Content
Green manure is an effective environmentally friendly fertilizer. Since the advent of the first agriculture, natural fertilizers have been used in gardening. To enrich the soil, special plants are sown on the site, the resulting green mass is cut off and embedded in the ground. For beginning gardeners, the important question is which plant, phacelia or mustard as green manure, best changes the structure of the soil.
Agrotechnicians classify more than 300 plant species as green manure helpers.
What is better to plant: mustard or phacelia
Owners of farms and household plots strive to obtain a rich harvest of environmentally friendly products. Green manure becomes a substrate that enriches the soil with bacteria, fungi, and worms useful for vegetable and fruit crops. Each of these crops has a unique effect.
The most popular green manures among gardeners are mustard and phacelia.
Advantages
If you ask gardeners what green manure they know, most will name mustard or phacelia. Both plants have valuable agrotechnical properties.
The Cruciferous family, to which mustard belongs, improves the quality characteristics of the soil. In addition, the famous green manure:
- makes the ground loose;
- promotes the growth of green mass;
- saturates neighboring plants with phosphorus;
- prevents the leaching of minerals from the soil;
- prevents the incidence of late blight, scab, rot;
- reduces the number of wireworms.
Phacelia is grown as a fodder and ornamental crop. The biological and vegetative characteristics of a plant determine its value in horticulture.
Benefits of green manure:
- loosens and fills the soil with organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus;
- reduces soil acidity;
- can withstand frost, so it can be sown early;
- quickly gains green mass;
- fights weeds;
- repels pests (codling moths, leaf rollers);
- prevents the spread of fungal and viral infections.
Excellent decorative qualities make phacelia a sought-after landscape element. Plantings of herbaceous crops decorate the garden plot and fill the surrounding area with fragrance.
Phacelia belongs to the category of honey plants, so it is often sown near the apiary
Flaws
Phacelia and mustard are considered unpretentious plants that develop equally quickly. Both crops are good honey plants. But sowing mustard requires sunny areas, while phacelia feels great both in the sun and in the shade.Mustard can grow a good amount of green mass only with high humidity or regular watering. Phacelia tolerates drought well, but reacts negatively to excessive soil moisture.
What plants is it suitable for?
In the spring, mustard is sown so that after planting, vegetable seedlings can be placed on the site. In summer, it is advisable to plant green manure next to vegetable crops. The best location is adjacent to the beds where the following grow:
- tomatoes;
- eggplant;
- pepper;
- potato.
In the fall, after harvesting, mustard seeds are sown in empty beds. In this case, cutting the greenery is done in the spring. The herbaceous mass is placed in the ground so that the beneficial elements are quickly absorbed by the soil.
Phacelia is considered a universal green manure. The plant serves to enrich the soil before planting:
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- cabbage;
- potatoes;
- root vegetables;
- melons;
- strawberries
Due to the fact that the birthplace of phacelia is America, and it was brought to Eurasia not so long ago, the plant has no close relatives among vegetable and horticultural crops. Due to this, there is no danger of cross-pollination, which negatively affects the formation of fruits and future seed.
Sowing and care
Mustard can be planted throughout the warm season: from spring to autumn.Green manure does not tolerate cold well, so sowing is carried out after the snow has completely melted. The time from planting to flowering of mustard does not exceed 45 days. On one hundred square meters, up to 400 kg of biological fertilizer grows. 2-3 weeks after mowing and plowing have been carried out, the main crops can be planted.
After green manure, fruit plants develop faster and there are no weeds
Phacelia is sown early, as the crop tolerates temperatures of 0 0C and a little lower. By the 40th day, a significant volume of leaf mass has increased (up to 350 kg per hundred square meters). The tops embedded in the soil quickly decompose after mowing, having a positive effect on the condition of the soil. With good care and favorable weather conditions, up to three sowings can be carried out per season.
Features of growing phacelia and using it as green manure are presented in the video:
Embedding in the ground
In summer, mustard greens are planted to a depth of 7-10 cm. In autumn, the stems should not be mowed. With the onset of frost, they themselves will lie down on the ground, forming a layer of mulch that conserves moisture and protects from the cold. In the spring, the area is dug up and deep sealing is carried out (up to 15 cm) so that during a flood, valuable elements are not washed out.
It is recommended to organize work on deepening the phacelia into the soil as soon as the buds begin to form. At this time, the biomass is richest in protein and microelements. The greens are planted 10 cm deep into the ground.
Plowing the leaf mass of phacelia and mustard is equivalent in terms of benefits to applying manure
Is it possible to plant phacelia together with mustard?
Many amateur gardeners are interested in the question of whether it is possible to plant phacelia with mustard. Farmers know that it is undesirable to use the same green manure several times in the same area; they must be alternated. To completely restore the soil, various green manure plants can be planted alternately. For example, plant phacelia in April, and mustard in July.
Gardening experience shows that sowing phacelia together with mustard is good for the soil. In areas where a combination of green manure grew, the number of insect pests is minimal, and fruit crops are not susceptible to infection.
Conclusion
When deciding which plant, phacelia or mustard as green manure, will grow better on the site, it is necessary to evaluate its location and climatic conditions. For cultivation in shaded areas and in dry areas, phacelia is preferable. If the garden is located in a well-lit place by the sun, and there is sufficient rainfall in the summer, then you can sow any of the plants in question.
