Experienced gardeners and gardeners prefer to grow cultivated plants on black soil, fertile soil. But peat, which looks so similar to black soil, is used by specialists as top dressing and fertilizer. So what is the difference between peat, which is useful in agriculture, and chernozem, and how to properly use these natural gifts for growing fruit, vegetable and berry crops, we will look into the details further.
What is peat
To understand how to use peat in a vegetable garden or garden plot, you need to understand where it came from and what this natural material consists of.
Peat, by definition, refers to combustible minerals that are mined in swampy and heavily moist areas in temperate and northern climate zones.
Such deposits are formed over centuries and millennia, accumulating minerals with combustible energy.
- Peat from the depths of deposits is called lowland, dark brown or black, dense and heavy.
- The top layer of the deposits is called the upper layer, it contains practically no minerals and is characterized by a high content of acids. This material is more friable, colored in brownish-yellowish shades.
It undergoes proper processing before being used in agriculture. Due to its high acidity, the mineral is not used in its pure form.
Characteristics after treatment:
- turns black;
- consistency is loose, crumbly;
- moisture quickly penetrates the natural material, but evaporates just as quickly.
Peat-based fertilizers and fertilizers contain many mineral compounds.
Interesting! An ancient Roman writer, poet and scientist living in the 1st century AD, in his works and research, defined peat as “combustible earth”.
Description of black soil
Chernozem soil includes a fertile layer of soil formed from organic plant and animal decomposition with the help of protozoa and invertebrate organisms over a long period of time.Such soil contains nutrients and minerals, a neutral amount of acids and a large amount of nitrogen-containing organic matter.
Characteristics of chernozem:
- the top layer of soil is black, the lower deposits of chernozem are light brown;
- the consistency is crumbly, granular, sometimes with small lumps;
- well moisturized and breathable;
- under the influence of the sun and during drought, cracks and crusts do not form on the surface of the chernozem.
This soil is used without preliminary preparation for growing all types of cultivated plants.
Fact! The famous soil scientist V. Dokuchaev described chernozem as the noble rust of the earth, without which the process of soil formation is impossible.
Main differences
To find out how and when to use peat and black soil, you need to become familiar with the differences between natural materials.
| Characteristics | Chernozem | Peat |
| Purpose | The soil | Mineral resource |
| Method of origin | Decomposition of plant and animal organic matter with the participation of simple microorganisms | Decomposition of plant organic matter under conditions of acute oxygen deficiency |
| Description | The dark top layer turns into lighter shades at depth, due to the clay content, sticky when moistened | Layers of the same shade, crumbly, resembles a sponge when moistened |
| Basic properties | Low acidity level, not prone to self-ignition | Combustible mineral, leaves ash after combustion, high acid content |
| Applications in agriculture | As the main, universal soil for growing all types of cultivated plants | A constituent unit in the manufacture of soil mixtures for water filtration. |
Important! After processing, peat acquires the color and consistency of black soil, which is often taken advantage of by unscrupulous sellers.
Properties
Peat contains many minerals necessary to nourish infertile, heavy soil. Therefore, the mineral is used to prepare fertilizers, mulch and soil mixtures. But we must not forget that natural material is a combustible, self-igniting substance, which is still used as an energy carrier to this day.
Visual difference
How to distinguish peat from chernozem soil in practice:
- heavy black soil, light peat;
- the consistency of the soil consists of small lumps and grains, the peat has a uniform structure;
- fossil fuels have many shades - from yellow to black;
- the fertile layer of soil always remains black;
- Chernozem squeezed in the hands leaves a feeling of grease, peat crumbles without a trace.
Important! After peat combustion, a small amount of ash remains. After the black soil burns out, lumps of clay remain.
What is better to choose
The choice between a flammable substance and black soil is made based on the further purpose of the natural materials. Fertile soil is chosen as the main soil for growing various crops. The mineral is used only in a diluted form of 1/1 for soil mixtures, fertilizing and mulch.
