The heat dries the earth by leaps and bounds. The more clayey and compacted the soil, the more it begins to crack when it dries in the sun. Most often, the aisles, which are kept in a pure form, suffer from cracking. Cracks are harmful and should be stopped. A little trimming of the roots does not harm the plants, but cracks are too extensive cutting off of the feeding root apparatus. It's like digging a trench near a plant in the middle of summer.

The soil cracks where we move the most and compact it. Only clay is susceptible to cracking, because clay particles have a layered structure (aluminosilicates of mixed clays middle lane): layers of minerals are able to absorb water and move apart, and when they dry, they shrink. Prevention of cracking - add more sand to the clay soil; in particular, sand - best material to fill the row spacings.

As soon as cracks appear on the compacted surfaces of the earth in our garden, they should be dealt with immediately, since the more they expand, the more roots are torn. And then it makes no sense to use the aisles as additional nutrition for our plants. Many garden beds now have quite large plants, their roots are appropriate: their scope exceeds the size of the "tops", the roots have penetrated the aisles, and if they are kept and watered, fed, then we will get record large vegetables.

Cracks in the soil are torn roots, crop losses; all such places should be filled up with mulch and watered well to tear, then - alas! - only medium in size.

How to stop cracking? We must prevent the earth from drying up. Firstly, water the aisle thoroughly in several passes (otherwise the water will run down the cracks into the depths and will not wet anything from above), and secondly, cover all surfaces with mulch from which moisture can evaporate. The aisle is mulched almost entirely, we leave ourselves only "patches" to walk. Or we put scraps of boards. I avoid walking on the mulch itself, because under it in the daytime toads, earthworms, lizards and other living creatures find refuge for themselves.

If the size of the cracks found is quite large, I usually first carry out their "repair": I cover them with dry earth or sand, so that it would be easier for the roots to recover and so that in the future there would be no such wide cracks here. Usually, if a crack has formed on clay soil, it will take a long time, so it will “pulsate” from drought to drought. To moderate the pulsation, we fill in the cracks as much as we can.

There is another way: if the seedlings are still small on the garden bed and the roots clearly have not gone beyond its boundaries, and the cracks in the aisle are so large that the earth has turned into loose blocks, then it is more competent to cleanly restore the entire aisle: we fill it with organic matter (manure, compost, grass, hay) and dig up. We try to grind the earth and mix it with organic matter, in the future it will help the earth to resist the formation of large cracks and create passages for roots. In the aisles, it is generally useful to dig in any organic matter for this purpose, up to chopped branches: in dense clay, when organic matter decomposes, a porous network of passages is created, and this structure will well accept the nutrient solution when feeding.

Many gardeners struggle with cracks in the ground caused by dry and hot weather. Similar difficulties can be expected in other places - aisles and paths. Why do cracks negatively affect the soil? Huge damage is done to root system cultures through these grooves. Destructive processes take place - the nutrient medium disappears, the roots are destroyed.

Clay soil is most susceptible to cracking due to the fact that it is more massive, and as a result lends itself only to difficult processing. This type of soil is the most difficult to cultivate when growing crops, since during the spring little air penetrates into the soil, so it does not dry out. Also, the soil temperature is lower, which negatively affects the development and growth of plants.

After rain, moisture stagnates, after the water dries up, the formation of a soil crust is observed, and the root system is not able to sink deep into the earth.
Chemical properties - explanations for all of the above features. A high index of particle density, and due to the shallow space between them, the soil sticks and floats. The formation of a gap occurs because of that that the soil is very compressed.

However, many mineral compounds are found in clay soil. It should be noted that certain features of the properties do not provide an opportunity for crops to use them in full. Only dissolved or processed nutrient compounds are absorbed by the root system. However, the clay soil does not allow obtaining these conditions.

Harrowing of crops across the rows is most often used. It is carried out with a metal rake.

Harrowing of crops of black onions can be carried out at shoots of 5-7 mm, beets - up to 3-4 mm, and carrots and other crops from the celery family - no later than the initial pecking of seeds.

Harrowing at a later date leads to a strong thinning of seedlings.

Watering

You can also destroy the crust by watering at small rates.

The latter method is acceptable if it is possible to repeat watering in the following days after the formation of the crust again.

Inter-row loosening

Inter-row loosening is a good agricultural technique. It provides weed control, soil aeration and soil moisture retention.

Such treatment begins on the 2-3rd day after the emergence of seedlings or planting of seedlings. Various types of hoes are suitable for this purpose.

However, you should not abuse inter-row cultivation, especially deep cultivation.

They often dry out the soil, damage the root system, and promote the transfer of weed seeds from the deep layers to the upper ones. Therefore, the depth of loosening should not exceed 2-3 cm. Usually, the soil is loosened after each heavy rain or after the next watering.

Inter-row treatments are stopped when the plants close the aisles and the leaves interfere with the work.

Hilling

This technique combines loosening the soil and moving it to the lower parts of the plants to form mounds or ridges. Many vegetable plants are sprinkled, in particular potatoes, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, corn.

Hilling increases aeration and drainage of the soil, as well as warming it up by the sun. Along with this, it improves the conditions for the development of the adventitious root system of plants, and in this regard, the conditions for mineral nutrition.

By hilling the tomato, a well-heated, ridged surface is created that fully meets the heat requirements of the tomato. In this case, the fruiting stems are placed in a horizontal position along the top of the ridge.

Hilling is also used to bleach the edible part of asparagus, leeks, tsikor salad and to ensure faster growth of potato tubers.

Advice

The number of hilling depends on the nature of the plants and soil and climatic conditions. In areas of sufficient moisture, potatoes, cabbage and tomatoes are spud one to three times. In dry weather, hilling is not carried out, since it dramatically dries up the soil, reduces the yield of potatoes and vegetables.

This operation must be carried out with moist soil after rain or watering. Young plant organs capable of giving adventitious roots (cabbage, tomato, cucumber, etc.) and lateral shoots (potatoes) should be sprinkled.

Young plant organs that are in a state of growth and thickening (leaf rosettes of celery, leeks, beets, chicory, etc.) are also piled up.

The height of each summer hilling of plants should not exceed 10-15 cm.

With the row placement of plants, hilling is expressed in the creation of a continuous ridge along the row. For a square or square-nested arrangement, each plant must be spud separately.

Below are other entries on the topic "Cottage and garden - do it yourself"

We got our own piece of land more than twenty years ago. My parents got it. It was a former collective farm field, plowed up and down for many years. The first summer he was a sad sight: blocks of earth, turned up by a plow and hard as a stone, thickets of weeds.

How to approach this, what to do?
But as they say: "The eyes are afraid - the hands are doing."

I had to hammer away clods of earth with shovels, uproot weeds. The first year had to do with only planting potatoes. No water, no proper care, and the harvest is appropriate. In the fall, the first seedlings were planted, a berry plant was laid. No experience, they pushed it anyhow, later I had to redo a lot (eh, the current experience and at that time, how much effort and labor could have been saved!).

Over time, our site has changed, tried the first fruits of their labor. Mother's caring hands literally let every grain of earth pass through themselves, there was not a single empty place, everything around was planted. Mother's viburnum is still growing, blooming wildly in spring and abundantly strewn with bunches of berries in autumn. Gradually, I also developed an interest in the land, apparently this was passed on from my mother. I was working in the north then, I was at home only for two weeks, but any free time tried to spend in the garden.

But my mother was gone. I had to gradually master the wisdom of growing seedlings, caring for plants. Filled in a bunch of bumps before something worked out. Experience gradually came, but the feeling of dissatisfaction did not leave me, too much effort was required to be made to get the result. There must be some way not to spend so much energy to get the harvest. And it seemed he was found (as it turned out later, a dead end).

I came across a brochure "Vegetable growing in narrow beds, the method of D. Meatlider." After reading it, I said to myself: "This is what you need." Only one and a half acres of land, of which only one third is cultivated to provide a family of four with vegetables. I waited impatiently for spring, broke the beds (45 cm wide, meter paths), brought in mineral fertilizers, as indicated, planted seedlings, sowed seeds. Every week I applied a portion of fertilizer according to the calculations. The harvest is good. On the next year good again. "This is how it should be!" - I thought. But in the third year I feel that something is wrong.

The earth was turning to dust, turning to dust, the slightest lack of moisture - and it became like a stone, it was necessary to constantly water, but the earth refused to accept water. From the constant introduction of "mineral water" the soil became acidic, it was necessary to make a large number of lime. Earthworms began to leave the beds. I stubbornly continued to work on the Meatlider. The earth was dying ...

But as the saying goes: "There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped." Spring 2003, heart attack, work on the ground is out of the question - the doctors banned it. But how can you be separated from your beloved garden. I decided: "I will not quit!" Yes, it was not there, he took a shovel in his hands, dug a meter and that's it. I had to plant and sow in un-dug beds, only sprinkled it with humus on top.

It was at this difficult time that Nikolai Kurdyumov's book "Clever Garden and Tricky Vegetable Garden" fell into my hands. I read it and thought: "What the hell is not joking, I have nothing to lose, suddenly it will work out." And I got down to business.

Well, of course, in the first year, not everything turned out as it should, but "the trouble is the beginning." I stopped digging (I still couldn't do it), just loosened, mulched the soil as much as possible, began to use EM preparations, first Baikal, and then Radiance.

On the paths that I had previously scraped to a shine, I allowed the grass to grow. As he grew, he cut it down and used it as mulch. The "weeds" were also used, and they turned from enemies into helpers. Their roots penetrate to such a depth, get out of there and leave a mass after nutrients that it would be foolish not to take advantage of this.

As soon as the opportunity arose, he sowed green manure, the roots of which replaced my shovel, and the green mass after cutting served as a shelter from the scorching sun, and as decomposition, and food for the next generation of plants.

The beds were never empty, except that in early spring... The abundance of organic matter attracted a lot of earthworms, and now the main job of improving the soil lies with them.

Wild herbs also appeared on my site: yarrow, celandine, sweet clover, knotweed. Once I prepared an infusion of nettle, used it, and scattered the remains over the site. Now I have my own nettle growing in several places, cut it off in one place for infusion, next time in another, lo and behold, and it has already grown back.

There was even a place for wormwood, scattered twigs over cabbage, neither you a cruciferous flea, and the white woman does not like it, and the infusion helps against many pests. And the problems with pests were solvable.

Healthy, strong plants can fend for themselves. By the way, I began to notice that many insects, which we consider to be pests, prefer to settle on weeds, if any.

In a greenhouse, for example, if a sow thistle grows (such a thorny plant), then the aphids do not touch my cucumbers. In the dense grass there is a place to hide for my assistants - predatory insects. Lizards and frogs settled with me. Well, do you really need pesticides after that?

Gradually the earth began to come to life and it became clear that without extra effort you can work on the ground. For six years my land has not known what a shovel is, and every year it gets better and better. Plants hardly get sick, there are fewer and fewer "pests and weeds", and working in the garden is just a pleasure.

Ildus Khannanov, Ufa

I will reveal to you the most secret secret, how to get rid of weeding and loosening in one simple and easy action! And for the whole summer to save yourself from this unnecessary work.

You can't even imagine how simple and pleasant it is! You just need to cover the earth from the sun. Cover it with grass, straw, hay. And that's it! The layer of the earth blanket should be at least seven centimeters thick. And then miracles will begin in your land: the earth will retain moisture for a long time, it will not overheat in the sun. The soil will be loose and fluffy, the weeds will weaken and recede from your beds. Just one correct action will save you a huge amount of work. But as they say, it is better to see and hear feedback from real gardeners than to study scientific information.

Then listen, remember and be inspired! Here are the reviews experienced gardeners... Maybe it will help someone to ease their gardening routine.

Andrey Vladimirovich: Until recently, I was a tough opponent of mulching. Still, turning the garden into a trash can, it seemed to me utterly stupid.

But this year everything has changed. My summer was planned to be busy, I could not devote much time to the garden, so I laid one bed with onions with straw. The second remained pristine, as usual. And what do you think, my rare visits to the garden dramatically changed my attitudes and beliefs.

Onions on a mulch bed are clean without weeds, and on bare ones endlessly overgrown with a variety of grass

The covered bed is always wet and loose, and the bare one is covered with crust and cracks. This means that you need to water the covered garden less often, and there is no need to loosen it at all.

Healthy, green, feathers thicker and longer than onions in bare beds. In addition, the feathers of non-mulched ones began to turn yellow.

And here's the paradox: the one for which no care was required, gave the bulbs larger and the yield is greater. Therefore, from now on I am an eternal fan of the covered land.

Sisters Irina and Olga: “We have a garden of 18 acres. We are processing it together with my sister. We cope easily, because we have not been digging the ground for a long time and cover the beds with mown grass.

We have no bare land! Absolutely! Nowhere!

Small ground cover grass grows under apple trees and pears.

We mow it regularly and put the grass in the beds. Now we can't even imagine how you can keep the ground bare. It is humid and cool under the mulch. Earthworms scurry about in the soil, prepare compost from grass. To help them we add. Together they turn our Earth into the most fertile soil, where everything grows and develops by leaps and bounds "

Nadezhda Petrovna: “my secret of fertility is very simple - I put as much organic matter into the ground as possible, cover it with mulch on top and add soil bacteria“ Shining ”and always in any summer I have a big harvest.

Most of all I like to cover the ground with mown grass and leaf litter.

We have sown knotweed (bird highlander) on the paths and we cut it down regularly. It's so convenient: the paths are always clean and beautiful, and there is always fresh mulch for my beds. I have no black earth at all: the paths are sodden, the beds are mulched.

I absolutely hate the sight of bare earth. When I see the scraped-out beds and paths of gardeners, I always want to cover the land: in the summer from the heat, in the winter from the frost. the covered land responds with gratitude to a bountiful harvest. I advise all gardeners - do not be lazy, cover the beds and free your hands and time for more interesting activities "

Elena: Mulching is a mandatory procedure on my site.

I noticed long ago that bare earth cannot even accept rain, while the covered earth absorbs every drop like a sponge.

And in the heat, have you ever wondered how the earth feels on a hot summer day? Our soil temperature reaches 36 degrees. How can plants grow in such a frying pan? They quietly suffer and wait for the coolness of the night. And the covered ground on the same hot day has a temperature of 20 degrees.

And the plants are at ease, and the harvests are pleasing.

If you still have bare beds, put everything aside and cover the ground with straw. At least in one bed! Feel the magic of this simple action! From this moment on, you do not need to loosen the soil, the weeds will be rare and weak, the watering will be reduced. And most importantly, the earth will become alive, fluffy, fertile, with a huge number of earthworms. And they will easily become impressively huge!