Protected ground structures provide an opportunity for hobbyists to grow seedlings of garden crops, flower seedlings, and root cuttings of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs. But before moving in with green residents, they must undergo certain training. You can learn from the article how to properly prepare the inside and outside of the greenhouse so that in the spring you can start growing the planned crops in it.
Cleaning the interior from plant debris
The process of preparing a greenhouse in the spring also includes such a mandatory item as getting rid of the remains of plants that lived here last season. This step makes it possible to prevent the development in a closed system of closed ground of some diseases that affected predecessors. For example, most pathogenic fungi do not die along with the plant, but overwinter safely on dried leaves and stems.
Attention! Residues removed from the greenhouse are best taken off site or burned.
The roots of outdated plants should also be removed from the greenhouse without fail. In this case, the top layer of soil can be replaced at the same time. This procedure looks like this step by step:
- Remove from 5 to 7 cm of soil. The roots are selected and discarded. The soil is transferred from the greenhouse to an open space.
- Lay a layer of humus and then manure.
- Everything is sprinkled with a small (about 3 cm) layer of garden soil.
Additionally, soil disinfection should be carried out. To do this, use a solution copper sulfate, which is used to pour the soil in the greenhouse after loosening.
How to disinfect
Spring treatment of the interior with disinfectant solutions when preparing the greenhouse is very important, since only this technique can destroy the spores of a fungus that is dangerous to crops and causes late blight. It is carried out using several methods:
- using sulfur gas bombs;
Disinfection using a checker - spraying with slaked lime mixed with copper sulfate;
- treating walls, ceilings and soil with special biological products.
Attention! All des. solutions are poisonous. You should only work with them if you have appropriate protection.
For gas treatment, “Climate” sulfur blocks are most often used. During their combustion, acids are formed that penetrate even into inconspicuous crevices. In this way, fungi, slugs, and spider mites are destroyed. The procedure is carried out with the door and windows tightly closed. 50 g of sulfur is required per 1 m³. Ventilate the greenhouse 3 days after fumigation. Some greenhouse owners oppose this method of disinfection, citing its low efficiency and the high percentage of sulfur compounds that enter the non-spill soil of the greenhouse, which guarantees its absorption by the plants.
Treatment in the following way consists of spraying the walls, ceiling and frame with a solution of a mixture consisting of 3 kg of slaked lime and 500 g of copper sulfate (per bucket of water). This method is also not good enough due to the fact that the drugs are toxic to humans.
The use of biological products when preparing a greenhouse for spring plantings is considered the most effective, safe and promising way to get rid of fungi and harmful microflora. In addition, according to manufacturers, such treatment increases productivity. For 10 liters of water you need 100 g of the drug.
How to prepare the soil
For normal plant growth and, accordingly, obtaining a good harvest, a sufficient supply of nutrients in the soil is required. Therefore, before planting crops in a greenhouse, the soil is prepared.
There are 2 methods you can use here:
- adding organic matter and minerals;
- sowing
- legumes;
- cereals;
- phacelia;
- mustard.
They are sown very densely in the greenhouse, early in the spring. A week or two before the planned planting of vegetables, green manure is cut with a flat cutter and buried to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Preparing a greenhouse is a very important event, the correctness of which determines the well-being of the planted crops. Most amateurs, after reading the article and viewing the photos and videos attached to the article, will be able to figure it out and do the work themselves.
What to do in the greenhouse before planting: video
Almost every summer cottage There is a greenhouse farm. This can be a plot of land protected from the external environment in the form of a greenhouse for growing seedlings or a greenhouse in which a full-fledged crop is grown. Unlike an open area, greenhouses are used more intensively and over time reduce the yield and quality of grown vegetables. This occurs from the accumulation of various pathogens, pests, and weeds in a closed, confined space. To extend the life of the greenhouse and maintain the ability to produce high-quality yields of vegetable crops, it is necessary to annually prepare the greenhouse for the next season. It is most convenient to perform preparatory work in the fall after harvesting, but before the onset of cold weather.
Greenhouse prepared for wintering. © Ray Crowther
All work can be divided into 3 stages:
- cleaning the external area and processing the outside and frame of the greenhouse,
- internal work to prepare the interior and frame of the greenhouse for wintering,
- preparation and disinfection of soil in the greenhouse.
Preparing the greenhouse area for the next season
Autumn work can begin at any stage, but it is better to immediately prepare the external territory, especially in regions with early attack rainy season. We clear the area around the greenhouse from weeds, broken boxes and other household items scattered around. We stack the boxes for repairs, which can be done on winter evenings. We repair, disinfect, dry and store all greenhouse tools (shovels, rakes, knives, pruners, saws, etc.) indoors.
If there are mole crickets, mole rats, and mole rats in the open garden, then around the greenhouse we dig any barrier approximately 1 m deep (slate, unnecessary plywood treated with resin to prevent rotting, and other materials not needed on the farm).
Over the summer, dust accumulates on the cover on the outside of the greenhouse; fallen leaves and other debris get stuck in the cracks, which will serve as an overwintering place for various diseases and pests. Thoroughly clean the surface of the greenhouse from debris. Then we wash the outer surface with detergent and additionally treat it with a solution with the addition of disinfectants (bleach at the rate of 300-400 g or copper sulfate 100 g per 10 liters of water). Don't forget about personal protection measures!
If the greenhouse is covered with removable film, dry it, carefully remove it, roll it up and put it in a dry room for storage. We inspect, repair if necessary, the frame and treat it with disinfectants on all sides. If the greenhouse is made of polycarbonate or glass, then we process the outer side of the covering and frame. If the region has snowy winters, then to protect the structure from deformation under the weight of the snow mass, we install T-shaped supports on the inside or constantly clean the surface of the greenhouse from sediment.
Interior work in a greenhouse
We clean the greenhouse premises from various auxiliary racks, shelves, boxes, barrels for irrigation, hoses, twine, etc. We inspect them, disinfect them, dry them and place them indoors.
We remove the tops of grown crops. We put the healthy ones in compost heaps, and mercilessly burn the sick ones or bury them away from the site.
If the greenhouse is glazed or polycarbonate, then first we inspect and replace cracked and broken glass and the damaged integrity of the polycarbonate. We seal all the cracks in the frames and opening transoms with sealant.
Rinse inner surface greenhouse premises with soapy water, dry and treat with the same disinfectant solution as the outer part. You can also use more modern disinfectants purchased in specialized stores.
After drying the greenhouse premises, we treat the wooden frame with copper sulfate and paint the metal frame (if necessary).
Let's start disinfecting the greenhouse. Don't forget about sealing. To disinfect, you can use the good old method - fumigating the room with lump sulfur. Place 100-150 g of sulfur on iron baking sheets; for better ignition, mix with a small amount of kerosene (not gasoline). The density of the sulfur blocks is approximately 1 per 1.0-1.5 square meters. m greenhouse. It is necessary to work in protective clothing, a respirator and goggles. We set fire to the sulfur from the far end of the greenhouse towards the exit. We close the premises for 4-5 days. After the procedure, thoroughly ventilate.
Fumigation can be carried out with ready-made “Fas” or “Climate” checkers. A description of use is given on the packaging.
If the greenhouse frame is made of unpainted metal, sulfur cannot be used due to corrosion processes. In this case, you can use solutions based on bleach, slaked lime or other chemicals.
Preparing a bleach solution: Dissolve 0.5-1.0 kg of dry matter in 10 liters of water, leave for 3-4 hours, strain thoroughly and sprinkle the entire greenhouse. Seal tightly and leave for 2-3 days, then ventilate.
Preparation of slaked lime solution: Mix 3-4 kg of slaked lime with 0.5 kg of copper sulfate, dilute with 10 liters of water, mixing well. Let it sit for 1-2 hours and carefully use a thick solution to clean the wooden frame, the brick (wooden) base of the greenhouse and other places in the room that are accessible to pests and suitable for the life of pathogenic microflora.
Preparation of a biological product solution. Should be avoided at home chemicals. It is best to use biological rather than chemical preparations to treat the interior of the greenhouse. They are made on a natural basis of positive microflora, are harmless to humans, but are able to suppress the development of pathogenic microflora (especially fungal diseases) for several years. The biological product “Fitop-Flora-S” is recommended for treating greenhouses. You need to dissolve 100 g of the drug in 10 liters of dechlorinated water and treat the entire interior of the greenhouse. After 10-12 days, the treatment must be repeated.
Greenhouse. © cabinorganic Preparation and disinfection of soil in a greenhouse
In a confined space, the soil very quickly breaks down: fertility decreases, acidification is clearly evident, pests and pathogenic microflora accumulate. To prevent this from happening, the greenhouse soil is systematically revitalized. Treatment methods are divided into general, thermal, chemical and biological.
General work to improve greenhouse soil
General measures include annual full or partial replacement of the top 20-25 cm of soil. This method is most suitable for small greenhouses. On large areas, soil replacement (even partial) is very difficult and not always justified work.
First option
We carefully remove the used layer of soil (usually 10-15 cm) and take it out of the greenhouse to a prepared place, where we lay it in a layer cake: a layer of substrate 10-12 cm, on top of a layer of manure, compost, dry healthy tops, fallen leaves, remains of green manure crops or weeds unseeded vegetation. It would be good to treat this layer with the Baikal EM-1 preparation. You can use the biological product “Trichodermin” or “Azotofit”. They will help process plant material faster. Place a layer of soil on top again. The pie is systematically shoveled throughout the year, gradually reducing its height. By mixing the humified layer with soil when digging, it can be used as open ground under garden crops or you can return it recovered to the greenhouse.
Second option
Bring forest or field soil into the greenhouse from places where garden crops were not grown.
Third option
Partial soil replacement should be carried out once every 3-4 years. In this case, after harvesting, we manually remove the remains of roots, weeds and other debris from the top layer of soil. You can literally (if the greenhouse is small) sift through the top layer of soil. At the same time, you will get rid of some of the pests.
Prepared greenhouse beds can be sown with winter green manure (rye, oats and other crops). They will have time to develop root system and form an above-ground mass. When the spring greenhouse season opens, we trim the green manure and embed it in the top 10 cm layer of soil. After 2-3 weeks we begin sowing and planting. Green manure will not only enrich the soil with organic matter, but will also partially disinfect the soil from pests and pathogenic microflora.
Thermal treatment of greenhouse soil
After harvesting and processing the frame and shelter in a film greenhouse, we remove the film, and in polycarbonate and glass greenhouses we seal the treated room for 1-2 weeks. We provide the opportunity to “work” for the sun. In sun-dried soil, pathogenic microflora, which require moderate temperature and humidity, will die.
Please note! With this method of disinfection, not only pathogenic, but also beneficial microflora die in the soil.
If autumn is early and cold, then around October-early November, depending on the region, the soil in the greenhouse is scalded hot water(not boiling water). This treatment also kills a sufficient number of pests and pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Greenhouse care. © sungardening Chemical disinfection of soil in a greenhouse
When whitewashing with lime milk and copper sulfate, a solution is applied to the soil, which partially disinfects the soil. After such disinfection, the soil is dug up.
If, after treating the room, the top layer of soil was replaced with a new one or it was replaced last year, then you can treat the soil with a solution of copper sulfate (25-30 g / 10 l of water) and after some time dig it with a shovel.
Treatment with copper sulfate cannot be carried out annually, since copper, accumulating in the soil, inhibits plants.
You can use ready-made chemicals from the list of approved ones and disinfect the soil according to the instructions.
Remember! To obtain environmentally friendly products, you cannot use chemicals (especially in protected soil).
Biological methods for disinfecting greenhouse soil
The biological method of soil disinfection in a greenhouse is the most acceptable. It allows you not to change the top layer for a long time and at the same time the soil does not reduce fertility and does not increase the pathogenic load of the soil. This is due to the fact that all biological products help enrich the soil with beneficial microflora, which destroys pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses and, at the same time, by processing organic plant residues, increases the amount of organic matter and nutrients in the soil in the form of available mineral salts.
With biological disinfection, you can dig up the soil in the fall, treat it with a biological solution and sow green manure.
If you didn’t have time, then with the beginning of spring work we will revive the soil and awaken the beneficial microflora from winter hibernation by watering the soil with moderately hot water, raising the soil temperature to +12.. +14 °C. We pour the thawed soil with the Baikal EM-1 solution and rake it into the soil.
We use the dry preparation “Emochka-Bokashi”. Scatter over the soil and water with warm water. In a humid, warm environment, microorganisms begin to multiply intensively, destroying pathogenic microflora.
During the entire growing season, plants in the greenhouse can be treated with bioinsecticides against pests and biofungicides against fungal diseases.
The most effective bioinsecticides are boverim, fitoverm, actofite, bitoxybacillin, and lepidocide. Of the biofungicides, trichodermin, gaupsin, phytosporin, alirin-B, and gamair are highly effective. Consumption rates and treatment times are indicated on the packaging or in the accompanying recommendations for use.
To reduce the number of treatments, it is better to use tank mixtures, having first checked the preparations for compatibility. It should be noted that by treating plants and soil during the growing season, biological products protect plants from diseases and pests and at the same time heal the soil without harming the human body.
We install any greenhouse or greenhouse so that in the future, in these “houses,” we can create the necessary conditions for the crops that we are going to grow there. But what is good for plants is also very good for their pests and diseases. If you cultivate monocultures in a greenhouse for a long time, this seriously increases the concentration of dangerous pests in the soil. These are, as a rule, insects, and in addition to them various pathogenic fungi, as well as harmful microbes. That is why, any greenhouses where the soil is constantly closed must be disinfected - the soil, as well as the structure of the greenhouse itself and all the equipment that you have there. This needs to be done every year. Greenhouses made of polycarbonate are usually not often disinfected. The opinion of experts is to hold all such events in the fall (more about this has been written). It is best to do this disinfection as soon as you harvest. But, we all have our own things to do, and perhaps it was these very things that did not allow you to take care of your greenhouse in the fall. Then you will need to prepare the greenhouse for planting in the spring. This is usually done in February, or a little later, in March, when a prolonged thaw sets in.
How to prepare a greenhouse for planting in the spring? What and how should you do?
I think it’s clear that such preparation is far from quick. Usually it consists of several successive stages, which are designed together to expel from your greenhouse all (or almost all) insects harmful to your plants, as well as pathogens of any diseases. This is exactly what should be your final result, based on the results of these preparatory activities. Let's figure out where to start disinfecting the greenhouse, what to do next, and how to complete our efforts.
Removing plant debris from the greenhouse
This is the first step you will need to take in preparing your greenhouse for spring planting. Many people include only tops or last year’s fruits as such residues. But that, of course, is not all. Be sure to remove all roots from the greenhouse, as well as those weeds that are present there. Due to the planting density typically found in most greenhouses and limited space, some pests definitely lives in a greenhouse, even if there have been no outbreaks of any diseases in it at all. There is no need to leave remnants of garter material in the greenhouse, the same twine or trellises, all for the same reason. Always processing a greenhouse in the spring should be accompanied by thorough burning of all hazardous waste. This garbage may consist of last year's plants, the same garter material and other unnecessary things. If you have any difficulties with burning all this, then it is written how you can significantly speed up this process.
Some people recommend using tops from a greenhouse for compost. Of course, it may be suitable for this, but not always. The following conditions must be met:
- for the entire previous year there were no serious outbreaks in your greenhouse and the number of pests did not increase;
- You should be able to let the compost simply “digest” all the pathogens. This process takes quite a long time, and usually takes no less than 4 years;
- You will not use this compost, which you will eventually get, to fertilize the crop from which you received it;
If all the above conditions are quite feasible for you, then you can use all the tops from the greenhouse to produce compost.
We process structures
The design of a greenhouse involves not only its frame, but also the covering material itself, in most cases today it is polycarbonate. When processing all these component parts, you need not to damage them (especially the polycarbonate itself), and at the same time fulfill the main task, that is, to destroy everything harmful that may be present on the components of your greenhouse.
As for polycarbonate, just start by washing it with plain soapy water or something similar, where there are no abrasives. After this, the surface of the polycarbonate is rinsed with clean water. You can limit yourself to this if everything was fine in your greenhouse the previous year. If there were any problems, in the plan, then during such treatment it is necessary to use drugs that will destroy the pathogen. To do this, such preparations are simply added to the same soapy water.
IMPORTANT! In the spring, polycarbonate in the greenhouse should only be washed using SOFT brushes or brushes, as well as rags. Polycarbonate, of course, is convenient as a covering material for greenhouses, but with this treatment it can be scratched very easily. You don’t even need a hard brush for this; scratches can be left with a hard burlap. So immediately forget about metal brushes or meshes for cleaning this transparent covering material. They will only ruin your polycarbonate.
Before planting, the greenhouse will need to not only be mechanically cleaned, but also disinfected. This applies to racks (if you have them), equipment, containers and other components of your greenhouse. To disinfect all these components, you can simply use boiling water (which, of course, is not suitable for this) and some useful substances. The same copper sulfate (we use it as a solution), also iron sulfate, and in addition to them formaldehyde and bleach are well suited for this. For shelving and wooden supports, it is ideal to treat with lime mortar, which must sit well for this purpose.
Disinfecting the soil in the greenhouse
This sanitary stage of preparing a greenhouse in the spring is one of the most difficult and troublesome. If your greenhouse is small and, accordingly, there is not much soil mixture there, then you can do all this with the help of boiling water. Just a few buckets of good boiling water (that is, the water should just boil) can destroy most pathogens of various diseases in a small greenhouse.
If you live in any southern region, then this method will suit you: you will need to spill the soil, wash the covering material of the greenhouse, close all the window doors in it, and also caulk all the cracks - a week will pass and the greenhouse can be “unsealed”. But many live far from the south and can carry out such a procedure only in June or July, when active fruiting is in full swing. Then how can it be neutralized in our greenhouses? This is quite difficult to do; it is easier to simply replace it. It may not even be all, but definitely 5-8 centimeters of the top layer. You can simply distribute the same layer over yours or cover this greenhouse soil with manure. 3 or 4 years will pass, and you will be able to use this seemingly waste soil again in your greenhouse. The soil in the greenhouse itself, where you removed this top layer, is usually covered with some kind of soil or simply dug up. You should also know that in the spring only fully “ripe” compost is added to greenhouses. Manure should be the same.
To disinfect the soil, you can use “chemistry”. The same solution of copper sulfate (or iron), as well as various special preparations that are intended specifically for this. If the soil in your greenhouse is acidic, you can use bleach. But, nevertheless, it is best to use “chemistry” for these purposes in the fall. In the spring, such events most likely will not contribute to the growth of plants in your greenhouse.
We carry out fumigation. How and with what?
This procedure will help you treat the greenhouse well, while your costs will be very small. There are some insects that can be “defeated” with an ordinary smoky fire. After this, the greenhouse will need to be tightly closed all night. Fumigation is annual; greenhouses with polycarbonate coating should be carried out more thoroughly. Here you can’t do without lump sulfur or a sulfur bomb.
Before you begin the process of disinfecting your greenhouse with sulfur, it will need to be prepared for this. The first thing, of course, is to remove all the debris, then water the soil, and carefully caulk the greenhouse. Only after these procedures will it be possible to process the greenhouse. To do this, sulfur in its pure form or ready-made checkers are laid out on suitable metal sheets. If you use lump sulfur, be sure to add a little kerosene to it.
ATTENTION! The gas that comes out when burning such bombs is extremely dangerous. That is why you should be present in a fumigated greenhouse to a minimum and be sure to take care of your protection. The greenhouse after treatment should be closed for 4 or 5 days. Then it can be opened and be sure to thoroughly ventilate.
Preparation of the greenhouse will go faster over time. Do you do this in spring or autumn. The main thing here is to practice all these skills and choose the most convenient methods for processing it. Don’t forget to do this every year, because when it is clean and the material for sowing in it is of high quality, it will definitely give you a good harvest in the end.
Here is another useful video where they will tell you about preparing the greenhouse for the new season. All these events can be carried out both in autumn and spring. The main thing is to completely disinfect the greenhouse.
Disinfection of the soil allows you to protect plants from diseases and. Some gardeners naively believe that during winter frosts all harmful microorganisms die. This is wrong.
Bacteria and fungi easily survive low temperatures, and in the spring they wake up and continue to develop intensively, causing irreparable damage to delicate greenhouse crops. So how to treat a greenhouse after winter?
Disinfection Disinfection of the greenhouse in the spring should minimize the risk of disease, but not damage the quality of the product.
Bleach treatment
Chloride of lime is used both in the fall, immediately after harvest, and in the spring.
This is one of the proven methods. In the fall, the soil for the greenhouse can be thoroughly shed with a concentrated solution of lime, but In spring you only need to spray lightly so that the composition does not harm the growth of future plants.
You need to dilute 400 g of lime in 10 liters of water and let it brew for 4 hours. After this, the resulting weak solution should be poured into a spray bottle for spraying the soil, and the thick sediment should be applied to the ceiling and walls of the greenhouse.
Bleach relieves:
- black leg;
- keels;
- root-knot nematode;
- late blight;
- white rot.
Sulfur treatment
Fumigation of the greenhouse with sulfur– a common way to combat harmful microorganisms. As a result of the combustion of sulfur, oxides of sulfuric and sulfurous acids are released, which effectively fight bacteria. The only drawback of this method is that the resulting sulfur dioxide may not completely evaporate: it will remain in the soil and pass into the fruits of planted plants.
There are two ways to process sulfur:
Burning sulfur crystals. To treat 1 m3 of greenhouse you need to take 50–150 g of sulfur (depending on the number of pests last year). The crystals should be placed on metal trays, placed in different corners of the greenhouse, and then set on fire.
Use of special sulfur “checkers”. They need to be placed in the corners of the greenhouse and lit.
Important! Both methods require compliance with simple security measures. Fumigation must be carried out by a person wearing a gas mask and protective gloves. After lighting crystals or “checkers”, you cannot be in the greenhouse.
In the fumigated room, you need to maintain a low temperature - 10–15ºС. After treatment, the greenhouse should be closed and, after 3 days, ventilated.
Sulfur relieves:
- fungi;
- mold;
- ticks;
- slugs.
Disinfection with formalin solution
A month before planting the plants, you can treat the greenhouse 40% formaldehyde solution. Before the procedure, the temperature in the greenhouse must be reduced to 10–12ºС so that the formaldehyde does not evaporate. The treatment is carried out in a gas mask. After the procedure, the temperature in the greenhouse should be increased to 25ºС, and after a day the room should be ventilated.
Formalin destroys:
- spider mite;
- fungus;
- mold;
- whitefly
Copper sulfate treatment
Thorough processing copper sulfate is produced in the fall; in the spring you should spray the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse with a 10% solution of this substance.
Copper sulfate destroys:
- late blight;
- powdery mildew;
- spider mite;
- rot;
- I'm scabby.
Treatment with special preparations
Stores now offer a large selection of drugs designed to combat with a certain type of bacteria, so gardeners can choose the one that best suits their greenhouse. Special compositions are also good because they do not require a long break: after them you can continue working in the greenhouse. 
These drugs have a beneficial effect on soil fertility: they fix nitrogen, decompose pesticides, bind heavy metals, produce natural growth hormones.
Soil replacement
This the most radical and effective way combating pathogens: soil contaminated by bacteria is completely eliminated and replaced with new soil.
Replacing soil - activity difficult and expensive, therefore not suitable for large greenhouses.
Important! To reduce costs, you can replace only the top layer (5–7 cm), since this is where all the fungi and bacteria are concentrated.
Replacement of planted crops
Gardeners know that different plants are susceptible to different diseases. Therefore, sometimes the easiest way is to plant a new crop that is resistant to the pathogens present in contaminated soil.
Temperature method
Most germs can be eliminated if you carefully pour boiling water over the soil. After watering, the beds need to be covered with cellophane film so that the steam penetrates the lower layers of the soil and disinfects them.
Photo
Look at the photo: how to treat the greenhouse before planting
How to get rid of late blight?
Many gardeners are seriously concerned about the question: how to treat late blight in a greenhouse in the spring?
Phytophthora– every gardener’s nightmare. This is a fungus that affects all nightshade crops - tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers. Late blight can destroy any plant from roots to fruits.
The fruits of a plant affected by late blight cannot be eaten, and the plant itself must be immediately pulled out and burned to prevent the disease from spreading to healthy bushes. However, such methods often do not bring results: once late blight appears, it can destroy half the crop.
Important! Prevention of late blight should begin in the fall. After harvesting, you need to carefully eliminate all plant remains and burn them outside the garden.
If an outbreak of late blight does occur in the greenhouse, you need to treat the soil with a special preparation - “Fitosporin”. Before the next planting of plants, treatment should be carried out at least 3 times.
What to do if the earth is “tired”?
Fatigue of the earth in the greenhouse is nothing more than a lack of fertility. Every year, plants take all the nutrients from the earth, depleting and weakening it. To get a new crop, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and much more are required. Therefore, reserves of useful substances should be replenished.
The easiest way to increase soil fertility is sow green manure in the greenhouse. This is the name of plants that form a large volume of green mass in a short time: phacelia, watercress, vetch, mustard, rye, oats, clover. Their shoots and roots become an excellent source organic matter and soil microorganisms. 3 kg of such greenery replaces 1.5 kg of manure, which has always been considered the best fertilizer for the soil.
When green manure sprouts and grows, they are cut off and then plowed into the soil to a depth of 2–3 cm. The dead roots of green manure become food for worms, which loosen the soil, improve its structure and saturate the soil with air. After 1–2 weeks, the main crops can be planted in the plowed area.
How to fertilize the soil?
When preparing the greenhouse for planting important role plays a role in fertilizing the soil. A gardener can use either organic fertilizers or ready-made ones. mineral complexes, which contain all the necessary nutrients.
Organic fertilizers for greenhouses
As organic fertilizers river silt, peat, tree bark, reeds, humus, bird droppings, and algae are used. The undoubted advantage of such fertilizers is their naturalness.
They saturate the soil with nutrients and improve the functioning of beneficial microorganisms. In addition, only with their help can you easily warm up the soil, which will allow you to plant the first plants much earlier.
The most useful fertilizer for the soil is manure. It has all the nutrients. Soil fertilized with manure becomes loose, light, and airy. 
Manure can be introduced into the ground both in autumn and spring. In the fall, you can use fresh material: before spring it will rot and turn into an excellent fertilizer for future plants. But in the spring it is better to use rotted manure: caustic substances contained in fresh material can damage the root system of seedlings.
Mineral fertilizers
Fertilizing the soil with mineral fertilizers contributes to a significant increase in plant productivity. But they should be used with caution: the wrong dosage can ruin the entire fertile layer of soil. A gardener who decides to fertilize greenhouse soil with mineral fertilizers should be sure to read the instructions.
There are fertilizers that supply the soil with a specific element: phosphorus, nitrogen or potassium. They are called simple. But they are more popular complex fertilizers, which provide seedlings with the entire set of nutrients at once.
Every gardener knows how important it is to prepare the soil in the greenhouse for planting. After all, only if all recommendations are carefully followed can you get a good harvest and provide your family with environmentally friendly products throughout the winter.
Useful video
Watch the video: how to prepare a greenhouse for spring planting, how to treat a greenhouse in spring
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How to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter is a topical question with the onset of autumn. The main harvest has already been harvested, only the beds with greens and late vegetables remain, which means you can start cleaning the interior space, treating the walls and frame, renewing and feeding the soil, adjusting the beds, strengthening the structure so that the snow does not crush it.
In the article we will share useful tips experienced gardeners, how best to care for the building, we will outline in detail a set of measures on how to prepare a greenhouse for winter, video and photographic materials will help explain important points process.
A set of measures to prepare a greenhouse for winter
The greenhouse allows you to get fresh vegetables and herbs to the table, from early spring until the first months of winter. But during the warm season it becomes dirty; harmful bacteria, insects, and dirt accumulate on the walls and behind the crossbars. There are plant remains in the beds, pathogens, pest beetles, harmful elements in the soil, and infections in the air. Such negative factors can damage the structure itself and the future harvest; in order to avoid sad consequences, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures to prepare the greenhouse for winter:
- clean, take out trash;
- wash;
- dry;
- disinfect;
- digging, tillage;
- insulate;
- strengthen the structure.
Preparing the greenhouse for winter, first of all, it is necessary to remove all unnecessary
General cleaning
Preparing the greenhouse for winter in the fall begins with general cleaning. Equipment is taken out of it, trellises, supports, and garters are removed. Everything must be cleaned, rinsed thoroughly, disinfected, dried, and stored in a room with normal humidity.
Before removing the greenhouse for the winter, plant debris is removed from the beds. Tops and weeds can be placed in a compost heap, but it is better to burn them. Be sure to remove the top 50-70 mm layer of soil for the winter, this is where pathogenic infections, harmful substances and other infections have accumulated in large quantities. It is recommended to take the collected soil out of the greenhouse, scatter it over the area in a thin layer, or leave it in a heap so that it freezes thoroughly over the winter and becomes disinfected under the influence of low temperatures.
Cleaning the greenhouse for the winter:
- The inside of the room is washed with a soft rag soaked in warm water with the addition of non-aggressive household chemicals. You should wash not only the walls, but also the roof.
- The gaps between the frame and the walls of the greenhouse must be cleaned; it is convenient to do this with a brush or toothbrush.
- Surfaces are washed with clean water and wiped almost dry.
- To prevent fungi or corrosion, the frame must be treated with a saturated solution of bleach: lime - 2 kg of lime + copper sulfate 0.100 kg + 1 bucket of water.
- After cleaning, the doors and transoms are opened for ventilation so that the greenhouse is completely dry.
An important step in preparing a greenhouse for winter is to clean all connections with a brush from dust, infections and debris.
Important: Preparing a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter prohibits the use of abrasives, hard sponges and brushes, and highly alkaline detergents during wet cleaning, so as not to damage the surface of the material and not reduce its positive physical and chemical characteristics.More often, greenhouse structures made of polycarbonate are installed on plots. Such structures are convenient, practical, budget-friendly, and installation of the product can be easily done with your own hands. Due to the demand for structures, we suggest watching a video with tips on how to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter; the video suggests the main stages of preserving the building.
Be sure to check the tight fit of vents, windows, doors, handles, and the serviceability of fittings in order to avoid drafts and icing. If there are scratches on the metal frame, it is better to clean them and paint them over to prevent rust from appearing.
How to prepare the soil in a greenhouse for winter
All work with the soil must be carried out before the onset of frost, in dry weather. Optimal temperature environment+10 - +15 o C. The ground should first be sprinkled with ash or fertilizers, which are selected in accordance with what crop will be grown in the garden bed. Next, spill the soil with manganese solution. Sprinkle compost and a thin layer of clean sand on top; for better yield, a layer of peat is also recommended. Dig to shovel depth and loosen it, so the ground freezes better in winter. This measure is sufficient to get rid of mole cricket larvae. Remaining weeds and roots must be picked out by hand.
Good to know: If the soil is severely damaged by insects and harmful microelements, experts recommend completely replacing the soil in the greenhouse for the winter with a nutritious soil mixture, in a layer of 200-250 mm.For general disinfection of soil in a greenhouse for the winter, you can use:
- Lime chloride, dry matter consumption 0.1 kg per 1 m2, the composition is scattered over the dug surface and leveled with a rake, it is desirable that it gets to a depth of 20-30 mm.
- You can treat the soil in a greenhouse for the winter with a 2.5% formaldehyde solution. Spraying should be carried out indoors to avoid drafts; 1 liter of solution will be required per 1 m2.
Disinfection should be carried out observing safety precautions for working with harmful substances
How to treat a greenhouse for the winter against pests in the soil
Harmful microorganisms and insects are very tenacious, so digging up the soil and freezing it over the winter is not enough to protect the future harvest from damage. In order to eliminate soil diseases, it should be disinfected. We offer several recipes, proven over the years in practice, for treating the earth:
- Smoking with a sulfur bomb will help get rid of spider mites in a greenhouse; you will need 150 g of the substance per 1 m 3 of space. Even if the greenhouse is not infected with this disease, for winter prevention the room should be treated with sulfur at the rate of 50 g per cubic meter. To carry out disinfection as effectively as possible, you should seal the cracks hermetically, wet the walls and shelves with water. The checkers are laid out on metal sheets and evenly distributed over the area of the greenhouse. To avoid poisoning, it is necessary to observe personal safety precautions; a chemical kit (thick clothing), goggles, gloves, a cap, a gas mask or a respirator would be useful. Treatment with sulfur lasts 3 days, after which the greenhouse is ventilated.
Table for the correct selection of greenhouse soil
- The best treatment for winter clubroot in a greenhouse is 40% carbation. The substance is diluted according to the recipe: 500 g per 10 liters of water. Water the soil well with a solution from a watering can immediately after digging.
- Karbofos will help against such ailments as blackleg and root-knot nematode. 90 g of powder is diluted in 10 liters of water, and the soil is thoroughly treated with the resulting solution. After a few days, the beds in the greenhouse must be dug up so that the substance gets deep inside, and so left for the winter.
Preparing a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter - strengthening
Polycarbonate buildings are much stronger than glass ones, but preventive safety measures should be observed. When planning how to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter, you should not forget about maintaining the geometry, integrity, and insulation of the structure.
How to strengthen a polycarbonate greenhouse for the winter
Basically, such structures have well-thought-out aerodynamic shapes; snow rolls off the sides under its own weight. All loads fall on the ridge if the roof is gable, and on the highest point of the arc in arched structures. In regions with low rainfall, structures can easily withstand winter without additional reinforcement. In snowy areas, for example in Siberia, it is necessary to strengthen the building, and sometimes completely remove the polycarbonate from the frame.
A properly constructed polycarbonate greenhouse can withstand heavy loads
To strengthen the greenhouse for the winter, it is enough to install vertical support posts inside. It is recommended to place them every 1.5-2.0 m from each other. But even after such prevention in case of hair loss large quantities precipitation will have to climb onto the roof and clear the snow.
Note: To prevent the supports from sinking due to a heavy snow load, they must be installed on a rigid platform: concrete blocks, bricks, flat stones, and wooden blocks must be laid along the upper heads.
How to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter, the photo shows a method of strengthening the frame
In warm weather, the snow rolls down to the base and melts, and with a decrease in air temperature in the evening, an ice crust forms from this mass, which can cause significant damage to the structure. Therefore, it is important to clear the perimeter of the greenhouse from accumulated snow.
How to insulate a polycarbonate greenhouse for the winter
If a house for growing herbs and vegetables is designed only for the warm period, then the question: how to insulate a greenhouse for the winter is solved with the help of a thick layer of snow, which should be evenly distributed over the entire area of the building, an example in the photo below. This will protect the plantings from freezing in the winter.
How to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter, an example of how to insulate beds
This solution is acceptable for dry areas; in humid areas, if groundwater comes close to the surface, melting snow can form a swamp. In these cases, it is recommended to cover the beds with leaves, branches, and on top with old blankets, polyethylene, and roofing felt.
A way to cover soil in damp areas
Glass and polycarbonate greenhouses You can insulate it for the winter by creating an air gap inside. Repeating the shape of the greenhouse, retreating 100-200 mm from the walls, a layer of dense film is mounted, the joints are taped. It is more practical, but more expensive, to replace the film with thin polycarbonate, connecting the sheets through a joining profile. This solution will significantly reduce heat loss inside the building.
To insulate a permanent greenhouse for the winter, standing on strip foundation, it is important to pay special attention connection of the frame to the base. The joints here must be airtight. And even if the cracks are taped and a water barrier made of roofing felt is installed, the junction should be caulked with porous rubber gaskets or sealed tape with rubberized layers on the outside. The foundation should be dug up a little, covered with polystyrene slabs, and covered with roofing felt on top. The same can be done over the entire surface of the building.
How to insulate the foundation and basement
All seams of the greenhouse, where polycarbonate and glass are adjacent to the frame, should be sealed with sealants that do not form a hard coating, for example, polysulfide or thiokol mastic. To prevent heat from escaping when the door is opened, a vestibule should be attached to the entrance.
If the greenhouse is planned to be used in winter time, then you should consider heating, it is better if it is water heating. And from the school botany course it is known that for the full development of plants, light is needed, 12 hours a day or more, so lighting must be provided. 3 types of lamps are suitable:
Watch the advice of professionals on how to prepare a greenhouse for winter; the video details how to properly reinforce polystyrene foam for high-quality insulation.
