Green manure for the garden when to plant. Big harvest with green manure

On different continents and in climatic zones, the answer to the question is which green manure is better, but there are green fertilizers that work great everywhere. Globally, green manure can be divided into legumes and non-legumes. Each group performs its tasks, has features and some shortcomings.

In this article, an overview of the best cereal and cruciferous green manure, in the next I will write about. Read about sources of information at the end of the article.

Productivity and tasks of green manure

Some of the parameters presented in the table are affected by seasonality. I left the original units of measurement (there was no strength to recalculate). The content of nitrogen in the biomass of non-legumes has not been estimated, so the column is empty. The schedule is detailed.

Traditionally used non-legume green manures include:

• Annual winter and spring cereals (rye, oats, barley, pseudocereal buckwheat).
• Annual and perennial fodder grasses (ryegrass, sorghum, Sudanese grass and their hybrids).
• Cruciferous-cabbage (mustard, phacelia, oilseed radish, rapeseed, turnip, turnip, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, daikon, arugula).

The main tasks of non-legume green manure:

• Partial compensation for the removal of nitrogen and minerals by the previous harvest.
• Prevention of water and wind erosion.
• Accumulation of humus, restoration of soil fertility.
• Weed suppression.
• Live mulching.

Cereal siderates and cereals

Annual crops are successfully grown as green manure crops in many climatic zones and farming systems, as winter and spring crops. Sowing is carried out from the end of August and all autumn, depending on the climate. Winter green manures build up a good root biomass even before the start of frosts and from the first spring days they begin to drive greens before any weed.

The biomass of cereals and other grasses contains more carbon than legumes. Due to the high carbon content, grasses decompose more slowly, resulting in a more efficient accumulation of humus compared to legume green manures. As grasses mature, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen increases. Carbon is more difficult and longer processed by soil bacteria, nutrients from decaying residues will not be fully available to the next crop. On the other hand, prolonged fertilizer has its advantages.

The best grain and cereal green manures: barley, oats, ryegrass, rye, buckwheat.

Explanation of the plate: PB - early spring, PL—late summer, RO—early autumn, O—autumn, W—winter, S—spring, RL—early summer. H.S. - cold-resistant, T.L. - thermophilic, H.L. - cold-loving. P - upright. Resilience: Empty circle = weak, black circle = excellent resilience.

Barley as green manure

Type: winter and spring.
Tasks: erosion prevention, weed suppression, excess nitrate removal, humus restoration.
Mixes: annual legumes, ryegrass, small grains.

Barley "Fox Tail"

Barley is cheap and easy to grow green manure. Provides erosion control and weed suppression in semi-arid areas, on light soils. Can be included in crop rotation to protect crops and soil from burnout. Clears saline soils. An excellent choice for restoring clogged, eroded areas, improving soil aeration. Prefers dry, cool regions.

Barley grows where any other grain does not have time to build up mass, has a greater feed and nutritional value than oats and wheat. It has a short growing season, that is, it combines the advantages of grasses and grain green manures. Accumulates more nitrogen than grass. Has allelopathic substances to suppress weeds. A number of studies confirm that barley significantly reduces the number of leafhoppers, aphids, nematodes and other pests. Attracts beneficial insects-predators.

cultivation: grows poorly on waterlogged soils, tolerates drought well. Grows best on loam or light clay soils, works well on light, dry, alkaline soils. There are many types of barley adapted to their climate zone. You can sow both in winter (sowing until November) and in spring. Sowing depth from 3 to 6 cm, in moist soil. Works well in mixtures with legumes (serves as a support for them), with herbs. There is a proven blend of oats/barley/peas (organic farmer Jack Lazor, Westfield, Vt). White mustard will not grow mixed with barley, it is a strong allelopath for cruciferous.

termination: like any grain siderat, it is better to mow barley before the formation of tubules and immediately bury it in the soil.

siderat ryegrass

Type: perennial and annual herbs of the grass family
Tasks: erosion prevention, drainage and improvement of soil structure, humus accumulation, weed suppression, accumulation nutrients.
Mixes: with legumes and other herbs.

A fast growing herb that thrives almost anywhere there is sufficient moisture. Accumulates excess nitrogen, protects soil from erosion and weeds, increases irrigation efficiency. Ryegrass is a good choice for forming a loose, fertile soil layer. It has an extensive, fine-fibered root system that quickly takes root both in rocky terrain and in waterlogged soil. It grows quickly, so it overtakes and suppresses weeds. Ryegrass can be cut to provide mulch to other parts of the garden. It winters well even in the absence of a protective snow cover. Ryegrass prevents nitrogen leaching during the winter. Almost does not attract insect pests, but itself can be ill with stem rust and a special type of nematode (Paratylenchus projectus).

cultivation: Ryegrass prefers fertile, well-drained loam or sandy loam soils, but thrives well on stony, poor soils. Tolerates waterlogging, clay. Sowing is best done in fluffy soil, the first watering will ensure shallow seed placement and good germination. Sow 40 days before the first hard frost. Ryegrass can be sown with nightshades when they begin to bloom. Spring sowing is carried out after the collection of the first early harvest, counting on 6-8 weeks of vegetation. Severe drought does not tolerate well, as well as prolonged extreme temperatures on poor soils.

termination: Close up ryegrass during flowering, mowing does not kill this plant. Planting crops after ryegrass should be delayed for 2-3 weeks to allow the greens to overcook and begin releasing nitrogen.

Oats as green manure

Type: annual grass.
Tasks: weed suppression, erosion prevention, humus accumulation.
Mixes: clover, peas, vetch and other legumes and grains.

Inexpensive, good green fertilizer. Oats very quickly increase biomass, increase the productivity of legumes in green manure mixtures. Softly mulches, protects the soil from wind and water erosion. Winter oats fix nitrogen after the autumn incorporation of legumes, helping them to overwinter. It does not attract pests, it has allelopathic properties to weeds and some crops when greens decompose, therefore it is necessary to withstand 2-3 weeks after plowing oats before planting fruit trees.

cultivation: oats before winter are sown in late August - early September, or 40-60 days before the first frost, but it is the least cold-resistant of all cereals. For effective germination, there must be enough moisture and not very hot, so early spring sowing is more popular among farmers than before winter. In the process of growth, oats can be cut.

termination: oats should be embedded in the soil before the appearance of a spikelet, cutting the root by 5-7 cm. It decomposes quickly, but a two-week break must be observed between embedding and planting crops due to the allelopathic effect of oats on salads and peas. This cereal is easier to incorporate than rye and rots faster.

A few comparative remarks. Oats accumulate a lot of potassium and deplete the soil with it, so you need to incorporate exactly where you grow it to make up for the losses. It is less effective in controlling weeds, pests and fixing nitrogen than cruciferous plants. Rye is better than oats, but harder to grow and plant. As a complementary crop for legumes, oats are the best.

Type: winter and spring.
Tasks: weed suppression, soil structuring, organic matter accumulation, pest control.
Mixes: with legumes and herbs.

Rye is the hardiest of the cereals. A plant with a strong root system that prevents the leaching of nitrates. An inexpensive cereal that outperforms other grains in yield and hardiness in barren, acidic, sandy soils. Rye increases the concentration of potassium in the fertile soil layer by lifting it from deeper layers (Eckert, D. J. 1991. Chemical attributes of soils subjected to no-till cropping with rye cover crops. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 55:405-409 ). It performs a snow-catching function, significantly improves soil drainage, prevents wind and water erosion even on sloping gardens. Abundant source of organics and straw, weed killer (78%-99% reduction in overall weed density, Teasdale, J. R. et al. 1991. Response of weeds to tillage and cover crop residue. Weed Sci. 39:195-199). Susceptible to pests of cereals, but attracts insect predators. Like oats, it saves waterlogged soils.

cultivation: rye should not be sown deeper than 5 cm. Sowing begins from the end of August until October. Spring sowing is practiced less often, as it needs a lot of water for rooting and an early stage of vegetation. If the soil is waterlogged, rye - the best choice. The mineralization of nitrogen from rye residues is very slow, as is the decomposition of its biomass. Oats and barley do better than rye in hot regions.

termination: you need to mow at the root already by 30 cm of rye growth. In the fields, with the help of machinery, rye can be plowed up to 50 cm, its green mass is tough, like the root, therefore, when manual processing it gives some trouble if it is allowed to grow. In some regions, rye is left between rows to protect crops from the wind.

Buckwheat as green manure

Type: broad-leaved pseudocereal.
Tasks: live mulching, weed suppression, honey plant, soil formation.
Mixes: sorghum-sudangras.

Buckwheat as green manure is a fast-growing crop with a short period of decomposition and nitrogen mineralization. Reaches maturity in 70-90 days. Attracts pollinators and beneficial predators, easily patched up. The best of the grains in terms of the accumulation and mineralization of phosphorus, it has special root secretions, which makes it possible to convert soil minerals into a form accessible to plants. Grows in damp, cool conditions, sensitive to drought and overly compacted soil. It thrives on poor, saline soils, on land freed from forests. The famous honey plant and bait for useful predators.

cultivation: Buckwheat prefers light, medium, sandy loam, loam and silty soils. Does not grow well on limestone. Extreme heat causes the plant to wilt, but buckwheat quickly recovers with short droughts. Buckwheat seeds germinate in three to five days, regrow after mowing. American farmers are doing a triple buckwheat rotation for virgin or "tired" lands and introducing them again. Buckwheat blooms a month after planting and blooms up to 10 weeks.

termination: you need to plow buckwheat within 7-10 days of flowering so that it does not become a weed. It should be noted that it is seeded unevenly. The biomass of buckwheat decomposes quickly, after which cultivated plants can be planted immediately - no allelopathic influence is observed. Buckwheat as a green fertilizer is three times more effective than barley in terms of phosphorus accumulation and 10 times more effective than rye (rye is the poorest of the cereals in terms of phosphorus).

The disadvantage of cereal green manure is a relatively small accumulation of nitrogen, compared with legumes. Many grasses easily become glyphosate-resistant weeds (breeding varieties specifically designed for this resistance). If there is a need to deal with herbs that are resistant to Roundup, there is also Chlorsulfuron.

Sudan grass or Sudanese sorghum

Type: annual plant
Tasks: ripper, soil former, biofumigator.
Mixes: buckwheat, creeping legumes.

Sorghum contributes a huge amount of organic matter to the soil when incorporated. This tall, fast-growing, heat-loving annual plant chokes weeds, suppresses some types of nematodes, and penetrates deep soil layers. Sudanese sorghum is the best green manure after harvesting legumes, as it consumes a lot of nitrogen. The waxy foliage of sudangrass resists drought.

Sudanese sorghum is a hybrid of two grasses, sorghum and sudangrass (Sudan grass). Both species are used independently as siderates, but the hybrid has a couple of advantages: drought resistance and frost resistance.

It has an aggressive root system, which is a soil aerator. Mowing strengthens and branches the root of Sudanese grass by 5-8 times! The thickness of the stem reaches 4 cm in diameter, height - up to 3 meters. Weeds have no chance against such green manure.

Sorghum has a special allelopathic substance emitted from its roots, sorgoleone, a herbicide that rivals synthetic herbicides in concentration and effectiveness. This compound begins to stand out already on the fifth day after germination. The most effective allelopathic effect of sorghum on: rope grass, rosichka, barnyard grass, green foxtail, amaranth, ragweed. It also has a strong effect on cultivated plants, so it is necessary to maintain an interval between the plowing of Sudanese grass and planting crops.

Sowing Sudanese sorghum in place of the harvested crop is a great way to disrupt life cycle many diseases, nematodes and other pests.

Due to the huge biomass and subsoil root system, Sudanese sorghum restores the fertility of depleted and compacted soil in a year. Sudanese sorghum is the best green manure for draining clayey, wet soils where heavy machinery has worked. This is widely used by US farmers in the northeast, where frequent rains force crops to be grown on wet ground.

cultivation: Sow Sudanese sorghum preferably in warm, moist soil with a neutral pH. The optimum temperature for rapid growth is 18-20 degrees. Loves and tolerates summer heat well. Seeding depth up to 5 cm, both in rows and scattered. Seed consumption 2 kg per hundred square meters. The soil is undemanding. late sowing can be carried out 2 months before the first frost. Sowing 7 weeks before frost eliminates the need for plowing, frost-resistant varieties will vegetate until hard frost.

Sow legumes after sorghum-sudangrass in late summer or spring to replenish nitrogen. Grow in the spring before late crops so that the plowed green manure has time to decompose. American potato and onion farmers plant Sudan grass every third year, paired with legumes to treat soil for pests and replenish humus. An increase in the yield of potatoes was noted. In California, the grass is sown between rows of vineyards to reduce sunburn on grapes.

termination: mowing can be done at intervals of a month. The first mowing should be carried out before the creation of panicles, when the greenery is juicy and easy to close up - when the stem reaches a height of up to 80 cm. At this stage, the grass can be completely plowed. If you let the Sudanese go through the entire growing season, the grass will become stiff and it will be extremely difficult to repair it. In this case, let it overwinter - the roots should rot by 80%. If the grass is mowed, then the green mass can be used for mulching on other beds or laid in compost. Mow at least 15 cm. It is noted that one mowing per season is optimal for the plant.

Sudanese grass decomposes for a long time, especially without smell. Influence on nematodes is possible only with the plowing of fresh green mass that has not reached the tubule stage. To get rid of wireworm and potato nematodes, rapeseed works better than a hybrid of sorghum-sudangrass. Sorghum has its own pests, such as corn aphids.

Some hybrid varieties not suitable for livestock feed, as they contain hydrocyanic acid.

Cruciferous green manure

Cruciferous plants meet all the requirements for green manure: they grow quickly, have a juicy rich biomass and a huge network of small roots, suppress weeds, fungi, wireworms and nematodes, and scab. Some cruciferous plants, such as daikon radish, have a root that can go through clay layers much more efficiently than other green manure, and left to decompose in the ground for the winter, give a lot of humus. Mustards are ideal for fixing nitrogen left over from harvest, as they grow green quickly. Without green manure, this nitrogen will be lost in the form of ammonia, and the mustard will return it to the soil along with other nutrients.

mustard field

Pest suppression is most likely due to the breakdown of glucosinolate (a neurotoxin that we somehow love mustard taste for) and converting it into thiocyanates, the inorganic form of which is successfully used as an insecticide and seed treatment (link to study). Mustard, sown with rapeseed, works more efficiently. A lot of positive observations have been documented by American soil scientists, links to articles are in this book. Compared with ready-made solutions, green manure fumigation is weaker, so you should not rely only on green fertilizers in pest control.

Weed suppression and control by cruciferous green manure is associated with rapid growth and "closing the dome", that is, the high covering power of green fertilizers. Not the last role is played by the allelopathic influence of decaying residues plowed up in autumn. Mustard and oilseed radish interfere with the development of shepherd's purse, mari (amaranth or pig grass), foxtail, prutnik, tribulus, barnyard, etc.

cultivation: Most cruciferous plants grow well in well-drained soils with an acidity of 5.5-8.5. Too wet ground, especially at the rooting stage, is unacceptable (rye will cope with this much better). Autumn sowing is carried out as early as possible, but there are also general rule- no later than 4 weeks before frost. The soil should not be colder than 7 degrees at the time of sowing and the next week. Some winter rapeseed can withstand up to -10 and continue to vegetate.

Mustard can be sown with legumes when they are already rooted, sowing in a mixture is not worth it - cruciferous green fertilizers can overtake other plants too much and interfere with their development. By the way, white mustard is traditionally sown in our country, and in American studies, mixtures of white and brown are more common, with a greater proportion of brown.

termination cruciferous green manure can be carried out at any stage of the growing season, but optimal time- the beginning-middle of flowering, during this period the plant reaches its maximum biomass. The excess can always be added to the compost. Mustard planted in late autumn will begin to release nitrogen in early spring, to the planting of the first crops.

Cabbage and mustards need additional nitrogen and sulfur. Why sulfur? Plants use it to produce essential oils, fungicides and glucosinolate. A sulfur to nitrogen ratio of 1:7 is optimal for all cruciferous plants. Earlier, I noted that it is good to apply mineral fertilizers specifically for green manure, as they will return what has been accumulated during decomposition in the chelated form (a fashionable phrase today, but appropriate in this context). Turnips and radishes accumulate phosphorus, making it more available with the help of root secretions.

Planted in late autumn, mustard will begin to give nitrogen in early spring, by the time the first crops are planted. In terms of carbon content and decomposition rate, cruciferous plants are intermediate between cereals and legumes.

Disadvantages of cruciferous green manure

The main problem of cabbage green fertilizers is the inability to resist cruciferous flea. Common diseases with fruit cabbage impose a restriction on the planting site of cruciferous green manure.

Black mustard has low germination, but during stratification it will germinate the next year - it will become a weed. Rape contains erucic acid and glucosinolates that cause digestive problems in animals, although breeding has reduced the content of erucic acid to 2%, it is not worth growing rapeseed for livestock. Winter rapeseed attracts some types of nematodes, they hibernate in its roots.

Literature

This review is based on input from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Sustainable Agriculture» University of Maryland. I take them as the basis for their development only because each statement they have is supported by a link to research that you can review on your own, most of the books are freely available. You can write to the farmer who did the field work and ask any questions about e-mail. This does not mean "ultimate truth", but I really like this approach.

Life on Earth began with plants and thanks to them continues to this day. Plants live to create life. Their leaves provide a shadow that does not allow the sun to burn the earth, form compost on the surface of the soil, their roots protect the soil from erosion and transfer, turn the soil into fertile soil, their dead remains feed worms and microbes that accumulate nitrogen in the soil. Plants create soil. The earth could not exist without plants for a day. The task of agriculture is to make the land, to give it more than to take from it, and in the implementation of this task, the main helpers of farmers are plants. To improve the composition of the soil, restore its structure and enrich it with nutrients, plants called green manure are used in agriculture.

What are siderates

Green manures are green fertilizers specially grown to restore the soil after the growing season, enrich it with nitrogen and microelements and inhibit the growth of weeds. The name comes from the Latin "sidera", which means "a star that receives strength from the sky." Sideration is the most important component of organic farming. Green manure plants are rapidly gaining green mass, which are mowed and embedded in the soil or left on its surface to protect the top layer, and the green manure roots in the ground, rotting, serve to enrich the soil and subsoil. These plants with their powerful above-ground part suppress the growth of weeds and protect the topsoil from sunlight. Powerful green manure roots do not allow weeds to get their own food, in addition, they loosen the ground well, and after dying off, they improve water permeability, water-holding capacity and aeration of the soil. As siderates, annuals are most often grown, less often perennial leguminous plants with abundant green mass, which have phytosanitary properties. From fast-growing cold-resistant cereals, excellent siderates for the garden are also obtained. Plants of the cruciferous and Compositae families are used as early siderates.

When to sow green manure

Sowing green manure in spring

When to plant green manure? Sowing green manure is carried out throughout the season - before planting the main crop and after its harvest. What green manure to sow in the spring? Siderate phacelia requires very early landing, just like mustard - they are not afraid of frost and germinate as soon as the positive temperature is established. They also sow rapeseed, spring rapeseed, and vetch green manure is good as a precursor for tomatoes and peppers. Green manure grows on the site until the time comes to plant the main garden crop. And there are three options here:

• the simplest, but not the most effective: dig up the site, embedding green manure into the soil, and plant the main crop on top;
• using a flat cutter, cut the green manure stems a few centimeters deeper than the soil level, then plant vegetable seedlings, and mulch the garden bed with the green manure tops cut - the ground part of the green manure gradually rots and becomes fertilizer. You should know that the phacelia cut with a flat cutter no longer grows, while the mustard continues to grow;
• the most time-consuming way to use green manure: in a garden bed with growing green fertilizers, holes are made and vegetable seedlings are planted in them, where it grows between green manure for two to three weeks. Then the green manure is cut with scissors at a height of about five centimeters from the ground and laid out right there, in the garden. As soon as the green manure grows again, they are again cut to the same height, and so on until it is time to harvest the vegetable crop.

Growing green manure in summer

This is good way improve the condition and restore the structure of the soil in the area that is not used this year. Green manure is planted in the spring, which tend to grow after mowing, and during the summer they are periodically mowed, trying to be in time before budding begins, since it is the young shoots that contain the maximum amount useful substances Yes, and they rot much faster. The cut tops are left on the site.

Planting green manure in autumn

What green manure to sow in the fall? Most often, mustard and rye are sown at this time. The planting dates for green manure, which are grown in winter, are approximately the same: green manure seeds are sown immediately after harvesting vegetables - at the very end of summer or at the beginning of autumn. Mustard grows until winter and leaves green under the snow. In the spring, you will need to cut it off with a flat cutter and plant the crop that you planned as the main one on top. The rye will need to be harvested in the fall, before it starts to ear, by cutting off the tillering node, which is located near the surface of the soil. The ground part is laid in compost or left on the site.

Crops can be independent, when only green manure grows on the site, compacted, when the cultivation of green manure and the main crop is combined in one area, and rocker crops, when green manure is sown not throughout the plot, but in stripes or between rows.

When to bury (smell) green manure

It is believed that the plowing of the green mass of green manure into the soil improves the structure of the soil, levels Negative consequences compaction of the arable layer, increases the moisture capacity and water permeability of the soil, which activates microbiological processes. Siderates are plowed or buried in the ground one to two weeks before the main crop is planted, and, as already mentioned, green manure must be mowed before budding begins. However, practitioners believe that plowing or digging destroys necessary for plants microorganisms and violates the structure of the soil, therefore it is better not to plow green manure crops cut with a flat cutter at a depth of 5 cm, but to spread them out on the garden bed, covering them with mulch so that they do not dry out. Gradually plant remains turn into compost, releasing a large amount of nitrogen, and the roots remaining in the ground decompose under the influence of earthworms and microorganisms, becoming humus. Particularly harmful is the plowing of winter green manure, due to which about 80% of the green manure action is lost. Leave the beveled or cut green manure on the site until spring - after the snow melts, you will not find them, but the soil will become so loose that plowing is not needed.

green manure plants

The best siderate

To name any one universal green manure that would suit any plant would be difficult for both a theoretical scientist and an experienced practitioner. Each plant requires its own green manure, and each siderat has its own purpose, so it is difficult to determine which siderates are the best. For example, the best green manure for the soil is lupine, oil radish, oats, rye and phacelia. The best green manure for strawberries is the same oil radish, rapeseed, mustard and buckwheat. The best green manure before winter are oats, colza, winter rye, vetch and rapeseed. Therefore, it makes sense to talk about each group of green manure and about the most popular plants in these groups:

Legumes: sweet clover, clover, vetch, alfalfa, sochevynik, lentils, soybeans, peas, chickpeas, seradella, beans, lupins. Most often grown:

• lupine as green manure. It accumulates nitrogen in the soil - after lupine, any plants that need nitrogen can be planted on the site. Lupins are sown from late July to mid-August after harvesting cabbage or potatoes, but the best time planting - early spring;
• sweet clover is an annual legume plant, which is also best planted on neutral soil in early spring, although summer and autumn plantings are quite acceptable;

Cruciferous: mustard, oilseed radish, rapeseed, colza. Most popular:

• green manure mustard white is of great importance for crop rotation. Its roots secrete organic acids, which, interacting with the soil, release sparingly soluble phosphates, replenish potassium and turn nutrients that are inaccessible to plants into easily digestible ones;
• oilseed radish is an annual plant that can fix nitrogen and rid the site of nematodes and other pathogens. Usually planted with vetch or other legumes.

Cereals: wheat, oats, barley, rye. Read about green manure from cereals in the next section.

Buckwheat: buckwheat. Buckwheat has a short growing season and a developed root system, reaching one and a half meters in some cases. Buckwheat as a green manure deeply loosens the soil, lowers the acidity of the soil and enriches scarce soils with phosphorus, potassium and organic components.

Compositae, or Asteraceae: calendula, sunflower:

• sunflower root system reaches a depth of two meters, it gives a large amount of green mass and grows on soils of any composition and any acidity.

Hydrophiles: phacelia. Siderat phacelia belongs to the water-leaved family and is the most valuable honey plant. She has a short growing season, a developed root system and a powerful ground part. Phacelia grows on any soil, it is cold-resistant and undemanding to lighting. Phacelia improves the structure and increases the air permeability of the soil.

Winter green manure

If green manure is sown in the furrows in the spring, then in the fall it will be enough to scatter the seeds over the site and cover them with mulch, but you can, of course, sow winter green manure in the furrows, but the embedment depth should be less than in spring - no more than 3-4 cm. More often in total, rye and oats are used as winter green manure:

• rye as green manure contributes to the suppression of weeds, the destruction of pathogens of fungal diseases, the suppression of nematodes, its roots perfectly loosen the soil, it is most suitable as a previous crop for potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers. However, it is difficult to take a flat cutter, so most often it is cut off above the surface, and the area with the roots remaining in the soil is dug up;
• oats, like green manure, loosen clay soils, clearing them of root rot. It is usually planted in combination with vetch. Oats - best predecessor for cucumbers.

But there are other plants that are gradually gaining popularity as a green manure crop:

• rapeseed as green manure protects the soil from pests and diseases, enriches with phosphorus and sulfur, inhibits the growth of weeds and is a suitable predecessor for eggplants, peppers and tomatoes, but it must be planted no later than August and only not in damp clay or marshy soils;
• Vetch green manure contributes to the production of nitrogen in the soil. It is sown in September, it is a good predecessor for any seedlings;
• colza green manure restores soil structure and is a good predecessor for cereals, potatoes and corn. Sow it in August.

Siderates for potatoes

Those who have to plant potatoes in the same area year after year know very well that if the soil is not restored after harvesting potatoes, it is very quickly depleted. After harvesting, the plot is sown with oats, peas and white mustard and left for the winter. In the spring, green manure shoots are cut out with a flat cutter at a depth of 5-7 cm, and after a week or two, early potatoes can be planted in this area. If you didn’t plant green manure in the fall, then as soon as the topsoil warms up in the spring, sow a mixture of phacelia, oats and white mustard. In a few weeks, these plants are able to grow a decent green mass, which is cut out with a flat cutter before planting potatoes (usually in the third decade of May). After harvesting the potatoes, the plot is again sown with green manure.

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Gardeners and gardeners are increasingly paying attention to organic farming methods that allow you to get organic fruits and vegetables without resorting to chemicals. Green manure, or the use of plants as green manure, is one of the main components of organic farming. The use of plants as fertilizer, mulch and for loosening the soil is the maximum natural way maintaining fertility, peeped from nature.

What are siderates?

They are used as siderates. different kinds crops that are able to quickly increase the vegetative mass. Quantity fast growing plants large, among them there are annuals and perennials, legumes, cereals, cruciferous, buckwheat and aster. However, it is impossible to single out the best or universal green manure among them, because the list of tasks that can be solved thanks to green crops is quite wide.

With seeding, you can:

• Deeply loosen and fertilize the soil;
• Protect against nutrient leaching and mineralization;
• Enrich the earth with nitrogen due to nitrogen-fixing bacteria;
• Convert phosphates, nitrogen and other elements into an easily digestible form;
• Significantly reduce the number of soil pests and protect plants from diseases;
• Maintain soil moisture with mulching.

Terms of sowing green manure

It is difficult to answer the question unambiguously, because in this case it is necessary to take into account a number of factors:

• Before or after which crop the plot is being prepared;
• Features and properties of the soil;
• What is the purpose of planting green manure.

Phacelia and white mustard as green manure

There is an opinion that green manure is best sown in the fall, after harvesting the main crop, and then plowed into the ground. With this approach, you will not be able to get the maximum benefit, because 80% of the effect will be lost.

Which green manure is better to plant and when depends on the above factors. However, there is one main rule that supporters of organic farming adhere to: "The soil should not be empty." Therefore, in the time free from the main crops, green manure should be planted on the site.

In early spring, before planting heat-loving crops, the site can be sown with cold-resistant plants, which, after mowing, will become an excellent mulch. Areas freed from winter plantings or early harvested crops can be used for winter crops. On poor soils, it is better to use green manure during the entire growing season: before sowing, between rows together with other crops, and when the crop is already harvested.

spring sowing

plant in open ground such heat-loving crops as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are taken quite late, when the threat of late return frosts. So that the site is not empty until planting, it is good to plant cold-resistant siderates, such as mustard, phacelia, rapeseed, colza, vetch, oats, buckwheat, lupins, which begin to grow after positive temperatures are established, and many are not afraid of even short-term frosts.

Before planting the main crop, the site is dug up, planting the green mass in the ground and enriching the soil, but it is much more efficient to simply mow the above-ground part and leave it on the surface. At the same time, the roots remain in the ground, loosening and enriching the soil with organic matter.

How to improve productivity?

We are constantly getting letters in which amateur gardeners are worried that due to the cold summer this year, a poor harvest of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. Last year we published TIPS about this. But unfortunately, many did not listen, but some still applied. Here is a report from our reader, we want to advise plant growth biostimulantswhich will help increase the yield by up to 50-70%.

Read...

Some gardeners plant the main crop directly on the site with growing green manure, and mowing the green mass is carried out when the plants have begun to grow and begin to grow actively. Green manure plants protect fragile seedlings, and then cut greens are used as mulching material. Some plants, when cut at a height of 5 cm, grow back and again provide material for mulch, which allows you to keep the soil surface covered throughout the growing season, until the harvest of the main crop.

summer sowing

In summer, it is good to sow green manure in free areas. After mowing the overgrown greenery, the plot is sown again and so on until the end of the growing season. Such intensive cultivation green manure with alternation of green manure crops makes it possible to significantly improve soil fertility within one season, so that even the poorest areas can be planted with vegetables and greens the next season.

In spring and summer, it is effective to plant green manure in gardens, and even perennial crops such as can be used. They will enrich and loosen the soil better than fertilizers and machinery, and will also prevent the emergence of weeds. It is also recommended to sow phacelia, mustard, alfalfa, vetch, peas.

In summer, green manure crops can be sown between rows, which are freed from early crops (radish, lettuce, spinach). If the size of the plot allows, plants can be planted with row spacings larger than recommended, so that between them during summer season sow plants on green mass. This method of co-cultivation of green manure and main crops is called rocker.

autumn sowing

Bulk collection horticultural crops occurs at the end of summer and beginning of autumn. For many gardeners, the land that was freed after harvesting crops such as onions, garlic, potatoes and others is empty for several months before the onset of stable frosts and freezing, which means that it is rational to use it to restore fertility with the help of green fertilizers. Many people think that green manure works best in autumn and try to grow a lot of biomass, and then plow it into the ground. This approach is wrong and ineffective.

Annual crops left uncovered for the winter will be almost invisible next spring, but they will help retain snow and soil moisture, and also protect the upper fertile layer from weathering and leaching. The root system will loosen the soil and prevent erosion, and in the process of decay it will enrich the soil with nutrients and improve the aeration of the earthen clod.

It is recommended to leave green manure before winter as it is, or mow it down and leave it on the surface without digging, because when plowing or deep digging and turning the layer, all the “work” of the root system to improve the soil structure is reduced to nothing.

For autumn planting, you can use various types of cereals and mustard. The latter will remain green until the onset of frost and in this form will go under the snow, and it is recommended to mow the cereals to prevent the formation of ears. When mowing, it is necessary to break the tillering knot. To do this, the cereals are cut with a flat cutter at a depth of 3-5 cm below the soil surface. The sloping above-ground part can be left on the beds or composted.

In spring, the soil will be loose and suitable for planting crops, while plowing and other additional processing not required. The remaining plants can simply be cut with a flat cutter.

The main types of plants for green fertilizer, the features of their use

The number of crops that are used as green manure is large and they often belong to different families. This allows you to select the appropriate green manure for almost any vegetable crop.

Important! Siderat should not be from the same family as the main crop.

When choosing green manure, it is necessary to take into account the family to which the main plant belongs, since representatives of the same family take out the same elements from the soil.
In addition to improving soil structure and fertility, many plant species have a phytosanitary effect on the soil, helping to fight diseases and repel pests such as nematodes.

Legumes (vetch, peas, sweet clover, clover, lupine)

Legumes are better than other plants capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, accumulating it in the soil and converting it into a form available to other plants. They are recommended to be planted before plants that consume nitrogen. It is believed that 3 crops of legumes per season, in terms of the amount of nutrients that remain in the soil after incorporation, is quite comparable to the application of manure.

Legumes should be planted as green manure in areas where potatoes and cabbage used to grow, and also, if necessary, get rid of the nematode. Vika is suitable as a predecessor for any crops, but it is most effective to plant seedlings after planting it.

Cruciferous (oil radish, white mustard, colza, rapeseed)

Mustard is one of the most popular green manures. You can plant it at any time, throughout the season, it grows quickly and gives a huge vegetative mass. main feature For which it is worth planting mustard is the ability to transfer phosphates, potassium and other soil elements to a state where they can be easily absorbed by other plants.

An equally popular crop is oil radish, which also helps in the fight against nematodes and other diseases. It is recommended to plant in a mixture with leguminous plants having similar phytosanitary properties, if there is a need to disinfect the soil on the site.

Buckwheat (buckwheat)

It is irreplaceable on heavy soils where deep loosening is necessary. The roots of the plant penetrate the soil by 1.5 m, providing good aeration. It also enriches the soil with potassium and phosphorus and lowers its acidity.

Cereals (rye, oats, barley, wheat)

Rye is an excellent green manure

A powerful fibrous root system loosens the soil well, which is especially important on clay soils, inhibits the development of weeds, destroys root rot pathogens and repels nematodes. Cereals are often used in mixtures with vetch and are considered the best green manure crops for winter sowing. After cereals, it is recommended to grow pumpkin crops (cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins).

Asteraceae, or Asteraceae (sunflower, calendula)

In some cases, sunflower is grown as green manure. Its root system is able to penetrate to a depth of 2 m, which other plants cannot do. In addition, unpretentiousness allows you to grow sunflower in any conditions and on any type of soil, while the amount of biomass generated is huge.

With the help of green manure, it is possible to naturally improve the fertility and structure of soils, as well as solve a number of problems related to the protection of cultivated plants from diseases and pests. Which plants to grow depends on the tasks, but in any case, green fertilizer can be sown in any area, and the results obtained with the help of green manure and the yield of the main crops are not inferior to those grown using traditional agricultural chemistry.

And a little about the secrets of the Author

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Attention, only TODAY!

We sowed or planted most of the plants in the spring and it seems that in the middle of summer we can already relax. But experienced gardeners know that July is the time for planting vegetables for a late harvest and the possibility of longer storage. This also applies to potatoes. Early summer potato harvest is best used quickly, it is not suitable for long-term storage. But the second crop of potatoes is exactly what is needed for winter and spring consumption.

Astrakhan tomatoes ripen remarkably lying on the ground, but you should not repeat this experience in the Moscow region. Our tomatoes need support, support, a garter. My neighbors use all sorts of pegs, garters, loops, ready-made plant supports, and mesh fences. Each method of plant fixation in vertical position has its merits and side effects". I'll tell you how I place tomato bushes on trellises, and what comes of it.

Bulgur with pumpkin is a dish for every day, which is easy to prepare in half an hour. Bulgur is boiled separately, the cooking time depends on the size of the grains - whole and coarse grinding for about 20 minutes, fine grinding for just a few minutes, sometimes the cereal is simply poured with boiling water, like couscous. While the cereal is cooking, prepare the pumpkin in sour cream sauce and then combine the ingredients. If replace melted butter vegetable, and sour cream - soy cream, then it can be included in the lenten menu.

Flies - a sign of unsanitary conditions and carriers infectious diseases hazardous to both humans and animals. People are constantly looking for ways to get rid of nasty insects. In this article, we will talk about the Zlobny TED brand, which specializes in fly protection products and knows a lot about them. The manufacturer has developed a specialized line of drugs to get rid of flying insects anywhere quickly, safely and without extra costs.

The summer months are the time for hydrangeas to bloom. This beautiful deciduous shrub is luxuriously fragrant with flowers from June to September. Florists willingly use large inflorescences for wedding decors and bouquets. To admire the beauty flowering bush hydrangeas in your garden, you should take care of the proper conditions for it. Unfortunately, some hydrangeas do not bloom year after year, despite the care and efforts of gardeners. Why this happens, we will tell in the article.

Every summer resident knows that plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for full development. These are the three main macronutrients, the deficiency of which significantly affects appearance and crop yield, and advanced cases may lead to their death. But at the same time, not everyone understands the importance of other macro- and microelements for plant health. And they are important not only in themselves, but also for the effective absorption of the same nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

garden strawberry, or strawberry, as we used to call it, is one of the early fragrant berries that summer generously endows us with. How we rejoice in this harvest! In order for the “berry boom” to repeat every year, we need to take care of caring for berry bushes. The laying of flower buds, from which ovaries will form in spring, and berries in summer, begins approximately 30 days after the end of fruiting.

Spicy pickled watermelon is a savory snack for fatty meat. Watermelons and watermelon rinds have been pickled since time immemorial, but the process is laborious and time consuming. According to my recipe, it’s easy to cook pickled watermelon in 10 minutes, and a spicy snack will be ready by the evening. The watermelon marinated with spices and chili is stored in the refrigerator for several days. Be sure to keep the jar in the refrigerator, not only for the sake of preservation - chilled, this snack is just licking your fingers!

Among the variety of species and hybrids of philodendrons, there are many plants, both gigantic and compact. But not a single species competes in unpretentiousness with the main modest - blushing philodendron. True, his modesty does not concern the appearance of the plant. Reddening stems and cuttings, huge leaves, long shoots, forming, although very large, but also strikingly elegant silhouette, look very elegant. Philodendron blushing requires only one thing - at least minimal care.

Thick Chickpea Soup with Vegetables and Egg is an easy recipe for a hearty first course inspired by Oriental cuisine. Similar thick soups are prepared in India, Morocco, and the countries of Southeast Asia. The tone is set by spices and seasonings - garlic, chili, ginger and a bouquet of spicy spices, which can be assembled to your liking. It is better to fry vegetables and spices in melted butter (ghee) or mix olive oil and butter, it's certainly not the same, but similar in taste.

Plum - well, who does not know her ?! She is loved by many gardeners. And all because it has an impressive list of varieties, it surprises excellent harvests, pleases with its diversity in terms of ripening and huge selection color, shape and taste of fruits. Yes, somewhere she feels better, somewhere worse, but almost no summer resident refuses to grow her on her plot. Today it can be found not only in the south, in middle lane, but also in the Urals, in Siberia.

Many decorative and fruit crops, except for drought-resistant ones, suffer from the scorching sun, and conifers in the winter-spring period - from sunlight, enhanced by reflection from snow. In this article we will talk about a unique preparation for protecting plants from sunburn and droughts - Sunshet Agrosuccess. The problem is relevant for most regions of Russia. In February and early March, the sun's rays become more active, and the plants are not yet ready for new conditions.

“Each vegetable has its own time”, and each plant has its own optimal time for planting. Anyone who has experienced planting is well aware that the hot season for planting is spring and autumn. This is due to several factors: in spring, the plants have not yet started to grow rapidly, there is no sweltering heat, and precipitation often falls. However, no matter how hard we try, circumstances often develop in such a way that landings have to be carried out at the very height of summer.

Chile con carne translated from Spanish- chili with meat. This is a Texan and Mexican dish whose main ingredients are chili peppers and minced beef. In addition to the main products, there are onions, carrots, tomatoes, and beans. This red lentil chili recipe is delicious! The dish is fiery, burning, very satisfying and amazingly tasty! You can cook a large pot, arrange in containers and freeze - a whole week will be a delicious dinner.

Cucumber is one of the most beloved garden crops of our summer residents. However, not all and not always gardeners manage to get really good harvest. And although growing cucumbers requires regular attention and care, there is a little secret that will significantly increase their yield. It's about pinching cucumbers. Why, how and when to pinch cucumbers, we will tell in the article. An important point The agricultural technique of cucumbers is their formation, or type of growth.

Gardeners ask a lot of questions about green manure.

siderates these are any annual crops that create soil and make it fertile.

Which siderates are suitable for autumn planting, and which ones are better to sow in spring?

What siderates increase the yield of potatoes by 2 times?

Which ones suppress weeds, and which ones are great for pest control?

Under what culture to use this or that green manure?

In this article, I will try to answer them.

If you choose green manure for spring planting before planting crops, in this case we use fast-growing crops such as white mustard, oilseed radish, oats, brine .

For autumn planting, we select crops depending on the air temperature. At temperatures from +8 to +15, you can sow almost the entire range of green manure crops.

If the temperature rises no higher than +6, then cold-resistant ones are suitable ( oats, vetch) and winter crops ( winter rye), as well as biennial green manure ( goat's rue, alfalfa).

In early spring, when buying green manure, we immediately make a reserve for the future. As soon as you harvest onions, early potato or garlic, immediately sow the beds with green manure. The beds should not be empty. The earlier it is sown, the greater the benefit to the land and subsequent harvest.

You can even have time to grow 2 green manure crops, for example, after harvesting onions, you planted an oil radish. It has grown by 15 cm. You mow it, loosen the soil Fokin flat cutter or hoe and sow the garden winter rye.

This question is often asked. And what to do with those green manure crops that go into winter, but are not winter?

Gardeners ask this question because of the stereotype that after planting green manure, the earth must be dug up. In the fall, there is so much work on the site, and then the green manure must be dug up.

And of course, we tell them, giving them relief: “Let the green manure go into the winter untouched. You don't have to dig!" And we also add that “after the winter we will not see any tops or roots. And the land untouched by digging and loosened by green manure roots will be like fluff.

Two years of such agricultural technology, and you will not recognize your land, there will be more worms and humus, which means crop yields will also increase.

If you dig up the soil after green manure, then you lose 50% of the useful things that our green assistants will bring you.

Sometimes a gardener grows one white mustard. He is used to it and maybe he would be happy to grow something else, but he does not know how this or that green manure will behave and whether it will bring benefits.

In this case, you can sow a crop from the same family. Mustard belongs to the cruciferous family. And her close relatives are such cultures as oil radish and rape .

It is especially good to plant a radish after potatoes; next year, the potato crop will grow up to 2 times! And besides, it suppresses such a pest as a potato nematode.

The main thing is to know which green manure can be planted before which crops. Here the rule is simple.

You can not plant green manure and then the main crop from the same family. For example, after white mustard you can not plant turnips, radishes, cabbage.

And there is one universal green manure that is gaining more and more popularity among gardeners. And the higher the popularity, the more people try to plant it.
It's like you guessed it Phacelia.

In addition to the main benefit in raising soil fertility, phacelia blooms very beautifully and decorates the garden with pleasant purple flowers. It belongs to the water-leaved family and does not cross with any of the vegetable crops. In addition, phacelia is an excellent honey plant. This means that it attracts bees, which help to increase the yield. vegetable plants by 30%.

What siderates increase the yield of vegetable crops?

Potatoes: oilseed radish, white mustard, rapeseed.

Carrots: phacelia, oilseed radish.

Onions: oats, white mustard, buckwheat.

Garden strawberry: lupine annual(It can be sown at the end of June right between the rows of strawberries. The foliage from the lupine becomes bigger size, and the berry is larger.), oats should be sown at the end of August after harvesting.

Raspberry. A mixture of green manure works well here: oil radish, annual lupine, vetch, buckwheat. We mix everything in equal proportions.

Cabbage: phacelia, oats, buckwheat.

Garlic: annual lupine, rapeseed, oilseed radish.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants: it is important to suppress
pathogens. They do well: winter rye, oilseed radish, white mustard.

Fruit trees. With a lack of nitrogen and increased yields: annual lupine, peas, fodder beans, soybeans. To improve the soil: oil radish, white mustard.

Fruit bushes: oil radish, annual lupine, vetch, buckwheat.

What green manure can be used for pest control?

Oilseed radish helps fight the nematode.

White mustard rids the soil of the wireworm. In the first year, the number of affected potato tubers is reduced by 50%. In the second year of using white mustard, the number of affected is reduced by 80-90%.

Phacelia and buckwheat attract beneficial insects - entomophages, which in turn reduce the number of pests.

Often gardeners do not use biennial green manure, and even more so perennial for fear that they will fill garden plots like weeds.

This is not entirely true. The main thing here is to know a few rules, and perennials will bring many times more benefits than annuals.

Where to use biennial and perennial green manure?

It is better to use green manure crops such as alfalfa, horned bird's eye, sweet clover, goat's rue on those beds that no longer "give birth". Where the fertility of the soil has fallen so much that the yield on them is very low.

Agricultural technology in such cases is simple. In the spring we loosen the soil by 5-10 cm with a Fokin flat cutter or a hoe, cut grooves and pour the seeds into the recesses.

In the first year, we wait until the first buds appear and mow the tops leaving 2-3 cm above the soil surface. Some crops will grow again a week after cutting. And we do not touch them, but leave them before winter.

The following year, we again germinate until the buds form. And we don’t just mow, but we cut it under the root, deepening the tool 5 cm below the soil level.

When you prune you will see a dramatic change in soil composition.

Firstly, it will have a lumpy structure, which will already increase the yield by vegetable crops.

Secondly, it will become looser and on some soils it will look like cottage cheese.

Thirdly, it will darken and this means that there is more humus in it. And humus is the basis of soil fertility. This means that we will inevitably expect an increase in productivity.

Andrey Bushikhin