Sideral couples. Green manure treatment technology

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Probably not every person who loves farming and works with pleasure in the country on weekends knows about green manure couples. And absolutely in vain. After all, thanks to them you can get a rich harvest on problem soils. Of course, for this you need to take your work seriously and study the issue in a timely manner, at least in theory. Otherwise, you can get a number of unnecessary problems instead of a rich harvest.

What is this

For starters, it's worth telling what a steam field is. The term has been used in our country for more than a century. Even distant ancestors noticed that if one crop is grown on the same land plot for many years, then the yield gradually decreases. But if you let the field rest for one season, and then re-sow it with the usual crop, then with the same effort, you can get a richer harvest. Therefore, in the presence of free land, the system of three fields was widely used - different crops were grown on two, and the third was resting - it was fallow. The next year, everything shifted - one crop was grown in a place that was previously under fallow. Othermoved into place first. And the third field, respectively, remained under par. This technology made it possible to deplete the soil less. On the one hand, different cultures took different trace elements from the earth. And on the other hand, for a year of rest, microorganisms living in the soil made it possible to restore the fertility of the site.

However, if you use green manure pairs, you can achieve even better results. To do this, the area left fallow is sown with green manure.

However, it would not be superfluous to tell what it is. Siderates are plants that are grown in empty fields to increase their yield. Quite often, these are legumes and other crops that have an extremely important feature - the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil with it.

Their choice is quite large, and the ripening time varies greatly. Some are grown for only one or two months, while others are grown for almost the entire warm season. Therefore, when working with green manure, you need not only to know what it is. Siderates must also be seriously chosen, studying their advantages. Otherwise, the whole complex of works can do much more harm than good.

When used

The use of green manure fallows is most justified on weak soils containing a small amount of nutrients. Because of this, they are depleted rather quickly and do not allow you to get a rich harvest every year.

At the same time, it is desirable that the amount of precipitation inthis area allowed to do without irrigation. Then you do not have to spend resources on growing a low-value crop. However, in Soviet times, this technology was also actively used in the republics of Central Asia, where, due to the low amount of precipitation, only irrigated agriculture is used. Thanks to this, it was possible to harvest rich crops from infertile soil.

Tillage procedure

In itself, the processing of green manure fallows is quite simple. In the spring, immediately after the soil warms up sufficiently, the earth is plowed to a shallow depth. After that, it is sown with the selected green manure - the specific choice depends on how long the owner of the site wants to occupy it with a "healing" crop.

After that, you need to wait a certain time. For example, for phacelia or mustard, this period is 1-2 months. And for alfalfa or sainfoin - a whole year.

After this period, the site is re-plowed. On the one hand, the earth receives nutrients through the activity of plants. On the other hand, during the plowing of the site, the juicy, young green mass is crushed and plowed into the ground, where it quickly turns into high-quality fertilizer. Some experts call very impressive figures. For example, if you grow lupine on a plot, and then grind it, plow it into the ground and let it rot, then the effect will be about the same as adding 30-40 tons of manure to the soil per hectare. Of course, the costs of transporting fertilizer in this case can be excluded,which is a great way to save money.

The main thing is to plow the land in a timely manner - before the green manure ripens and has time to give seeds. Otherwise, next year you will have to additionally deal with plants that crush the main sown crop.

However, in some cases green manure is sown not in the spring after the soil thaws, but in the fall. These include horse beans, meat red clover, white sweet clover, sowing rye and other crops. In this case, by the end of May - mid-June, it is possible to plow the crop rotation field, enriching it with nutrients. And if you re-sow it with early green manure, then the efficiency will increase further.

A few words about sweet clover

Perhaps today not everyone knows what white clover looks like. But this valuable honey plant with small white and fragrant flowers can become an excellent green manure. It grows well on any type of soil, including extremely poor ones. Like many meadow grasses, it is drought tolerant, making it suitable for growing in regions with low rainfall.

True, sweet clover does not enrich the soil with nitrogen, but it grows quickly and can become a good fertilizer for the earth. In addition, it is recommended to grow it near apiaries so that the bees can collect a rich harvest of honey.

It is recommended to sow it before winter, as it does not grow too fast.

A little about lupine

Most types of lupine (yes, there are many varieties of this valuable green manure)grows well in any soil, including acidic, where many other plants die quickly. It has an extremely valuable property for agricultural workers - it is able to bind atmospheric nitrogen, enriching the soil with it. But it is this microelement that is necessary to ensure the rapid growth of stems and leaves. Lack of nitrogen leads to a sharp decrease in the rate of development of any crops.

It is also nice that lupine grows quite quickly. His vegetation cycle is not too long - only 2-4 months (depending on the soil, light and ambient temperature). That is, already one and a half to three months after sowing, the plot can be plowed again. Well, the effectiveness of using lupine as a fertilizer has already been mentioned earlier.

Growing mustard

Mustard is also a good choice to improve poor soils. In addition, her vegetation cycle is surprisingly small - about one to two months. Therefore, this plant will perfectly fulfill the role of green manure in cases where it is necessary to quickly improve the quality of the soil.

Pros of clover

Finally, it's worth mentioning the clover. The growing cycle can vary significantly - depending on the variety. In addition, meat-red is best sown before winter. And the meadow - at the beginning of spring.

The first grows well on light soils, and the second can also take root on loam, significantly improving the quality of the land. It's nice that both varieties effectively enrich the soil with nitrogen. And clover is a beautifulhoney plant valued by many beekeepers.

Conclusion

This concludes our article on green manure pairs. Now you know what it means to leave the ground fallow, and also have an idea about green manure. Surely this will allow you to regularly receive a rich harvest from any site.