Plant young saplings in the desert

When planting young saplings in the desert, covering the surface of the sandy soil with straw mats mainly has the following functions:

Water Retention and Moisture Preservation

The climate in desert areas is arid, and water evaporates quickly. Covering the sandy soil surface with straw mats can reduce the direct exposure of soil moisture to the air, lower the evaporation rate, and enable the soil moisture to be retained for a longer time. This provides a relatively stable water environment for the growth of young saplings, which is helpful for the young saplings to take root and grow.

Windbreak and Sand Fixation

There are strong winds and a lot of sand in the desert. Strong winds can easily erode the soil, bury or blow down young saplings. Straw mats can fix the sandy soil, reduce the wind speed, and decrease the erosion of sand and wind on the young saplings and the soil around them, allowing the young saplings to grow in a relatively stable environment.

Temperature Regulation

The temperature difference between day and night in the desert is large. Straw mats can, to a certain extent, block the direct sunlight during the day, lower the soil surface temperature, and prevent the high soil temperature from harming the roots of young saplings. At night, they can play a certain role in heat preservation, slow down the loss of soil heat, narrow the temperature difference between day and night, and create a more suitable temperature environment for the young saplings.

Weed Growth Suppression

Covering with straw mats can prevent weed seeds from coming into contact with sunlight, inhibit the germination and growth of weed seeds, reduce the competition between weeds and young saplings for water, nutrients, and space, and enable the young saplings to obtain more sufficient resources for growth.

Soil Improvement Promotion

During the natural degradation process, straw mats will gradually integrate into the soil, increase the content of organic matter in the soil, improve the soil structure, enhance the soil fertility and its water and fertilizer retention capacity, which is beneficial to the long-term growth of young saplings.