Grab a handful of soil from the roadside, add some of this to grow flowers, and the leaves will be so fertile that oil will ooze out of them!

How much do you know about the garden soil in front of your home?

The garden soil that Huahua always talks about is the soil that can be found everywhere around us, like the soil in front of and behind the house, the soil in the vegetable garden, the soil on the roadside, the soil on the mountain, the soil in the suburbs... They are all garden soil, and it is better to use it to grow flowers than to rely solely on bought nutrient soil. You must know this!

Advantages of garden soil: high viscosity and stable planting

If you want flowers to grow for a long time, they must have firm roots. Garden soil is very sticky, so after the flowers take root, they are relatively stable and not easily loosened. This way the flowers can quickly adapt to the environment and grow faster. As long as the roots are stable, problems are unlikely to occur.

Disadvantages of garden soil: easy to compact

Garden soil is stickier and has good moisture retention. It can last for a week after being watered thoroughly once. However, if the water in the potting soil cannot flow out for a long time, it can easily cause difficulty in the roots breathing, which will cause root rot over time.

The garden soil is so good, Huahua of course encourages us to use it! However, garden soil contains many bacteria and insect eggs, and it is easy to become compacted, so it is best not to use it directly. We sterilize it first and then add ingredients to it, so that it can immediately become nutritious and breathable flower soil!

Sterilization of garden soil

Method 1: Sun exposure

The summer sun is quite strong, so you can spread the soil out and expose it to the sun for 2-3 days. This seems to be effective, but it also has hidden dangers. The insecticidal and sterilizing effects cannot be guaranteed.

Method 2: Spraying to sterilize and disinfect

If you have less soil, you can directly add potassium permanganate water or carbendazim solution for sterilization and disinfection. The ratio of the solution can be followed according to the instructions. Generally, potassium permanganate is 0.1% and carbendazim is 20%.

If there is a lot of soil, Huahua recommends spreading it flat on the ground to dry in the sun for a day, and then spraying it with insecticides such as avermectin and emamectin benzoate for better results.

Method 3: High temperature disinfection

Generally, it is cooked in a pressure cooker for 1 hour, stir-fried in an iron pan for half an hour, or heated in a microwave for 5 minutes (remember to add water). These three methods are all based on the principle of high-temperature sterilization. Please note that when using a pot, do not add water. When using a microwave, add water to avoid the soil catching fire!

If you have a flamethrower at home, you can also spray the soil, which can also achieve high-temperature sterilization and disinfection. Be sure to pay attention to safety when doing this.

After the garden soil has been disinfected, can it be used to grow flowers? No, you have to add some materials first to neutralize the stickiness of the garden soil, improve its air permeability and fertility, and make it more suitable for growing flowers!

Garden soil mixed with some materials is better than nutrient soil

1. Coal slag is moisturizing and breathable

Coal slag is very breathable and can be mixed with garden soil in a ratio of 1:3 to grow almost any flower, especially succulents, Clivia, and Chlorophytum. However, coal slag is relatively scarce now, so flower lovers who have coal slag around them must make use of it!

2. The stones are breathable and will not rot the roots

Adding some stones with a diameter of about 3-5 mm can also improve the air permeability. The stones must also be sterilized before adding, otherwise all the disinfection work will be wasted.

3. Loose peanut shells have high fertility

Peanut shells and melon seed shells are high in fiber, breathable and can be used as fertilizer. You can mix a handful of them into the garden soil. They are suitable for various flowers that are afraid of waterlogging, such as orchids, kalanchoes, geraniums, petunias, etc. Flower lovers, please note that peanut and melon seed shells cannot be salty, they must be tasteless!

4. Eggshells supplement potassium, phosphorus and calcium

Fry the eggshells in a pan, crush them and mix them with garden soil. This can not only prevent earthworms, snails and other reptiles, but can also act as phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. It is a common material used in our flower growing, so don't forget it!

5. Turn the dead flowers and leaves into nutritious soil

Gather up the fallen flowers and leaves, put a layer of garden soil in a bucket, then put the flowers and leaves on top, and finally cover with another layer of garden soil. Cover with a lid and let it ferment for 2-3 months, opening the lid occasionally to let the air out. In this way, we can make our own nutrient soil, which is no worse than the one you buy!

These little methods

Have you learned it, flower lovers?

Collect it now

Follow the soil matching~