SOWING SIDERATS AT THE END OF SUMMER

Now is the time to think about preparing the land for the next season. One of the best options to restore soil fertility is to sow green manure, followed by embedding the green mass in the ground.

ADVANTAGES OF SIDERATS

They grow quickly, and their roots effectively structure the soil, improving its breathability.

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Bean green manures accumulate nitrogen available to plants and even kill pathogens that are in the soil, and at the same time repel pests.

They inhibit growth and drown out weeds, but they should be mowed in a timely manner (before flowering) so that they themselves do not turn into weeds.

WHAT SIDERATS CAN BE SOWED AT THE END OF AUGUST

Donnik accumulates available nitrogen in the soil and loosens the soil well. Grows even in strongly alkaline soil.

alfalfa (Medicago sativa) also accumulates nitrogen and loosens the earth well, but more importantly, it structures it, makes it more breathable and moisture-intensive. Forms an abundant green mass, so alfalfa is good for embedding before winter.

Aft peas has all the same positive properties as alfalfa, but grows faster and copes with weeds better.

MUSTARD, CLOVER, RAPSE AND RADISH WILL WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER

Mustard many gardeners consider the best green manure. All thanks to the root system, which can convert phosphorus and sulfur from compounds inaccessible to plants into available ones. In addition, mustard is a source of nitrogen. Mowed, it actively overheats and turns into food for cultivated plants.

Pink clover also well accumulates nitrogen. Among other things, green manure effectively inhibits the growth of weeds, suppresses pathogenic microflora contained in the soil. Pink clover is good as a precursor for potatoes as it helps protect them from scab and late blight.

Rape has a developed root system that can reach deep into the soil. Thanks to this, green manure can extract nutrients from the deep layers of the soil, enriching it with oxygen. Rapeseed is a good precursor for cucumbers, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkins.

Oil radish - early maturing and cold-resistant culture. Its roots also penetrate deep into the soil, extracting nutrients from its lowest horizons.

Reference by topic: 5 best green manures for spring

HOW TO REMOVE SIDERATS?

The green mass of any green manure must be mowed (while leaving the roots in the soil) and embedded in the ground by digging. A flat cutter works well for this. If you use a cultivator, then do not deepen the knives by more than 2 cm. You should mow before flowering, avoiding coarsening of the stems, otherwise the green mass will rot in the soil for a long time. Another option is to lay green manure in the compost.

The name of the green manure	The rate of sowing seeds per hundred square meters of land (g)	After how many months to mow
White clover	200	2-2,5
alfalfa (Medicago sativa)	170	1.5
Aft peas	1600	1.5
Mustard	350	1
Pink clover	170	0,5
Rape	200	1
Oil radish	200	1,5

SAVE THE MEMORIAL PICTURE

DO NOT FORGET ABOUT CROPPED TURNOVER

Don't forget about crop rotation! For example, cruciferous green manures (mustard, radish, colza, rapeseed) cannot be sown as a precursor for cruciferous crops (for example, before cabbage). And legume green manure (vetch, lupine, clover, alfalfa) cannot be used as a precursor for legumes - peas, beans, beans.

POTATOES GROW PERFECTLY AFTER SIDERATS!

I decide in advance where I will grow potatoes next year. In early September, I sow oats, peas and white mustard mixed in equal parts in this area. When green manure grow up, I mow and leave them on the surface of the soil. I use part of the greenery for mulching winter crops. Until spring, I do nothing more with the earth.

When the snow melts, I process the area with a flat cutter to a depth of 10 cm and sow mustard. I mow and plow it into the soil just before planting potatoes. I noticed that after these green manure there is no wireworm, and the potatoes grow perfectly and do not require additional feeding.

NOTE: I HAPPEN THE HARVEST, I LEAVE THE ROOTS

Soon it will be time to harvest cabbage. After which I do not plan to use these beds for planting other crops, so I do not pull the heads of cabbage out of the ground, but cut them off, leaving the roots with part of the stalks in the ground. I do this every season.

The effect of this technique is similar to the special cultivation of green manure, which then, being buried in the soil, contributes to the formation of a fertile layer. And in the case of cabbage, there is no need to plant anything: the underground part of the plants left in the soil will rot before the beginning of the next season, restoring the humus content. At the same time, the roots will help loosen the soil, firstly, by creating channels, and secondly, by attracting earthworms, known for their ability to make the soil permeable to water and air.

Along with the roots, I leave the lower leaves of the cabbage in the garden bed for the winter. By spring they will rot, and I scatter their remains around the garden and add them to the soil along with organic fertilizers.

Only I leave absolutely healthy cabbage leftovers. If even minimal signs of disease are present, then I remove the roots and leaves outside the site and burn them.

I do the same with other vegetable plants whose tops are eaten. So, for example, I can leave the roots of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers for the winter, of course, provided there are no signs of disease on them. The roots will be in the ground, and I cut off the above-ground parts with pruning shears, chop them and place them on the beds. I sprinkle the remaining ash on top, pour out the remaining “green fertilizer,” which helps speed up the process of decomposition of plant residues, and in the spring all I have to do is dig up the soil. I advise everyone to try this.

We also recommend reading: What green manure is suitable for your site - their effect on the soil