How to choose green manure for potatoes
You can get high yields of potatoes only on loose and nutrient-rich soil. To obtain this kind of soil, fertilization alone is not enough. The soils are saturated with nutrients for plants, which are called green manure in agricultural technology. They also give the soil looseness. Consider which siderates for potatoes to use, how and when to plant them.
Siderata for potatoes
The benefits of siderates
Siderata for potatoes are fertilizers. In addition to the fact that siderates, or, as they are also called, green fertilizers, saturate the soil with nutrients, they also prevent the appearance of some weeds and pests, and reduce the acidity of the soil.
In terms of micronutrients, potatoes need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, so green fertilizers are worth choosing:
- alfalfa;
- peas;
- rape;
- vetch;
- rape;
- sweet clover;
- lupine.
You can also use mustard, rye, oats, or wheat. The best siderates for potatoes are legumes because, unlike cereals, they release nitrogen during decomposition. On the other hand, white mustard repels wireworms, which can cause significant crop damage.
Since it is not possible to sow the site with all possible crops, green manure for potatoes is chosen based on the characteristics of the land plot. With a good soil composition, the choice is made on crops that repel pests.
We sow green manure correctly
Since every crop depletes the soil, one should not forget to use green manures after potatoes. Seedlings should appear even before the first frost. Accordingly, sowing green manure for potatoes in the fall should be at least 30 days before the thermometer drops below 0 ° C. After sowing and before the first shoots, the soil is systematically watered.
You can sow green manure for potatoes and in the spring. This should be done no later than at the beginning of May. If spring is early, then green fertilizers are sown in the second half of April. Sowing is carried out in warm soil.
You can also sow green manure for potatoes in parallel with the cultivation of the main crop. Most often during this period, plants are used that repel pests (mustard, for example). You can also use plants that improve the structure of the soil, allow you to retain moisture longer, and prevent erosion.
For a plot with an area of 1 hundredth of agricultural machinery, it is recommended to sow from 1 to 2 kg of high-quality seeds. If the seeds are planted in rows, the depth of the furrows should be on average 6 cm. Without waiting for the flowering of crops planted to improve the composition of the soil, the green mass, which should rot in the ground, is cut off. As a rule, mowing of green mass occurs at 6-7 weeks of growing green manure or after the plant reaches a height of 35 cm. After mowing, the green mass is laid out on the site so that all the soil is covered.It takes at least 14 days to decompose the green mass. Some plants are mown during flowering or bud formation.
Before sowing green manure for potatoes, you should properly prepare the site. The desired result is achieved if the plants produce a large amount of green mass. Otherwise, it will not be possible to significantly improve the composition of the soil with the help of ecological fertilizers.
Sowing technology
You can sow plants arbitrarily
There are two ways to sow green manure for potatoes. The first involves the use of wide furrows in which the seeds are laid. It turns out that the planted culture emerges in wide rows. According to the second method, the seeds are randomly scattered over the site, after which they are treated with a rake so that the seeds are not on the surface of the earth.
The first method is used for sowing siderates for potatoes in the spring. The second method is sowing siderates for potatoes in the fall.
An important point
Which green manures are best sown in autumn for potatoes, and which in spring? Cultures require constant rotation. It is impossible to sow only legumes or cereals for 4-5 years. Agricultural technicians recommend alternating types of green fertilizers every year.
All green manure suitable for growing potatoes are legumes, cereals or sacral crops. If sacral mustard is used in one year, sweet clover or wheat should be sown the next year.
Multiple crops can be used at the same time. So, for example, you can combine peas and mustard. The first culture will saturate the soil with useful substances, the second will prevent the appearance of a wireworm.
It is impossible to use flowered crops as green fertilizers, therefore it is important to mow the green mass in a timely manner.
Selection of green manure
The choice of ecological fertilizers depends on several factors. Let's dwell on the main points that should be considered when choosing ecological fertilizers.
Season
Spring is an unpredictable season in terms of weather. The temperature in spring can drop to 0 ° C, so frost-resistant crops are preferred. These include white mustard, oats, phacelia.
In summer, legumes are planted, which fill the soil with nutrients. In the first summer month, you can plant vetch, in July it is advisable to sow radish, and August is the best time to plant mustard. Keeping this sequence, it will turn out to fill the soil with absolutely all the nutrients necessary for potatoes.
Sowing green manures in the fall after potatoes involves the use of crops that enrich the soil with useful substances. Oats or rye work well. Also during this period, green fertilizers are used as mulch.
Soil type
Leguminous crops are planted on clay and swampy soils. For rocky soils, sainfoin is planted as a green fertilizer. Alfalfa, like peas, is not suitable for acidic soil. Melilot is suitable for growing in sandy and loamy soil. Lupine is not only suitable for growing in clay soil. For a wiki, neutral ground is the best option.
The purpose of the plant
Each siderat has its own purpose
Each plant used as a green fertilizer has its own purpose. Let's talk about those that are used most often.
- The most common green fertilizer for potatoes today is lupine. It should be planted before planting potatoes. It makes the soil loose and, when decomposed, saturates it with nitrogen. Despite the fact that lupine penetrates deeply into the ground, it does not deprive the topsoil of nitrogen of nitrogen. Another plant, or rather the alkaloid included in its composition, fights against the wireworm. Its main advantages are ease of care and early maturity. Cut off the green mass until the seeds appear (30-35 days) and add earth to it.
- Rye is an equally common green fertilizer. It makes the soil loose, improving air exchange, and saturates it with potassium. Rye also prevents the appearance of weeds. The advantage of the culture is its frost resistance, therefore agricultural technicians recommend planting it in the fall. Like lupine, rye is easy to care for.
- White mustard is a universal green fertilizer. It can be planted throughout the year. This plant has many benefits. It cleans the soil of many bacteria, scab and phytophthora, helps fight pests, including wireworms. The crop is early ripening, prevents the appearance of weeds, and retains nitrogen in the soil. If you plant mustard for the winter, you will be able to keep the maximum amount of moisture in the soil until spring. Culture also stimulates the growth of the main culture. Since mustard grows quickly, it is important to mow it on time.
- Oats as a green fertilizer saturates the soil with potassium. Young shoots contain much more of this trace element than old ones, so you should not linger with mowing the green mass. Also, oats as a green fertilizer resists root rot, loosens the topsoil well, and inhibits the growth of weed grasses. The disadvantage of oats is that wireworms often grow in its roots, so this crop is planted together with mustard. The culture is not frost-hardy, therefore it is better to plant it in the spring.
- Peas nourish the soil with nitrogen and potassium and improve its structure. The peculiarity of this ecological fertilizer is that it is cut after flowering. Sow it in parallel with the main crop, filling the free space between the rows. Peas are demanding in care. He needs a lot of moisture, especially during the first time after planting.
- Vetch as a green fertilizer prevents weathering of the soil and improves its structure. It saturates the soil with phosphorus and nitrogen, prevents the growth of weeds. This crop is mown during the flowering period. Vetch is not grown with the main crop. The plant is more suitable for spring planting. Vetch forms a lot of green mass, is demanding on the soil.
- Sweet clover is also popular. This plant does not form a large amount of green mass, but its roots are no less valuable than green mass. Melilot is appreciated for its ability to extract nutrients from the lower layers of the soil. It is used to control nematodes and wireworms. Planting due to the frost resistance of the plant is carried out in the fall.
- Clover is a good green fertilizer for many vegetable crops. When decaying, it saturates the soil with nitrogen. Of all green fertilizers, clover breakdown produces the largest amount of this nutrient. The clover root system also prevents soil erosion. The green mass is mowed during the period of bud formation. It is recommended to use the green mass of biennial plants as a green fertilizer. They provide more nitrogen than annual plants. Clover enriches the soil with nitrogen for 2-3 years, but it is picky about the type of soil. It does not grow in an acidic environment.
Some siderates for potatoes, planted in autumn or spring, give a large amount of green mass, for which many summer residents like it.
Using all the green mass as fertilizer is not always the best option. If you dig in a lot of greenery, then it will rot badly. Sometimes the greens, being in the ground, become sour, so it is important to dose the amount of green manures. Excess green mass is added to the compost pit.
We plant potatoes after green manure
After the siderates have rotted in the ground, they begin to plant potatoes. If green fertilizers were planted in rows, then holes for potato tubers are made in areas where siderates grew. The aisles are subsequently planted with white mustard or peas.The depth of the holes is at least 5 cm when growing this crop without green manure, the minimum planting depth is 8 cm.
If mustard was planted in parallel with the main crop, it is cut down in a timely manner. Any auxiliary plantings must not exceed the height of the main crop. Mustard is planted several times during the summer, but replacing some green fertilizers with others is the best option to maximize the yield.
Conclusion
Planting potatoes together with green manure is always justified. The use of green fertilizers helps to increase crop yields. Sowing plants will not take much time and effort. In addition, seeds of oats, mustard, or any other plant used as green fertilizer are much cheaper than fertilizers available in specialty stores. No fertilizer will help to cope with pests or bacteria, weeds. To achieve the desired result, you should draw up a scheme for the use of green fertilizers and strictly follow it.