Green manure for the garden in the fall: which is better to sow to improve the soil, planting rules

Getting a good harvest is achieved by applying many agricultural practices. Planting green manure is one of them. Plants have an excellent effect on the soil and serve as a good organic fertilizer. Consider what siderates for the garden are sown in the fall, why they are needed, what sowing dates must be observed, the rules for planting and care, what to do with green manure before winter.

Why do we need autumn green manure?

Using green manure provides the following benefits:

• plants structure the soil, restore it, the roots strengthen and loosen the earth, its moisture and air permeability improves;
• enrich the soil with mineral elements;
• inhibit weeds, prevent seeds from germinating, thereby protecting crops from weeds;
• are cold-resistant, so they can be sown both in spring and autumn and left before winter;
• increase the volume of the humus layer, because one of the purposes of green manure is to improve soil fertility;
• create conditions for the activation and reproduction of beneficial soil microflora and worms;
• mowed green manure remaining on the soil act as compost and mulch, protect the surface of the earth from drying out, weathering, erosion;
• reduce soil acidity, normalize it;
• facilitate soil maintenance, reduce the number of digs.

Siderats are usually embedded in the soil, where they replace organic and mineral fertilizers, allow you to reduce their application, and sometimes even abandon them altogether. Plants create comfortable conditions for the development of any crop that will be planted after them.

Popular species

Most green manures belong to the legume, cereal and cruciferous families. Species from other families are also used, for example, phacelia, buckwheat, amaranth and others. They are characterized by rapid growth, resistance to adverse weather, diseases. Unpretentious and require almost no care.

Rye

In autumn it is necessary to sow winter rye varieties. On the roots of winter rye, mycorrhizal fungi multiply, which convert the phosphorus contained in the soil into an accessible form. Seeds germinate and develop even in cold soil, the culture is undemanding to fertility and soil type, it grows well even in not very nutritious soil, slightly acidic or saline.

Rye loosens and softens clay soils, strengthens sandy soils, clears weedy areas, inhibiting weeds. Plants have powerful roots that penetrate more than a meter deep into the soil, so they withstand drought well.It is recommended to sow rye even after harvesting the root crops, before frost it will have time to grow.

Oats

Culture enriches the earth with potassium and phosphorus, if you sow oats at least 2 consecutive seasons on the site, you can significantly improve its fertility. The grass is undemanding to care, grows in any type of soil: sandy, clay, peat bogs. The roots of plants loosen the compacted soil, because of this, its moisture and air capacity improves, inhibit pathogens of root rot, bacteria and fungi.

Oat seeds are distinguished by good and friendly germination, suppress weeds. Sowing oats after digging becomes a good fertilizer, partially replaces the application of synthetic fertilizers.

Barley

If you plant barley in autumn, you can get the result in the form of structuring the soil, it becomes softer, loosens, does not compact so quickly, is better saturated with moisture and air.Barley can be grown in sloping areas subject to erosion and weathering. It perfectly strengthens the soil.

Densely growing plants do not allow weeds to germinate, substances secreted by the roots suppress pathogenic microflora, which disinfects the soil. There are also fewer pests, such as nematodes, aphids, leafhoppers.

Rotted barley nourishes the soil in the same way as applied manure, increases yield, fruit quality, sugar content, starch content, percentage of dry matter, amount of protein and organic acids.

Vika

This is a leguminous plant that accumulates nitrogen in its root nodules, so it must be sown before those crops that need this element. The roots of plants loosen the soil, facilitate the passage of oxygen. Green mass can be fed to animals, flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

While the vetch grows in the beds, they do not overgrow with weeds, infections and pests do not develop in the soil. Winter vetch protects the soil from excessive freezing. The crop sown after it will be able to increase the yield by a third.

Rapeseed

Plants have developed roots that penetrate deep into the soil, pull out nutrients from the lower layers, which, after decay of the green mass, serve as food for the crop planted then at this place. Rape grows quickly, builds up a powerful aerial part, does not allow weeds to germinate. The roots of the plant strengthen the earth, protect against weathering, erosion by rains, retain snow, preventing the earth from freezing in frosts.

Mustard

Mustard has the same advantages as many other green manures. It loosens the soil, makes it softer, more airy, protects against erosion and weathering, strengthens.Substances secreted by the roots disinfect the soil while stimulating the growth of beneficial soil bacteria. The green mass contains essential oils that repel harmful insects. Mustard, sown as green manure, fights on the site with weeds that can sprout even in autumn.

Sowing dates

It all depends on whether you plan to mow green manure and plow the mass into the ground or leave the plants for the winter. In the first case, before frost, they should grow enough to build up a green mass sufficient for embedding in the ground. In the second case, the plants should sprout, but not grow above 5-10 cm, so as not to freeze out in winter.

In the Moscow region, green manure can be planted in the first half of September, in Siberia - at least 2 weeks earlier.

Basic landing rules

Before you plant the seeds of any green manure, you need to prepare the ground: remove the dry remains and roots of the previous crop from the beds, dig up the ground.If the land is depleted after growing a crop, add mineral fertilizers or organic matter to the soil. After fertilizing, level the ground with a rake.

Dig grooves, on average, 5 cm deep, at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other. Sow seeds in them with the expectation that there are 1.5-2 kg of seeds per hundred square meters (depending on the crop). If the main task of sowing green manure is to reduce the number of weeds, then you need to sow in bulk and thicker than usual. Plant in moderately moist soil; if it is dry, you need to water the beds before or after sowing.

If the autumn is dry, there is almost no rain, and the soil dries quickly, the beds with green manure should be watered. The plants do not require any other care.

What to do with greenery before winter

There are two options for how to deal with the grown green mass - leave it before winter or cut it off and put it into the soil. It is necessary to leave before winter if snow retention is necessary, the best option for winter green manure is winter cereals.

If plants are grown for fertilization, then they need to be mowed, but not left on the surface, but buried in the ground. The mass left to lie on the beds will not have time to rot before frost and freeze. You need to dig right after mowing. The mowed mass will retain the maximum amount of nutrients, decomposition will not be interrupted with the onset of frost, but will slowly take place in the soil. By spring, the mass will completely rot, with the onset of heat on the beds it will already be possible to sow seeds or plant early crops. There will be no need to wait until last year's green manure completely rot.

The mowing time comes when the plants reach a height of 15-20 cm. Winter cereals that remain overwintering should be in the tillering stage by the onset of frost. At this age, they are just so developed that they do not freeze out in winter.

You need to mow with a flat cutter or walk-behind tractor. If a flat cutter is used, then the mass should then be dug up with a shovel, trying to evenly distribute it in the soil.

Autumn sowing and growing green manure on the site will bring many benefits. They are sown to solve several issues - improving and restoring the soil, enriching it with nutrients. For a personal plot, you can choose green manure from any family. The main thing is that it does not belong to the same family as the crop previously grown on the site. This is a precaution to prevent the spread of common crop diseases.

There are no other restrictions for growing green manure plants. Ideally, you can sow any beds with them, and not leave them to winter empty. To notice the effect of green manure, green manure should be sown in the same area for at least 2 years in a row. It will take at least 4-5 seasons to restore the soil or destroy the infection in it.

The use of green manure cultivation technology allows to reduce the cost of purchasing fertilizers, protective equipment, to facilitate plant care by reducing the number of weeding and loosening.The volumes of harvested fruits and root crops will increase, because green manure is also an excellent green fertilizer, which, unlike mineral mixtures, does not harm the soil.

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