Oats as green manure: advantages and disadvantages of fertilizer, when to sow and dig

Even the most fertile soils are depleted over time and cease to supply plants with the nutrients necessary for growth and development. To maintain soil quality at the proper level, farmers and owners of small household plots not only use chemical fertilizers, but also resort to green manure plants, which supply the land with micro and macro elements. Planting oats as green manure does not require special costs and knowledge from the summer resident.

Special Features

Oats supply the soil with substances such as phosphorus and potassium, therefore, to increase soil fertility, it is necessary to mow the green mass and dig it shallowly so that it rots.Green manure culture is unpretentious and can be planted on different types of soil, these are peat bogs, and clay, and sandy soils. In a few years, with the help of oats, it is possible to increase the fertility of even the most impoverished agricultural lands.

The special properties of the green manure plant include the following points:

1. Due to the developed root system loosens the soil and increases its air and moisture permeability.
2. Characterized by high germination of seed material. Even without special preparation, the sprouts sprout together and cover the area with a solid carpet.
3. Oat roots contain volatile substances and esters that destroy pathogens of fungal diseases and root rot.
4. Due to the dense carpet formed by green manure after germination, the number of weeds on the site is reduced.
5. Oat seed material is inexpensive, so every owner of a personal plot can purchase it.
6. Siderat promotes the removal of nitrates from the soil, which are formed in the soil after the use of mineral fertilizers.

To improve the soil, both spring and winter oats can be planted.

Positive and negative sides of oats as green manure

Before you plant oats in your garden, you should figure out how it differs from other green manure and what advantages and disadvantages it has.

Culture benefits include:

1. Composition. The green mass and roots contain a small amount of nitrogen, but a lot of potassium and phosphorus, which are necessary for clay and viscous soils to increase fertility.
2. Protein. The stems of the plant contain much more nutrients than, for example, alfalfa.
3. Increased soil aeration. Thanks to its powerful root system, the cereal plant is able to increase the air permeability of the soil.
4. Erosion prevention. Unsteady soils, the root system of green manure, on the contrary, binds and strengthens.
5. Undemanding to the composition of the soil. Green manure plant grows well and develops on any type of soil.
6. High yield. If you sow one hundred square meters with oats, then in the end you can get a nutrient mass equal to 100 kg of manure, and practically for free.
7. Herbicidal properties. After emerging from the ground, the plant forms a dense mass that prevents the growth of weeds and the development of pathogens in the soil.

Speaking of the disadvantages of oats, it is worth noting the following points:

1. A small amount of nitrogen in the composition. If there is a lack of this element in the soil, oats as a green manure plant will not work, you will need to sow the plot with clover or alfalfa.
2. Demanding for humidity and coolness. This green manure plant is ideal for growing in regions with a cold spring and an abundance of rainfall, and, conversely, in a hot climate it will dry out and not bring the expected benefits, as it needs constant irrigation.
3. Small amount of growing green mass. Oats as green manure are suitable for use in areas where fertilizers are constantly applied, and will be of little use on heavily depleted soils.

Before choosing a crop to plant as green manure, the gardener must weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of oats.

Before what crops are planted?

In order for green manure to bring the maximum benefit and fulfill the functions assigned to it, it must be taken into account that there are crops in front of which it is better not to plant it and, conversely, favorable plants.

Don't sow oats after all cereals, and also potatoes. It is better to plant green manure before pepper, tomatoes, eggplant, cabbage, strawberries, raspberries and onions.

Which is better: oats or rye?

What is better to plant on the site as a green manure crop - rye or oats - depends on the planned time. It is recommended to sow oats in spring or summer, and rye before winter, as it is characterized by high frost resistance.

Time and sowing process

You can plant oats as green manure both in spring and autumn, and also continuously throughout the season. Spring sowing of seeds is carried out in late March or early April, depending on the region of cultivation. It is necessary to allow the soil to thaw after winter frosts and warm up slightly before sowing oats. However, it is not worth delaying with field work, the material should get into moist soil, then it will be easier for it to germinate. The exact timing of planting green manure depends on weather conditions.

Green manure is sown before winter immediately after harvest. This method helps to prevent soil freezing and destroy pests that live in the soil. Planting oats throughout the season is recommended if the land is too depleted. In this case, the first work is carried out in the spring, and then green manure is sown after each mowing. This technique allows you to maximize the soil on the site.

It is possible to plant plant material both manually and with the help of a sowing machine, it all depends on the amount of available area. If the gardener plants oats in rows, you will need to prepare 1 kg of seeds per hundred square meters of the garden, with a continuous distribution of the material, they take 2 times more. The number of seeds also depends on the time of work - more material is taken before winter, as some may freeze.

Before starting work, the soil on the site is loosened shallowly and leveled with a rake. The seed material is mixed with sand and evenly scattered over the bed. After that, humus is scattered over the oats with a layer of about 3 cm and lightly tamped with a special tool.

Rules of care

A crop such as oats does not require special agrotechnical care and develops well on any type of soil. During the period of green manure growth, the following procedures must be performed:

1. Irrigation. Since oats are a moisture-loving crop, it is necessary to keep the soil moist, especially during seed germination. In the event that there is not enough natural precipitation, additional irrigation will be organized.
2. Pruning. This agricultural technique allows you to stimulate crop growth and get more green mass. The green manure is cut at the moment when it reaches a height of 15 cm, shortening it by 5 cm.

If after one harvest it is planned to re-sow the area, then the soil must first be dug up by half a shovel.

When to mow green manure

From sowing to mowing green manure must take at least 45 days. The gardener should be guided by the following characteristic features:

1. The green mass stretched out well, and panicles of flowers began to form on it. As soon as pollen becomes noticeable, it means that it is time to mow the stems.
2. If the cereal was planted in the fall, it must be mowed before the first frosty days; when planting in the spring, it must be done before the first hot May days.

In order for the oats to have time to rot and turn into fertilizer, it is necessary to plant it in the ground no later than two weeks before the planned planting of vegetable plants.

Can I use oats in summer?

If a gardener plans to re-sow green manure after spring mowing, he must be prepared for the fact that the site will have to be irrigated very often, since sprouts will not be able to break through to the surface in dry land.Planting oats is carried out a week after harvesting cultivated plants. For land that is in a depleted state, such a procedure of repeated sowing during the season makes it possible to quickly restore its fertility. The last landing is carried out in September.

When sowing a green manure plant, the gardener must remember the requirements of the culture, only in this case it will be possible to benefit and saturate the soil with useful substances.

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