Buckwheat as green manure: pros and cons, when to sow and bury, further care

Over time, the soil in the summer cottage is depleted, the number of weeds increases, crops fall. In this case, action must be taken. Someone prefers modern agrochemistry, others solve the problem by sowing green manure plants on the beds. This is a simple and effective way to improve soil quality and increase yields. The nuances of using buckwheat as green manure will be discussed further.

Pros and cons

Buckwheat is a fast growing annual plant, it is used as a fodder crop, serves as an excellent honey plant and provides us with everyone's favorite buckwheat. It was the rapid growth and unpretentiousness that made it possible to use the plant as a green manure.

Sowing on the site of green manure allows you to enrich the soil with nitrogen, make the soil looser, and reduce the number of weeds. If you bury the green parts of plants after mowing, you will get excellent compost, left on the surface, they will become an excellent mulch for planting.

There are several plants suitable for this purpose, buckwheat is one of them. Has a lot of advantages:

• the developed root system of the plant does not allow various weeds to develop nearby, after mowing it remains deep in the ground, protecting garden plantings;
• buckwheat protects the site from infections, disinfects the soil, saturates the soil with potassium and nitrogen, improves its structure, making it more loose and saturated with oxygen;
• green manure is attractive to bees and unpleasant to many insect pests;
• transforms phosphorus absorbed from the soil into a form that is better absorbed by other plants;
• after mowing, the roots and greens remain on the site, rotting and becoming an excellent organic fertilizer;
• buckwheat grows fast and can be sown between vegetable beds to protect crops.

It favorably affects the subsequent growth of most crops, after it root crops, cucumbers and tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, fruit trees and berry bushes grow better.

The disadvantages of planting a plant on your own plot include:

• poor wind and cold tolerance;
• possibility of development only in a warm climate, with sufficient watering;
• planting sorrel, rhubarb, spinach after buckwheat is impractical, since these plants also belong to buckwheat.

In the southern regions, they manage to sow 2-3 times per season, this prevents the appearance of cracks in the soil, makes the soil more loose and “breathable”.

Before which crops are used

Buckwheat has a positive effect on the subsequent growth of most crops; root crops, cucumbers and tomatoes grow better after it. You can plant cabbage and potatoes, fruit trees and berry bushes. Greens grow well: parsley, dill, cumin. These crops give a particularly rich harvest after green manure.

Rules for planting buckwheat as green manure

The plant does not tolerate cold, the seeds need well-warmed soil (to a depth of at least 10 centimeters). For sowing, the 2nd decade of May is chosen, the soil on the site is dug up or treated with a cultivator. You can sow buckwheat in the fall, 1.5 months before the onset of cold weather.

In black soil areas, grains are buried in the soil to a depth of 6-7 centimeters, for heavy soil 3 centimeters are enough. 7-15 grams of seeds are taken per square meter. After sowing, the soil is compacted with a roller or the back of a rake.

Grains are sown in rows, with a distance between sprouts of 5-6 centimeters, or sown, arbitrarily scattering the seeds over the plot. In the garden, occupied by fruit trees and shrubs, you can sow buckwheat between plantings. The plant will help retain moisture, attract bees to pollinate the garden.

Further care

Culture is unpretentious, if there is enough rain for the season, it does not even need watering. In hot summers, weekly watering is necessary. The soil should be slightly damp.

Important: remember that the plant does not tolerate waterlogging.

Buckwheat grows rapidly, early ripe varieties begin to bloom after 3 weeks after the appearance of the first shoots. It is these varieties of plants that are used as green manure.

When and how to mow

Mow the plant after flowering, the green mass can be mixed with the soil or left on the surface.The roots are cut, capturing 8-10 centimeters. Then the site is left to rest for 2 weeks, during which time the soil will receive all the useful elements. At the end of this period, vegetables can be planted in the beds.

When planting a crop in autumn, it is not mowed, during the winter the plant becomes a valuable fertilizer, spring digging of the soil will provide it with useful substances. The stock of important elements of the site is enough for 2 seasons, after this time you will have to repeat the procedure.

In addition to buckwheat, various types of legumes (peas, lentils, beans), barley, oats, mustard, alfalfa, marigolds are used as green manure.

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