Experienced farmers know what green manure is. To take more from the soil, you need to repay it with the same. To restore the composition of the soil and its permeability, plants that meet these requirements are used. This article provides information on how to properly enrich the land with natural ingredients.
The role of plants in soil enrichment
For a long time people have understood that in order to restore depleted soil, he needs rest. The abandoned areas during the dormant period accumulated useful substances due to plants that were layered on the surface, rotted and turned into compost. The roots of the wild grass prevented the soil from being washed away, microorganisms and worms fed on them, which, in turn, contributed to the accumulation of nitrogen. When such plots were developed for planting cultivated plants, they rewarded farmers with rich harvests. This, to some extent, sheds light on the question we are discussing about what green manure is. We can say that these are plants that are organicfertilizer, normalizing the condition of the soil. This method of farming is based on an important principle - the land should not be bare.
What are green manure crops?
Since science does not stand still, botanical research has found that some plants have increased green manure properties. As the boundaries of farmland expanded, there was a need for accelerated restoration of the land. The task was to find plants with intensive growth and powerful green mass. Thanks to new discoveries, many farmers have gained a deeper understanding of what green manure is and how important it is in agriculture. The secrets of the use of natural fertilizers have been revealed to many summer residents. Some of them successfully sow them in beds with vegetable crops and free land. Let's highlight the main characteristics of these plants:
- Crops grown to improve the soil grow and gain green mass within 45-60 days.
- Cut off the above-ground part of plants is an excellent alternative to chemical complex fertilizers. With the regular use of this method, the accumulation of organic elements in the soil occurs.
- At the end of the growing season, crops saturate the earth with nitrogen and other nutrients.
- Using certain cultivation practices using the dense planting method, the stems create a dense wall that is difficult for weeds to get through.
- Long and branchedthe roots of green manure plants block the supply of nutrients to weeds, and also structure the soil, make it loose and breathable. Rotting, they serve as additional fertilizer for future plants.
- During the growing season, green mass protects the earth's surface from wind and sun, as a result of which a large amount of moisture is retained in it. The same function is performed by the sloping above-ground part of the crops left in the beds. It also protects the soil from erosion.
Views
The reference point in choosing a suitable plant is the family to which it belongs. There are the following groups of green manure crops:
- Grains: rye, barley, oats.
- Beans: peas, vetch, alfalfa, sainfoin, clover, broad beans, sweet clover, all varieties of lupine.
- Cruciferous: oil radish, white mustard, rapeseed, spring and winter rapeseed.
- Borage - phacelia.
It is difficult to single out the best from the general list of green manures, as well as a universal one that would be suitable for all cultures. Each plant has its own requirements and preferences. And some enrichment crops can even have a bad effect on a particular plant. For example, cabbage should not be planted after cruciferous plants, since it also belongs to this family. Such precursors will only serve to spread their common pests and diseases.
The ideal green manure for acidic soil is phacelia. Rotting and mixing with the top layer of soil, it neutralizes acidic reactions in its environment. Atgardeners, it is famous for its accelerated growth rate, perfectly loosens the soil and attracts honey insects.
Perennial crops have proven to be good orderlies. They have a strong root system, and after the next mowing of the green mass, they begin to bush again. These include clover and alfalfa. It would be advisable to sow them in depleted areas for a long period of cultivation in the allotted place. The mowing process is carried out throughout the growing season. At the last stage of enrichment, chopped greens are embedded in the soil along with the roots. Below is an overview of the most popular crops.
Phacelia
This is a hydrophilic plant that improves soil aeration. It becomes light, permeable, and its acidity decreases to neutral. Growing phacelia as green manure is becoming increasingly popular with gardeners. This culture is universal and has a positive effect on all types of vegetables and berries. In addition, it is worth paying attention to its unpretentiousness, drought resistance, quick set of the ground part and frost resistance. Phacelia loves peaty, sandy or clay soil, but can grow on rocky soil.
Phacelia has a fleshy trunk and strong leaves, the tissues of which contain phytoncides. These substances suppress the formation of pathogenic microorganisms, putrefactive bacteria, as well as late blight and scab in the soil. In addition, the plant protects vegetable crops from aphids, wireworms, codling moths and nematodes. The field with phacelia looks extraordinarily beautiful. It blooms profusely - lilac fluffy caps of inflorescences always attract the gaze of passers-by.
Oats
Cereals perform well in many types of soil, but they will be more beneficial in acidic soil. With their help, you can turn loamy and sandy areas into fertile land, achieve water permeability and the accumulation of nitrogen and potassium. Oats as green manure are sown to improve and loosen the soil. In particular, it enriches the earth with macronutrients such as potassium and phosphorus. Thanks to a powerful root system that can change the structure of heavy soil, water and air freely penetrate into its deeper layers. If the cereal is sown along with vegetables on light soil, then it will protect its upper layer from erosion and provide plants with moisture.
The roots of oats contain a substance that can prevent the growth of bacteria. Using this green manure plant for several years, you will insure your garden from pathogens of fungal infections and root rot. Meanwhile, it is important to remember that cultures for enriching the soil must be periodically changed. In order to sufficiently saturate the earth with essential trace elements, and especially nitrogen, oats are combined with other fast-growing crops, such as peas or vetch.
Mustard
As green manure, mustard is the most famous plant among amateur gardeners. She won her location due to the unpretentiousness and availability of seed material. Greenbiomass is widely used as a fertilizer by burying it in the ground. This attracts a large number of beneficial microorganisms, which quickly process it and turn it into soil. Very deep roots structure the soil well and make it porous. The substances that the nutrient system secretes have a detrimental effect on the wireworm.
If you sow mustard in the area of tree trunks in early spring, then during its flowering, as well as the flowering of the fruit plants themselves, honey insects will flock to its aroma.
When planting in the fall, the crop will retain moisture after the snow melts. This will prevent the ground from cracking and wind erosion.
Mustard as green manure serves as a good protection against harmful grass - where it grows, weeds simply do not appear. In order for the plant to fulfill all its functions, it must be sown only in moist soil.
Which crops are suitable for growing potatoes
Since the potato is called the second bread, this crop is often grown in large quantities. Being a monoculture, it significantly depletes the soil. Often it is not always possible to make a crop rotation, so the problem is solved by sowing auxiliary crops. To achieve maximum results, certain mixtures are prepared from various green manure seeds. For potatoes, plants are selected taking into account what conditions the accompanying crop can provide. Indeed, for the normal formation of tubers, a well-structured soil is needed. Potato is susceptiblemany diseases, so it needs a companion capable of suppressing specific infections. The presence of trace elements in the biomass of green manure plants is also important. Consider the characteristics of individual crops and some mixtures:
- A good option in this regard would be a combination of peas with oats. Legumes are most commonly used by gardeners due to their high nitrogen content. Such plants are distinguished by lush green mass. In this case, oats as green manure acts as an additional crop.
- If only cereals are grown between the rows of potatoes, this can attract wireworms. However, they can be sown in autumn after harvest.
- Buckwheat is rich in potassium and phosphorus, which are needed for the development of root crops. It quickly gains biomass, works well on heavy ground.
- The effectiveness of cultivating phacelia as green manure in the beds with potatoes has been confirmed by time. The results of many years of testing have shown that this plant copes well with the nematode, wireworm and provides reliable protection against weeds.
- Mustard contains sulfur and phosphorus, has a short growing season, which allows you to get green mass several times.
- Lupine is identical to fresh manure in its properties, but, unlike it, it is absorbed much faster. This is due to the content of organic acids in plant tissues, which interact well with minerals in the soil.
- Another effective plant is flax. In addition to its green manure functions, it helps to fight Colorado beetles.
Siderates for potatoes should be alternated. Even the most suitable plant eventually becomes a monoculture and no longer has a positive effect on the soil.
It is necessary to follow the rules of agricultural technology when sowing seeds. Too thick plantings, as well as thinned ones, will not give the desired result. Seed consumption is always indicated on the package.
And most importantly, green fertilizers should not be brought to the flowering stage. The biomass is cut off during the period of milk maturity. Old, coarse raw materials will rot very slowly and can cause a lot of damage.
Plant selection
Before you buy green manure for the garden, you need to decide what tasks you are going to solve with the help of green fertilizers. Consider what you need to pay attention to so as not to make a mistake in choosing a culture:
- If your garden is suffering from an invasion of slugs or a bear, it is better to sow mustard. These pests can destroy the crop of carrots and potatoes, as well as undermine small seedling bushes. The sulfur compounds contained in mustard suppress pathogenic microflora, which, in turn, contributes to the improvement of the soil.
- Carbonate or saline soil can be normalized by a member of the Legume family. We are talking about sweet clover, which is considered a medicinal plant and an excellent honey plant. Beneficial to this kind of soil, it repels rodents and attracts beneficial insects at the same time.
- To enrich the land as much as possible, plant lupins. In addition, heprovides ideal structuring to the soil. Its taproots go deep into the ground (2 m) and drain it. Medvedka and May beetles are afraid of this plant.
- In the area where nitrogen-demanding vegetables will grow in subsequent years, it is better to plant legumes. With their help, you can quickly restore poor soils - these crops allow several mowings per season. It is worth paying attention to alfalfa, as its biomass is highly digestible.
- If you need compost or mulching material, sow oil radish, which is capable of producing a large amount of green manure.
Beginner gardeners often wonder when to sow green manure. Sowing enrichment plants can be carried out both before planting the main crop and after its harvest. The only thing is to figure out which type of natural fertilizer is suitable for a particular season. More on that later.
Spring planting
The earliest include spring rapeseed, phacelia, rapeseed and mustard. They are good precursors for tomatoes and peppers. Planting green manure is simple: you need to calculate the number of seeds per allotted land area, scatter them around the site and level them over the surface with a rake. When the plants gain sufficient green mass, it must be fertilized even before the budding process. There are three ways to use biological fertilizer:
- Two weeks before planting seedlings, useful plants are dug into the ground. However, this method is compared tothe rest is not so effective.
- Stems of crops are cut off, and the roots are left in the ground. In this case, the flat cutter is installed in such a way that when mowing, the soil is also captured (by about 2 cm). Then vegetables are planted in the garden, and cut greens are left on the surface.
- If siderates are at the stage of vegetative development, then seedlings can be planted between them. As long as they grow together, useful crops will be a protection from the weather. Upon reaching the desired growth, green manures are cut off and a layer of mulch is created from them. When it wilts a little, you can put any grass or hay on top.
Autumn sowing seeds
Most often, mustard or rye is sown before winter. In autumn, green manure is grown after harvesting the main crops. Usually this time falls on the period lasting from the end of August to the beginning of October. Rye is harvested before the cold until heading. It is cut in the area of the tillering node and left in the garden. Mustard grows until the very frost and even during the first snow. Usually it is left until spring. In March, its tops are mowed with a flat cutter or the main plants are planted directly on its remains.
After harvesting early vegetables, other types of green manure can be grown. When choosing green manure for the garden, you should always take into account the period of their full development. If you understand that it is still far before the arrival of cold weather, then sow heat-loving plants. For example, after harvesting early potatoes or garlic, phacelia, oil radish and spring rye will have time to grow. These are suitable predecessors for cucumbers.
Conclusion
Now that you know what green manure is, you can safely use these plants to improve the soil. Organic farming methods significantly increase the amount of harvested crops. With proper and regular application of natural fertilizers, you will save your garden from the accumulation of nitrates, since this method of soil restoration frees the farmer from the use of chemicals.
