Exact Answer: 48 Hours
The world is becoming more polluted with each passing day. Industries are being set up at every place and the harmful air is released all over the cities. With the growing need of the people, the industries also need to quicken their production, which escalates the pollution. To stop the air from being polluted, the only option in the hands of human beings is to plant trees. Trees are the only things that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
The planting of trees is difficult and needs to be done with precision. Not only tall trees but crops also help the environment as well as provide people with food. The farmer plows the soil so that there can be proper aeration. After 48 hours of aeration, the seeds are sowed in the soil and are watered.
How Long After Aeration Can I Seed?
| Type | Time |
| Sowing After Aeration | 48 Hours |
| Watering | Everyday |
It is after 48 hours of aeration, that the person can sow the seed in the soil. Aeration is a very important process for the growth of the plant. Without proper aeration, the plant may die. Between the 48 hour window, the soil absorbs plenty of air and absorbs the nutrients which are good for the plant. Not only aeration but watering from time to time is also important for the plant to grow.
Aeration is the biological process in which there is an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the pores of the soil and the atmosphere. This process helps the soil to prevent any kind of oxygen deficiency and carbon dioxide toxicity. The soil needs to be properly aerated because the oxygen helps the roots of the plant and aerobic microbes to respire, and the oxidation reaction can also proceed at a steady rate.
There are three ways in which the position of aeration in the soil is determined. The first and most common one is to get to know the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the soil. The second is by the oxygen diffusion rate, while the third one is determined by the oxidation-reduction potential. Most of the time, the inorganic soil contains oxygen less than the atmospheric level while the carbon dioxide percentage is almost eight times that of the atmosphere.
The holes in the soil after aeration will help the water seep through the soil without getting stored. This helps the roots to breathe properly. Only the mangrove trees can grow under such circumstances where there is water logging all the time.
Why Does It Take Long To Seed After Aeration?
The 48-hour window is not much, to begin with. If a person wants that his or her lawn will be full of greenery then that person must bear with this rule. Sowing seeds without aeration will make the plants suffer from malnutrition and they will have a higher chance of dying. If the soil is not aerated, it will remain inorganic with an uneven level of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and neither diffusion nor mass flow can take place.
As mentioned above, there are two ways in which gaseous exchange takes place. The first one is the mass flow which mainly occurs during noon when the soil gets heated up and the gases start rising from the pores and moves to the atmosphere. During the nighttime, the soil becomes cooler than the atmosphere, and the atmospheric gases come down to enter the soil.
Before aeration, it is important to check the soil first. If the soil is not fertile then there will be no point in sowing seed. Even after aeration, when the soil has become fertile, it is important to add fertilizers for the betterment of the plants. Fertilizers provide the soil with all the nutrients which can be absorbed by the roots of the plants. The plants also need to be watered daily otherwise the leaves will turn yellow.
Conclusion
There are a lot of factors that affect soil aeration. Two of the most common things are soil organic matter and soil moisture. Adding organic matter to the soil will make it decompose by the microorganisms that are present in the soil. Sometimes due to heavy rain, water can enter the pores and make the oxygen level reach zero. The only aeration can solve this problem.
Just like rain overwatering can also cause the same problem and even adding an excess of organic matter will take a lot of time to decompose and delay the mass flow. If the mass flow is delayed then the soil cannot stay properly aerated, which ultimately will affect the plant only.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065211308606483
- https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19851997615