Caring for the soil in the garden is very important. Cultivating is an old and valuable practice in the gardening world, and though it seems simple, there are some principles behind that are beneficial to understand.
How Do I Cultivate?
In essence, cultivation is lightly breaking up the soil and removing weeds from it so water, air and nutrients can penetrate it more effectively. Left on their own, elements will dry on the surface of the soil and form a crusty layer. Breaking this layer up allows water to go into the soil and also makes it easier for seeds to germinate and sprout through the surface. Air going into the soil also helps the microorganisms that are vital to soil health and helping plant nutrients to do their job. Soil health is getting more attention. To learn more about this vital topic, see this report from The Guardian.
Cultivation can help to eradicate weeds by exposing their roots so that they perish. Cultivation should be done when soil is dry to avoid compacting it too much. If you have plants already growing, then cultivate the soil between them so as not to disturb their roots.
Going Deeper
Tilling is like a form of deeper cultivation where you break up the soil down to 8 or 10 inches, often done when creating new garden beds or to add a large amount of organic material to poor-quality soil in order to improve it. Tilling is also done to turn over the remnants of past crops and, like cultivating, is useful for allowing air beneath the surface of the soil for the benefit of microorganisms.
Some light cultivating might even rejuvenate ailing lawns or those which have suffered from brutal cutting. If you want to discover more about the benefits of having handy Mountfield Spares for your mower, it would be best to consult an expert in this area such as https://www.diyspareparts.com/parts/mountfield/, which has a range of options and can offer help and advice on which Mountfield Spares are best for your machine.
Looking after our soil is essential. The principles of cultivation are probably as old as agriculture itself, and this ancient wisdom should be incorporated into our gardening practices to ensure the health of the soil and its ability to grow beautiful things.