Due to its availability, sawdust has gained popularity among gardeners and is widely used in the garden. Most often, sawdust is used as fertilizer. Is it possible to mulch with sawdust? We will try to find an answer to this question in this article.

Properties of sawdust when used in mulching

Many vegetable growers do not even realize that sawdust can also be suitable for mulching or soil insulation. Sawdust can be compared to organic matter, which, when added to the soil, begins to decompose, releasing carbon, which in turn leads to the activation of microflora and an increase in beneficial bacteria almost twice. Let's consider the impact of sawdust on soil and plants.

The beneficial effects of mulching with sawdust

1. The soil becomes loose and light.
2. Breathability makes it possible not to retain excess moisture.
3. The composition of the soil becomes similar to peat, which has a positive effect on the development of the root system of planted plants.

Harmful effects of mulching with sawdust

1. Rotted sawdust makes the soil more acidic, that is, it increases its acidity, and acidic soil Not suitable for all plants.
2. Fresh sawdust reduces the amount of nitrogen in the soil, and without nitrogen, not a single plant grows.

Experienced owners advise: if you do not know all the characteristics of the soil (namely, the acidity level), then you can try mulching one bed. This will not cause any significant losses, but in the future you will know for sure whether sawdust mulch is suitable for your area. And, if it suits, you will see that mulching with sawdust will only bring benefits. That is why many people use this material for mulching - it is cheap, easy to use and safe. You can cover with sawdust both the surface of the beds and the passages between them, as well as the tree trunk circles, the surface of the ground under raspberry, currant, gooseberry bushes, etc.

Mulching with sawdust and in closed ground- in greenhouses and greenhouses. This material combines perfectly with manure, which is also used to fertilize the soil in a greenhouse, with tops and other plant residues. Such compost, flavored with sawdust, overheats faster and at the same time remains loose and breathable. However, it should be noted that only fresh sawdust is used with fresh manure, and only rotted sawdust is used with rotted manure.

Mulching the soil with sawdust can be done both in spring and autumn. After the end of the season, sawdust can also be incorporated into the soil along with straw, fallen leaves, and mowed grass.

What sawdust can be used for mulching?

According to its structure, sawdust mulch can be different sizes, composition and production time. In this regard, it may have some differences in properties. Based on this fact, each type of sawdust mulch should be used for its intended purpose. You cannot use sawdust from chipboard because they are artificially impregnated with all sorts of resins and other nasty things.

Sawdust from deciduous trees will rot faster, so if possible, we give them preference. But also sawdust coniferous species will do.

You should not use very small sawdust in the beds, as they can cake into lumps and form a crust on the surface of the soil.

Using large sawdust as mulch promotes the formation of a very thick and rather loose sawdust layer on the surface of the earth. It is quite difficult to compact such a layer, since the stems of plants located in it may be damaged. Therefore, the structure of sawdust mulch directly depends on the age of the plants being covered: the finer the structure of the sawdust, the younger the plant organisms being covered. Larger sawdust should not be thrown away, as it is not considered the right material. They are well suited for covering plants growing near the house for the winter. ornamental shrubs or fruit trees.

Is it possible to mulch with fresh sawdust?

Mulch the beds fresh sawdust Of course you can, but preferably with sawdust from deciduous trees. Sawdust from coniferous trees contains a lot of resinous substances, which are harmful to plants. Such sawdust can be used to mulch between rows. There is a way out. In order to harm the plants without fear, sawdust from coniferous trees should be slightly rotted, that is, “old”, having lain for about a year, but in no case moldy, rotten, or caked. To avoid any troubles with sawdust, they are treated in the same way as with manure when humus is maturing, that is, they are turned over and loosened every now and then, so that the moisture from the rain does not stagnate and a favorable environment does not arise for the development of pathogenic bacteria, mold and putrefactive fungi. Under natural conditions, the reheating procedure can take up to 10 years, so there are ways to more quickly prepare sawdust for use. The most common and in a simple way Preparation for mulching is as follows: 3 buckets of sawdust and 200 g of urea are poured onto the film and water is poured on top so that it completely wets the sawdust, then the layer is sprinkled with urea and the procedure is repeated. Thus, several layers are obtained, which are then tightly wrapped and kept in this state for two weeks. After this period, the sawdust can be used. You can scatter sawdust not only near the plant itself, but also in the aisles between plantings.

How to mulch correctly with sawdust?

Mulching the soil with sawdust should be done only after thoroughly processing the bed.

It is necessary to weed the weeds, trim the mustache and shoots (if this concerns strawberries or raspberries).

Some gardeners cover the beds with thin paper before mulching; this more thoroughly protects against the appearance of weeds.

The sawdust layer is usually from 3 to 5 centimeters.

If mulching with fresh sawdust, it is necessary to add nitrogen fertilizers. Since they oxidize the soil, it is recommended to apply them with ash. A good effect is achieved by simultaneous use of the drug Baikal EM1.

Mulching with sawdust in a greenhouse

Sawdust is one type of mulch that can be used in greenhouses. Cultures do not rot and spoil. They are used to enrich manure and plant waste. They speed up decomposition organic fertilizers, the compost is loose and breathable.

Mulch is added to greenhouses in spring or autumn. It is better to apply sawdust in combination with other components. This mixture is laid in the ridges in the fall. You can make compost:

• 200 kg. sawdust;
• 50 kg. manure;
• 100 kg. herbs;
• 30 kg. food waste.

For greenhouses, sawdust can be placed in ridges in combination with straw or hay.

In the spring, the soil is mulched when intensive crop growth begins. In greenhouses, during heavy watering, a crust often forms on the surface of the soil, and the soil around the roots is washed away. In this case, it is necessary to mulch the soil. In addition, mulching reduces the watering rate and prevents overheating of the root system of crops in the greenhouse.

A greenhouse measuring 3x6 m will require six bags of pine sawdust. The mulch is spread in a layer of 5-7 cm between the rows and around the stems of the crops.

What crops can be mulched with sawdust?

Trees, shrubs, and flowers are mulched with sawdust.

This material is used to cover beds with vegetables and berries; for this, the space between the beds is sprinkled with sawdust to reduce the growth of weeds.

For decorative mulching of flowers, trees or shrubs, sawdust of large fractions can be painted in various colors. This gives unique splendor to landscape design.

This type of mulch is used to grow vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, onions, and cucumbers. To increase potato yield good effect mulches the distance between plants with sawdust after hilling.

In combination with nitrogen fertilizer, this layer provides best growth crops

Mulching with sawdust is inexpensive and effective way increasing crop yields, preserving and increasing soil fertility, as well as giving the garden an aesthetic appearance.

Many people don't know about beneficial properties sawdust, using them on your site only as mulch or insulation material. But With certain processing, sawdust can be used as fertilizer. Or rather, as a basis for an organic nutritional complex. The best way recycle them - put them through compost. This will help subsequently use them to enrich the soil with nutritious organic matter, and for the pre-winter hilling of heat-loving plants.

Sawdust as fertilizer

It is strictly forbidden to apply pure sawdust as fertilizer! This is the most common mistake a gardener can make. Waste from the wood processing industry of small and medium fractions, introduced into the soil in its raw form, greatly depletes it, binding not only manure, but also part of the phosphorus contained in it.

If you follow the theory that recommends using sawdust as fertilizer, then you need to apply it in the fall. They say that they will rot over the winter, and by spring they will turn into a nutrient. But for the normal process of decay to occur, high temperatures are required, which are not observed in winter. Accordingly, the decay process is slowed down. In the spring sawdust garden plot thaw out whole and unharmed, just thoroughly wet. This happens not only because the soil freezes, but also because wood waste contains a lot of phenolic resins, which are preservatives.

Wood itself is not a fertilizer; it contains only 1-2% nitrogen, the rest is ballast substances, such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lingin, which form the trunk of the plant and serve as conductors of nutrients dissolved in the liquid. However, when it lies down, they settle on the surface various microorganisms, which saturate the wood with useful substances. If sawdust lies for 2-3 years in one place in the garden, it begins to turn black - this is a sign of the formation of humus. Placing the wood in compost, where it is processed and enriched with various nutrients, helps speed up this process.

Compost enriched with sawdust matures faster as it helps create and maintain a high temperature in the pile. In spring, this pile warms up rather than traditional humus. The resulting substrate is usually more loose, breathable, and nutritious. Its use helps to more effectively fertilize the soil with sawdust.

How to make compost from sawdust

It is best to lay the pile at the beginning of summer, when there is already material for composting, and there is still time for this substrate to overheat. Sawdust compost is prepared from the following ingredients:

Wood sawdust – 200 kg;

Urea -2.5 kg;

Water - 50 l;

Ash -10 l;

Grass, leaves, household waste – 100 kg.

Urea is dissolved in water, and this solution is poured over a “pie” consisting of layers of wood shavings, grass, and ash.

Another sawdust compost recipe includes more organic matter, and is used for plants that require significant doses of nitrogen. You can prepare it like this:

Oak sawdust – 200 kg;

Cow manure – 50 kg;

Mowed grass – 100 kg;

Food waste, any feces – 30 kg;

Humates – 1 drop per 100 liters of water.

Fertilizing the soil with fresh sawdust is also sometimes used, but with the obligatory enrichment mineral fertilizers, otherwise wood waste will “suck” all the useful substances from the earth. The following proportions are recommended for making the mixture:

Wood sawdust – a bucket (coniferous sawdust is not recommended for direct application);

Ammonium nitrate – 40 g;

Simple granulated superphosphate – 30 g;

Slaked lime – 120 g;

Calcium chloride – 10 g.

The resulting mixture is applied during digging to crops that require loose soil, at the rate of 2-3 buckets per 1 square meter.

Mulching with sawdust

The use of small shavings as mulch has long been practiced by domestic gardeners. Many gardeners use this method of cultivating the surface of the soil in their dacha to suppress weeds, conserve moisture and improve soil structure.

Very often the passages between the beds are filled with sawdust, thus preventing weeds from germinating. This substrate is also used for potatoes, after high hilling, sprinkling it on the resulting furrows. This layer keeps the soil between the rows moist, which has a positive effect on the harvest. Moisture is well retained under the sawdust and the soil does not overheat, which creates optimal conditions for potatoes.

Cucumbers are often grown using fine wood chips. Pine sawdust is used not only to fertilize the land in composted form, but also as biofuel. They are laid in the foundation high beds, and water thoroughly with slurry. Then the bed is expanded with earth, and the heat source, which is created by wood waste rotting with manure, warms it up qualitatively throughout the season.

Raspberries are another fan of mulching with sawdust. They help this shrub retain moisture at the roots, which allows it to increase the number of berries during fruiting and improve their taste. Thanks to this method, raspberries can grow in one place for up to 10 years, since they root system does not dry out and, accordingly, does not degrade.

Almost all plants can be mulched with sawdust, subject to additional application of nitrogen fertilizers. After all, even by superficially covering the soil, wood shavings quite strongly draw beneficial substances out of it. nutrients. But at the same time, she creates comfortable conditions, which allow plants to grow and develop better, so the advantages of mulching with sawdust are much greater than the disadvantages.

Video: mulching beds with sawdust using strawberries as an example

Sawdust as a loosening agent for soil

Why do many gardeners, despite their low nutritional value, still use sawdust as fertilizer in their gardens? They are an inexpensive and easy to transport substrate with a large volume and low weight. But, since it takes time to process them into nutrient-rich organic matter, sawdust is often used fresh to loosen the soil. They are introduced:

In greenhouses, during preparation soil mixture for cucumbers and tomatoes, pre-mixed with mullein (3 buckets of sawdust, 3 kg of rotted cow manure and 10 liters of water).

Rotted sawdust can be added when digging the soil in the garden. It will become loose, and there will be no need for frequent watering, and in the spring such soil will thaw faster.

This woody substrate can be dug into the rows when planting vegetables with a long growing season. This will allow plant roots to use the space between the rows, under the thickness of the compacted earth.

Sawdust as a covering material

Residues from wood processing in the garden are used not only as fertilizers and mulch. Also sawdust are in demand as covering material. They are used in different ways. For example, stuffed into bags and wrapped around the roots and shoots of plants. This type of shelter is considered the most reliable.

For roses, grapes and clematis, which are left in the beds, protect the vines bent to the ground by covering them with a layer of sawdust along the entire length. To prevent field mice from getting under the covering substrate, you need to sprinkle it late autumn, just before frost, otherwise rodents will ruin all the plants over the winter. It would be even better to make an air-dry shelter over the wintering shoots. To do this, they knock together a frame from boards in the form of an inverted box, and fill it with sawdust on top, then put it plastic film, and a layer of earth is thrown on top. The construction of such a mound gives an almost 100% guarantee of protecting the plant from any cold weather. Sawdust for insulation must be used very carefully. If they are used as a “wet” shelter, when the embankment is not protected from water in any way, they get wet and then freeze into an ice ball. Such insulation is suitable only for a small number of plants; the rest may rot under it.

But what is to the death of the rose, is to the benefit of the garlic. It overwinters well under a “wet” shelter made of pine sawdust, since the phenolic resins contained in their composition perfectly protect this plant from pests and diseases.

Large sawdust can be used as a heat insulator by placing it at the base of planting holes. They will serve as a barrier to deep cold when planting such southerners as grapes and flowering vines.

This is interesting: cucumber seedlings in hot sawdust (video)

Sawdust, like other waste from sawing wood, is a good material for making fertilizers and compost.

However, errors in the process that are made out of ignorance, as well as incorrect use of ready-made fertilizer, can not only cause harm to plantings, But change soil characteristics, making it unsuitable for certain plants.

• why the earth needs fertilizers;
• how sawdust turns into compost;
• how to make compost from wood waste and droppings or manure;
• how to determine the readiness of humus;
• which sawdust is best suited for producing humus;

As plants grow, their roots draw nutrients from the soil and various minerals in the form of aqueous solutions.

These substances are concentrated in the upper (fertile) layer, consisting of:

• clay;
• sand;
• humus (humus).

During irrigation, water soaks top layer soil and, mixing with these substances, forms aqueous solution. The more intense the growth of roots and other parts of the plant, the it draws more water from the ground and an aqueous solution of nutrients and minerals.

Gradually, the concentration of nutrients and substances necessary for growth in the soil drops and the plant no longer receives them adequately. Because of this:

• growth rate decreases;
• immunity decreases and vulnerability to diseases and pests increases;
• The quantity of fruits decreases and their quality decreases.

In nature, the consumption of nutrients by plants is compensated the formation of humus from various organic matter:

• dead roots, leaves and branches;
• excrement of birds and animals;
• corpses of various living creatures.

In gardens and orchards, this method of restoring the fertile qualities of the soil is not applicable, so the soil need to be paid special compounds , which contain nutrients and substances necessary for plant development.

By saturating the top layer of soil, they increase its fertility, supplying plant roots with necessary nutrition and building material.

Humus production

The transformation of sawdust into humus is natural result of the work of various bacteria, which break down cellulose into simple organic matter, and also perform many other actions.

Therefore, the speed of obtaining humus, as well as its quality, directly depend on the conditions created for these bacteria.

In addition, very the composition of the source material is important– processing wood waste alone allows bacteria to turn it into a good nutrient, but will not supply the soil with the substances and microelements necessary for plant growth.

The process of producing fertilizer from sawdust begins when the following conditions are met:

• positive temperature and sufficient humidity;
• oxygen availability;
• presence of a minimum number of bacteria.

For the vital activity of bifidobacteria, which break down cellulose into glucose and other substances, nitrogen needed, which they absorb from the air and earth. The nitrogen contained in the air is not enough for the active activity of bacteria, so their activity is low.

You can increase it by adding:

• urea;
• land;
• droppings or manure.

During the activity of bacteria, a lot of carbon dioxide is released, so the process of turning compost into humus should only take place outdoors.

In addition, bacteria that turn sawdust into humus emit a lot of heat, so the process doesn't stop even at sub-zero temperatures.

However, as the temperature drops, the bacteria living in the outer layer of the compost heap reduce the speed of their work, so the rotting process occurs less evenly.

But high temperature inside the heap allows bacteria to transform the material in the outer layers of the heap.

In addition to processed cellulose and other organic matter, the compost should also contain inorganic substances, primarily calcium and phosphorus.

Therefore, to obtain high-quality balanced humus, it is necessary to add slaked lime and other minerals to the compost.

During the life of bacteria, they mix as much as possible with humus and form compounds that are optimal for plant nutrition.

How to make rotted sawdust quickly?

For making compost free space is needed separated from the garden " sanitary zone» 5–7 meters in size.

Despite the fact that you can simply dump all the materials in a heap and leave them to rot, many gardeners and gardeners prefer neat boxes, which prevent compost from spilling.

How to compost?

As such a box can be used ditches, platforms and any containers.

Laying compost in holes and ditches is most effective if a variety of plants are planted above them.

In this case, the high temperature created by the bacteria will allow seedlings or seeds to be planted 3-6 weeks earlier, which will the harvest will be earlier. In addition, a slight heating of the earth will have a beneficial effect on the development of the root system.

Depending on the type of wood, natural decay in such conditions is 1–3 years, and the temperature rise in compost is 1-5 degrees.

Adding droppings or manure to sawdust reduces rotting time up to 6–10 months, and the addition of drugs that accelerate the proliferation of bifidobacteria reduces the period to 3–5 months.

In this case, the temperature of the compost rises to a level of 40–60 degrees even when the air temperature drops to zero or slight frost.

More details about this method of obtaining humus, as well as compensation negative influence on the basis, you can read in the article about.

To obtain humus from compost You can use any suitable container made from materials resistant to bifidobacteria and light acids. Easiest to use plastic containers suitable size.

If you only have metal barrel or a box then it can be covered with roofing felt, but this will negatively affect the bacteria in the outer layer.

Good for making compost bin wood is suitable. Although it does not last long (5–15 years), it does not disturb the microclimate in the compost heap.

A wooden box can be made from boards or bars, or from old doors.

Sometimes a box is even made from disassembled cabinets ( chipboards), but the phenols they contain negatively affect the microflora of the outer layers of the heap.

In such boxes, the process of decay does not stop, but becomes a little more uneven.

If the rotting time is observed, the humus from it is in no way inferior to any other, therefore the only drawback– you need to wait 1–2 weeks longer.

The compost box can be of any shape, but it is important to remember that the higher the height of the pile in it, the greater the pressure on the walls.

It's easier to make a box larger size in length and width, using for it thin bars and boards, what to fence powerful design, able to withstand the pressure of a large pile.

After all, the task of such a box is prevent contents from spilling over the surrounding area.

It is not necessary to make the walls of the box completely closed; it is quite acceptable to make them in the form of a lattice with a cell height of 3–10 cm (depending on the composition of the compost - for sawdust no more than 3 cm, for a mixture of sawdust and excrement up to 10 cm). The length of the cells can be any.

If there is no box, or you don't want to do it, you can pile the compost directly on the ground.

At the same time, you must understand that the area under the heap will receive too large a dose of nutrients and minerals, and the soil on it will become acidic.

Therefore, even on next year It is not advisable to plant anything there.

After the compost has completely rotted, such an area should be sprinkled with ash and slaked lime or dolomite flour, then plowed so that the earth can absorb nutrients, and after a year it can be used for planting.

Therefore, the area under compost heap you need to choose very carefully- if possible, close to the planting site and so as not to damage the plants.

After all, even at a distance of 2–3 meters from the edge of the heap, the concentration of acids, nutrients and minerals will be dangerous for plants.

Methods for obtaining humus

Exists 8 composition combinations to obtain humus from wood waste, which differ both in the components used and in the final result:

• clean sawdust;
• treated with urea;
• a mixture of any parts of plants;
• with kitchen waste;
• with manure/compost;
• with the addition of cesspool contents;
• from wood waste, manure/compost and mineral additives;
• using drugs that accelerate the proliferation of bifidobacteria.

First way the simplest, but also the longest.

Wood waste is piled up and watered to increase its moisture content.

Sometimes the waste is soaked for 1–2 hours before being piled, but this is only justified for small volumes.

The time it takes for such a heap to rot depends on:

• wood species;
• air temperature;
• composition of the earth beneath it.

Soft hardwoods rot in 10–15 months, and conifers in 2–3 years. Every 2 weeks it is necessary check the humidity and temperature of the pile, sticking his hand into it.

If the pile is dry or cold, then it needs to be watered. If it feels wet to the touch, then there is too much water in it, so the pile needs to be stirred to dry, then raked again.

You can speed up the process of converting compost from wood waste into humus by treating it with urea.

To do this, urea is dissolved in water and This solution is poured over the pile. The urea solution fills the wood with nitrogen, which is necessary for bacteria for normal existence, so the rate of their reproduction, as well as their work efficiency, increases noticeably.

Both types of humus, obtained from the same sawdust, contain only good nutrients, so together with them microelements also need to be added. Otherwise, they will only be effective as top dressing on undepleted soils.

In addition to waste from sawing wood, you can make compost from any parts of plants. For example, in the fall you collect leaves and rake them, then form a pile by laying sawdust and leaves in layers.

If you trimmed trees, then the cut branches grind using special equipment, which we talked about in this.

Large twigs and branches will rot for decades, and bacteria will process the crushed wood as quickly as sawdust.

Remember, diseased or pest-infested leaves and branches should not be added to the compost. Such waste is needed pile up and then burn.

After all, bacteria that process wood will not be able to kill pathogens or pests, so humus from contaminated materials will pose a threat to your plantings.

In addition to waste from the garden or vegetable garden, you can use it to obtain humus and any kitchen scraps with the exception of meat.

They can be either fresh or sour or moldy, the only condition– all waste must be shredded , otherwise, the process of decay will last for several years.

A mixture of sawdust and litter or manure is obtained in cowsheds, pigsties and other places where animals are kept. The most popular is a mixture of sawdust with chicken droppings or manure.

Animal and bird excrement not only fills the compost with nitrogen, but also are a source of many microelements necessary for normal plant growth.

This compost rots in 8–12 months.

If you add drugs that accelerate the proliferation of bifidobacteria, then humus will be ready in 4-6 months.

In addition, such humus is the most balanced and suitable for use on any soil for any plants.

Along with droppings or manure, you can also pour the contents of cesspools and outdoor toilets into the compost heap.

The only condition is that they The home sewer should not come out, After all, water containing shampoos and washing powders is poured into it, and such chemistry negatively affects both the soil and plantings.

To create a proper pile, first lay a layer of sawdust 10 cm thick, then water it with the contents of the cesspools (1 bucket per 2–10 m2) and lay a new layer of sawdust.

The height of the heap is chosen based on convenience and total volume.

Signs of completion of decay are:

• completely absent smell of excrement;
• loose structure, similar to loosened sandy soil;
• reducing the temperature to street temperature both outside and inside the heap.

If you have acidic soil on your site, and plants like less acidic or alkaline earth, then stacking the compost heap, sprinkle it with slaked lime or dolomite flour..

How to use humus?

IN agriculture humus, including sawdust, is used in different ways.

Completely prepared humus is scattered over the area and plowed up to mix with the soil. This method most effective in early or late autumn.

If you are planting green manure, you can spread humus both before planting and while preparing the field for winter.

During autumn and winter, humus and soil will mix, causing plants will receive a more balanced diet. Ready-made humus can also be applied during spring plowing, but this method is less effective because the soil will not have time to become saturated with humus and the plants will not receive balanced nutrition.

You can also use compounds that have not had time to rot.

If they are treated with agents that accelerate the growth of bacteria, then such compost can be added after collecting green manure, during autumn plowing.

Over the winter, the sawdust and other components will completely rot and mix with the soil.

Therefore, in the spring the plants will receive the most balanced nutrition.

Fresh compost is added to the soil only in three cases:

• its composition ensures rapid decay and is treated with drugs that accelerate the growth of bacteria;
• the field is left fallow;
• compost is used for heating planting material in holes and grooves.

In all other cases fresh compost will reduce plant productivity and can make the land unusable.

In areas where the soil around trees is not dug up or is dug up very rarely, ready-made humus laid out around the trunk and watered generously.

Nutrients and microelements from humus, together with water, penetrate the soil and saturate it, due to which the tree grows faster and bears fruit better.

The same method is used to apply fertilizers to fields planted with currants, raspberries and other bushes.

Video on the topic

Watch a video on how to prepare fertilizer from sawdust:

Conclusion

Wood sawdust – good material to obtain humus. After reading the article, you learned:

• which sawdust is best suited for producing humus;
• how long does the rotting process take?
• how this process is affected by chicken manure and the excrement of other birds and animals;
• how can you quickly get good humus;
• how to apply humus correctly.

Mulching with sawdust is a long-known technique for experienced gardeners.

Nature itself suggested simple actions to us, because in forests and wild places roots and plants that are not cared for by people somehow survive cold and heat.

The reason is the natural covering of fallen leaves, brushwood, and needles. This mantle reliably protects the soil from washout and erosion, as well as from insects.

Therefore, in the garden or vegetable garden, for beds, you can also use mulching, and use sawdust, pieces of bark, pine needles, film, gravel, and straw as bedding.

This method is equally good in a greenhouse and for beds.

Mulching using this method is suitable for any soil. It not only protects the soil and plants from the cold, but is also often used as a fertilizer that will enrich even poor soil.

For example, if your flowers in the spring, bush plants (raspberries, currants) or vegetables (tomatoes, cabbage) lack fruits and ovaries later, then mulching can be an excellent solution.

A layer of mulch allows plants to “breathe” and better absorb fertilizer. For growing tomatoes, this is the most effective way to improve the quality of the crop.

Since sawdust tightly covers the ground, without sunlight, a large number of bacteria develop in the layer.

They process most of the sawdust, so the output is fertile soil.

In addition, mulching with sawdust for tomatoes or potatoes, for example, is simply necessary when a dry period occurs.

This is logical, because open ground heats up faster under open sunlight, and these plants (this applies to both tomatoes and potatoes) deteriorate very quickly in such soil.

Sawdust retains moisture and protects the earth from overheating. With this approach, you can water vegetables and bushes less.

If we are talking about fruits that are close to the ground, then mulching helps to avoid rotting.

This is true for cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, as well as strawberries, which most often lie directly on the ground.

To collect good harvest, you need to not only weed the beds and paint the fence at the dacha, but also start fertilizing.

How to use mulching as fertilizer?

Many types of fertilizers are quite expensive. Sawdust is a very profitable option in this regard, and in addition, it is absolutely safe. They act as the basis for a nutritional complex.

The best way to prepare it is to run the sawdust through compost. However, remember that it is prohibited to add clean, fresh sawdust to the soil (as fertilizer).

It is necessary to apply natural fertilizer based on mulch and compost in the spring, because decomposition requires certain, rather high temperatures.

Fresh sawdust is not a fertilizer; it is extremely low in nitrogen, it is fibrous and contains cellulose.

However, the lignin contained in mulch helps form the plant trunk and conducts nutrients to it.

After some time, microorganisms begin to use the mulch as a medium and saturate the wood chips with useful elements.

If you do not place sawdust in compost pit, then the process of soil rotting will take several years. With compost, this period can be significantly reduced.

Compost from sawdust is quite easy to make. As ingredients we take large quantities of fresh shavings, urea, water, and ash.

If you have household organic waste, straw, grass, then they can also be added to the compost pit.

Urea is first dissolved in water, and then the materials of the future fertilizer are watered. You can also add manure to enhance the beneficial properties.

Don’t forget to repaint the borders and fences after the work has been completed to summer cottage cozy view.

What plants need to be mulched?

Many gardeners use sawdust mulching everywhere and for any plants. This technique is suitable both at home and at the dacha, where the owners will appear infrequently.

Why? Mulching allows you to suppress and slow down the growth of weeds, and also conserves moisture, which is very useful during hot periods.

This approach is relevant if you have a lot of rose bushes or other whimsical flowers in your greenhouse.

The passages between the beds of tomatoes, currant and raspberry bushes, the paths on the site and near the flower beds are also sprinkled with shavings, because this allows you to give the area a neat appearance without weeds and holes.

Mulching is also used when planting potatoes. So, when hilling potatoes, the resulting “furrows” are covered with substrate, which allows you to grow healthy fruits.

This layer is also useful for potatoes because it retains moisture in the ground and there is no need to water the bushes (and sometimes these are entire plantations for which there is simply not enough water).

Therefore, sawdust - the best way out for potatoes and other root plants - carrots, garlic, onions.

To grow cucumbers, use small sawdust for mulching. Pine sawdust is also suitable, because it additionally warms the soil in winter.

They are placed at the base of the bed, and then covered with manure.

After this, another layer is applied, and then you don’t have to worry about the cold weather causing the cucumbers to freeze, but planting should be done in the fall, not in the spring.

Very often mulching is used for raspberries.

So, after the procedure, where the soil is covered with a thick layer, raspberry roots retain moisture and nutrients better, and as a result we get tasty fruits, more of which come out of the bush than usual.

Thanks to this method, you can not replant the raspberry bush for up to fifteen years.

Also experienced summer residents You can't do without mulching for tomatoes, strawberries, fancy plants (for example, roses) and much more.

In general, any plants grow better if they are mulched, but only if they are combined with nitrogen fertilizers. So, after the procedure, onion feathers will grow taller and turn out juicier.

Mulching to loosen and cover the soil

Since fertilizer sawdust rots quite slowly, it is often used to loosen the soil.

Most often, mulching for such purposes is carried out in a greenhouse, for tomatoes, exotic varieties of raspberries, and flowers.

In a small greenhouse we need three buckets of shavings, three kilograms of humus and ten liters of water.

All this is mixed in a container (trough, barrel) and left to brew for a couple of hours. After which they are evenly applied to the soil.

If we are not talking about a greenhouse, but loosening is required for open soil, then you can use sawdust while digging.

Just add small portions of the substrate to the soil, which will make it loose. Therefore, the need for frequent watering disappears by itself.

Sawdust are ideal material for laying soil in cold weather.

More than once, owners of their plots have encountered the problem of freezing, especially in those latitudes where winters are characterized by severe frosts.

The shavings are easy to store in any dry place, they do not deteriorate over time - just pack them in bags and leave them in the pantry.

Covering the soil is considered the most in a safe way wait out the cold.

How to mulch roses, grapes and climbing flowers that cannot be dug out of the ground and that have vines? We bend them down and cover their entire length with substrate.

It is better to process mulch in late autumn so that it does not begin to rot in the sun and mice do not infest it.

And to completely protect rose shoots, you can make an air-dry shelter. To do this, we make a small frame of wood, lay a film on top of it, and a layer of sawdust on it.

Then again film and earth.

This layer will allow you to withstand even the most severe frosts; it can be used not only for roses, but also for short plants (raspberries, tomatoes) until frost (after all, they are more tender and can only wait out the winter in a greenhouse).

However, use rose sawdust wisely.

If in a greenhouse it is possible to protect any plants from snow and rain, then outside constant moisture and temperature changes can turn mulching into an ice crust, without air access and with constant rotting of plants under the layer.

Here, again, the frame will help out. However, unlike roses, a “wet” coating with sawdust is the most successful for garlic.

How to protect strawberries using mulching

Few gardeners do not know that strawberries winter period not dug out of the ground. On the contrary, they try to insulate strawberry sprouts in every possible way so as not to freeze the roots and leaves.

If strawberries freeze, they will not produce berries the next season. This is true for both raspberries and roses (in their case they will not bloom).

It’s good if you are a professional farmer who grows vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers) and fruits and berries (strawberries) in a greenhouse.

But if we are talking about open ground, then you can’t do without other ways to preserve heat.

Strawberries are often mulched with sawdust. This method came to us from Western farmers; it is used even on huge farms, as the most profitable and safe protection berries

This is also true for tomatoes, the trunks of which at the beginning of the season through the ground are affected by bacteria, popularly called “gray rot”.

It is enough to simply mulch the soil to avoid many plant diseases (roses, tomatoes, strawberries, etc.).

In search of cheap fertilizers, most land owners line up for sawdust, which is considered natural and very useful feeding. Imagine their surprise when, instead of flowering and fragrant plants, they receive not only a decrease in yield, but also the complete destruction of crops. This is not surprising, because everything must be approached wisely. After reading this article, you will learn from which side to approach the issue of fertilizing the land with sawdust.

Sawdust with compost sauce

If you place fresh sawdust without any special treatment directly under the plant, then soon you will see how it begins to die. Why? Soil bacteria have done their best here; when they “work” on wood, they suck nitrogen from the fertile soil, which is a vital element for plants.
Fresh sawdust contains an increased amount of various resins.

Penetrating into the soil, they not only destroy the fertile layer, but also poison it for future plants.

Some gardeners are confident that they can make valuable fertilizer by accumulating mountains of sawdust in one place. This is wrong. It can take years for one small pile to rot. This is explained quite simply. The rotting process occurs under the influence of moisture, and sawdust practically does not allow it to pass through. The bottom of the pile will always remain dry. Even after many years, at its bottom you can find several kilograms of sawdust, which were able to retain all their original properties.

Proper compost from sawdust can be made according to the following recipe:

1. The pile must be formed through layers of sawdust, wetting each of them with urea (200 g per 10 liters of water);
2. The heap is covered with a film in the form of a sealed dome;
3. Every 2 weeks the layers must be shoveled so that they are enriched with oxygen;
4. Once the compost sawdust has blackened, it can be used as fertilizer.

You can use another recipe for making compost from sawdust with the addition of fertilizers:

1. The sawdust will still need to be formed in layers;
2. Fill all layers with plenty of water, sprinkle lime and add a fertilizer solution. To prepare the dressing, you need to take 150 g of lime, 130 g of urea, 70 g of potassium chloride, 10 g of superphosphate per 10 kg of sawdust. The height of the heap can be made up to one and a half meters, periodically maintaining its humidity.

Instead of chemical fertilizers, you can use chicken manure at a ratio of 1:1 with sawdust. Feel free to throw food waste, straw, weeds, etc. into such a compost heap. The ripening period of such compost is about six months.

Sawdust compost with nitrogen flavor

As noted earlier, when fertilizing the land with fresh sawdust, nitrogen is absorbed from the soil. This can be easily avoided by following just 2 simple steps:

1. It is necessary to sprinkle wood shavings with nitrogen-containing fertilizer at the rate of 20 g of mixture per 1 kg of wood;
2. Place the resulting substance on the ground and dig everything thoroughly.

It is important to remember that if you are preparing beds for tomatoes, potatoes or carrots, then it is better to do a similar procedure in the fall. If your goal is to grow cucumbers, pumpkins or cabbage, it is better to combine a mixture of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and sawdust compost with manure by fertilizing the soil in the spring.

Mulch filled with sawdust

Sawdust is great for mulching the soil. There are several reasons for this:

• Excellent moisture retention;
• Does not contain weed seeds;
• Weeds have difficulty breaking through the dense layer of sawdust.

Mulching the earth with sawdust is not only useful, but also very beautiful. You just need to know the recipes for proper preparation.

Here is one option for making mulch from sawdust:

• Sawdust is soaked in a strong solution of potassium permanganate, which gives it a beautiful color;
• We also paint well-ground branches using potassium permanganate;
• We mix sawdust and branches and carefully place them under the trees.

Be careful when choosing sawdust, as not all are environmentally friendly. For example, chipboard shavings contain various carcinogens that are difficult to wash out of the soil and penetrate into vegetable crops.