Good afternoon, my reader. Mustard can be sown on the site until late autumn. As a green manure, it disinfects the soil, increases the fertility and structure of the soil. But what to do with the culture in the pre-winter period - leave it in the beds or dig it up? It depends on several factors: the region of farming, soil characteristics, purpose and place of planting of green manure.
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When to sow mustard in the fall?
This can be done at any time, up to October. Seed germination is high, they germinate quickly. The culture is unassuming, easily tolerates temperature extremes, frosts up to -5 C.
Sowing mustard in the fall:
- prevent weeds;
- disinfect the soil;
- enrich the land with nutrients;
- will improve the structure of the soil.
Sowing of mustard in the fall is carried out as the beds or greenhouses are freed from the harvest. You should not use this green manure in the area where related cruciferous crops will be planted next year: cabbage, turnip, radish. In this case, vetch, rye are suitable. oats.
For sowing, it is enough to loosen the ground, scatter the seeds, and embed them in the soil with a rake.
Do I need to dig up the mustard?
On this score there is no common point of view and universal advice of experts - it all depends on the purpose of sowing and the growing conditions of the culture. Let's consider 4 main options.
Cut off the stems without digging
This method is suitable for mustard sown in late summer and early autumn. The culture is fast growing, tall. At the time of mowing, the stems should already be long and thick enough to cover the ground tightly. But not very tough either. Otherwise, it is difficult to mow them.
As a tool for mowing, you can use a flat cutter, a trimmer. Cut the stems at a distance of about 3 cm from the ground. Further, two options are possible:
- Leave the stems on the surface of the beds before winter. They will dry out by spring and can be used as mulch or compostable. The roots should remain in the ground - they will serve as excellent food for the earthworms in April.
- Use the stems for compost. In this case, they are watered with EM preparations "Vostok", "Baikal" and the like, the cut stems are covered with a film. A warm environment is important for the drugs to work.
Dig up in the fall in the open field
The method is used to enrich the soil with nutrients. It is better to plant mustard in the ground before flowering - when the stems are already high enough, but not yet firm.
For cutting siderates, it is convenient to use the Fokin flat cutter, but you can cut the crop with a shovel. Mustard that has just been cut should not be dug up. This contributes to soil acidification. The stems must be left on the ground for 2-3 days so that they "wither".
It is important to dig well before frost, in September. At warm temperatures, the green mass will have time to overheat in the soil and provide nutrition to beneficial microorganisms. The soil will be saturated with nutrients, the earth will become looser in structure, like fluff.
If the soil is severely depleted, then one mustard is not enough to improve the condition of the soil. Then, during digging, compost or manure is added. This helps the green mass of green manure to decompose faster to organic components and trace elements.
Do not mow and leave before winter
In this case, mustard stalks allow trapping snow in the areas, prevent wind erosion and soil leaching during the abundant melting of snow in spring.
The method is most relevant for:
- southern regions with little snow;
- arid soils prone to erosion;
- plots on the slopes.
Dig up in the greenhouse
Indoor ground is always characterized by an increased infectious background. Digging land with mustard in a greenhouse:
- will reduce the degree of concentration of diseases,
- will help in the fight against whitefly.
To do this, it is recommended to dig on a shovel bayonet, trying to move the soil up from the deep layers. In this case, you should not break up clods and level the surface of the earth. So the soil will freeze better, and at the same time many pests and pathogenic organisms will die.
Do you know when and how to dig up mustard when sowing in the fall?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Read about how to use mustard as a fertilizer in the following article:Mustard is not upset - how to use it as fertilizer for the garden