettes and less often by seeds (in greenhouses). The best soil mixture for nidularium: finely chopped sphagnum moss, leaf soil, peat and sand (2:2:1:1). In summer, abundant watering, protection from the bright rays of the sun, periodic fertilizing with low concentration mineral fertilizer, and warm and humid air are required. IN room conditions Nidularium must be sprayed frequently. From October to April, nidularium is kept in a bright window at a temperature of 15-16°C. In winter, watering should be more rare and careful. Single specimens or groups are used to decorate rooms, foyers, shop windows, winter gardens, etc.

In Europe, aphelandra has become a common plant due to its bright leaves and striking inflorescences, although it is quite difficult to grow it indoors. It grows well only in warm (22-23°C) rooms with humid air, and does not tolerate dry air at all. Do not allow the coma to dry out or fluctuate in temperature. Aphelandra is propagated from December to April by the tips of shoots at a temperature of 23-25°C. Rooted cuttings are planted in pots in a loose earthen mixture of 4 parts leaf soil, 1 part peat, 1 part humus, 1 part turf soil, 1 part sand, charcoal and bone meal, phosphorus must be added. Reproduction by seeds is possible.

Leaf soil consists of rotted leaves of woody plants. Leaves are usually harvested in the fall, less often in the spring in forests, parks and forest parks. The leaves of maple, linden, elm, fruit and small-leaved (birch, aspen) plants are most suitable for these purposes. Fallen leaves, twigs, and dried grass are raked and placed in stacks up to 2 m wide and up to 1.5 m high of arbitrary length. Then the stacks are watered with slurry, lime is added and compacted. Over the next summer, the leaf mass is shoveled two or three times and moistened with slurry. By the end of the second year, rotted leaves turn into light, loose leaf soil, the nutrients of which are in a form accessible to the roots and are quickly absorbed by plants.

Cacti, sedums, fat plants and other succulents are placed in the brightest place of the summer cottage, watering them moderately, but not feeding them. Actively growing callas require abundant watering, so there should be some water in the pan at all times. Large specimens of calla lilies are transplanted into a mixture made up of leaf soil, sand, humus and peat. All components are taken in equal parts. The newly emerged shoot is separated and placed in a small pot with the same substrate.

Features: a variety of asparagus pinnate. In contrast, it has a low height and therefore does not require support. It has short shoots abundantly covered with cladodes. In pots for low asparagus, an earthen mixture is used, consisting of turf, leaf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:0.5. Suitable for single and group planting.

Zinnia photophilous and heat-loving plant, does not tolerate frost. For abundant, long-term flowering, it requires soil with sufficient nutrients with a neutral reaction. The area allocated for growing zinnias is first dug up, and then humus, compost or leaf soil is added at 8-10 kg per 1 m2. From mineral fertilizers add 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and nitrophoska and dig again to a depth of 10 cm.

Related concepts (continued)

Pellionia (lat. Pellionia) is a genus of flowering plants in the Nettle family (Urticaceae). The genus includes more than 20 species of evergreen perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia.

Currant (lat. Ríbes) is a genus of plants from the Gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae) of the order of dicotyledonous flowering plants Saxifragae.

Chamedorea (lat. Chamaedorea) is a genus of flowering plants in the Palm family (Arecaceae). Includes more than one hundred species of low-growing woody plants, widespread in South and Central America.

Saltpeter (lat. Nitrária) is a genus of halophytic plants, low shrubs of the Nitrariaceae family, in some sources it belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family.

Wittrock's violet, or garden pansy (lat. Viola × wittrockiána) is a herbaceous perennial plant of hybrid origin of the Violet family.

Many-leaved pigweed, vine plant, twig-shaped plant, strawberry spinach (lat. Blítum virgátum, Chenopódium foliósum) - herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Zhminda (Blitum), isolated from the genus Chenopodium of the Amaranthaceae family. Sometimes cultivated.

Variegated codiaum (lat. Codiaēum variegātum) is a perennial evergreen shrub; species of the genus Codiaum of the Euphorbiaceae family.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L.) - common vegetable crop, one of the cultivated varieties of the cabbage species. Belongs to the botrytis varietal group, like Romanesco.

Asian hybrids (eng. The Asiatic Hybrids) - Section I of lily varieties of complex hybrid origin according to the classification of the third edition of the International Lily Register (The International Lily Register. Third Edition. The Royal Horticultural Society. London, 1982).

Valeriana, valerian (lat. Valeriána) is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the Valerianoideae subfamily of the Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), including more than two hundred species. The Latin generic name comes from Lat. valere - to be healthy. It was first used in a book by the Italian botanist Matteo Silvatico (1285-1342).

Tomato, or tomato (lat. Solánum lycopérsicum) is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Solanum (Solanum) of the Solanaceae family. Cultivated as a vegetable crop.

Livistona (lat. Livistona) is a genus of perennial plants from the Palm family (Arecaceae), growing in southeast Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Australia.

Large-leaved hydrangea, or large-leaved hydrangea (lat. Hydrángea macrophýlla) is a species of plants of the genus Hydrangea, family Hydrangeaceae.

Actinidia kolomikta (lat. Actinídia kolomíkta), or creeper, is a perennial shrub vine; species of the genus Actinidia. Cultivated as an ornamental and fruit plant.

Tigridia (lat. Tigridia) is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbous plants from the Iridaceae family.

Elaeagnus angustifolia (lat. Elaeágnus angustifólia), or eastern elk, or pshat (fesida) (Elaeagnus orientalis) is a species of woody plants of the genus Elaeagnus of the family Elaeagnaceae. South European-Central Asian species.

Pieris (lat. Pieris) - a genus of short evergreen shrubs or low-growing trees (sometimes lianas) of the Ericaceae family, common in Asia and North America.

Brussels sprouts (lat. Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) is a vegetable crop. Traditionally considered as a variety of the Cabbage species (Brassica oleracea) of the Brassica genus of the Brassicaceae family; Some modern sources do not consider Brussels sprouts as an independent taxon, but consider it a group of varieties of the species Brassica oleracea L., with this approach the correct name of this group is considered Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group.

Planting in crop production is the planting of young plants (seedlings, seedlings), parts of plants (cuttings) or organs of vegetative propagation of plants (tubers, bulbs) in a permanent place (in a field, garden, flower garden, etc.).

Passiflora tender, or Banana granadilla, or Passionflower softest, or Kuruba, or Tahoe (lat. Passiflora mollíssima) is a tree-like vine of the Passionflower family, producing edible fruits. Species of the genus Passion flower.

Common hazel, or hazel, or hazelnut (lat. Córylus avellána) is a species of deciduous woody shrubs and trees of the genus Hazel (Corylus) of the Birch family (Betulaceae).

Lady's slipper, or lady's slipper, or lady's slipper (lat. Cypripedium calceolus) is a perennial herbaceous plant, widespread in Eurasia from the British Isles to the Pacific Ocean, a species of the genus Lady's slipper of the Orchidaceae family.

Jerusalem artichoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, or tuberous sunflower (lat. Heliánthus tuberosus) is a species of perennial herbaceous tuberous plants of the genus Sunflower of the Asteraceae family.

Azalea (lat. Azalea) is the collective name of some beautifully flowering plant species from the genus Rhododendron. Previously, these species were classified as an independent genus of the Heather family (Ericaceae) - Azalea L..

Oxalis tetraphýlla (lat. Oxalis tetraphýlla) is a perennial bulbous herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Oxalis of the Oxalis family (Oxalidaceae).

Umbrella Pisonia (lat. Pisonia umbellifera) is an ornamental and cultural species of plant of the genus Pisonia of the Nyctaginaceae family. It has another name - Pisonia Brown.

Common horse chestnut (lat. Aésculus hippocástanum) is a large deciduous tree, the most famous species of the Horse chestnut genus in Russia.

Korean chrysanthemum (lat. Chrysanthémum ×koreanum, English hardy chrysanthemums) is a group of perennial small-flowered varieties of garden chrysanthemum (lat. Chrysanthemum ×hortorum) of hybrid origin, characterized by relatively high resistance to low temperatures. Widely used in open ground cultivation.

Paulownia tomentosa, or Imperial tree (lat. Paulównia tomentósa) is a species of plants of the genus Paulownia (Paulownia) of the Paulowniaceae family.

Martagon hybrids (eng. The Martagon Hybrids) are one of the sections of lily varieties according to the classification of the third edition of the International Lily Register (The International Lily Register. Third Edition. The Royal Horticultural Society. London, 1982).

In ornamental gardening, specially prepared garden soils are used. All of them are a product of the decomposition of turf, leaves, manure, heather, peat, they contain a large amount of humus, but depending on the original substrate they have different physical and chemical properties.

The following main lands are usually harvested on farms: turf, leaf, humus (manure), compost, peat.

Sod land is harvested from meadows and pastures, preferably old, fallow, perennial ones with good grass-clover grass. It cannot be harvested in areas with low or high acidity.

Turf soil is divided into heavy - with a large number clay, medium - with equal shares of clay and sand, and light - with a predominance of sand.

Land harvesting begins at the end of June. By this time, the grass stand has reached its maximum development, and by winter the harvested turf, with proper care, will have time to partially decompose. The layers are cut (with a shovel, disk, plow) 20-30 cm wide, 8-10 cm thick, depending on the thickness of the turf layer. The length is arbitrary. The turf is laid in stacks 1.2-1.5 m wide and high of arbitrary length so that the grass cover of every second layer lies on the grass cover of the first layer. Double layers are moistened with a solution of mullein or slurry to accelerate the decomposition of the turf and enrich it with nitrogen (at the rate of 0.2-0.5 m 3 of manure or slurry per 1 m 3). To reduce acidity, add 2-3 kg of lime per 1 m 3 of land. The top of the stacks is periodically moistened with slurry, and to prevent it from draining (as well as rainwater), a trough-shaped depression is made at the top of the stack.

The best turf soil is obtained after two seasons. Over the next summer, the pile is shoveled at least twice. In the fall, after passing the earth through a screen, it is removed indoors and used for work. Left in the open air, it loses its Qualities - nutritional value, porosity, elasticity, etc.

Sod land- the main one in floriculture, it is quite porous, rich in essential nutrients that act for many years. It is used for growing indoor and greenhouse perennial plants and in most soil mixtures.

Leaf soil is harvested in the fall in deciduous areas (forests, groves, parks). The best are the leaves of linden, maple, and fruit plants. Oak and willow leaves contain a lot of tannins, so they are not used for harvesting land. In some cases, forest litter is used to obtain leaf soil, removing the top 2-5 cm layer. Collected dry leaves or forest litter with remnants of grass, small twigs, etc. are placed in stacks with a width and height of -1.2-1.5 m of arbitrary length. In autumn, when laying, the leaves are moistened with slurry or mullein solution and compacted; Otherwise they will decompose slowly. Over the next summer, it is advisable to moisten the leaf mass 2-3 times with slurry and shovel it. It's good to add a little lime before mixing. By the autumn of the second year, the leaves are completely rotted and turn into leafy soil. Before use, it is passed through a screen to separate undecomposed residues.

Leaf ground- light, loose, but contains less nutrients than turf. It can serve as a good ripper for heavy turf lands.

Leaf soil mixed with peat soil and sand can be used as a substitute for heather soil,

Humus soil (humus-dung). In closed ground, this soil is often called greenhouse soil, since it is formed from rotted manure mixed with old greenhouse soil.

Domestic animal manure, placed in greenhouses in the spring as biofuel, turns into humus by autumn. Cattle manure produces heavy humus, while horse and sheep manure produces lighter humus.

The humus cleared from the greenhouse in the fall is placed in piles, as indicated above for turf and other lands, moistened and shoveled 1-2 times over the next summer. Keep outdoors for one year. After this, the humus soil is passed through a fine screen and stored indoors.

Humus from greenhouses is often used as fertilizer in open ground.

Humus soil- light, loose, fatty, i.e. very rich in nutrients with a predominance of nitrogen in a form easily digestible by plants. It is used as a powerful component in soil mixtures. Used for most potted crops and growing seedlings.

Peat soil is usually harvested from lowland peat bogs. IN in some cases To prepare it, you can use briquettes and peat chips. Well-decomposed peat is placed in stacks up to 60-80 cm high. When laying, layers of peat are moistened with slurry every 20-25 cm and sprinkled with lime at the rate of 10-15 kg per 1 m 3 of peat. When using high-moor peat, the dose of lime is increased. At the end of the first season and in the middle of the second, the mixture is shoveled and used in the third year. By this time, the biological activity of peat increases and its acidity decreases.

Peat land- soft, loose, very moisture-absorbing, consists of slowly. decomposing organic residues and in its pure form is of little nutritional value. It is used for various soil mixtures as a ripper, especially with turf soil, as it improves it physical properties, making it more loose and lighter. It is also used in a mixture with light sandy soils, improving their cohesion and moisture capacity, as well as for mulching.

When harvesting turf from peat meadows, you can prepare sod-peat soil, which is used for making peat humus pots, mulching the soil and planting some plants. .

Compost soil is prepared by composting in piles, heaps, pits of various plant and animal residues, garbage, weeds, greenhouse and household waste. As the residues accumulate, they are sprinkled with lime for disinfection and better decomposition, moistened with slurry and covered with peat or peat chips on top. In the second or third year, the compost mass is shoveled 2-3 times per season, moistened with slurry. By the end of the third year, the compost soil is ready for use.

The quality and physical properties of compost soil are very variable and depend on the type of waste and the nature of the composted material.

In general, compost soils occupy an intermediate position between turf and humus soils in terms of nutrient content. They are used in a mixture with turf and peat soils, replacing humus.

heather land is currently losing its meaning and is being replaced by a mixture consisting of 2 parts leafy soil, 3-4 parts peat soil and 1 part sand. Heather soil is prepared as leaf soil.

Garden and garden soil , or a topsoil well enriched with humus, is prepared and stacked in the fall, adding lime, phosphorus and potassium. In the summer they shovel it twice. Soil is not taken from areas where plants belonging to the Brassicaceae (cabbage) and Solanaceae (tomato) families have been grown for the last three years.

Good garden or garden soil with a small amount of sand can be successfully used for growing ornamental plants.

Woody earth prepared from stumps, roots, dead wood, branches, chips, rotten remains of old trees, etc. The decomposed remains of wood form light soil, similar in composition to leaf soil, but poor in nutrients and prone to acidification. It is used in the cultivation of orchids, ferns and bromeliads.

Composted bark substrates. The shredded bark is composted in piles up to 3 m high, adding sludge from pulp mills and other organic material to allow microbial decomposition of the bark. Biochemical and microbiological processes during composting are most active in a substrate with a particle size of 1-7 mm and the addition of urea to less than 1% of the dry mass of the bark (4.3 kg per 1 m 3) during the first few weeks. Composting with constant shoveling lasts approximately 4-4.5 weeks in summer and 16-18 weeks in winter. The temperature in the stacks rises to 65-70° C.

Compost in 1 m 3 contains about 300 g of potassium, 60 g of phosphorus, 30 g of magnesium, 30 g of iron, 20 g of manganese, copper and other trace elements. It is mixed with sphagnum peat, adding 1 kg of phosphorus, in other cases - sand, clay, etc., i.e. it is used as a soil improver.

When grown on the same substrate of bark and sawdust, plant growth stops and chlorosis appears due to a lack of nitrogen.

Moss. White sphagnum bog moss is harvested from sphagnum moss bogs. After drying, grinding and sifting, it is used in earthen mixtures to give them lightness, friability and hygroscopicity, i.e. increased moisture capacity. In its pure form it is used for forcing lilies of the valley, to cover the earthen clod of orchids and other plants. Recommended as a substrate for stratification and germination of large seeds (palm, banana).

Charcoal in the form small pieces small quantities are added to soil mixtures for plants that do not respond well to waterlogging. Carbon adsorbs excess water, and when there is a deficiency of it, it gives off" In addition, it is used as an antiseptic in the form of a powder for sprinkling on cuts on dahlia root tubers, gladioli corms, canna rhizomes, etc. To a small extent, it adsorbs herbicides and other chemicals from the soil.

Sand. Coarse river sand is considered the best. Sea sand is thoroughly washed beforehand, freeing it from salts. Unsuitable quarry sand is fine, reddish, containing ferrous compounds and oxides of other metals, harmful to plants, as well as clay and silty particles.

Sand is usually added to earthen mixtures without pre-treatment in an amount of 1/5 of the total volume to make them loose. When cuttings and for sprinkling seeds in seed boxes, bowls, greenhouses, the sand is thoroughly washed beforehand. clean water from clay and silt particles. For difficult-to-root rocks, quartz sand is used. It gives earth mixtures looseness and porosity, which ensures the penetration of water and air to the roots of plants, prevents the development of moss, fungi and algae in boxes, bowls and on racks with crops and cuttings.

Storing and mixing soils. Typically, floriculture farms create two to three-year reserves of garden soil, which are stored in a closed, preferably frost-free room. The soil must first be passed through a screen. Special chests are made for each type of soil; sometimes they are placed under shelves in greenhouses. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that no moisture gets into the chest when watering the plants.

To properly maintain the culture of various flower plants the farm must have all the above-mentioned lands. They must be free from pests and diseases.

When preparing earthen mixtures, the biological characteristics of plants, their age, cultural conditions, as well as the reaction (pH) of the soil solution at which the plant can grow are taken into account.

Leaf soil is formed due to the natural decomposition of leaves, which progresses over time. This is a kind of compost obtained from the leaves of trees and shrubs. The difference between regular compost and leaf soil is due to the nutrient content. Compost contains significantly more nutrients because it is obtained from nitrogen-rich organic waste. Leaf soil is mainly carbon compounds, which are the main constituent material of leaf plates. Leaves turned into humus are used as an addition to the soil, which significantly improves its structure by increasing the layer of water absorption.

Why use leaf soil?

Leaf ground, added to or in flower pots, improves soil quality in at least two ways. Significantly increases its ability to accumulate moisture, significantly improving growing conditions, especially on light, highly permeable soils. It also creates a favorable habitat for earthworms and soil microorganisms that improve soil structure. Plants grown in areas with added leaf soil are less susceptible to drying out, and their roots develop more easily in loose, humus-rich soil.

Preparing leaf soil yourself is also a great way to use up leaves, which are a big problem in many gardening areas in the fall.

What leaves are suitable for leaf soil?

To prepare leaf soil, you can use the leaves of most trees, ornamental and fruit bushes, with the exception of leaves with a large amount of tannins. An excellent source of leaf compost would be, for example, the leaves of fruit trees. Never use oak leaves for compost - they decompose slowly due to the tannins they contain.

How to prepare leaf soil?

In larger gardens, the leaves simply need to be placed on a compost heap, which should be large enough to retain moisture. If you have a small amount of leaves, you can use a garden composter, which will make it easier compact storage leaves. Leaves stored in a pile or composter can be topped with ready-made compost (if available) or a small amount of soil. Then we water the future compost generously.

IN small gardens good leaf soil can be prepared in plastic bags, to which we also add a small amount of soil or ready-made compost. We make holes in the filled bags in several places and water the contents. To compost, place the bags in a shady corner of the garden - checking the contents for moisture from time to time.

The process of preparing leaf soil is not labor-intensive, but lengthy, so you must, first of all, be patient. It takes 6 to 12 months before the leaves turn into humus. Composting can be done by shredding leaves (e.g. using a mower) and regular watering compost heap or bags of leaves.

How to use leaf soil?

Leaf soil is usually added to the soil in spring or autumn during the preparation of sowing or planting plants. Just like compost or manure, we mix it with top layer soil. However, throughout the season we can use leaf soil to mulch flowerbeds and beds, thereby providing plants with increased soil moisture and limiting the development of weeds. It is necessary, however, to remember that leaf soil, although it provides plants favorable conditions to grow, it doesn't give them the nutrients we need to provide in other ways, such as by adding compost or manure.

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Leaf soil (leaf humus)

I. P. Popov, "Growing early vegetables"
Gorky Publishing House, 1953
Published with some abbreviations.

In vegetable growing, leaf soil is not used so often. It is used in a mixture with other soils, mainly to loosen heavy turf soils. Most often, leaf soil is used in ornamental gardening, especially when sowing small seeds of flowering plants. Leaf humus is obtained from the decomposition of leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs. When harvesting leaf soil, one must take into account the fact that the leaves decompose rather slowly. On average, good leaf soil is obtained only after 2-3 years. Leaf soil should be harvested on farms where there are forests, plantations, and parks nearby, since collecting large quantities of leaves is quite labor-intensive work.
To prepare leaf soil in the fall, after leaf fall, or early in the spring, before the grass has yet grown, the leaves along with thin twigs are raked with an iron rake. The collected leaves are dumped into a hole 60-70 cm deep. The leaves are covered on top with a thin 10-15 cm layer of loose soil in order to somewhat compact the leaves and protect them from being blown away by the wind and water evaporation. It is better to arrange the pit in a shady place. During the summer, the leaves in the hole are shoveled and watered with slurry. After two or three years, a very light, dark-colored mass—“earth”—is obtained. cubic meter leaf soil weighs only 600-700 kg.
To get leafy soil in more short term, leaves collected in the fall should be dumped for temporary storage in one of the corners of the greenhouse area, covered with a thin layer of soil so that they are not scattered by the winds, and left in this form until spring. When shelving and thinning vegetable plants, a large plant mass accumulates. All this green, juicy mass is taken to the area allocated for greenhouses and stacked in long piles 2-2.5 m wide and 2 m high.
Laying is carried out in a certain order. A collected leaf 20-25 cm thick is placed on the bottom, a layer of weeds of the same thickness is placed on top of the leaf; then another layer of leaves is laid down, etc. The pile is completed with a layer of weeds sprinkled on top with a thin layer of soil. Under the influence high temperature and humidity, the whole mass quickly decomposes, begins to settle heavily and before the onset of frost turns into a solid fatty mass. In the spring of next year and over the summer, the pile is shoveled 2-3 times. By autumn, the leaf soil is completely ready for use.
In the absence of pre-prepared leaf soil, you can use forest litter. To do this, you need to rake off the undecomposed leaves and twigs in the spring and, after removing the top 5-6 cm layer, pass it through a screen. Such leaf soil is obtained quickly, but it is of little value, since most of the nutrients are leached from it and it is not free from pests and pathogens.