With the onset of autumn cold weather, summer residents begin to think about what work needs to be done in the greenhouse and how to properly prepare it for the next season. This is very important, since the future harvest depends on the correctness of the actions performed. Experts tell you how to prepare a greenhouse for winter after growing tomatoes and cucumbers.
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Cleaning a greenhouse in the fall
Preparing for winter in a greenhouse begins with general cleaning. During the season, the room where vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other plants are grown becomes polluted. Remains of tops and plant parts accumulate on the soil. Microorganisms develop in the soil, and insects may remain for the winter. Because of this, pathogens, fungal spores and other infections may be present in the air.
Various contaminants accumulate on the frame materials, walls and soil of the greenhouse. If quality harvesting is not carried out in a timely manner, future harvests may suffer from pathogenic flora. Proper cleaning of all surfaces and interior space will also extend the life of the greenhouse.
Preparation of the greenhouse begins with removing everything unnecessary from the premises. This stage should not be neglected, as subsequent procedures will be less effective. All items must be removed from the premises. You cannot store equipment, fertilizers, seedlings, etc. here. There should be bare soil without tops, dead wood and other traces of vegetation.
You will also have to take out plant supports and pegs that need to be cleaned and stored outside the greenhouse. All garbage, weeds, tops are removed. They are burned in a special oven.
The top layer of greenhouse soil is removed. Traces of infections and insects may remain here. It can be poured into a specially designated place in the garden without scattering the soil much. It is dug up and left for the winter. The soil will freeze, become disinfected and become suitable for further cultivation.
If perennial crops grow in a greenhouse, they do not need to be uprooted. Only diseased plants are removed. Old leaves and diseased shoots must be cut off from other bushes.
When to plant green manure in a greenhouse?
The peculiarities of sowing green manure in closed ground depend, among other things, on the type of greenhouse: a polycarbonate coating allows you to start sowing a little earlier in the spring and delay the planting in late autumn, which cannot be done under film or glass.
Sowing green manure in a greenhouse depends on:
- from the design and covering of the greenhouse,
- from a crop that bears fruit this year,
- from the crop planned for cultivation next season.
So where to start preparing greenhouses for the new season?
- First of all, you need to decide what crops you will grow under shelters this year. Based on this, further work will be carried out.
- It is also important to determine the timing of sowing future green fertilizers.
Sowing time
Sowing crops using green manure fertilizer in a greenhouse can be done at different times:
- in autumn,
- in spring,
- in summer (if necessary).
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You should know that the use of green manure fertilizers will not give the greatest effect immediately, but after 2-3 years, and only if correct agricultural practices are followed.
- Make a crop planting plan for 2-3 years in advance to prevent the simultaneous placement of green manure and the main crop of the same family.
- In accordance with the timing of planting the planned main crops, select green manure crops that are suitable for the growing season and the ability to form vegetative mass and the timing of their sowing.
Photo: sowing green manure depends on the design and material of the greenhouse
Frame processing
Pathogenic microflora and pests live not only in the soil. The walls and frame may contain fungal spores and insect eggs. Therefore, such surfaces need to be thoroughly washed and disinfected. This procedure is carried out immediately after thorough cleaning of the premises. Only after processing the walls and frame can you begin to cultivate the ground.
If the greenhouse is a structure made of painted supporting elements with a film, the metal surfaces are washed with water and soda and then wiped with Bordeaux mixture. If there are galvanized or unpainted surfaces, they are cleaned with very hot water. Then the sponge is soaked in table vinegar (9%) and the metal surfaces of the structure are treated.
For a frame made of PVC pipes, white water is suitable, and wooden supports can be washed with a bleach solution. When the natural material dries, it is additionally impregnated with copper sulfate (7.5%) and whitened with slaked lime.
Features of wintering polycarbonate greenhouses
Only after all these operations have been completed correctly can we say that you have prepared properly for winter. If a polycarbonate greenhouse is not equipped with heating, then usually from November it begins to be empty. This means that it needs to be prepared for winter.
The main task is to protect it from snow, which can deform the frame. Harmful microorganisms and pests should not be allowed to multiply in it. It is necessary to protect the room from excess moisture so that it does not begin to destroy the structure.
Photo: Wintering the greenhouse.
In general, such structures winter very well; if you carry out even a minimum of operations, giving preference to other work, then the greenhouse will last the coming winter and for sure a dozen future winters.
Film and glass
It is recommended to remove the film for the winter. She may not be able to withstand the weight of the snow, which will fall on her like a thick blanket in winter. The material must be washed with laundry soap dissolved in hot water. Then the film is rinsed, wiped with a solution of copper sulfate (5%) and hung out to dry in the sun.
When there is no water left on the surfaces of the film, the material is rolled up. They are packaged in sealed bags and stored in the house.
If the greenhouse has non-removable panels (cellular polycarbonate) and glass that cannot be disassembled, they are washed inside and outside with a window squeegee. In corners, in places of heavy dirt, you will have to work with a hard sponge. The gaps between the frames are cleaned with a wedge wrapped in cotton fabric. In the glass processing process, a solution of laundry soap is used. You can use dishwashing detergent diluted in water.
Then the glass surfaces are rinsed with clean water and additionally treated with a solution of bleach (4%).
Polycarbonate cannot be cleaned with alkaline compounds or chlorine-based products. Also, do not wash surfaces with a metal sponge or a stiff brush. Even a scrap of burlap will not work for these purposes. You should also not use washing powder, glass or dishwashing liquid. Polycarbonate is cleaned with water under pressure and then wiped with a strong concentration of potassium permanganate solution. To wipe off heavy stains, use a flannel cloth soaked in soap suds.
Sowing green manure in a greenhouse in spring
The general principles and requirements for greenhouse green manure are practically no different from similar work in open areas. However, there are also some peculiarities.
- Polycarbonate structures will allow you to start sowing at the end of February .
- In film greenhouses, these dates will shift somewhat to warmer months, not earlier than mid-March .
When to sow?
Greenhouse conditions allow sowing throughout the spring. The optimal period is considered to be April-May , although you can start much earlier, already from the end of February .
How to sow?
In comparison with autumn sowing, some features should be adhered to.
- In winter, add some snow to the greenhouse. This will greatly facilitate the work, eliminating the need for mandatory watering before sowing seeds. Thawing, the snow will provide the soil with the necessary moisture for successful seed germination.
- Loosen the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm.
- Make furrows along the entire length of the planned bed. You can also sow scattered over the surface.
- After watering (if you forgot to bring in the snow), you should sow the seeds of the future green fertilizer and sprinkle with soil.
- As soon as the green mass rises 20-30 cm above the soil surface, it needs to be cut off and dug up. The main thing is to prevent the green manure crop from flowering and inseminating.
The cut green part of the plants will quickly rot, providing the necessary nutrition for future vegetable plants.
What to sow in spring?
The most preferred spring green manures are:
- phacelia,
- oats,
- spring rape
These crops can gain rich green mass in a fairly short period of time and quickly rot after cutting, forming the necessary amount of nutrients necessary for the future harvest.
| IMPORTANT After mowing green manure plants, it is necessary to wait at least 2 weeks before planting the main crops for complete rotting. |
Soil disinfection
The lower layers of the greenhouse soil also need additional treatment. Traces of infections and weed rhizomes may remain here. To perform disinfection, the following methods are used:
- You need to dig up the soil with a bayonet shovel, and then loosen it thoroughly. This will help the soil freeze deep enough to keep any pests out. In the process of digging up the soil, plant roots and insect larvae are removed. If you have enough time, you can re-sow the substrate. This will allow you to obtain high quality soil.
- Another way to get rid of pathogens and parasites is to replace the soil in the greenhouse. A special substrate is purchased, which contains nutritional components. You need to cover the healthy soil with a layer of about 25 cm. It is loosened and left until spring.
- It is possible to qualitatively clean the soil from unwanted microorganisms, weeds and insects using heat treatment. To do this, the soil is heated by pouring boiling water over it. Then the surface is covered with film. But after this the substrate becomes “dead”. In order for garden crops to develop in such land, a lot of fertilizers need to be applied. The soil is treated with special preparations, for example, Azotophyte, Biodestructor or similar compounds.
Experienced gardeners advise not to freeze the soil in order to disinfect it. Because of this, you will have to plant seeds and seedlings in the greenhouse later. It is better to thoroughly disinfect the soil in the fall, and cover it with a layer of snow in winter. This way the ground will not be able to freeze too much. In the spring it will warm up faster, allowing you to open the gardening season earlier.
Why plant green manure in a greenhouse?
Much is known about how to fertilize and improve the health of the soil by applying fertilizers or observing crop rotation in open ground. By the way, I have already talked in detail about how to plant and when to sow green manure on the site. But what should you do if you are used to growing vegetables in a greenhouse, repeating the established assortment of crops from year to year?
After harvesting the most common greenhouse vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants, which suck out most of the nutrients, the soil remains practically depleted, with the presence of various pathogens.
Owners of 2 or more greenhouses are in a much better position. In this case, it is possible to alternate them. But what if you have only one greenhouse?
What options exist for updating the soil in a greenhouse:
- replace the soil once every 3-4 years,
- or the opportunity to give the greenhouse a rest for at least a year,
- or, at worst, replacing the top soil layer,
- or its disinfection.
However, how many are ready to undertake such labor-intensive and costly activities?
An alternative, albeit with some stretch, is the use of green manure crops.
Green manure in the greenhouse:
- will help with soil fertilization,
- will disinfect it
- protect from freezing,
- will not allow weeds and pests to run wild.
Photo: green manure improves the soil both in the open ground and in the greenhouse
Chemicals
You can disinfect the soil in a greenhouse using a number of chemical solutions. Experienced gardeners say that the following methods are the most effective:
- Copper-based compounds. This method should be chosen if there were outbreaks of late blight or other similar infections in the greenhouse during the past summer season. This procedure can be carried out no more often than once every 5 years. A solution of copper sulfate (0.1%) is prepared. About 9 liters of product will be required per square meter.
- Chlorine-containing compounds. Bleaching solutions will help against almost all types of pathogenic phytoflora. Dry lime is scattered on the ground. You will need 1 glass per square meter. Lime is worked into the soil using a rake.
- Solution with potassium permanganate. To carry out high-quality disinfection, prepare a saturated solution. It should have a bright purple hue. Water the soil generously with the product.
Treatment of greenhouses and greenhouses from pests and diseases in the fall without replacing the soil
This type of treatment is preventive. If you just imagine for a second how many layers of earth will have to be removed when replacing the soil, then this method suggests itself. Means for autumn disinfection use chemicals, but are based on the purpose of treatment:
- From insects.
- From diseases.
The most popular means is copper sulfate. For soil, take a less concentrated solution: 1-1.5%. If you want to destroy mold or bacteria, use Previkur. Just keep in mind that treatment must be carried out not only in the fall, but also in the summer, several times a season.
Chemical Selection
Processing greenhouse greenhouses is a painstaking and time-consuming process. And the better you treat the room, the longer you will be calm. As a rule, chemical agents are used to destroy pathogens: they are more aggressive towards them. Most popular:
- Abiga Peak.
- Consento.
- Spraying with Bordeaux mixture.
- Copper oxychloride (at the rate of 40 grams per 10 liters of water).
- Spark.
- Karate and others.
Biologically active agents
Such substances are safe for people and animals. The most popular drugs are Fitosporin and Trichodermin. How to use: water the beds.
Folk methods and means of struggle
Many summer residents do not want to turn to “chemistry” for fear of harming or accumulating the drug in the soil, so they use their own methods. What do they use most often:
- Infusions: tobacco, garlic, onion.
- Solutions: vinegar or soda.
- Heat treatment.
Global processing
If the greenhouse is large, gas disinfection can be carried out. For this purpose, sulfur-containing fungicides are used. They look like smoke bombs that release toxic fumes. Sulfuric anhydride fills the greenhouse room, making its way into even the most inaccessible places.
The gas combines with drops of moisture settled in the ground and on structural elements. This facilitates total disinfection of all surfaces. This remedy will even help get rid of spider mites that are resistant to other means. All pathogenic microflora will be destroyed, as well as larger parasites. The procedure is carried out according to the following scheme:
- The premises are treated no later than mid-October. The temperature should not fall below +10°C.
- Thorough cleaning and digging of the soil is carried out.
- The room is sealed. All cracks must be caulked and holes, if any, must be sealed. Rubber seals need to be replaced on windows and doors.
- Metal frame elements that are not coated with paint are treated with grease. If there are scratches or chips on the enamel surfaces, they are additionally painted.
- The amount of the drug is calculated in accordance with the square footage of the greenhouse.
- The person carrying out the treatment changes into protective clothing.
- The soil and structural elements inside the greenhouse are sprayed with a spray bottle.
- Place the checker vertically on a heat-resistant base and light the wick.
- A person must leave the greenhouse as soon as the wick smoldering process begins. The door closes tightly.
- After 3 days, the greenhouse door is opened, all the vents and windows are thrown wide open. Ventilation takes a long time. The smell of sulfur should completely dissipate.
What else needs to be done with the greenhouse in winter
After the procedures have been completed, the greenhouse is ventilated and fumigated. If your greenhouse is polycarbonate with a metal frame, then it is not recommended to use smoke bombs, they can damage the structure. Walls can be disinfected using a 5% formaldehyde solution. This is done with a spray bottle. After treatment, the greenhouse is closed for 24 hours, after which it must be ventilated.
If a thick layer of snow falls in winter, it can damage the structure. To avoid this, it is advisable to strengthen the frame. This is especially true in cases where you do not have the opportunity to regularly clear the snow cover from the roof of the greenhouse. For strengthening, subcortexes are used, which are installed over the entire area at a distance of 1.5 m. A brick must be placed under the lower part of each of them. This will help ensure that the support does not go into the ground.
Be sure to close all windows, vents, and ventilation openings tightly. It is important to inspect the foundation and seal all the cracks, otherwise they will increase by spring. The door must be closed tightly in winter to prevent it from being torn off by the wind. But the greenhouse must be ventilated throughout the winter, especially during thaws.
When snow freezes during melting and subsequent frost to the walls and roof, it should never be scraped off. Otherwise, you can damage the surface and cause scratches. If you carry out all the stages of caring for the greenhouse in winter, then at the beginning of spring you can use it again. And overall it will last much longer.
Green manure for tomatoes
Not many plants are grown in greenhouse conditions in the middle zone, mainly cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. Therefore, the use of green manure will be a real salvation for impoverished soil. Before planting tomato seedlings, you can sow any legumes, cruciferous or cereal green manures. The most ideal option is phacelia. You can also sow: vetch, alfalfa, lupine, oats, buckwheat, goat's rue. The use of these green manures will increase the tomato yield by at least 30%! In addition, the seedlings will not be afraid of pests.
Green manures sown after tomatoes
After the tomatoes, it is worth planting plants that will clear the soil of late blight and saturate it with nitrogen. The best choices are phacelia, mustard and oilseed radish. If next year you plan to grow tomatoes in the greenhouse again, sow the beds with rye or alfalfa, which will disinfect the soil.
What kind of green manure should I sow in a greenhouse?
In general, the choice of green manure for greenhouse farming is extensive.
| The main requirement is that the subsequent main crop and green manure must belong to different families |
Mustard
Mustard is very popular for sowing in a greenhouse, successfully increasing the green mass even before the onset of frost, thereby protecting the soil from weeds and pests.
It does not need complete mowing if it has not grown to the seed stage. In this case, you can mow down the greens a little by cutting off the inflorescences, leaving the main plants to rot on their own.
This crop is good for sowing in winter and spring. All that remains is to wait for the early shoots and plant them in the soil, again no later than 2 weeks before placing the vegetable seedlings there.
Oats and phacelia
Often found as green manure in a greenhouse, oats are sown in September and have formed enough green mass before frost. AND
The favorite option for green manure among experienced summer residents is phacelia.
Green manure mixture
The greatest benefit will come not from a monosideral crop, but from a mixture of different seeds.
The composition of green manure can be completely different:
- soy + oats,
- vetch + oats,
- peas + oats, etc.
It doesn’t really make sense to choose one specific type of green manure in a greenhouse for a specific crop. Everyone benefits. But a mixture of different types can significantly increase their effectiveness.
Surely, your more experienced neighbors in the country have already found their optimal combination. Get some advice. I’m sure you will be offered many proven recipes. ______________________________________________________________________________
Read more about the rules of cultivation and types of green manure in this article
Why do you need to prepare for winter?
– strengthening the greenhouse frame and protecting it from deformation during heavy snowfall, which will then help ensure a productive season.
Preparation is needed to disinfect the soil and greenhouse in order to prevent the development of parasitic microorganisms on tomato fruits and bushes.
This allows you to protect productive tomato varieties and ensure rapid fruit growth without negatively affecting the taste.
This is especially important for early and high-yielding tomato varieties, as well as for hybrids and self-pollinating ones that have large pink fruits on the bushes. They require special growing conditions. Unlike spring, autumn is a more appropriate time of year for such actions. In the period from the end of September to the beginning of November, all the plants are collected, but there is no snow, so preparing a greenhouse for productive varieties of tomatoes for the next season will be the optimal solution, which will ensure the cultivation of the sweetest fruits on the bushes.
What to sow in a greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers?
What green fertilizers to choose before and after growing tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse?
In general, it is believed that since cucumbers and tomatoes are grown in greenhouses in the vast majority of cases, almost any green manure can be grown, because they all belong to different families.
Green manure will fill the potassium deficiency
In the fall, it will be most useful to sow the vacated area with winter cereals . Before frost, the emerging shoots should be covered with snow to prevent freezing.
Cereals will supply the soil with potassium, which is so necessary for nightshades and cucumbers. Its deficiency is often the main reason for delayed flowering and low fruit set.
- legumes , cruciferous vegetables or phacelia will be excellent to use .
- Excellent results were noted when greening with a mixture of various crops.
Green manure will disinfect the soil
It is important to remember that if part of your greenhouse was occupied by tomatoes, then with a high degree of probability it can be said that late blight pathogens have accumulated in the soil. This fact should be taken into account when choosing a future green fertilizer.
- In this case, there will be great benefit from placing mustard , phacelia or oilseed radish , which, in addition to cleansing late blight, will also provide the plants with available nitrogen.
- For disinfection, it would be useful to sow alfalfa , as well as rye .
Especially for cucumbers
Owners of greenhouses in which they plan to grow cucumbers should take into account some of the biological characteristics of this crop.
Having a very underdeveloped root system, cucumber plants cannot obtain food from deep layers of soil. Nutrition occurs by absorbing nutrients only from the top soil layer, which must be very fertile.
Almost all recommended green manure plants can cope with this task. However, it is still advisable to use crops that quickly form vegetative mass , which will help to obtain maximum benefit from its decomposition.
Green manure for cucumbers
Cucumbers absorb nutrients from the surface layer of soil, so it is important that it is fertile. Almost any green manure will help you cope with this task: phacelia, barley, oats, peas, vetch, rapeseed, etc. The listed green manures can be sown in the summer between rows. This will significantly improve the taste of greens.
But it is not advisable to sow rye in front of cucumbers. According to observations, it not only suppresses weeds, but after it the cucumbers develop worse than usual.
Green manures sown after cucumbers
When the harvest of greenhouse cucumbers is harvested, it is best to sow legumes to replace them - peas, beans or broad beans. They will restore soil fertility and enrich it with nitrogen.
We hope you are convinced that green manure in the greenhouse in the fall is simply necessary. Reviews from summer residents who actively sow oats, mustard, phacelia and other plants indicate that this is a useful and effective task. Try sowing green fertilizers in your greenhouse!
You will find more information about green manure in the articles:
- Green manure: secrets of using green fertilizers
- What green manures can be sown in the fall after harvesting?
- What are the best green manures to sow in the garden and greenhouse in the spring?
- The best green manure for the garden: how to sow and when to plant it in the soil
