What Determines The Effectiveness Of Green Manure

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part of the article: Types of green manure

The effectiveness of green fertilizer depends, first, on the yield of green manure. The higher it is and the larger the mass is plowed into the soil, the stronger the effect and aftereffect of green fertilizer. Therefore, it is important to choose a green manure that, in the allotted period of time, accumulates a sufficient amount of nitrogen and organic matter, does not dry out the soil and does not deplete it in nutrients.

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The plowing period of green manure is essential. The green legume fertilizer is ready in the green bob phase, the cereal fertilizer in the tubing phase. If there is little mobile nitrogen in the soil, then the green fertilizer is plowed earlier (enough time is needed for its decomposition). If there is a danger of drying out the soil, it is also impossible to lag behind the plowing of green fertilizer.

The rate of decomposition of plowed green manure depends on the depth of planting, age of green manure, mechanical composition and soil moisture. The greater the planting depth and the older the plant (coarser stems), the heavier the mechanical composition of the soil, the slower the green manure decomposes in it, and vice versa. To slow down the decomposition of green fertilizer in the soil, a later (closer to the sowing of the fertilized crop) and deeper plowing of green manure is used, to accelerate the decomposition - a shallower incorporation and early terms of plowing of green mass. The use of mixtures of legumes and cereals as green manure or plowing together with leguminous green manure of more inert, slowly decomposing materials (peat, straw, reeds, etc.) slows down the decomposition of green fertilizer in the soil;the addition of small doses of horse manure or feces (for enrichment with microorganisms) to green fertilizer accelerates decomposition.

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When cultivating legumes, in order to increase their efficiency, they are usually limited to the introduction of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, bacterial preparations and lime into the soil. The need for nitrogen nutrition in legumes must be satisfied mainly by the activity of nodule bacteria. The more atmospheric nitrogen is bound by legumes, the higher their agrotechnical value.

To increase the efficiency of green manure, factory-made nitragin must be used for them. But you can cook it yourself. Local nitragin, made by a gardener, is a finely ground mass of roots with nodules (or some nodules) of those legumes for which it will be applied. The roots are harvested in autumn in areas where a good crop of legumes has been removed without any signs of disease. It is important to choose roots that have many large nodules. The roots of perennial legumes are harvested in the second or third year of life, and annuals - after cutting. The collected roots are thoroughly cleaned of soil, washed with water, laid out in a thin layer in a closed warm room and dried at a temperature of 20-25 ° C (not higher than 30 °). The dried roots are crushed and sieved through a 1 mm sieve. This powder can already be used as nitragin.

For the production of local nitragin for 1 m² of legume sowing, you need: 1-2 g of dry roots of annuals (peas, vetch, broad beans, etc.) and 2-3 g of roots of perennial (clover, alfalfa) plants.

Green manure crops have a positive effect on the physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil fertility, and are also of great agrotechnical importance - they fight against weeds, pests and plant diseases. The root systems of green manure suppress weeds, and the abundant green mass deprives them of food and light. They disrupt the historically established relationship between plant development and the reproduction of the corresponding pests and diseases. During summer sowing of green manure, lesions by root weevils are almost not observed, a number of plants are not affected by common diseases at all: forage beans - chocolate spot; vetch, peas, broad beans - powdery mildew and fusarium root rot, etc.

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Consequently, green fertilizers at the summer cottage are an additional source of organic fertilizers. They can be used in cases where it is not possible to buy the necessary 4-5 tons of manure every 3-4 years at the rate of 4-5 acres of crops, if we want to reduce the loss of nutrients by washing them out of the soil in the autumn and spring periods, and as an additional means of combating weeds, diseases and plant pests, as a component for composting, as an element for creating a country house design, as a new option for improving fertility, structure and creating loose soil in order to facilitate the process of its processing.

These fertilizers cannot be perceived as a substitute for all others. They cannot completely replace either manure, which, unlike them, is richer in microorganisms, growth stimulants, or mineral fertilizers, especially for pre-sowing and top dressing. On the contrary, green fertilizers require the use of high doses of both organic and mineral fertilizers, only in this case it is possible to grow a large green mass and significantly increase soil fertility, i.e. complete the assigned tasks.

Thus, they do not require large expenditures of labor, and by selecting the appropriate types of green manure, the timing of sowing, harvesting and mineral fertilizers, it is possible to significantly increase the fertility of the soil, the culture of agriculture and the yields of the main crops.