Sowing green manure in a greenhouse in autumn

Green manure is a type of green plant that has a positive effect on the soil and nourishes it. With proper planting and care, they can nourish the soil better than common organic matter. Moreover, such herbs are safe. This is especially important for a greenhouse, where over time a closed microclimate is created, and without additional fertilizing the soil quickly becomes poor. Green manure in a greenhouse in the fall is an excellent solution for enriching the soil with nutrients.

Is it possible to sow green manure in a greenhouse?

It is simply necessary to sow green manure in a greenhouse. Over time, even with optimal soil care, mineralized soil with its own negative microflora forms in the greenhouse. This significantly reduces yield. Changing the soil in a greenhouse is troublesome and not always advisable. Therefore, experts recommend sowing biological fertilizer in the fall to improve soil health in greenhouse conditions.

Advantages of planting green manure in a greenhouse

There are several main advantages of using greens over organic fertilizers, in particular manure:

1. Economical.To get the same result from organic fertilizers, you will have to spend a lot of money, since you will need a lot of fertilizer.
2. No risk of drifting weeds, as when using manure or humus.
3. Such plants successfully fight many pests.
4. Green fertilizers successfully resist most diseases.
5. Plants loosen the soil with their root system, which has a positive effect on its oxygen supply.

This is a much cheaper and safer way to renew the soil in a greenhouse and increase productivity. Sowing green manure in a greenhouse before winter will help protect seedlings in early spring from the negative effects of the first spring rays of the sun.

When to sow green manure in the fall in a greenhouse

For sowing biological fertilizer in the fall, choose a period that is not too cold. It is advisable to do this in September, after harvesting the main harvest. The second stage of sowing is just before winter, in November.

Green fertilizers that are sown in September will have time to rise before frost, and then they can be left until spring and not mowed. And plantings that are sown in November will sprout in the spring. In this case, they must be mowed before flowering and thus preserved in the soil. This is an excellent method for those who grow early varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers in the country. It is useful to sow green manure in a greenhouse twice in the fall: in September and in November. This will preserve productivity and disinfect the soil. But these must be different plants.

Which green manure to plant in a greenhouse in the fall

More than 400 species of plants can act as green manures. What specific fertilizer to plant in a greenhouse in the fall depends on the timing of planting and the crop that will then be grown in the greenhouse, as well as the desired effect.To enrich the soil with nitrogen, it is necessary to plant legumes:

• vetch;
• peas;
• clover;
• beans;
• beans;
• lentils;
• sweet clover

If you decide to plant before winter, then it is advisable to take cold-resistant crops, for example, vetch, rye, oats or rapeseed.

Mustard will perfectly protect the soil in a greenhouse from pests and weeds. Oats will enrich the soil with potassium and phosphorus. Planting green manure in a greenhouse in the fall is an inexpensive and safe way to protect cultivated plants from pests and diseases, as well as nourish the soil.

Phacelia is considered a universal green manure for all occasions. This version of green fertilizer is not afraid of either cold or drought. At the same time, the plant has a decorative appearance, repels fungus, and fights nematodes and aphids.

For tomatoes, peppers and eggplants

Each crop requires a certain nutritional value of the soil, and is also susceptible to various diseases and pests. Therefore, when choosing green fertilizer, it is recommended to focus on the crop that will then be grown in a given greenhouse. This way you can choose the best option. Crops such as peppers, eggplants and tomatoes do not leave anything useful in the soil after a bountiful harvest. The soil becomes literally empty, and therefore planting green fertilizer will be as justified as possible if these crops are planted in the greenhouse again next year.

The best option for planting in the fall would be cereal green manure: oats, rye, barley. They will give the soil potassium. A lack of potassium will cause the tomatoes to be small, flowering will begin late, and the yield will be significantly reduced.

It is also good to plant phacelia before winter for tomatoes and peppers. It will bring the acidity of the soil back to normal.You can also use a mixture, alternating oats with vetch and rapeseed.

For cucumbers

Oats as green manure are good to plant in a greenhouse in the fall and for cucumbers. This will help enrich the soil with nitrogen, as well as completely improve the soil. Since cucumbers strongly “suck” useful elements from the soil, it is useful to plant legumes in the fall: lupine, beans, as well as clover and vetch. After these crops, the yield of cucumber will increase significantly.

It doesn’t hurt to sow mustard to control pests and disinfect the soil. Among green manures sown in autumn, mustard in the greenhouse is of particular importance due to the sulfur that is in its root system. This will help avoid wireworm infestation.

For other crops

If you plan to plant garlic in a greenhouse, then it is not recommended to use legumes as green manure. The best option for fertilizer is phacelia and mustard.

For carrots, radish, mustard and rapeseed are suitable fertilizers. In principle, this culture is not so capricious and will grow well after any green manure.

Cabbage and radishes will produce an excellent harvest after cereals and most legumes.

How to sow green manure correctly

To obtain optimal results, it is important to follow the rules of agricultural technology that are provided for green manure. For landing, the following algorithm of actions is used:

1. If possible, remove weeds and dig up the soil in the greenhouse.
2. The sowing site must be thoroughly watered so that the soil is sufficiently moist.
3. Each green manure has its own sowing instructions, which are described in detail on the packaging. Most often, the seeds just need to be scattered in the right amount onto the surface of the soil.It is important that for plants planted before winter, the number of seeds sown increases, since some of them may not sprout in the spring.
4. Level the soil surface with a rake or beat down with a flat shovel. It is not necessary to bury green manure in the ground, but you can sprinkle a small amount of humus if you wish.
5. To prevent beneficial green manure from turning into harmful weeds, during flowering it is necessary to cut off the flower stalks to prevent seeds from appearing and scattering.

These are the basic rules for sowing green manure. Typically, these plants are not capricious in their care and easily adapt to a wide variety of agricultural conditions.

Green fertilizers can be planted three times a year: spring, autumn, summer. Each of these plantings has its own benefits. Various types of green fertilizers are also most often used. In the fall, they plant mainly rapeseed, rye, vetch, white mustard and oats.

For spring, the most suitable are cold-resistant plants that can easily survive the first spring frosts and have time to sprout before sowing the seedlings in the greenhouse. Before this moment, you need to have time to mow the green fertilizer at least once. These are rye, oats, mustard and phacelia.

Some tips for beginning gardeners

The most important thing that a gardener should take into account when sowing biological fertilizer: these plants should not produce seeds and be sown in the garden bed. Otherwise, a banal weed will form in the greenhouse, which will do its best to interfere with the growth of cultivated plants and, instead of benefit, there will be a huge amount of hassle in the subsequent removal of the useful plant from the greenhouse. Therefore, it is important to mow the green manure on time. This is usually done when the grass reaches 30–40 cm and does not begin to bloom.This is the best option, since green plants will rot and saturate the soil with additional nutrients.

You cannot use the same green manure throughout the entire season and for any plant. What is a good precursor for tomatoes is not suitable for a greenhouse where cabbage or peas are grown.

With timely planting in spring, green manure will be able to protect fragile seedlings from the first bright rays of the sun.

Each type of green manure has its own planting characteristics that should be taken into account:

• legumes do not like acidic soil;
• dyeing woad perfectly tolerates any temperature changes and perfectly tolerates lack of moisture;
• vetch is a demanding fertilizer, which is best planted interspersed with cereals, since vetch needs support for its climbing stem;
• white mustard will repel mole crickets and fights well against late blight, which is so dangerous for most cultivated plants.

If all these nuances are taken into account and biological assistants are not allowed to multiply, then the soil in the greenhouse will not be able to turn into mineralized soil and the yield of cultivated plants will always be at a high level.

Conclusion

Green manure in a greenhouse can be planted twice in the fall, but even one full-fledged planting with the correct agricultural technology will allow the gardener to get an unprecedented harvest of cultivated plants the next year. It is important to choose the right specific green fertilizer, as well as mow it in time so that the useful product does not turn into a weed. Recently, this method of soil fertilization has become increasingly popular, especially since it does not require significant economic costs.