Siderata for potatoes

Potato green manure plays an important role in the successful cultivation of this crop. The debate about which type of plants is better to sow in autumn or winter has been going on for a long time, but there are really working schemes for the natural improvement of soil fertility. It is worth talking in more detail about how to plant rye and oats, other crops after potatoes, what should be taken into account when choosing them.

Potato green manure is a natural fertilizer capable of saturating the soil with essential nutrients. Future ridges are sown with these plants, so that they can be plowed later during soil cultivation. This allows the land to "rest" and gather the necessary resources for the new planting season. Traditionally, green manures are sown after harvesting the main crop., at the end of summer, in order to bury the resulting natural fertilizer in the ground in late autumn.

When with the preparation of ridges for potatoes, it is necessary to take into account the need of this plant in a nutrient medium rich in substances of the nitrogen-phosphorus group.

In terms of their effectiveness, these green "fertilizers" are no less useful than peat, manure or compost. They do not contain dangerous chemical compounds, are easily absorbed by the soil, forming a fertile layer.

Siderates plowed into the ground, in the course of their decomposition, they release the accumulated substances. Thanks to them, it is possible to ensure the formation of a fertile substrate rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.

The basic rules for adding green manure are simple.

1. Sowing is done before planting potatoes, in the winter or spring way.
2. The mowing of the green mass is carried out no later than 2 weeks before the main crop is introduced into the soil.
3. The resulting stems and root part are dug up together with the soil.
4. After 2 weeks, you can proceed to planting potatoes. During this period, green manure will give up the entire accumulated supply of nutrients, create an optimal environment for growing this crop.

There are quite clear requirements for potato green manure: tubers should receive phosphorus and nitrogen, respectively, crops rich in them are used. The methods of using companion plants are divided into:

• aftermath - keeping only the root part;
• mowing - based on green mass;
• full - with the transformation into fertilizer of all parts at once.

The choice of green manure largely depends on the period of the year when the plant is planted. The following crops are best suited for sowing in the fall.

• Cereals... This includes rye, oats, wheat, corn, which allow to loosen the soil and improve its fertility. They are not too sensitive to the quality and acidity of the soil, they have excellent germination. The most favorable option is rye, which is resistant to pathogenic microorganisms, excluding the appearance of weeds on the site.

• Legumes. This category includes sweet clover, chickpeas, peas, phacelia and beans.Such crops help to reduce the acidity of the soil, help to reduce the number of weeds, and enrich the soil with nitrogen. Phacelia can replace manure, provides disposal of wireworms, which is important when growing potatoes. Legumes are good because they demonstrate excellent germination even at low temperatures, but nevertheless, they should not be significantly postponed.

• Cruciferous. One of the main representatives of this family among the siderates can be called mustard, which, when planted in front of potatoes, helps to cope with weeds, remove pests, and normalize the bacterial microflora. In addition, you can sow turnips, rape, rapeseed, supplementing their planting with legumes, since cruciferous plants contain too little nitrogen.

It is great if the siderates alternate with each other. These plants form a rich nutrient medium for potatoes. Planting them does not create any particular complications, cultivation takes a minimum of time. At the same time, the beneficial effect even on the poorest soil is evident.

Choosing which green manure is better to plant in spring, it is worth paying attention to legumes - from beans to beans. Also, here can come in handy rape, turnip, mustard.

Among the crops that do not give a special effect when planted in front of potatoes, oats and wheat can be distinguished. Their influence is rather indirect, due to soil loosening. Phacelia will not be very effective due to the low nitrogen content. Rapeseed and white mustard will also not harm, but their benefit will be minimal.

When choosing a green manure, very it is important to consider the type of soil. On clay areas, beans show themselves well, but it is pointless to sow lupine here, it will not grow. Peas need neutral soil with a balanced amount of acids and alkalis. Sunflower is categorically not suitable as a green manure for potatoes. Its decomposition processes are too slow; during its growth, this member of the Aster family takes up a lot of nutrients.

It is not customary to plant only one green manure under potatoes. Here a combination of 2-3 plant species works much betterthat will provide reliable protection against pests and other factors that can slow down the growth of potatoes. For example, phacelia and clover are considered universal green manure.

Targeted plantings are also in demand. Plant against abundant growth of weeds radish... To get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, you can sow flax seeds... If there is a wireworm on the site, crucifers help to cope with it - rape or mustard.

Among the best spring siderates for potatoes are peas., from which only the green mass is removed. It is sown together with potatoes. Due to the faster germination, the legume crop will be an excellent source of nitrogen for the roots of the main plant.

Wanting to choose the best green manure plants for planting before winter, you should focus on the following list of crops.

• Lupine. Its beans can replace soybeans, and the green parts of the plant are edible. Lupine is used to produce an oil similar in properties to olive oil. The percentage of fats and proteins in the plant is 5: 2. This green manure is well suited for increasing the nitrogen level in the soil.

• Vika. This green manure culture is distinguished by its early maturity, rapid growth of green mass. It can be sown in spring and summer; when planted before winter, the results will also be good. Since the root part acts as a fertilizer, vetch can be considered as an additional forage crop for livestock.

• Alfalfa. It is planted in August-September, after harvesting the potatoes.It is good to use the green mass of plants as a feed additive for animals, including pets, add to fresh salads as a spicy vitamin ingredient. Alfalfa is a member of the cruciferous family and is best planted in combination with legumes for best results.

• Donnik. Valuable green manure for sowing before winter, honey plant, rich in biologically active substances. If not mown in time, it can grow up to 2 m in height.

• All legumes - fast-growing, suitable for spring and autumn planting, so they are sown twice a year. But you just need to pay attention to the selection of different types.

The best time to sow green manure is autumn... Seeds placed in the soil correctly and in a timely manner will allow already in the next season to significantly increase the fertility of the area allocated for potatoes. In autumn, for sowing, it is worth choosing the beginning of September, no later than 1.5 months before the expected onset of cold weather. The planting process looks like this:

• in the dug up and well-loosened soil, grooves of 4-5 cm need to be made;
• seeds are sown in recesses, the density can be adjusted;
• the planting surface is laid with a thick, 5-10 cm layer of well-rotted compost;
• in May, the grown green manure is harvested, potato tubers are introduced into the soil.

The meaning of planting green manure before winter is quite obvious. Before frost seedlings have time to gain sufficient growth in order to endure frosts without much loss. In the spring, with the melting of snows, they grow. The resulting greens are cut and distributed on the soil surface - in this case, the roots begin to accumulate nutrients, and do not spend them on lengthening the shoots.

When sowing in spring green manures are recommended to be laid in the ground no later than mid-spring, and better - at the beginning of April, in its first decade. This will allow the sprouts to ascend unhindered, preserve the maximum of valuable biologically active substances in the soil. Sowing begins after warming up the soil, deepening the seeds by 3-5 cm. 2 weeks before planting the potatoes, all shoots are cut off, the site is dug up and left to rot the green mass.

During the spring sowing period, the green manure does not have much time to gain growth. Here most often cruciferous or legumes are used, only oats are suitable for cereals... In very poor soil, green manure can be applied under potatoes in summer. In this case, in the aisle, you can place vetch in June, radish in mid-summer, and sow mustard in August.

With an abundance of green mass, it is better not to leave siderates in the soil in full.... The resulting stems can be crushed and distributed over the entire area of ​​the site, laid under other crops.

For potato siderates, see the next video.