Good afternoon, my reader. Sustainable gardening is often called organic because it is based on avoiding chemicals. Such technology attracts with the possibility of obtaining biologically safe fruits, vegetables and berries, but it should be borne in mind that without the use of the usual stimulants of growth and fruiting, the average yield decreases. When organizing ecological plant growing, the recommendations of experienced gardeners will come in handy.
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Competent choice of location
The future fruiting largely depends on the correct placement of plants on the site. Berry growers need good lighting and a sufficient amount of heat, so they choose a sunny place. Do not forget about protection from through strong wind currents. Aquifers should not be located closer than a meter to the surface.
Do not plant young plants in place of uprooted shrubs. To avoid disease and the appearance of harmful insects, another site is allocated for the seedlings.
Maintain an interval between plants of about 2 m. This will allow you to get large berries, reduce the risk of cross-infection. For the same purpose, crop rotation is observed.
Selection of varieties
When starting to grow environmentally friendly fruits, it is worth planting varieties of shrubs that have already been tested in your own garden.
Wanting to expand the assortment, they purchase seedlings in special nurseries, paying attention to the taste characteristics and sizes of fruits, resistance to cold, diseases, drought, and pests. It is advisable to plant several varieties that differ in ripening time, which will allow for a long fresh harvest.
Soil preparation
Berry bushes require a sufficiently fertile soil for good yields. You can use various types of organic matter to improve the quality of the soil:
- Horse peat. Allows you to make clay soil looser, and light sandy loam adds density.
- Over-matured compost, manure. Adds nutrients, improves humus, helps to increase yields.
- Siderata. Promotes soil health.
- Humates. Enrich the site with live soil bacteria.
If the site is located near industrial zones or busy highways, then the concentration of harmful substances in the soil gradually increases, which turn into berries. Consideration should be given to the installation of high, solid fences to somewhat reduce the risk. Systematic replacement of surface soil layers may be required. In difficult situations, groundwater is pumped out and purified. It is necessary to regularly check the acidity of the soil.
Composting organization
Compost is becoming a good alternative to the mineral complex. Its components are various organic residues:
- grass cut before seed formation begins;
- weeds without powerful rhizomes and seeds;
- fallen leaves, excluding specimens with clear signs of pest development;
- medium-sized branches and shoots;
- ground tree bark, kept in a separate heap throughout the year.
It is not recommended to put rotten vegetables and fruits, feces, bones, bread remains, nightshade tops and other types of waste that attract harmful insects and contribute to the active development of diseases plants.
Overripe compost has a crumbly structure without distinguishing between individual components and smells like earth. Use 10-15 kg of well-matured compost as a top dressing:
- per 1 m2 of plantings of blackberries, raspberries;
- on a bush of gooseberries, currants.
Pest and disease control
Natural remedies show good results if used at the first symptoms of pests or dangerous diseases developing on plantings. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly inspect the plants cultivated in their own area.
Several tricks:
- In the spring season, to destroy pathogens and overwintered pests, the shrubs are gently spilled with a watering can with hot (80-90 degrees) water before the buds are pecked.
- Early spring pruning is carried out. At the viburnum, the dried tops of the stems are cut off, where the clutches of the leaf beetle are located. On currant bushes, the affected branches are removed, as well as old branches, where overwintered currant glassy larvae are often found.
- They attract hedgehogs, birds, and beneficial insects.
- Scare off ants that cause over-spreading of aphids.
- From aphids, garlic, marigolds, and onion are planted next to the bushes. Mint, wormwood will scare away currant glass.
To protect ripening berries from harmful insects, an infusion of onion husks, garlic, and tobacco dust is used. They use safe biological products, for example, Fitosporin is popular.
Competent fertilization
Even with the organization of ecological gardening, it will not be possible to completely exclude mineral fertilizers, but they are used in small quantities, not exceeding the recommended doses. Ash, organic matter, sapropel are more actively introduced.
Nutrient mixtures are covered shallowly, which allows the roots to completely absorb them, and the danger of contamination of groundwater disappears. A month before the planned harvest of the ripe crop, feeding is stopped.
Weed control
To keep the trunks in a clean state, no chemicals are used to combat weeds.
Regular hand weeding is recommended. Mulching demonstrates good performance, allowing, in addition to slowing down the growth of weeds, to maintain moisture and looseness of the soil.
Foliage, small shoots and branches, chips, shavings, and chopped straw are used as mulch. After removing the weeds, you can sprinkle the surface under the bushes with corn flour, which slows down the development of the grass.
Growing plants on the site can be practiced without chemicals, if all activities are planned correctly. A systematic model of ecological gardening will gradually develop.
Do you know how to achieve a bountiful harvest without using chemistry?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
You can also read about watering and feeding blackberries in the following article:How to pour blackberries to make the berries sweet