Mustard against weeds: the benefits of green manure, how to plant and harvest greens

To restore soil fertility, protect cultivated plants using various methods. An effective solution is the planting of green manure crops. Sowing mustard is used against weeds. The plant has many advantages: it is used as a food as a spice, as a folk medicine and green manure, to protect plants from harmful insects and attract bees.

Benefits of mustard against weeds

Planting green manure is an eco-friendly and natural way to restore the fertility of the earth, to give it a loose structure. The root system of white mustard is so powerful and deep that it deprives other crops of the opportunity to fully grow and develop.

Plant benefits in weed control:

• protects beds from weeds;
• prevents the development and spread of fungal spores, viruses, pathogenic bacteria, larvae of harmful insects in the soil;
• a great way to improve the soil in greenhouses. It is important to sow mustard immediately after harvest, before planting the next cultivated plants.

Due to the rapid emergence of seedlings and the development of lush green mass, weeds fail to germinate.

How to plant

Mustard belongs to unpretentious crops, actively growing and developing on any soil. To combat weeds, it is advisable to sow mustard seeds in the spring. The advantage of the culture is that the seeds remain viable even when sown in frosts down to -5 ° C.

Mustard seeds are small, but usually the crop is planted in rows, not sown. Sequence of work:

• grooves are made on the cultivated area with row spacing 15-20 cm wide;
• in each row make small indentations in increments of 10-12 cm;
• seeds are placed in a hole, not deepening much. On clay soils, the planting depth is 1 cm, on sandy soils - 1.5 cm;
• the wells are sprinkled with soil and slightly moistened. The first shoots appear after 5-6 days.

In large areas, it is advisable to sow mustard seeds. Previously, the site is dug up, the soil is leveled with a rake. Seed material is evenly scattered over the site, deepened with a rake. Sowing does not take long, but mustard sprouts a little later.

To ensure the full germination of seed, you must adhere to the rules of crop rotation. Siderat is not sown after radish, cabbage, other cruciferous crops, since plants are affected by similar diseases. You also need to consider that mustard cannot be planted even next to turnips.

Green cleaning

With favorable temperature conditions and constant moisture, mustard sprouts grow by 20-22 cm per month. In order to mow the green mass in time, you need to focus on the phases of the growing season. As a rule, cut the plant before flowering. It is not recommended to skip this period for a number of reasons:

• if the sprouts begin to bloom, they lose the quality of green manure;
• when flowers appear, the stems coarsen, and the mowed green mass will decompose more slowly in the soil;
• formed seeds germinate quickly by self-sowing, and green manure turns into a weed plant.

After mowing the green mass, it is recommended to wait 7-10 days before planting the planned crops, vegetables.

Sowing green manure to improve soil quality and protect against weeds is gaining more and more fans. Mustard is a popular crop showing many virtues. To restore the structure and fertility of the soil, seeds can be sown in spring and autumn. To control weeds, the crop is sown in spring and summer.

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