When growing vegetables or flowers, you have to deal with many negative factors. One of them is mold in the greenhouse. Special conditions premises contribute to its appearance on various surfaces. The struggle is relevant not only for small premises, but also for large industrial production. To combat this phenomenon, both proven methods and new methods of influence are used.
Types of mold
It is necessary to take into account that mold is usually called special types of rapidly growing fungi. They form large colonies by spreading over the following surfaces:
- stems and leaves of plants;
- priming;
- the inner surface of the greenhouse;
- equipment used.
Mold that appears in a greenhouse significantly reduces productivity and also contributes to negative impact on shoots, which soon leads to the complete destruction of plants.
Preemption negative consequences Such influence is the main task in the struggle to increase productivity. It is advisable to recognize it in the early stages, when it is not widespread.
There are three most popular types of mold:
- white;
- black;
- gray
Infection most often occurs through root system. After the fungus penetrates, the blood vessels become blocked and a certain amount of toxic components are released. The appearance of plaque on the surface of the fruit or tops indicates that the spores have fully matured and can now spread to the surrounding area.
VIDEO: Onion fly, mold, condensation in the greenhouse and other problems
White mold
The reason why white mold appears in a greenhouse is due to a change in microclimate. It is disrupted due to problems with air exchange and improper use of irrigation. Diagnosis, as a rule, in the initial stages consists of examining the root system. Significant areas of moisture form in this area, which are covered with a light cotton wool-like coating.
White visually looks like clumps of cotton wool
Next, small dense areas of a darker color are formed. Later, the plant is completely captured by the fungus. There is a noticeable drying out of the stems and a clear drop in yield, accompanied by a decrease in the quality of the fruit.
In addition to external manifestations, changes occur inside the stems. Spores also develop there and sometimes come to the surface.
In the absence of timely intervention measures, the infection easily spreads between plants, and subsequently the fungus can survive in the soil for up to 7-8 years.
Gray mold
Poor ventilation contributes to the fact that the mold that develops on the ground in the greenhouse and on its walls quickly moves to the planting of seedlings and fruit-bearing plants. Contributes to the spread of infection high density earthen coma. Fungal traffic begins from the root system.
Signs of gray mold migrating through plants
Diagnose gray mold in the early stages it is possible to detect a characteristic bloom and wet dark spots that expand on the surface of the fruit and foliage. This phenomenon is accompanied by the following events:
- the plant withers;
- the color of the stems becomes whitish;
- the surface of the stem is covered with a light or slightly pink coating.
The bush completely dies, and the formed fruits cannot be eaten.
Black mold
This type of fungus is considered to be the most common variety for cucumber seedlings. He's intensely fast on healthy plants, quickly spreading the infection.
The main cause of black mold is increased humidity levels accompanied by elevated temperatures.
Black infects mainly nightshade crops
With such favorable conditions For mold, a dark coating will appear, which at a certain angle has a purple tint. Defeat occurs with bottom sheets, where red-colored lesions are formed, visually resembling burns. Spreading and merging into a large spot, the infection leads to tissue destruction and complete extinction of the plant. It is necessary to take into account that this disease has a small hidden incubation period, which lasts about 5 days. It can begin when the temperature drops to 10°C.
Active methods of struggle
It will be possible to effectively combat mold in the soil of greenhouses and on other surfaces using comprehensive control measures. For various types fungus uses a similar technique.
It is worth considering that the material from which the greenhouse is made directly affects the formation of negative plaque. Practice shows that polycarbonate buildings and buildings using film are more susceptible to the formation of mold in them than buildings with glass inserts. This is due to the ability of plastic and polyethylene to form condensation on the surface, which is favorable environment for fungus.
To get rid of white mold in a greenhouse on the soil, it is necessary to spring period carry out effective disinfection work that kills spores on the inner surface of the greenhouse. The walls are treated with a carbocation or a small concentration of chlorine. The upper part is irrigated with formaldehyde, a 5% solution is used. It is also advisable to rinse the outside with hot water.
In order to completely remove green mold in a greenhouse, since it, along with other types of fungi, harms the crop, you will need to properly treat the contaminated soil. Upon completion of all work inside and the final harvest, you will need to remove all debris and plant debris from the premises.
Mold almost never appears in those greenhouses that are carefully treated in the fall after harvesting. If the greenhouse or hotbed is not used in winter, be sure to open the doors and secure them so that the winds do not break or tear them off. Ideally, a greenhouse with a removable or sliding roof.
If it is not possible to open the greenhouse for such a long time, snow of at least 40-60 cm thick is periodically thrown onto the soil, this great way prevention.
Mold appears on the ground much less often if the greenhouse is carefully prepared for winter and left open doors, and in winter, throw at least 50 cm of snow on the ground. Ideally, the greenhouse should have a removable or sliding roof.
The impact on the soil is carried out in one of the following ways:
- During the biological procedure, antibiotics are used, as well as exposure to negative temperatures on the ground;
- by using thermal method you will need to heat the soil to 70°C to a depth of about 30 cm without the use of any chemicals, which is a highly labor-intensive and time-consuming process;
- with the chemical method, fumigation preparations are involved in the operation, but to implement this treatment option, well-warmed soil is required.
During the entire time the greenhouse is used for its intended purpose, plants are carefully checked for traces of white mold. For prevention, plants are treated with phytosporin once a month.
If you notice the appearance of mold, carry out all work using a respirator. The fungus is fraught with manifestations of allergies and suffocation.
It is necessary to take into account that at the end of treatment the soil will need to be dug up and not used for its intended purpose for one subsequent season.
VIDEO: Mold on seedlings. Solving the problem
Even despite reliable protection and careful care of greenhouses, the soil can take on a green tint. If it happens that the soil in the greenhouse turns green and is covered with plaque, then the first thing to do is to find out the reason for this phenomenon. After this, it is necessary to carry out an effective fight by choosing suitable methods and methods.
So that in the future the land in the greenhouse or hotbed does not acquire green color, it is important to follow the rules of operation of the greenhouse and correctly carry out all the necessary measures.
Why is this happening?
In most cases, the soil in the greenhouse turns green when plants such as moss and algae appear.When light from the sun rarely appears, moss settles in the soil, and when the sun is bright, algae can cover the soil. If the soil in the greenhouse turns green, then in addition to the source, you need to find out the reasons for its appearance.
- Most often, the soil turns green due to excessive moisture in the mail. This may be influenced overwatering plants, as well as the flow of water into the greenhouse due to natural phenomena such as precipitation or melting snow. What to do to avoid such a problem? The most important thing is to place the greenhouse in the right place (exclude lowlands and places with close proximity to groundwater);
- Another reason why the earth turns green may be an increased level of soil acidity. Plants such as moss like to live in acidic and acidified soil, which is deprived nutrients necessary for the development of planted crops;
- Another reason why the soil in a greenhouse turns green is the excessive addition of productivity-enhancing fertilizers to the soil. The most common are fertilizers with the addition of phosphorus, which have a beneficial effect on growth vegetable crops, such as tomatoes. But their excessive addition to the soil stimulates the colonization of the greenhouse with moss. This is the answer to the question why the earth turns green;
- The absence or lack of air ventilation is another reason why the soil in the greenhouse turns green. Lack of oxygen provokes the appearance of plants such as moss.
What to do to prevent it?
The most effective way One way to prevent the appearance of greenery in a greenhouse is to eliminate the causes of the development of diseases such as moss and algae. What should I do for this?
- Reduce watering, giving preference to the drip water supply;
- If moss is present, provide better penetration in a greenhouse or greenhouse of sunlight;
- In the fight against a plant such as algae, it is necessary to reduce the supply of solar heat;
- If the soil is covered with plaque, try to establish effective ventilation in the greenhouse.
Before eliminating green diseases, you need to concentrate all your efforts on reducing the soil moisture level in the greenhouse.
How to get rid of it?
If the soil in your greenhouse is covered with plaque and turns green, then you can use any of the methods to eliminate the problem:
- Taking measures to reduce the acid level in the soil;
- The use of a method based on soil mulching;
- Changing the affected soil layer;
- Application of measures to optimize crop rotation.
Measures to reduce soil acidity
By normalizing this important indicator soil, such as acidity, can eliminate the appearance of green color on the soil in the greenhouse. What to do to determine the acidity level? To do this, you will need litmus paper to assess the pH of the environment. For the most accurate results, you can use special soil meters, like the Alyamovsky device. With their help, you can establish all the necessary soil indicators, such as humidity, temperature regime and illumination.
- To determine the acidic state of the earth there is folk method. To use it, you will need cherry or currant leaves, which need to be steamed in water. Next, in the finished infusion you need to place not a large number of soil from a greenhouse. If the water turns green, then the acid level is normal, redness indicates increased acidity, turning blue means its decrease;
- Another way to determine soil acidity is by looking at the height levels of different weeds and grasses. If the soil is acidic, then plants such as plantain, sorrel, fireweed and rhubarb will actively grow here. If the soil has a slightly acidic composition, then other plants, such as clover, parey and coltsfoot, will reign in the greenhouse.
What to do if the soil in the greenhouse turns green due to increased acidity levels? The first thing that can cope with increased soil acidity is alkaline compounds and sorbents. The second option for solving this problem could be green manure plants, such as rye, oats, lupine and phacelia, which can reduce the acidified environment.
Among the most popular means that have the property of reducing soil acidity are substances such as slaked or lake lime, calcareous or dolomite flour, ash from peat or wood and crushed chalk.
How to mulch the soil
The question of what to do if the soil in the greenhouse turns green can be completely resolved with the help of such an event as mulching the soil. This method will protect the soil from excess moisture by ensuring rapid drying. The mulching procedure can be carried out using sawdust, straw, hay, compost, dry grass or dried tree bark. If there is an acidic environment, you should not mulch with pine needles, which can further increase the acidity.
How to do mulching correctly? To do this, a number of conditions must be met.
- The application of the protective layer should occur on top of well-watered soil;
- Before the mulching procedure, loosening the soil is required;
- It is necessary to leave a small space around the stem of the crop to ensure air circulation.
How to change the composition of the soil?
When the soil in the greenhouse turns green, the problem can be solved in another way, which is labor-intensive and efficient. If the soil in the greenhouse has turned green and covered with plaque, then removing the affected soil layer and replacing it with a new layer will help change the situation. This cardinal method
can be used in cases where other measures have not given a positive result. What to do with this option to combat green plaque? The procedure for removing the top soil layer (more than 25 cm thick) occurs in early spring before the start of planting activities or in autumn time after cleaning procedures. Next, the remaining bud must be covered with a thin layer of a substance such as quicklime
. After a day has passed, it is necessary to add water, which will complete the extinguishing procedure. As a result, a white coating will appear on the surface. After several days (3 to 4), you can begin laying a new soil layer. During such an event, do not forget to ensure good ventilation in the greenhouse.
To reduce the addition of large amounts of fertilizer, it will be necessary to carry out optimization measures for crop rotation. To begin with, you should divide vegetable crops into types, depending on the requirements for their fertilization: crops that require thorough fertilization, in average quantities, and vegetables that do not require fertilizer. Optimization measures for crop rotation include the following actions: applying a large proportion of fertilizer, adding fertilizing for 3 years, changing crops once a year. To ensure that the fertilizers remaining in the soil are consumed, it is recommended to plant crops in the off-season.
A greenhouse is a closed little world in which high humidity and high temperature are artificially maintained. Such an environment is a true paradise for fungi, moss and mold. Microorganisms that have settled in the greenhouse soil begin to multiply so rapidly that the soil in the greenhouse is completely covered with a smoky green coating, and then vegetable growers have to urgently understand why the greenhouse soil turns green and what to do about it. There is no single means of control - in order to disinfect the substrate, it is necessary to study the problem.
Signs of soil contamination in a greenhouse
Due to the nature of the operation of greenhouses, the soil contained in them is subjected to loads much greater than the soil in open garden beds. Due to this highly intensive use, the soil in greenhouses is quickly depleted and colonized by virulent bacteria, pathogenic fungi, bryophytes and lower plants.
Flowering soil in a greenhouse
The importance of soil quality and purity
Complete replacement contaminated and depleted greenhouse soil is a labor-intensive and costly procedure. To avoid unnecessary costs, it is necessary to regularly monitor the quality and microbiological composition of the greenhouse substrate and carry out agrotechnical measures aimed at improving it.
If preventive disinfection turns out to be ineffective and a greenish or whitish coating still appears on the soil surface, all the soil in the structure should be disinfected with some powerful chemical preparation, the choice of which depends on the etiology of the layers.
Moss on a greenhouse bed
The soil turns green and moss appears
If the soil in the greenhouse is covered with a green coating, it is most likely that the surface of the beds is filled with mosses. The spores of these bryophytes are constantly present in nature and penetrate into the greenhouse structure through ventilation, are carried into it on the soles of shoes, or fall along with irrigation water. Finding themselves in comfortable greenhouse conditions, single moss spores quickly germinate and give rise to extensive colonies of bryophytes.
This is what moss looks like
The above reasons for the proliferation of mosses rarely act alone. Much more often, factors that provoke the growth of microflora are combined with each other in various options. In most cases, those beds acquire an unhealthy green color if the soil is heavily acidified, compacted, completely lost its looseness, and, moreover, is constantly damp from too frequent and abundant watering.
Greening of greenhouse soil is sometimes caused not by mosses, but by microscopic algae. Contrary to popular belief, these lower plants can live not only at the bottom of reservoirs, but also on the surface of the earth. Having penetrated into a greenhouse with rain or blooming irrigation water, small green algae quickly “spread” along the ground and form a bright emerald carpet on it.
Where does the white coating come from?
In most cases, a dry white coating on the ground in a greenhouse is a concentrate of salts crystallized on the surface of the soil, contained in irrigation water or in liquid root fertilizers. This problem is often encountered by gardeners who use unfiltered very hard water for irrigation, coming from artesian wells, as well as vegetable growers who are guilty of excessive use mineral fertilizers.
Contribute to the formation of such plaque:
- very heavy mechanical composition, poor drainage and high capillarity of the soil (due to which saline solution accumulates near the surface);
- high temperature and dry air in the structure (both of these factors stimulate the evaporation of water, which leads to the removal of salts to the surface of the bed);
- scanty frequent watering (with such irrigation, the water never washes the soil to a great depth, so all the salts remain in the surface layer).
White coating on the ground
Lime-salt deposits can cause a decrease in yield, but it does not pose an immediate threat to the life of vegetables. A much greater danger to plants is the white coating formed by the mycelium of proliferating molds.
It is very simple to distinguish the second from the first - if the mineral concentrate looks like a hard salt crust, then the organic, moldy coating, upon closer examination, looks like a soft velvety cover woven from thousands of thin whitish fibers.
Mold on the soil
Mold in a greenhouse and the reasons for its appearance
Mold is not only white, but also gray, green, black and even pink, and it can settle in any greenhouse or greenhouse, regardless of its design and material of manufacture. Having settled in a greenhouse structure, the mold actively multiplies and quickly spreads over the surface of the earth and frame parts, and then spreads to the plants. Mold is especially dangerous for immature young seedlings.
The reasons why mold grows in a greenhouse are similar to the factors that contribute to the proliferation of mosses, so there is no point in listing them again. In addition to the previously mentioned conditions, the growth of mold mycelium is favored by the high humus content in the greenhouse substrate.
Mold on the beds
Terms and rules of disinfection
Proper preparation soil for planting seedlings is not limited to just digging up and applying fertilizers - so that the vegetables growing in the greenhouse do not get sick, late autumn or in early spring greenhouse soil must be treated in some way disinfectant.
How to treat a greenhouse in spring
The main work on sanitizing the greenhouse is usually carried out after harvesting. However, some of the pathogenic soil microflora avoids death from autumn disinfection, successfully survives the winter and, as soon as the sun warms up, begins to multiply rapidly.
To prevent the germination of surviving spores, additional disinfection of the soil in the greenhouse is carried out 15-20 days before planting the first vegetable crops. The choice of disinfectants approved for use in the spring is very small. Most chemical antifungal and antibacterial drugs, due to their high toxicity and long decomposition time into safe components, cannot be used immediately before planting seedlings.
Shortly before the start of operation of the greenhouse, it is permissible to disinfect the soil only with steam, boiling water, potassium permanganate, Carbation, Fitosporin, Trichodermin, Baktofit or preparations from the Baikal series.
"Fitosporin"
Spring pre-planting treatment of the greenhouse includes:
- washing transparent parts with laundry soap, followed by wiping them with a sponge soaked in a thick purple solution of potassium permanganate;
- whitewashing the wooden parts of the frame with lime:
- processing metal elements structures with a concentrated solution copper sulfate;
- prolonged ventilation;
- soil disinfection using one of the above-mentioned environmentally friendly means.
Ventilation of the greenhouse
If during the winter the soil in the greenhouse is completely covered with mold or last year there were outbreaks of fungal diseases, vegetable growers no longer have to think about environmental cleanliness and the preservation of beneficial soil microflora.
In such cases, we are talking about the very possibility of operating an infected structure. With such massive soil invasions, “heavy artillery” is forced to be used. No later than three weeks before planting, they spill the greenhouse soil with a formaldehyde solution or fumigate the entire greenhouse area with a sulfur bomb.
Fumigation with a sulfur bomb
Autumn disinfection activities
Preparation of the soil in the greenhouse in the fall begins with spring cleaning. After harvesting, remove completely from the greenhouse garden tools, all plant remains are collected in bags and burned outside the plot. After that, the rope trellises are dismantled, and the tension cords themselves and the twine used to tie up the plants are disposed of.
The parts of the empty building are washed and treated in the same way as they are done in the spring. The earthen clods in the beds are carefully broken up with a rake and all the roots are removed from the soil. The substrate, cleared of organic residues, is loosened and leveled. Having finished cleaning, the greenhouse is well ventilated, after which the soil in it is disinfected.
When deciding how to disinfect the soil in a greenhouse in the fall, they proceed from the general condition of the soil and the degree of its contamination.
Cleaning up trash from the greenhouse
If the soil in the greenhouse is of high quality and the vegetables growing on it in the current season have not suffered from any disease, for preventive and disinfection purposes, the beds are generously spilled with boiling water three times (at three-day intervals) or treated once with a solution of potassium permanganate, and the room itself is fumigated with sulfur.
In the case when the soil is clearly acidic and there is a suspicion or certainty that it is infected with root-knot nematodes, clubroot cysts or late blight, it is disinfected (and at the same time deacidified) with freshly slaked lime, which is scattered over the soil at the rate of: 5-7 cups per 1 m², after which the beds are dug up.
To destroy nematodes, arthropod pests, fungi that cause fusarium, gray mold and verticillium, the greenhouse soil is etched with a 2% Carbation solution, watered generously (so that the drug penetrates into the depths) and after the beds dry, they are dug up deeply.
If the substrate is heavily contaminated with mold and whitefly larvae, a formalin working solution is used to disinfect it, which, due to its very high toxicity and pungent odor, is rarely used in private households.
Important! Disinfection of beds with a formaldehyde solution is carried out using an industrial respirator! The solution is prepared by mixing 1 liter of a standard forty percent strength preparation with five buckets of water and adding it at the rate of 10-12 liters per square meter. After such treatment, the greenhouse is tightly closed, and after three days it is opened wide and ventilated for at least two weeks.
Soil liming
Maintaining cleanliness – preventing infectious diseases
It is easier to prevent any disease than to cure it, therefore, in order to avoid racking your brains two or three years after the start of operation of the greenhouse because of the fact that an infection has proliferated in the greenhouse, it is necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness, namely:
- regularly weed the beds and dispose of weeds immediately after this operation;
- promptly tear off and burn fungus-affected ovaries and leaves;
- dig up and destroy plants that are sick with root rot, and fill the remaining holes with a solution of copper sulfate;
- prevent the formation of puddles in passages and under bushes; to do this, adjust irrigation and eliminate leaks in watering taps and hoses;
- When watering, do not splash water on the leaf blades of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and promptly tear off those that touch the soil.
Greenhouse treatment
How to treat the soil
The soil in the greenhouse is used very intensively, which is why some preventive measures to maintain it in a healthy state is usually not enough. Therefore, vegetable growers inevitably have to resort to the help of chemical disinfectants. However, before you disinfect the soil in a greenhouse with formaldehyde, copper sulfate, bleach or potassium permanganate, you should try environmentally friendly methods for naturally healing the soil.
Disinfection of soil with copper sulfate
Treatment with copper sulfate is justified in cases where the soil in the greenhouse is contaminated with pathogens of late blight, peronosporosis or bacteriosis.
Copper is a microelement necessary for the normal development of any plant, but it has the characteristic ability to accumulate in the soil and vegetables growing on it. Fruits and tubers saturated with copper become toxic, in addition, copper sulfate does not separate representatives of the soil microflora into “good” and “bad”, but burns them all indiscriminately, which is why after its use it takes a long time to populate the “dead” soil beneficial bacteria.
In view of the above circumstances, total disinfection of the soil in a greenhouse with this pesticide is possible no more than once every five years.
Carrying out such processing is simple. In the fall, after harvesting and thoroughly cleaning the greenhouse, the soil in it is spilled with a fresh solution of copper sulfate prepared from a bucket warm water and a tablespoon (according to another version - a teaspoon) of crystalline vitriol.
Preparation of copper sulfate solution
The use of potassium permanganate for disinfection
Potassium permanganate is a very powerful oxidizing agent that destructurizes any protein compounds, and is therefore destructive to all soil microflora. Looking for a way to neutralize the soil in a greenhouse from diseases, many vegetable growers settle on inexpensive, relatively harmless, accessible and very effective potassium permanganate.
In autumn, and more often in spring, 10-15 days before planting seedlings, greenhouse beds are generously spilled with a dark purple solution of potassium permanganate, prepared from three buckets of warm water and a full tablespoon of permanganate crystals.
Potassium permanganate solution
Is it necessary to change the soil in the greenhouse?
Some vegetable growers claim that every three years it is necessary to change all the soil to a depth of 70 cm. However, if small greenhouse changing the soil is not so difficult, so how to change the soil in a greenhouse with an area of 20-30 m²? This is hellish work and a very large financial investment!
Complete replacement of the soil in the greenhouse in the fall is an extreme measure, which should be resorted to only after no other conservative methods of treating contaminated soil have been tested and have not helped.
In normal cases, to prevent outbreaks of diseases in vegetable crops, it is enough to fumigate the greenhouse with a sulfur bomb every fall, water the beds with potassium permanganate in the spring, and renew the top 10-15 cm of the substrate every other year.
Replacing the top layer
Soil treatment with phytosporin - video
Chemical antiseptics and fungicides act powerfully, but not selectively. After using them, healthy soil microflora is restored for many years, and toxic products of the decomposition of pesticides remain in the soil for a long time. Biological disinfectants are completely free of these shortcomings; they naturally suppress the proliferation of virulent fungi and bacteria, and are absolutely safe for warm-blooded creatures and beneficial microorganisms.
Such environmentally friendly disinfectants include Fitosporin-M, an innovative systemic bacterial fungicide that suppresses the proliferation of two dozen types of pathogenic microorganisms.
Before disinfecting the greenhouse with this product, the soil in it is dug up again, harrowed with a rake and carefully leveled.
6-7 days before planting the seedlings, prepare a working solution of “Fitosporin” (for which 1.5 teaspoons of the powdered preparation are diluted in a bucket of slightly heated water) and generously spray the surface of the greenhouse beds with it.
Video: Instructions for tillage
Timely and high-quality disinfection of greenhouse soil prevents widespread plant diseases, protects against invasions of insect pests, and thereby significantly increases the chances of obtaining a bountiful harvest of first-class vegetables.
Currently, such a branch of the national economy as horticulture and vegetable growing is rapidly developing all over the world. Almost every person has his own plot of land and is engaged in growing crops. But this is not an easy task at all. To obtain good harvest, the owner requires great skills and abilities, otherwise there will be only losses. In connection with all this, the question arises of how to properly grow vegetables and what kind of care they need. Great importance in this matter, they have various kinds of problems that worsen or complicate the cultivation of vegetables and flowers. These include various pests, plant diseases, unfavorable microclimatic conditions, improper watering and care, and much more. The main plant pests are mold and insects.
The properties of mold are contradictory. She can both kill and heal.
Mold: reasons for its appearance and reproduction
One of the very common problems that gardeners have is mold on the ground. It should be noted that mold is found almost everywhere, which makes this problem especially pressing. You can find this “pest” in almost any garden or home. Why does it arise? The answer to this is very simple. This is primarily due to the air-thermal regime.
The thing is that mold is a cluster of microscopic fungi that are relatively toxic and can cause poisoning in the body.
Like all microbes, they love warmth and moisture, and greenhouses are the most optimal place for their development and reproduction. Heat in a greenhouse, rare ventilation, high humidity air - all these are predisposing factors to the appearance of mold.
By following a number of rules to prevent the appearance of mold and its destruction of crops, you can avoid it.
Very important point is also insufficient ultraviolet radiation. To many experienced gardeners it is known that Sun rays have a detrimental effect on the development of fungi, they prevent them from growing and multiplying in the greenhouse.
The ventilation mode also plays an important role. As a preventative measure, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the greenhouse; this is done both in summer and winter. If you suddenly find mold on the ground in your greenhouse, then this is a bad sign. Of course, it will have practically no effect on a person, since the time he spends there is limited, but it can impede the growth of seedlings, and also get in with harvested on the table or hands of the owner, which happens quite often in dacha farming. The most common is the so-called green mold. It should not be confused with the one that is used, for example, in making cheese. In that case, it is edible and specially grown, safe for humans.
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Measures to combat mold fungi
Mold is an inevitable component of almost any household. It can appear anywhere: in basements, in sheds, barns, greenhouses and greenhouses, and even in living rooms. How to fight this disease? There are very, very many ways. If mold appears on the ground, then an effective way is to treat it with a carbon-mineral mixture. This is an active sorbent. As a result of its application, the reaction of the environment in the soil changes, it increases and becomes more alkaline. But mold develops only at a neutral or acidic pH level. This event repeated 2 times with an interval of about 3 weeks. The effect is almost one hundred percent. If mold is already on the ground, then it dies and disappears right before our eyes.
One way to avoid mold is to fertilize the soil with ash.
In any greenhouse, you can use a method such as adding crushed charcoal with ash. After all, the earth is the main place for the development of fungi. The active principle in these two methods is calcium. It is this that has a detrimental effect on mold. Peat can also be used in a greenhouse, which is pre-treated with copper. This method is no less effective. When carrying out these activities, you need to remember that green mold can reappear, so it is recommended to periodically check the area for its presence and take urgent measures to eliminate it.
Many summer residents wonder why the soil in the greenhouse turns white, because they take such careful care of it, fertilize it, water it and weed it. So what is the reason for the greening of the earth, mold and white plaque?
The most common reasons are excessive soil moisture, pests and improper care.
The soil is sick for several reasons:
- If you water the soil endlessly.
- With increased soil acidity.
- When the greenhouse is poorly ventilated or absent at all, resulting in increased humidity in the room.
- If you add a lot of fertilizers to the soil.
These reasons can be combined with each other.
Pests, insects and diseases
Very often, pests lay their larvae in the soil where they are for a long time. If this problem is not dealt with, the number of harmful larvae in the soil will only increase. And some conditions can contribute to this, for example, heating the soil in the cold season, etc.
The most common pests include:
- wireworms,
- cabbage flies,
- mole cricket,
- spider mite and others.
Other types of soil diseases include infections of vegetable crops - these are various mold spores and fungal diseases, which can also penetrate the soil and cause contamination. Many microorganisms are able to penetrate not only into the soil, but also constantly remain on the frame of the greenhouse itself (especially if it is made of wood). Therefore, if you carry out measures to disinfect the soil, it is necessary to touch all parts of the greenhouse in order to completely prevent the re-production of harmful microorganisms.
Common soil diseases:
- clubroot;
- late blight;
- spots on leaves;
- macrosporiosis;
- peronosporosis.
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Soil waterlogging
If the soil is waterlogged, then in the near future you may find algae, fungus and mosses in your beds. This is also facilitated by warm air in the greenhouse. Particular insidiousness may come from groundwater, which may be located in the area of the greenhouse. Often, the owner of a greenhouse may not be aware of this and water his plants as usual; as a result, excessive moisture occurs, which in turn leads to soreness and greening of the soil.
How to distinguish moss from algae? These two species can often be confused, but they have distinctive features:
- When the greenhouse lighting is poor, moss appears on the plants and soil.
- But if there is enough light in the greenhouse, then we can talk about the formation of algae.
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Causes of white plaque and measures to get rid of it
White coating is a yellowish crust consisting of salt. It can form for the following reasons:
- If the soil composition is considered mechanically heavy.
- Difficult soil drainage.
- With poor or scanty watering.
- Too much fertilizer in the soil.
- A large amount of fertilizing in the soil.
- The composition of irrigation water may contain large amounts of chlorine, calcium or magnesium.
- Dry air.
- Fungus or mold.
Ways to combat plaque.
The appearance of green and white deposits in the soil is associated with excessive waterlogging of the soil.
You can get rid of white deposits on the soil in different ways:
- For example, you can sprinkle the surface of the soil with expanded clay. It is on it that a white dried sediment will appear; from time to time the expanded clay needs to be washed and returned to its place again.
- Sprinkle upper layer soil river sand and loosen it more often. This is very beneficial for the root system of plants.
- You can remove the top layer of soil and add leaf humus.
- Remove the top layer of soil and fill in a new one.
- Purchase a soil deoxidizer from a specialty store. Remove the top layer of soil and pour the deoxidizer deeper.
- Water the soil with softened water. To do this, use a special filter. You can put a bag of peat in a bucket of water. If possible, water should be passed through a layer of peat, then the salts will be adsorbed.
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Increased soil acidity
To reduce the acidity of the soil, which causes moss and mold to spread throughout the area (and this is detrimental to plants), you need to take the following actions:
- Add tree resin to the soil; this should be done from time to time. But not too often.
- Add lime to the soil.
- Dolomite flour added to the soil effectively eliminates soil diseases.
It is advisable to add these fertilizers to the soil at the time of digging up the earth, before planting and after harvesting. In this case, the soil in the greenhouse will not deoxidize, causing mosses to stop appearing.
To ensure that plants grow well in the soil and produce a harvest, do the following:
- Sprinkle lime on the soil and do not dig up the soil.
- After this, sow green manure - this is a fast-growing grass.
- After the grass sprouts, plant seedlings of other vegetable crops in the soil.
- After the seedlings have taken root, the grass is mowed and subsequently used as mulching material.