The appearance of green plaque of plant origin on soil and buildings usually indicates a violation of the air-water regime. Plaque consists of algae and moss, which begin to develop under certain conditions. However, this unwanted vegetation can be disposed of. How to do this is later in the article.
The main reasons for the appearance of green earth in the greenhouse
Before combating green bloom, it is necessary to determine the factors that led to this situation.
Did you know? Mosses and algae are the oldest plants on Earth. Mosses were the first to land on land from the water. They do not have a root system and absorb moisture and nutrients throughout their surface.
Excess moisture
Mosses and algae develop well in conditions of high humidity, which is why the soil turns green. This is often a sign of the proximity of groundwater. In such a place, vegetables should be grown in high beds. Often, greens appear in the greenhouse, since moisture is poorly evaporated in the protected ground and its excess is often observed. Such shelters should be regularly ventilated to get rid of condensation.
Increased soil acidity
Mosses actively breed on acidic soil, so if you find a green coating on the ground, then it does not interfere with checking its acidity. For this, the easiest way is to use litmus paper sold in agricultural stores or pharmacies. In this soil should be made deoxidizing substances - ash, lime, dolomite flour, chalk. There are also siderates that reduce the acidity of the soil. These are mustard, phacelia, vetch, lupine, oats.
Did you know? The acidity of the earth can be determined using an infusion of cherry leaves. To do this, they are brewed with boiling water and allowed to cool, then filtered and a pinch of soil is thrown into the liquid. If she turns red, then her acidity is increased. With neutral soil, the liquid will be green, and with a slightly acidic soil it will turn blue.
Strong earth compaction
In the absence of digging and loosening, bare sections of soil begin to compact, especially after irrigation. Everything else, people themselves tamp the soil when they walk between the beds. Such soil ceases to absorb water and it begins to stagnate on its surface, and stagnation of water favors the appearance of mosses and algae. This vegetation feels great on stone and asphalt, trees, building structures in a humid environment.On land with high acidity, horsetail, nettle, sour acid, fireweed and heather prefer to grow
The consequences of greening the soil
Algae and moss compete with cultivated plants, removing nutrients from the soil. They absorb phosphorus especially actively, therefore, an excess of phosphorus-containing fertilizers during feeding can stimulate their rapid reproduction. They can also parasitize on other vegetation.
The soil covered with green coating and the elements of buildings or decor do not look aesthetically pleasing. Greening the soil in the beds is a signal of impaired care for it or high acidity, all of which in aggregate negatively affects human crops.
Important! In order not to harm the soil and plant crops, you should clearly follow the dosage instructions for copper sulfate. This substance should not be more than 1 g per 1 m².
Greening Solutions
To eliminate the greenery that has appeared on the soil surface, chemical preparations are used or the soil is replaced.
Processing
To combat green shoots in the greenhouse, chemical treatments give a good effect. For this purpose, Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate is perfect. It is best to prepare a mixture of copper sulfate with slaked lime. To do this, 200 g of lime is stirred in 1 liter of hot liquid, then cool water is added to 10 liters. After the resulting mixture is decanted through a sieve. This procedure is carried out with copper sulfate, and then it is mixed with a solution of lime. The resulting mixture is treated with soil before planting seedlings.Before treating the soil with chemicals, it should be noted that algae and moss are quite resistant to chemicals, so it’s best to dig the soil in a greenhouse and mulch. From moss on paths and buildings, as well as on the roof, you can use iron sulfate (45 ml per 10 liters of water). This amount is enough for spraying 150 m². Herbicides such as Roundup or Lintur will help remove moss on stone paths.
Technology for replacing soil in the affected area
To combat green shoots in the greenhouse, you can carry out a full or partial replacement of the soil. This is a rather time-consuming process, therefore it is carried out only if other methods have not yielded results. Change the land after harvesting in the fall or early spring before planting.
Important! Do not fall asleep close to the stalks of plants, as this will disrupt air exchange and can cause rotting. It is necessary to observe a small interval between them.
This process is carried out in the following sequence:
- Remove the topsoil with a thickness of about 0.25–0.35 m.
- Quicklime is scattered around the site. Then after 24 hours, quench it with water. The entire surface after this process should be completely whitened.
- 2-3 days after such treatment, it is possible to cover with new soil.
This procedure will completely get rid of unwanted greens on the ground.
Video: replacing soil in a greenhouse
Green Prevention
To prevent the appearance of green plaque, it is necessary to carry out the following preventive measures:
- At the beginning of the spring period, carry out the ventilation of garden structures.
- Establish a species of plant that forms a green shoot. When moss appears, lighting should be improved. To provide more intense lighting, you can use large mirrors that reflect sunlight on areas with such a shoot. If the culprits were algae, which are photophilous plants, it is necessary to turn off the sources of artificial light, and cover the shoot itself with dark agrofibre or fill it with sawdust.
- Remove and remove from the site a layer of soil with such greenery.
- When digging the soil, add loose components to it - sand, peat, compost.
- Ensure good ventilation of the greenhouse. To do this, ventilate the room for at least an hour daily in the morning.
- Avoid waterlogging. If this happened, and seedlings are already growing on the site, then you need to stop watering for 7 days or spend it with a small amount of water.
- To control the acidity of the soil and to increase it, apply measures: every 4 years for the winter, liming with chalk, lime or dolomite flour. Apply siderates that reduce the acidity of the soil.
- Sprinkle soil with ash.
- Make sure that the earth after irrigation or rains is not taken by the crust, and in time to loosen it.
- First loosen the soil, and then mulch it with sawdust, straw or hay. Mulching is recommended when the soil warms up well - in late spring or early summer. If the greenhouse is heated, then this process can be done earlier.
Greening the soil in the greenhouse indicates improper soil care. Such vegetation deprives garden crops of food, so when mosses and lichens appear on the ground, appropriate measures should be taken.