seedbed
The arable soil prepared for sowing is called the seedbed . The seedbed should be designed in such a way that it offers a uniform depth of the seed and the best germination conditions; So it is different to prepare for the different types of plants and seed sizes ( thousand grains ) and sowing methods.
On the one hand, the “seed” should lie on a sufficiently firm, capillary- effective arable top , but on the other hand, it should be covered by an easily heated and well-ventilated loose layer. The seeds of light germs require special attention here - too fine crumbs can lead to drifting or silting up of the soil, seeds that are too flat can easily lead to bird damage.
Usually, the soil is turned and mixed by plowing a seed furrow and above-ground plant remains from the preculture are worked under. This work can only be carried out on a sufficiently dried field in order to then achieve the desired reconsolidated but finely crumbly soil structure with other agricultural equipment such as packers , harrows or seedbed combinations .
In order to protect arable land at risk from soil erosion (e.g. heavy rain, slope inclination) or to maintain the soil structure, the no-till method is also increasingly used. Here the seedbed is the unploughed area of the previous arable crop.
In an optimally prepared seedbed, the following zones are clearly visible:
- Loose top crumb with sufficient proportion of fine soil to embed the seeds; coarser aggregates in this zone reduce the risk of silting up and erosion
- Separate seed horizon (area on which the grains come to lie) with connection to the capillary water rise from the subsoil for quick and safe germination
- Lower crust with gradual transition to the subsoil; free of compaction, but sufficiently reconsolidated (e.g. after using the packer after plowing)
In horticulture , the term seedbed is also occasionally used for small beds . Because of the widespread manual sowing and control of moisture and heat, the special requirements of the respective seed can be met more easily.
If plants are not sown but set, one speaks of a plant bed .