Do-it-yourself fresh vegetables and fruits are always preferable to those purchased at the store. However, a greenhouse or a greenhouse requires a lot of strength and energy. High humidity and relatively high temperature - fertile soil for the multiplication of pathogens. Competent processing of a polycarbonate greenhouse in the spring will help to avoid this problem.
The main goals of spring processing polycarbonate greenhouses
The probability of concentration of insects, microorganisms and fungi requires annual disinfection of the soil and the structure itself. If you do not conduct seasonal treatments of the greenhouse, you can encounter a lot of problems in the new season:
- the abundance of pests;
- fungal infections of plants;
- crop degradation due to weed exposure;
- violation of the temperature regime;
- low productivity.
The main objectives of seasonal processing of a polycarbonate greenhouse are:
- keeping the premises clean;
- mold protection;
- peeling of weeds and their seeds;
- the destruction of pests;
- preservation of perennial crops;
- providing the necessary level of lighting and temperature;
- Caring for the integrity of the structure and maintaining its functionality.
The key to effective processing of the greenhouse is the frequency and compliance with the terms of its implementation.
Processing Dates
Usually, the greenhouse polycarbonate structure protects the interior from external pollution, so many gardeners do not consider it important to clean the greenhouse before the start of the new planting season. In fact, preparation can change everything for the better.
The main principle of choosing the processing time is based on the fact that it is necessary to clean the room from pests at the time of their transition to the active phase of life. For this, individuals and their larvae need time and a favorable temperature regime to wake up. The efficiency of cultivating land that has not yet thawed is reduced to zero.
If chemical treatment is planned, it is better to carry it out after a layer of soil 10 cm deep has thawed. It is important to observe the interval between processing and planting. It is better if it will be at least 10 days before the planned planting of crops in the greenhouse.
Soil must be treated a few weeks before planting seedlings and seeds. Usually this is the period from late February to early March.
Sequencing
Processing steps
The spring preparation of the polycarbonate greenhouse for the new planting season includes 6 main stages:
- Clear-out of a site on which the greenhouse settles down.
- Installation of construction.
- Cleaning the frame and polycarbonate (acting as glass).
- Disinfection inside the building.
- If necessary, minor repair of the structure (strengthening, strengthening the bearing bases).
- Tillage. It involves the introduction of chemicals, insecticides, top dressing, digging or replacing the fertile layer.
If treatment was not carried out in the fall, spring cleaning should begin with the removal of old plants. These include not only the tops and fallen fruits, but also weeds, their large seeds and roots.
Next, you should get rid of all the pegs, trellises, ropes, pieces of twine and other garment material. Pathogenic bacteria can grow in it, which will immediately attack new seedlings. They should be taken out of the greenhouse and burned. Leaving them on the site, gardeners risk the occurrence of diseases in other parts of the site.
After that, the polycarbonate structure itself is cleaned. Processing will be most thorough if the structure is disassembled into its components and all surfaces are decontaminated. If an epidemic of diseases inside the greenhouse has been noted, the structure must be treated with a disinfectant. Metal structures are recommended to be treated with warm water with the addition of vinegar.
Polycarbonate is a transparent material that loses its appearance and transparency under the influence of moisture and pollution. To restore its original appearance, it is necessary to wash the coating with soapy water or detergents without abrasive components. You can also use a light solution of potassium permanganate. At the end of the procedure, thoroughly rinse the detergents with clean running water.
Hard sponges, metal brushes and mechanical abrasives must not be used to clean the polycarbonate coating. The coating is vulnerable to scratches.
Inside the greenhouse, all racks, equipment and containers should be cleaned. To do this, you can use boiling water, as well as some chemicals (formalin, vitriol, bleach).
Fumigation as a greenhouse cleaning method
Fumigation is an effective method of pest control in a closed greenhouse. To do this, the entrances and windows are tightly closed, small slots are lifted up and a smoky fire is kindled. If this is not enough, you will need a few sulfur drafts. They are laid out on metal sheets. You can replace them with lump sulfur, which should be combined with a small amount of kerosene.
Disinfection with fumigation is carried out for 4-5 days, after which the room is ventilated.
With such treatment, it is dangerous for a person to be in the greenhouse, since the gas released during fumigation can provoke serious respiratory diseases. If you need to enter the greenhouse, personal protective equipment should be used.
The main methods of disinfection of soil
The next step is the disinfection of the soil. Three types of processing can be used for this:
- temperature;
- chemical;
- biological.
The effectiveness of the fight against bacteria, fungi and insects depends on the chosen processing method. The choice of cleaning method is influenced by the type of crops grown in the greenhouse. This procedure is quite laborious.
Change in temperature
If the end of winter and the beginning of March are frosty, you can take advantage of this natural good and freeze the earth. To do this, open the greenhouse and leave it open for several days. Low temperatures can lead to the death of harmful bacteria and fungi, abundantly affecting plants. Also, frost can neutralize insect larvae deposited in the ground in the fall.
If we are talking about a small area for seedlings, then you can not start working with chemicals, but treat the soil with boiling water. This is enough to destroy most types of pathogens and pest larvae. Look here for more information about tillage before planting seedlings.
Biological control method
Biological treatment is usually carried out using the following drugs:
- "Fitosporin";
- "Phytocide";
- "Biodestructor stubble."
Also used such drugs:
- "Baikal M", effective against rot, fungi and lichens;
- "Fitolavin" from rot and pathogens;
- "Carbation", which helps to cope with the keel and black leg, as well as verticillus and Fusarium wilt;
- "Acrobat MC" to combat powdery mildew and late blight;
- Bayleton from gray rot.
To clean the soil, it is enough to shed only the top layer. For processing, you need to prepare the solution according to the instructions, then disinfect. After the solution is absorbed, with the help of a rake, you need to dig a little of the treated area. Then the disinfected soil must be covered with a covering material (film or spanbond).
After applying biological preparations, it is necessary to take care of the structure of the soil and make up for it with useful bacteria artificially.
Chemical disinfection method
The appeal to chemicals is usually due to the desire of the owners of the site to get rid of pests for a long time. However, it must be understood that any exposure to such substances has significant implications for crops.
Chemical treatment is best done in the coolest time of the day, ideally at night.
There are a number of chemicals commonly used for disinfecting soil:
- The most affordable is bleach. It is affordable and has earned the trust of gardeners for its effectiveness. For its preparation, it is enough to dilute 400 grams of quicklime in a 10-liter bucket of water. The solution is infused for 8 hours: 4 - with periodic stirring, 4 - without stirring. After that, the upper liquid layer is selected for tillage. The remainder of the solution can be used to whitewash any wooden frames in the garden.
- A chlorine solution prepared in a proportion of 1 kilogram per 10 liters of water is effective in combating spider mites.
- Formalin is used 2 weeks before planting. After its application, the soil must be covered with polyethylene for 3 days. The cleared soil is dug up, and the greenhouse is aired.
- “Bordeaux mixture” is a powder for dilution in water. The main condition is its competent use on the soil according to the instructions.
- Iprodion is a spring disinfection powder for the prevention of diseases such as gray and white rot, phomopsis, oidium.
- Hexachloran is effective against caterpillars and butterflies.
- As radical methods, copper sulfate treatment can be used. It is quite aggressive against all bacteria (not only harmful to plants). After its application, the soil is considered infertile, so for several years it will need its artificial top dressing. A solution of copper sulfate is often used to process the internal surfaces of the greenhouse and cracks in the basis of the design. With its help, you can fight with late blight, powdery mildew, scab.
You can buy ready-made preparations in specialized stores:
- "Lightning" against a spider mite;
- Thunderstorm from snails and other types of slugs;
- Marshall against aphids and thrips.
Before using chemicals, it is important to carefully study the instructions and strictly observe the proportions when diluting poisons. For their spraying, special equipment and protective equipment or improvised equipment can be used.
Features of processing the greenhouse in which perennials grow
If perennial plants grow in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it must be processed in the spring. For this purpose, it is necessary to use special means that will not harm the plants themselves and the soil in which they grow. You need to select them in a specialized store, adhering to the concentration depending on the type and condition of the plant.
In addition to pest control in a greenhouse with perennial crops, it is possible to carry out mechanical cleaning: cleaning, minor repairs, digging up free areas, cleaning the structure with soft means. To do this, unnecessary objects and small structures are taken out of the greenhouse, after which they are cleaned individually.
Then the internal surfaces of the greenhouse and structures that cannot be removed for processing are cleaned. Cleaning ends by flushing the outside of the structure. This is necessary both for aesthetic appearance in the garden, and for stopping hypothetical invasions of insects.
In the spring, shoots of perennial greenhouse plants are partially trimmed, and weeds around are removed.
Greenhouse soil conservation guidelines
In some gardeners' recommendations, you can come up with advice on using the tops of greenhouse crops to create compost. This is possible, but only if several conditions are met:
- Over the past two seasons, the greenhouse did not show an increase in the number of insects and outbreaks of plant infectious diseases.
- The garden plot makes it possible to freely place a certain volume of compost for a period of 4 years for the “processing” of pathogens without its use.
- The resulting compost will not be used for growing crops from which the tops were obtained.
To exclude the entry of pests into the ground, it is necessary to adhere to some rules:
- For processing, you should have a separate set of garden tools. All tools (shovel, rake, pitchfork) should not be used outside the greenhouse.
- It is worth taking care of a separate set of shoes with garden gloves. Its use will protect the microclimate of the enclosed space from external influences.
- After processing, do not bring newly purchased plants into the greenhouse. They must be kept in quarantine for at least two days. During this time, they may appear signs of disease. If this happens, shoots must be disposed of in a neutral area to prevent their seeds from entering the soil.
The implementation of simple recommendations will save the existing plants and prevent the infection of the soil with harmful insects.
Even greenhouses made of modern polycarbonate material require careful processing in the spring. The use of mechanical, biological and chemical methods of processing will help to maintain soil fertility and increase the yield of planted plants.