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Every avid gardener wants to achieve a gorgeous and tasty harvest. Today, there are thousands of ways to improve crop performance with a variety of chemical fertilizers and additives. But what if you do not want to resort to chemistry? In this case, natural fertilizers come to the rescue, and green manure is among them. These natural helpers include different types of crops: legumes, rapeseed, lupins, rye, mustard. Mustard as green manure has proven itself in the long-term practice of professional gardeners. It will be discussed below.
The concept of green manure
Green manures are real green manures. They can enrich the soil on their own. The concept of “siderat” means “high effect”. For the cultivation of such fertilizers, annual plants are used, which are able to quickly increase their mass (up to 700 kg per hundred square meters).
Siderate is introduced into the soil in two ways:
- They mow the green mass before it blooms, make compost, bring it into the ground where necessary.
- After mowing, the green mass is trampled into the ground in the same area of the garden.
Sowing of green mass is carried out in the fall, when winter plants are planted, or in the spring. Siderat should be mowed 2 weeks before planting the main crops. Such fertilizers prevent the development of weeds, protect the soil from wear by sunlight, loosen it, enrich it with minerals, especially nitrogen and phosphorus.
The roots of green helpers can deliver nutrients to other plants, because they penetrate deep into 3 m. And when the green manure roots die off, the earth acquires good water permeability and improved air permeability. Among other things, green manure can repel harmful insects, attract bees for pollination, and prevent plant diseases. Mustard is a representative of green manure of the cabbage family, and its relative, winter rapeseed, which has similar characteristics, is also included here.
Types of mustard
Nature has rewarded the world with several types of mustard. Of these, only the White and Sarepta are considered cultural. The second is grown as a spice, and the first is fully used as a green manure. This green manure has been known for a long time, and began its journey in the Balkan regions. The climate of our country is quite suitable for sowing crops in order to improve the soil.
Mustard white
White mustard can grow up to a meter high, this plant has yellowish seeds, which in the amount of 1000 pieces weigh 6 grams. The shape of the grains resemble small balls. Swampy, acidic lands are not suitable for this crop, and the seeds ripen at 2 degrees. With a growing season of about 2 months, white mustard tolerates frost well and is a winter crop.
Sarepta mustard
This species is also known as mustard. Normally, she grows taller than her relative. Its seeds have an oblong oval yellow color with a weight of about 4 grams in the amount of 1000 pieces. This species will grow well in dry conditions, but at higher temperatures, the cold is detrimental to it. The growing season reaches 3,5 months.
Video “How to sow green manure and why it is necessary”
An informative video on how to sow green manure and why it is necessary.
Features and Benefits
Mustard is an excellent green manure. The root system can deepen up to 3 m. In autumn and spring, it is indispensable as a buffer against erosion, but if the culture is not mowed, it will protect the garden even in winter. Rapeseed has similar properties, but it is more expensive in terms of cost. Mustard can also hold back snow, so it’s a good idea to plant it among winter crops. Mustard and rapeseed love moisture very much – the more moistened the soil, the more beneficial properties the green manure will give it.
The main benefits of mustard as a green manure are:
- seeds germinate quickly, and the culture builds up a large biomass;
- contains a huge percentage of nutrients;
- absorbs micronutrients that are difficult to access for other crops and converts them into a digestible form;
- sowing green manure clears the area of weeds;
- protects against insect pests;
- protects against freezing and improves soil quality;
- sowing can be carried out at different times of the year: autumn, spring, summer.
Nevertheless, before sowing mustard, you need to take into account the rules of crop rotation.
Growing green manure in the garden
When and how to sow green manure? The sowing of this crop is quite easy – it is not whimsical to external conditions, therefore, by laying the seeds in the ground, you can be sure that they will sprout in 5 days, and in 3 weeks after sowing they will be full-fledged crops. White mustard has fairly large grains, they can be planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
The accelerated sowing method occurs by the usual scattering of grains over the site (5 g is enough for 1 square meter of land). After that, the seeds are leveled, deepened with a rake by 1-1,5 cm – this is enough for the full growth of green manure. Mustard is suitable for sod-podzolic soil, soil with peat, well-moistened terrain. With cabbage, radish, radish, lettuce, rapeseed and mustard have the same diseases, so this green manure should not be used before planting these crops.
First half of the year: the plant is grown in spring. It is important that night frosts end, usually in April. It will take up to 7 weeks to develop a culture as a green manure. In the fall, when the harvest is already harvested, you should prepare for the winter – fertilize the soil. Seeding mustard or rapeseed will also help here. They are grown after potatoes, cereals. If you sow fertilizers closer to the winter period, then in the spring they will sprout, and until that moment the seedlings should be at rest. Here it is important to take into account the temperature of the earth, as seeding is done in loose cold soil.
As a green manure, mustard can be sown even in summer. Then it is planted between the main rows of crops, while you need to make sure that the fast-growing phytomass does not interfere with the main seedlings. The ideal period is the laying of seeds before August 10. If there are free beds in the garden, then 2 times a season you can sow green fertilizer on them. It must be cut before the flowering period, otherwise the strengthened stems will cause inconvenience.
The norm of mustard seeds as a fertilizer will be: 200-300 g per one hundred square meters in the period spring-mid-August, and 300-400 g in the period autumn-spring. Mustard seeds can be purchased at the market or in a specialized store. You can also collect your own supplies. To do this, the culture is planted in the spring, but not too densely. Collect seeds of white mustard in the afternoon, in the evening, in the morning.
Mustard is a wonderful green helper for all types of plants. It is undemanding, easy to handle. Due to the wide sowing period, both in April-May and late autumn, it is always available in stores. As a fertilizer, the culture has established itself as an excellent natural supplement for any garden and vegetable garden.
Video “How to sow mustard”
Video instruction on how to sow mustard, useful tips.
