Preparing green manures for winter

Siderata are crops that saturate the soil with trace elements necessary for the growth and development of other cultivated plants. It is a natural green fertilizer. They perform the function of mulching, loosening and structuring the soil in natural farming. Proponents of this technology for growing cultivated plants use green manure as one of the methods of weed control. The root system of green manure crops oppresses weedssuch as wheatgrass and dandelions, so green manures are planted in the fall to protect the soil from weeds while the beds are empty.

Planting green manures in the winter also enriches the soil with organic matter, since, by rotting, their green mass saturates the soil with nitrogen and other microelements. Siderata must be properly prepared for winter. The future harvest of cultivated plants, which are planted in the garden in spring, depends on the preparation method.

Green carpet preparation method

For vegetable crops and bulbous plants, the "green carpet" preparation method is suitable. With this preparation, during the flowering of siderates, when their tissues begin to coarse, the green mass of plants is bent down and laid on the garden bed. After the snow falls, the siderat stalks will begin to rot, but due to the fact that the plant tissues have become coarse, in the spring a mulching layer will remain in the garden bed, consisting of individual plant fibers. This mulch will continue to rot in the spring, gradually enriching the soil with nitrogen and providing the so-called “long-term feeding” of cultivated plants.

The green carpet preparation method is not suitable for root crops as the initial vigor of these crops will not allow them to break through the thick mulch.

For nightshade crops and root crops, another way of preparing green manure for winter is suitable.

Embedding green manure in the soil

To prepare green manure for root crops, you must:

• cut green manure at the root even before flowering;
• chop the green mass of green manures into small fragments with a shovel or flat cutter;
• dig up the soil to the floor of the shovel bayonet, mixing the green manure with the ground.

With this method of preparation, all the green mass and the root system of green manure will rot over the winter and structure and enrich the soil well. From the root of the green manure, channels will remain in the soil through which water will flow to the root crops. These channels will also allow a large amount of air to enter the soil, which will make the soil looser. In such soil, roots will develop faster.