One of the mainstays of high-quality garden soil is a loose, well-drained structure. In order to improve compacted garden soil, knowledgeable gardeners get help from the plant world. This guide explains how you can easily loosen inferior garden soil with green manure.
Lupins look beautiful and loosen up the soil
Deep roots loosen up garden soil
The pounding rain, construction work or trampling children's feet leave behind compacted garden soil. Exhausting digging and raking loosens the soil only temporarily. You can achieve a long-lasting loosening effect with the help of deep-rooted, native plants. A positive side effect is a decoratively green garden, while ornamental and vegetable plants are in hibernation.
Special seed mixtures for soil loosening green manure can be purchased in specialist shops. Native plant species such as lupins (Lupinus), marigolds (Calendula), sunflowers (Helianthus), valerian (Valerianoideae) or winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) have proven to be best.
Loosen dense garden soil with green manure - this is how it works
From May to October the time window is open to improve compacted soil with green manure. Here's how to plant seeds expertly for speedy germination and rooting:
- Rake the garden soil with a harrow
- Remove stones, roots and weeds
- Ideally spread a layer of compost soil and sand as a seedbed
- Scatter green manure seeds with spreaders or by hand
For good soil contact, trod the seedbed with a lawn roller or work the seeds in superficially with a rake. The later in the year you sow green manure, the larger the amount of seed. Finally, water the garden soil with a fine spray and cover the area with a close-meshed protective net.
Clear the bed professionally
After 4 to 12 weeks, the green manure plants have fulfilled their duty and deeply loosened the soil. Cut off the vegetation with a lawn mower, scythe or brush cutter (€139.99). The clippings remain for a while as mulch (€239.00) so that it dries. Only then do you work the green mulch into the garden soil. After a waiting period of three to four weeks, you can plant the loosened garden soil.
tips
Ornamental plants and useful plants have a bad hand on a new plot of land. Before you plant a new garden next to your home, the area is filled with topsoil. The layer of humus-rich garden soil should be at least 25 to 30 centimeters thick so that plants can thrive vitally and healthily.