Green manures are a good alternative to chemical fertilizers.
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These plants are sown in the vegetable garden in the beds. The grown green mass is cut off and embedded in the soil. The procedure must be carried out before the flowering of the green manure grass or during the budding period.
The benefits of green manure plants
Siderata are planted at different times: simultaneously with garden crops, in spring or autumn.
Influence of green manure on soil composition:
- The structure improves, the soil becomes more air and water permeable.
- Enriched with micro and macro elements.
- The composition and acidity change.
- The growth of weeds is impaired.
- Loosening and disinfection takes place.
- Erosion is prevented.
Siderata for potatoes
Green plants not only enrich the soil with nutrients, but are also able to repel pests with their aroma. Several crops are good siderates for potatoes.
Vika
A herb from the Legume family. The plant accumulates nitrogen well in the soil, disinfects the soil, prevents the growth of weeds, and increases productivity.
Vetch is mowed before flowering with a stem height of 15 cm. Otherwise, the stagnant vetch blooms, forms seeds and becomes a weed.
Rape
The culture belongs to the Cabbage family, is frost-resistant. Saturates the soil with sulfur and phosphorus. Rapeseed protects the soil well from weathering and does not allow it to dehydrate.
Wheat, rye
Rye and wheat are crops of the Cereal family. Contribute to the enrichment of the soil with potassium and nitrogen. For the best effect, it is advisable to sow them together with legumes.
Oats
Herbaceous plant of the Cereals family. Forms a fertile layer on the soil surface, protects against wind and weeds. The fibrous roots strengthen light soils and loosen up heavy ones.
In garden plants, oats are used to prevent root decay. Nitrogen is present in young shoots of oats, only at a stem height of 20 cm does it work as a potassium fertilizer.
Buckwheat
An unpretentious plant of the Buckwheat family. Good green manure that drowns out weeds. The roots improve the structure of the soil and the aboveground part is an effective green fertilizer. After decomposition of buckwheat grass, the soil is enriched with phosphorus, potassium, organic matter.
Phacelia
Belongs to the aquiformes family. It enriches the soil well with nitrogen and potassium, reduces the acidity of the soil, which does not like such a pest as a wireworm.
Donnik
Plant of the legume family. The root system strengthens the soil, supplies it with humus, reduces salinity, increases fertility and enriches it with nitrogen.
Lupine
Another siderat of the legume family. It loosens the soil well and enriches it with nitrogen. The presence of alkaloids in this plant allows you to turn acidic soil into alkaline.
Sowing rules for green manure
Sowing green manure plants can be carried out after harvesting potatoes in the fall or spring - before planting.
Autumn sowing
For autumn sowing, take into account that there should be a time of 40-45 days before frost. Dense sowing is carried out with obligatory soil moistening. With a plant height of 20-25 cm, they are mowed and embedded in the soil or simply laid out in the garden.
Spring sowing
As soon as the snow melts, you can start sowing. Sowing is permissible with both continuous and ordinary methods. The grown greens are mowed, the soil is dug up together with the mown grass. There should be another 2 weeks before planting the potatoes.
After germination
After sprouting of potatoes, planting green manures in the aisles gives a good effect to protect against pests. The greens that have grown up to 25 cm are cut off and left in the aisles of the potatoes.
Sowing green manure plants allows you to restore soil fertility before planting potatoes in a short time without the use of chemical fertilizers.
Do you use green manures when growing potatoes?
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