What is the best way to use green manure after cabbage in the fall?
To grow cabbage, it is not enough just to sow the seeds. This culture is capricious; it loves light soil and a nutrient medium. Regular fertilizing throughout the ripening of cabbage will ensure a good harvest, and green manure will help improve the quality of the soil. What it is and which ones are best to use after cabbage, we will consider in detail further in the text.
What are green manures?
Green manures are certain plants that saturate the soil with nutrients.. This concept appeared at the end of the 19th century; The first to speak about it was the Frenchman, the botanist J. Ville.
Interesting! The concept itself appeared in the 19th century, but farmers used this property of some plants long before that.
Scientists are sure that using green parts of plants to nourish the soil is in no way inferior to applying fertilizers in the form of manure. Initially, the green part of the plants was torn off and dug up with soil. Now this process has been simplified and plowing is carried out without tearing out the vegetative mass.
What are they needed for
You need to understand what plants do and what benefits they provide:
- maintain normal temperature, humidity and protect the soil from drying out;
- prevent the destruction of the humus layer, the formation of erosion and dry crust;
- make the soil structure loose and breathable, facilitating the passage of water;
- saturate with organic components;
- increase the growth of beneficial bacteria and relieve soil fatigue;
- reduce acidity levels;
- reduce the number of weeds, reduce the likelihood of pests;
- The highly branched root system of plants “pulls up” mineral substances from the deep layers of the soil, raising them to the surface.
Thanks to green manure plants, it is possible to improve the health of the soil, give it looseness and saturate it with microelements from deep layers. The need to apply chemicals is reduced and the quality of the crop is improved.
Advantages and disadvantages of using green manure
In addition to great benefits for the soil, Green manure has other positive qualities:
- they are cheap;
- natural and safe for animals and humans, as well as beneficial microorganisms;
- overdose is impossible.
Despite the abundance of positive qualities, there are, albeit minor, disadvantages. These include high labor intensity. Also, when growing simultaneously with garden plants, green manure will compete for a place in the sun.
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The best green manure for cabbage in the fall
If you plan to sow cabbage in the spring, you should choose green manure that will bring benefit of this particular garden crop.
Interesting! More than 300 plants are considered green manure, but there are the most popular ones. Also, different ones will be useful for different garden crops.
Beans
It is this plant that saturates the soil with nitrogen and retains it in it.. Beans lighten the soil and improve its structure. It is worth noting that the seeds of this plant are expensive, so it is important to evaluate the feasibility of such agricultural technology. It may be worth considering other options.
Clover
A perennial green plant with small tubers containing bacteria on its roots.. Thanks to this property, a special, unique effect on the soil is obtained. The plant increases the organic content in the soil and saturates it with nitrogen. Clover protects the earth from erosion.
Seeds are sown in the ground in late summer or early autumn. The soil is dug up before flowering begins. You can pick off the green mass and mulch the surface of the earth; this application will also give a good result.
Alfalfa
An unpretentious plant that also enriches the soil with substances beneficial to cabbage.. Approximately 2 kg of seeds per hectare of land are sown. Depending on the condition of the soil, the amount may vary at the discretion of the gardener.
Rye
This green manure not only provides the soil with minerals and vitamins for cabbage, but also protects from the growth of various weeds. Growing rye between cabbage rows is the most effective solution. The amount of time for caring for a cabbage bed is reduced to a minimum.
Sochevichnik and others
Another legume crop is sochevichnik. Its seeds are also expensive, but the benefits are obvious. A large amount of greenery brings undoubted benefits to the soil and future cabbage, but it should be taken into account that this plant is whimsical and does not grow in every area.
Lupine is a good green manure for cabbage. The plant itself is very rich in minerals, which is undoubtedly beneficial for the soil. The seeds are cheap, grow quickly and are completely unpretentious. Lupine can change the acidity of the soil and normalize pH levels.
Sweet clover is suitable for highly acidic soil. It reduces the likelihood of pests and reduces the number of weeds.
Phacelia is unpretentious, grows quickly and deoxidizes the soil. There is a high probability that after this green manure the cabbage will not get sick.
Reference. There are a number of other plants that are used much less frequently. Many of them are soil selective or the seeds are not available in our country.
The best green manure after cabbage in the fall
After growing cabbage, the soil needs to recover, which means planting other plants is required.. These green manures cannot be planted before cabbage, but after that is just the right time. They will help the land get back what was depleted during the growth of the main crop.
Mustard
At the beginning of autumn, white mustard is sown. It prevents nitrogen from evaporating and nourishes the earth.. A positive quality of the plant is its rapid growth and resistance to cold. Do not use in acidic soil or wetlands.
Rape
The crop is demanding on soil composition and most of all does not tolerate high humidity.. It is better to sow at the end of summer. Rapeseed takes about 60 days to grow. This crop requires care and does not tolerate frost and sudden changes in temperature.
Winter rye
One of the best green manures after cabbage - winter rye. Sown after harvest, it manages to gain green mass before frost. Having easily endured the winter, it continues to grow in the spring. The plant is not demanding in terms of soil composition or care. The only drawback is that it cannot retain nitrogen in the soil.
Buckwheat
This green manure should not be sown for the winter. – buckwheat needs about three months, before winter it will not have time to build up green mass. The sprouts are buried in the ground when flowering begins. Buckwheat is undemanding to soil composition. Capable of converting phosphorus into an accessible form for other crops. Buckwheat seeds are difficult to obtain.
Oilseed radish and others
Cruciferous plant is sown at the end of August. It helps a lot on heavy soils, making them lighter. You need few seeds, it grows quickly and is not afraid of frost. Plant in the ground before flowering.
Mouse peas saturate the soil with nitrogen and organic matter and prevent weeds from growing. But this type of green manure is capricious, does not like dryness and prefers slightly acidic soils. Helps get rid of snails and slugs.
It can be useful:
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What green manures cannot be sown before and after cabbage
To get a good cabbage harvest, you should remember the rules of crop rotation.. This also applies to green manure. Since cabbage belongs to the cruciferous plant family, you should not use green manure from the same family before planting it.
You should also take into account some plant characteristics. For example, rye dries out the soil, but cabbage does not like this at all. For cabbage, you should choose green manure that will enrich the soil with nitrogen.
Interesting! Gardeners often use mixtures of several green manures. One of the popular compositions is phacelia with sweet clover and bruise. The sweet clover is taken in two parts, and the rest – one at a time.
Cabbage greatly depletes the soil, so after it it is imperative to sow plants that will restore the soil. Split peas in combination with oats will help with this.
When to sow green manure
Sow green manure after harvesting. In most cases, this is done at the end of August - beginning of September. It is necessary to choose plants that will have time to grow green mass before frost, in order to have time to incorporate them into the soil.
When the snow melts, it’s good to plant phacelia, which will develop well before the cabbage is planted in the garden.. It is best if the plants grow at the same time. In mid-May, phacelia is cut and laid along the cabbage beds, creating mulch.
After this, it is useful to plant marigolds between the rows, which will repel pests. Often gardeners use calendula or other plants with a specific aroma.
Reference. If cabbage is planted directly into growing green manure, it will hurt less, form larger leaves and grow faster.
Sowing rules
It is important to know the rules for sowing green manure and vegetable crops. The most important among them:
- plants of the same family have similar diseases, which means they should not be sown one after another;
- It is necessary to embed green manure into the ground before flowering, otherwise they will turn into weeds and cause harm to garden plants;
- You shouldn’t bury green manure very carefully, as this disrupts the porosity of the soil for which they are planted.
Most true cut off the green manure at the root and embed it shallowly or even use it as mulch.
Conclusion
For cabbage, the presence of green manure is required, since this culture is capricious and demanding. It is important to follow the conditions of crop rotation and use only those plants that will bring more benefits, saturate the soil with nitrogen and reduce acidity. With the right approach, the cabbage harvest will please you; it is important not to forget to improve the soil after harvesting.