Mustard white as green manure when. Mustard as green manure

Modern agricultural technology widely uses the so-called green manure plants to enrich the soil, improve its nutritional qualities, and increase fertility. Green manures are, in fact, fertilizers, but only natural, naturally grown, therefore useful and, at the same time, very effective. Annuals are usually used as siderats, capable of growing a significant green mass in one season. These plants include white mustard - a wonderful spicy plant, which is often used as green manure. In the article, we will consider the features of growing white mustard as green manure: we will find out how to plant this crop and how to care for it.

Description of white mustard

Today, about 40 types of mustard are known, however, it is white mustard that is most often used as green manure. In addition to application in this capacity white mustard is still widely used in cooking, as delicious seasoning, as well as in folk and home medicine.

How to use fishmeal as a fertilizer, tell.

In a season, the plant can grow up to a meter in length, which makes it so well suited for use as green manure. The plant, among other things, is a wonderful honey plant, so the apiary located next to the mustard field will undoubtedly bring a good "harvest" of honey.

Find out when to sow Phacelia.

The flowering period of the plant is from June to August. But when a plant is grown as a green manure, they usually do not wait for this period, cutting the green mass in advance. White mustard - wonderful and very useful precursor for crops such as nightshade and cereals.

Green manure mustard protects the soil from weeds, prevents the sun's rays from destroying the soil structure, loosens the soil, enriches nutrients: in particular, phosphorus and nitrogen. The roots of the plant are of considerable length: they grow up to three meters. Due to their size, they can deliver nutrients to the surface from the deepest layers of the soil. And when the mustard is mowed, the soil remains permeated with roots, which improves air exchange in it, and benefits all subsequent cultivated plants.

When to sow and bury read.

In addition to those listed useful properties white mustard it is still capable of not only scaring away pests and protecting plants from diseases, but also attracting bees, which is great for placement. Therefore, it is very profitable to grow cultivated plants next to or after mustard.

The benefits of mustard green manure

We will find out what magical changes occur in the soil when white mustard is grown on it as green manure.

Mustard can absorb sparingly soluble organic matter and vitamins from the ground, converting them into easily digestible forms for other plants. If nitrogen is still not enough rationally.

Mustard loosens the soil due to its powerful branched root system. The plant also suppresses weeds, prevents their spread throughout the site.

The spice prevents valuable minerals from being washed out of the soil during the rainy season. And the special substances secreted by this culture stop the spread of pathogenic microbes, bacteria and fungus in the soil. Therefore, potatoes, tomatoes or other vegetables planted after mustard in this place will not suffer from fungal diseases and will avoid rotting.

Read also more about.

The plant is able to save the garden from some pests. It is especially effective against slugs and wireworms. Of course, you can’t get rid of the wireworm in one season. But if you plant mustard in one place for 2-3 years in a row, then a harmful insect can leave the site altogether.

How mustard is sown in the spring to fertilize the soil is described.

If mustard is planted late as green manure, then after mowing it can act as a natural mulch, retaining snow moisture in the soil and enriching it with nutrients.

The plant, among other things, is also a wonderful honey plant. In addition, the cost of mustard seeds is low, so you can use the plant as a useful green manure without risking going broke.

There are also minor disadvantages of using this plant as green manure. So, white mustard is prone to certain diseases: such as powdery mildew, white rust, spotting. If the mustard hurts, then its green manure can infect the plants planted after it in this area.

Agricultural technology

Sandy loose soils are not suitable for mustard, so it is better not to plant mustard on such land.

The plant is quite resistant to cold. So, landing can be carried out even at a slightly warmer than zero temperature. And the sprouted sprouts can withstand temperatures down to -7 degrees. Because of this feature, it is quite acceptable to plant mustard in early spring, so that by the time the rest of the crops are planted, this plant has already managed to enrich the soil with nutrients and improve air exchange in it.

Planting in the spring

In order to safely grow white mustard on green manure, there is no need to dig the site. A few centimeters of surface loosening is enough, after which the area can be leveled with a rake if it is small or harrowed if it is of considerable size.

Mustard seeds are small, so they should not fall deep into the ground. Usually the seeds are scattered on the ground (rather densely), after which they are covered with a rake. If you decide to plant mustard on green manure in rows, then it is recommended to keep a distance of 15 cm between them, and make holes 4-5 cm deep.

From the moment the seeds are placed in the ground until the plant begins to bloom, 40-45 days pass. But it is desirable to cut off the green mass before flowering, and two weeks before planting other crops in this area.

To get green manure in the same year, you can sow white mustard from March to August. Planted in any month in this time period, the mustard will have time to ripen and gain a good green mass. In the south of the country, it is sometimes planted as early as the end of February.

It is impossible to plant mustard after cruciferous plants, since pests and diseases in plants of the same family are common. And such a culture as turnips cannot stand even the neighborhood of mustard.

Planting in autumn

For central regions countries most suitable choice planting time for green manure white mustard is August-September. Having overwintered in the ground, in early spring the grass will already show the first shoots. And maybe it will grow a little more this year.

In the latter case, before the snow, it can be mowed down and tamped into the soil. In the southern regions, the plant can be planted until November. Moreover, even at this time of the year, mustard may well sprout, since partial germination occurs already at a temperature of + 2-3 degrees.

Be sure to clean the beds from the remains of previous plants before the autumn planting so that their diseases are not transmitted to the mustard. It is desirable to fertilize the earth with humus at the rate of 1-2 buckets per m2 of land. The bed is then dug up, and it must be harrowed, removing large earth clods.

Seeds are scattered by the handful. And do not be afraid that the plant will be planted too densely: this method of planting, on the contrary, is beneficial in this case, as it protects the soil from erosion. Do not try to carefully bury the seeds: after the first rain, they themselves will safely settle at the right depth in the ground.

Care

Some points on the care of white mustard grown as green manure.

If you plant grass on green manure in early spring, then there is no need to water it. After winter and snow melting, there is enough moisture in the soil so that the plant can develop safely and receive nutrition. If you plant in the summer, then watering is necessary immediately after planting, and in the future - only in case of severe drought.

The grass does not need to be fed: you can safely remove this problem from the agenda.

It is important to mow the mustard before it blooms. Do not miss this moment, as with the onset of flowering, the stems and leaves of the plant coarsen, which makes it difficult for them to be further processed and decomposed in the soil. In addition, during flowering, the grass spends too many useful trace elements to maintain flower stalks: and all these useful material green manure should be used for other crops. And thirdly, flowering mustard seeds ripen, which fall immediately into the ground.

Thus, instead of a useful green manure, the plant risks becoming a weed - which is not at all difficult with its survival and unpretentiousness.

After mowing the green mass, it is dug up, and usually embedded right there in the soil. If the weather is dry, then it is necessary to water the green mess in order to speed up the processes of its decomposition.

To introduce green manure into the soil, two methods can be used: both are proven and reliable. In the first case, the grass must be mowed before it blooms, composted, and then applied to those areas where it is necessary. The second method is simpler, and it involves mowing the grass and trampling it into the ground right at the place where it grew. Compost in this case is not specially made. The plant will decompose in the ground, becoming a natural nutrient fertilizer for the following cultivated plants.

Video

This video will tell you why to plant green manure.

We examined the features of growing white mustard as green manure. Now you know that this plant can serve not only as a spicy seasoning, but also as a wonderful useful fertilizer for other garden plants. horticultural crops. How to plant buckwheat will help you understand.

With each new crop, the soil loses a huge amount of nutrients. Moreover, the more fruits a plant gives, the more useful components it consumes. To restore soil fertility, it is necessary to constantly fertilize, as well as use green manure plants. The most effective and affordable in this regard is the cultivation of mustard.

Mustard as green manure

The agrotechnical term "siderat" comes from the French word "sideration", which means "stunning effect". The procedure involves the cultivation of certain plants to obtain green mass, which after some time is plowed into the ground. This allows you to improve the structure of the soil, enrich it with mineral trace elements: potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus. Suitable for seeding annual plants with a period of 30 to 60 days, which quickly increase the vegetative mass - up to 700 kg per 1 weave. In addition to mustard, rye, vetch, lupine, and legumes are often used.

After sufficient growth of greenery, the plants are mowed. It is important to do this before flowering. Next, the herbs are crushed and dug into the soil, where vegetables will subsequently be grown. There is another technique: mowed plants are raked and folded into suitable place vegetable garden or orchard for making compost. Grass roots are left in the soil to rot, which has an effect similar to manure application.

Green manure can be sown at any stage of the growing season. For autumn are selected frost-resistant varieties that can survive the winter. In early spring most often it is mustard that is sown, since it is rapidly gaining mass. Approximately 14 days before sowing crops, the grass is cut and plowed into the ground or left on the surface of the earth and used as mulch. The mustard roots remaining in the soil effectively structure the soil, enrich it with oxygen and useful microelements.

To increase the value of green manure, it is enough to water the mowed plants with EM preparations.

Growing mustard significantly increases the yield of crops that are planted after it. The plant has a beneficial effect on the condition of the soil, protects it from weathering and overheating.

Benefits and harms to the soil

Mustard, embedded in the ground, actively nourishes the plants at the growth stage, the most important and responsible. The main useful properties of green manure include:

• soil disinfection, pest control: wireworms, slugs, codling moth and others;
• cleansing beds from scab, phytophthora, putrefactive bacteria;
• weed growth suppression;
• improvement of soil structure, prevention of erosion and freezing;
• loosening, saturation of the earth with moisture, enrichment with oxygen;
• rapid germination, use as a fertilizer, soil enrichment with useful substances;
• prevention of leaching of horticultural and garden plots due to the ability to retain nitrogen;
• activation of the growth of many horticultural and horticultural crops: beans, grapes, fruit trees.

During the flowering period, mustard attracts a large number of insects. For this reason, plants can be planted during the growing season.

Despite the large number of advantages, mustard also has some disadvantages:

Knowing the features of these common varieties, you can learn how to properly use them on the site.

When and how to sow?

After harvesting, it is time to sow mustard as green manure. The time that remains before the onset of frost is quite enough for germination, and possibly flowering of this plant.

Often, planting is carried out in areas where crops or potatoes have previously grown. As a result, the soil, which has lost a large amount of nutrients, is healed and saturated with the necessary substances. With the onset of spring, the site will again become suitable for growing crops and obtaining high yields.

There are 2 best way planting mustard:

1. Embedding seeds in the soil. Seeds are sown at a distance of 13 - 15 cm, to a depth of no more than 2 cm. Mustard grows rapidly and a short time covers the beds with a lush green carpet. Seed consumption is approximately 150 g per 1 weave.
2. Scattering by area. To do this, you just need to scatter the seeds over the beds, and then harrow with a rake. In this case, the consumption increases by 2 times, that is, about 300 g of seeds per hundred square meters will be required.

Seeds can only be bought in specialized stores. Visually, their quality should be assessed: the surface of the planting material should be dense, without rot and signs of drying out.

High-quality seeds are the key to the appearance of the first shoots as early as 3-4 days after sowing. A month later, the plants reach 15 cm in height and will be completely ready for further activities.

When to dig?

After collecting a sufficient amount of green mass, the plants should be embedded in the ground. Many gardeners claim that this procedure is highly effective. First positive results will be visible soon. It is important not to miss the moment and start embedding in the ground before the flowers appear. Otherwise, the mustard stalks will become hard and rough, and the work will require additional effort. Optimal time– 5 – 7 weeks after planting. During this period, mustard is soft and pliable.

An important advantage of planting the stems is that they do not need to be transferred, all procedures are performed where the mustard was sown. With the help of a chopper or a shovel, the plants are nailed into the ground. To activate the process of processing the stems, they are watered special formulations with microorganisms. For example, Baikal is suitable. In a dry environment, decomposition is much slower, so the site should be periodically watered thoroughly.

If the beds that are being greened have been used to grow vegetables for a long time, there are few bacteria left in them. As a result, there is simply no one to decompose the green mass of mustard. Many gardeners, along with mowed plants, enrich the soil with compost with large quantity earthworms.

The use of white mustard allows you to improve the soil, fill it with micronutrients. Each culture absorbs and then releases certain substances to the soil. Mustard alone is not able to fully restore the balance of the nutrient medium. The optimal solution will be a competent selection of several green manure, corresponding to the characteristics of the soil. We must not forget about the introduction of other dressings that are useful for garden and garden plants.

Planting in a greenhouse

Tomatoes and other crops grown in greenhouses are often subject to various diseases. The most common are late blight, cladosporiosis and alternariosis. Neither full care nor the use of other varieties helps to cope with the problem.

If the symptoms of diseases recur annually, it is worth abandoning the cultivation of vegetables in this area for several years. Not everyone has this opportunity, so you need to think about conducting a thorough disinfection of the soil. This is done as follows:

1. In autumn, in September - early October, all the bushes are removed from the greenhouse. It is better to pull the plants rather than cut them, as the roots can also contain pathogens.
2. All plant components are removed from the soil: mulch, weeds. Subsequently, they can be burned.
3. If possible, remove upper layer soil and replace it with a new one.
4. All the wooden props and ropes with which the bushes were tied are taken out of the greenhouse.
5. For disinfection, the entire territory of the greenhouse should be densely sown with white mustard. These plants form special substances that are detrimental to fungal infection. Such an agricultural technique is considered the most effective and affordable for every gardener.
6. The greenhouse does not close for the winter, snow can be covered no earlier than February, so that the soil freezes deeper.
7. If the weather permits, the overgrown mustard stalks are mowed and watered with solutions with microorganisms.

Sowing green manure is recommended to be repeated in spring time. Mustard can be combined with cereals and legumes. A mixture of plants will completely rid the site of fungi, as well as improve the structure of the soil, enrich it with useful substances.

If the same diseases affect greenhouse plants every year, then you should not add soil taken from your site, especially next to the greenhouse itself. Another effective method– Use of disease-resistant hybrids. It is enough to grow them for only one year, and then you can return to your favorite plant varieties. Following such simple recommendations helps to completely get rid of infections.

Fungal spores usually do not retain their properties for more than 12 months. The task of the gardener is to deprive them of a favorable environment for reproduction for at least a year. Do not plant bushes too sweaty, this leads to dampness, stagnant air, shading. All this favorably affects the spread of infection.

Conclusion

The use of mustard as a green manure - perfect solution for everyone involved in the cultivation of horticultural and horticultural crops. Mustard improves the condition of the soil, saturates it with the components necessary for the growth and development of plants, retains moisture, and kills pathogenic bacteria. The use of green manure increases the yield of crops, contributes to the effective loosening of the soil and the supply of oxygen.

Mustard is a popular spice that has found wide application in cooking. But not everyone knows about its other virtues. Mustard has long been considered an excellent fertilizer for healing and nourishing the soil. There are several varieties of mustard, each of which has its own properties and a certain sowing technology.

Description of mustard as a fertilizer

Sowing mustard as a fertilizer is used to enrich the soil with phosphorus and nitrogen. The green mass planted in the soil gives the plants the necessary trace elements. Thus, they actively grow and develop. But, the information from the article will help to understand.

Mustard is not only green manure, it has a lot of other useful properties, including:

On the video - sowing mustard in the spring to fertilize the soil:

Today, two types of mustard can be grown:

1. White. It is an excellent fertilizer for many crops. It is also called English.
2. gray mustard, which many gardeners know as Russian.

The presented types of mustard have certain distinctive features. English will not tolerate dry soil, especially when buds are forming. When grown in moist soil, a large number of seeds are produced. But for white it is worth choosing swampy and acidic soils. But when to plant and grow from seeds is indicated.

Planting material white gives germination at a temperature of 1-2 degrees. For a bluish appearance, the temperature regime should be increased - 2-4 degrees. English view more resistant to cold and tolerates slight frosts. But the Russian is more sensitive to cold weather. If the thermometer is -3 degrees, then it may die.

In white culture, the period of its growth and development is 60-70 days. Its height reaches 90 cm. In the bluish type of plant, this period lasts longer and is 100 days. But if the soil is poor and sandy, then the plant will be low. The Russian variety is slightly higher.

The types of mustard presented are different and planting material. At white variety it is presented in a spherical shape and has a slightly yellow tint. 1000 seeds weigh about 6 g. But the planting material of Russian mustard is oval in shape, has a yellow color.

How to plant

When sowing a plant to saturate the soil with nutrients, you need to remember that it does not like drought. When buds are forming, regular watering should be ensured. It is not worth growing in order to plant cabbage there. The fact is that these cultures have common diseases.

It is necessary to plant white mustard seeds in early spring. To do this, allocate a separate bed for her. It is best to do this a month before planting others. vegetable crops.

On the video - how to plant mustard:

Mustard, which will be used as a fertilizer, is sown immediately after harvest, while shady moisture is still present in the soil. Planting material can be sent to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. A distance of 15 cm must be observed between the seeds. About 150 g of seeds will go per hundred square meters. But how it is used, this information will help to understand.

Landing can be done in another way. You can simply scatter its seeds over the garden, and then walk with a rake and sprinkle with earth. If you decide to plant it as a fertilizer using the second method, then you need to take into account that the consumption of planting material will be 2 times more. He will tell about the technology of growing winter wheat.

It will be possible to see the first sprouts in 3-4 days. After 5-6 weeks, the culture will grow to 20 cm. It will need to be mowed. The resulting plants are crushed and sent to the ground. Pour EM on top. Then cover with roofing material or polyethylene.

For successful cultivation it needs to be watered abundantly. Remember that this culture is very fond of moisture.

This is especially important if there is no rain for a long time. If you carefully care for the mustard, then the soil in the garden will be loose, rich and healthy.

When growing a plant for medical collection, it is worth reducing the amount of planting material. And the seeds themselves should be located at a more distant distance from each other.

It is not necessary to purchase mustard seeds, as you can collect them yourself. To do this, you will have to sow mustard in the spring. And don't make it too tight. If sowing was carried out in the summer, then it will not work to get planting material. English mustard pods will not crack, so picking can take place during the day and evening. But Russian mustard pods, on the contrary, are quite fragile. So her seeds should be collected early in the morning or late in the evening. It would also be helpful to know how to use

Organic farming allows you to grow crops without the use of chemical fertilizers which can adversely affect human health. One of the most common fertilizer plants is white mustard as green manure. It allows you to improve the quality of the soil and get a nutritious vermicompost that will be suitable for all crops.

The aboveground and underground parts of the plant in the process of decay can form up to 400 kg of the most useful organic compounds per 1 ha. As a result, due to the high enrichment of the soil with organic matter, it is possible to achieve maximum yield without the use of additional fertilizers.

The main benefits of white mustard are as follows:

• prevention of leaching of nitrogen from the soil;
• soil enrichment with phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen during the decomposition of green mass and the underground part of mustard;
• the rapid growth of the plant inhibits the development of weeds, suppressing them in competition for sunlight;
• essential oils in the plant prevent the development of many pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and also reduce the number of pests in the area, both underground and aboveground;
• the tap root, penetrating to a depth of 3 meters, increases the ventilation of the soil and makes it looser.

If you do not mow the plants for the winter, then the stems, having a height of up to 70 cm, form a dense cover on the soil that will protect the soil from weathering. Thanks to this, moisture will remain in the soil, which is necessary for plants in the spring.

The use of white mustard as green manure

The use of white mustard as a green manure is associated with a number of plant properties that make it green manure the most suitable for cultivation. After embedding, when digging mustard greens into the soil, the soil is enriched with organic matter and mineral compounds, and also which the plant actively releases during decay. As a result, other crops growing after mustard receive high-quality nutrition and a powerful impetus for active growth.

1. White mustard is highly cold-resistant and can withstand temperatures of -5 degrees.
2. The culture has distinctive properties that slightly complicate agricultural technology.

Mustard belongs to the cruciferous and is affected by many diseases. Because of this, it is important to remember that plants of this family cannot be sown immediately after it.

It is also worth considering that the seeds are readily eaten by birds, as they are not buried in the soil to a considerable depth. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to deepen the seeds or mulch the soil well before winter if planting is carried out in the fall. In the spring, for birds, its seeds are not of great interest, since there is a sufficient amount of other food.
Mustard green manure cleans the soil from the bear and wireworm.

Growing features

In order for the green manure to be of high quality, it is important to properly grow it. Like all plants, white mustard during cultivation requires compliance with a number of agricultural rules. You can't just sprinkle seeds on the ground and wait for results.

Preparing the soil for planting mustard

Sod-podzolic soils are most suitable for the plant. However, it can also be easily grown on sandy soil if peat is added to it. If the soils are clayey and acidic, or the garden is located on salt marshes, then another plant must be selected as green manure. The culture needs a sufficient amount of light and moisture.

Preparing the soil for growing mustard is not difficult. It is enough just to dig up the site and remove the weed roots from the ground. After that, the soil must be watered. This completes the preparation, and you can start planting the crop. For its cultivation special care not required. The main thing is watering.

How and when to sow white mustard like green manure?

You can sow mustard in spring or autumn. Each method has its pros and cons. You can sow the crop from March. Maximum results will be obtained if mustard is planted 30 days before planting a food crop. It should be borne in mind that turnips do not tolerate mustard, even as a neighbor.

In order for mustard not to suppress the growth of cultivated plants, it is necessary to wait at least 10 days after the green mass is cut and dug into the ground, and only after that to plant.

Mustard is sown by hand, picking up the seeds in a handful, scatter them over the dug up and leveled soil with a rake. Normally, 5 g of seeds should fall on 1 m2 of soil. If the seeds lay down too rarely, you can additionally top up one more portion. If too many seeds were poured, there is no need to move them, as they will still give high-quality greens and abundant roots. Crowding, taking into account the short period of growth, will not interfere with the development of culture.

Seeds should be sprinkled with a layer of soil no more than 1 cm thick. If some of them remain on the surface, there is nothing to worry about, since plants will also grow from them, as well as from seeds embedded in the soil, unless, of course, they are eaten by cruciferous fleas .

After the seeds are covered, the area is thoroughly watered with water from a watering can.

It is strictly forbidden to use a hose to moisten the soil. A strong flow of water will lead to the fact that the seeds will be excessively deepened, or washed out of the ground, which is why it will not be possible to obtain high-quality seedlings.

Pros and cons of autumn and spring sowing

If the scheme for the autumn planting of mustard is chosen, then it also has certain advantages and disadvantages.

The positive aspects of this option for growing green manure are:

• the rapid development of plants, which allows you to get the necessary above-ground green part in the shortest possible time;
• covering the soil with plant stems to prevent freezing and dehydration;
• disinfection of the site from many diseases and pests due to the high concentration essential oils. In winter, there is no re-infection of the soil, so in spring the areas remain clean;
• no risk of seeds. If plants planted in spring are not cut in time and produce seeds, mustard can spread and become a tough weed;
• full development of the root system - in spring, mustard does not have time to form a sufficiently deep root, which will ensure high-quality loosening of the soil even at great depths;
• preventing soil erosion.

The disadvantages of this method of growing white mustard as a fertilizer are not numerous.

In the autumn planting of plants, the disadvantages are:

• the impossibility of planting cruciferous plants in the spring at the site of mustard growth;
• the risk of seeds being eaten by birds, for which they are excellent food in autumn;
• the risk of freezing of plants with the decay of the necessary organic compounds in them during especially cold and little snow winters.

It is up to the gardener himself to decide whether to plant a plant in spring or autumn, depending on what is planned. landing work throughout the season.

When to mow a plant?

Mustard should be mowed before flowering in order to prevent the formation of seeds and the spreading of the plant in the garden with its transition to the form of a weed. To obtain high-quality fertilizer, you should leave the culture from the moment of germination for 45 days. After that, mowing and digging the green mass into the ground is carried out. When to mow mustard is determined and weather conditions. If, due to a cold snap, the culture has not developed enough, you can leave it to grow a little more. At autumn planting crops can not be mowed, since there is no risk of seeds appearing, and in case of frost, the plant itself will lie on the ground. In the spring, the site is easy enough to dig.

Using white mustard as a green manure is a great solution for gardeners who don't want to use chemicals on their yard.

Green manure plants contribute to the restoration of fertility land plot and keep it that way for a long time. Various cereals are used as green manures. leguminous plants. But still, gardeners and gardeners give more preference to white mustard. This member of the cruciferous family has numerous positive qualities.

Benefits of mustard as green manure

• Unpretentious in care and maintenance.
• Gives high yields.
• Possesses early germination.
• Green mass contains a large amount of useful substances.
• It is a cold hardy crop.
• scares away harmful insects.
• Capable of preventing the spread of most plant diseases.

The process of planting mustard

Sowing seeds

Sowing mustard seeds in autumn is carried out in exactly the same way as in spring period. Seeds that do not require any preparation should be scattered over the prepared area and the soil leveled with a rake or sprinkled thin layer sand. The speed of the appearance of the first seedlings will depend on the thickness of the top layer, so do not deepen the seeds too much.

Covering crops

It is recommended to cover the beds before the sprouts appear only if they are not under supervision. open areas with freshly sown seeds are an attractive "dining room" for various birds that are not averse to feasting on this planting material. You can protect yourself from the raid of uninvited feathered guests with the help of special coverings from nonwoven fabric or nets that can be removed when seedlings appear after 3-4 days.

Temperature regime

Young shoots are already cold-resistant and can fully grow even when night temperatures drop from 0 to 5 degrees below zero.

Landing dates

It is advisable to plant green manure plants in late August - early September. It will promote education a large number green mass (approximately 400 kg from 1 weave). You can use it different ways:

• As a mulch.
• For making compost.
• Embed in the soil as a fertilizer.

Siderates sown in early autumn are recommended not to be mowed or dug up, but left on the beds until spring. Aboveground part plants after withering will protect the soil from the cold, and the root part, gradually rotting, will enrich its structure.

Positive qualities of mustard

Almost a quarter of the green mass of mustard consists of a variety of organic substances, as well as such useful elements like potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus.

root system mustard is designed in such a way that it can absorb many useful substances that are not available for other green manure.

Mustard roots deeply penetrating into the ground (almost 3 meters) can accumulate and retain moisture.

The stems of green manure plants planted in autumn are so strong and powerful that they can be used on the site to retain snow and as protection against strong wind.

Gardeners take note!

Mustard is a weed

With numerous useful qualities, mustard has one drawback - it can turn from a useful green manure into a weed, which will be very difficult to get rid of. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to mow mustard plantations in a timely manner, before flowering begins. Flowering crops will leave behind a huge amount of seeds and spread by self-sowing throughout the territory. This applies only to those plantations that have grown after spring or summer planting seeds. During the autumn planting, such a danger does not exist, because before the onset extreme cold there is very little time and the mustard simply does not have time to bloom.

Planting mustard and accounting for predecessor plants

Fall-sown mustard is not recommended as a ground fertilizer if the area is intended for turnips, radishes, or cabbages next season. All representatives of the cruciferous family are damaged by the same pests and diseases. For the cultivation of the above vegetable crops by the most the best green manure there will be cereals or legumes.