Rye as green manure: from planting to harvesting

To obtain a rich harvest, you need not only high-quality seed, but also a well-fertilized soil. Modern technologies make it possible to apply fertilizers of various types to the soil, but this process requires a significant investment of time and money, while there is a simpler alternative. Since ancient times, people have used plant crops, especially cereals, to enrich the soil. Thanks to the planting of rye and the use of this culture as mulch, it is possible to replenish the soil with all useful substances.

Rye is a plant that does not require special conditions to grow. It can be grown in any soil, but the crop needs regular watering due to its shallow root system. Besides food use, this cereal can be considered as convenient and economical fertilization.

The green mass obtained from such sowing is capable of fertilizing at least half a hectare of sown soil. With minimal costs for seed, it is possible to obtain nutrient material, which fertilizes a significant part of the sown area.

For the correct and rational use of rye, so that mulch soil, you need to know about it positive and negative properties. Let's consider the pros first.

1. Good indicators of frost resistance, rye easily tolerates frosts and begins to grow with the onset of spring.
2. Active growth of the root system, which allows the crop to quickly spread and displace weeds, taking away moisture and nutrients from them.
3. Possibility of using rye for fertilization several times per season. It is recommended to dig up the green mass with soil for decay, and on its basis you can create a liquid fertilizer for watering seedlings.
4. Compatibility with legumes and cruciferous crops, the ability to use for various plants at their summer cottage.

The pros of rye are obvious, but there are also downsides to culture that cannot be ignored.

1. An increase in the number of pests on the site. Wireworms and click beetle larvae are often found in rye fields, which means that they can get into the garden with the plant and cause damage to potatoes and other crops. For prevention, it is recommended to plant mustard with rye, which will protect rye and will be a useful additive as a siderat.
2. The need for watering, due to which it is recommended to plant rye in the fall, when the amount of precipitation is maximum and the soil is well moistened. Planting rye in spring forces to shift the planting of other crops to a later date.

Rye has much more positive sides, so if it is used correctly, you can get a loose soil rich in nutrients, on which all garden crops will grow successfully. Thanks to the use of rye, it is possible to accomplish the following tasks.

1. Make the soil looser due to the highly developed root system of the plant. After harvesting rye, the soil structure becomes much better.
2. Get rid of weeds on the site.
3. Enrich the soil with humus and nutrients due to the reaction of soil bacteria and the green part of green manure.
4. Prevent soil freezing by retaining snow and forming an additional protective layer against frost.

Using rye as a green manure is not the only option. Another cereal with similar properties would be oats. To determine which option is better, it is worth comparing them.

1. Rye is considered a more productive crop than oats, it grows quickly and spreads throughout the crop area. An additional plus can be considered the presence in the root system of substances that allow you to actively fight weeds and pests. If rye is sown in the fall, then the site can be used during the off-season, which is very convenient.
2. The winter hardiness of rye exceeds the cold resistance of oats. In frosty winters, oats will freeze, while rye will give green growth in spring. Oats are recommended to be sown in spring to protect them from frost.
3. The advantage of oats can be considered the ease of its processing and the nutritional value of the composition.

Any green manure must be grown wisely, for sure observing the disembarkation time and collection time, otherwise, the grains trapped in the ground will sprout at the moment when they are not needed there. This will turn a useful crop into a weed.

Depending on the purpose, rye can be sown at different times. The most successful options are growing crops in late summer, autumn or spring. For central Russia, the correct landing time is considered to be between the end of August and the last week of Septemberwhen the crop is already harvested, but the temperature allows the planted crop to begin and germinate. This option helps to improve the condition of the soil, make it looser, effectively retain water and snow in autumn and winter.

The optimal time for this procedure is considered to be the interval between the end of October and the beginning of November. If there is a desire to plant a spring rye variety, then the best season for this will be spring. Sowing of this culture is recommended to be carried out between the beds or in those areas where it is not planned to grow anything in the new season.

Planting rye can have its own characteristics, which depend on the timing of sowing and soil characteristics.

1. Sowing of rye is carried out in areas that have been freed from the crops grown there, but you can sow individual rows with a distance of 15 cm or place seeds on any free areas.
2. If sowing is done on soil that has been severely depleted, it is recommended to apply 20 g of nitrophoska per meter of soil to enrich it.
3. For the growth of a culture, moisture is needed in the soil. If the soil is dry, and according to forecasts, rain is not expected, then before planting the grain, you need to moisten the soil.
4. It is necessary to plant rye thickly: for one hundred square meters, you should use from 2 to 2.5 kg of grains. When choosing places for sowing, you should avoid the area near fruit trees, since rye will actively take moisture from them, which will impair the growth and fruiting of trees. The optimum depth for grains is from 2 to 5 cm, for which you can use a rake or special seeding devices.

So that rye grows well and quickly, as well as fully fertilizes the soil during mulching, it is better to plant last year's seed, as young grains will contain too few useful properties.

If the crop was planted in the fall, then after the snow melts, its active growth will begin. In the spring it is necessary to cut seedlings, leaving no more than 5 cm in height, and also loosen the soil well.Once the site is prepared and the weather conditions are stable enough, planting of the main crop can begin.

The following activities for pruning green manure should be carried out at the moment when it begins to actively grow and will shade the plants in the garden. To obtain a good fertilizer, the stems must be trimmed before buds appear, otherwise they will become dense and difficult to process.

Winter cereals must be mownwhen their height reaches 30 cm and above. It is recommended to carry out digging up the soil after the snow melts, when there is as much moisture in the soil as possible, which will accelerate the decay of rye. If the winter turned out to be dry, and in the spring it has not yet rained, you should moisten the soil on your own, and then plow it.

To get the most out of the rye, it is important to dig it up in time. It is recommended to plow the culture in between from March to April, while the plant has not yet produced seeds and is not sown in the ground. If you dig up a garden bed in time, rye manages to transfer all the useful substances to the soil, fully enriching its composition. For this work, it is recommended to use:

• chopper;
• shovel;
• cultivator;
• trimmer;
• flat cutter.

To obtain good fertilization, it is necessary to mow the green part of the plant and dig it up with the soil, deepening the green manure by 10-15 cm for good and light soils and 5-10 cm for heavy soils. It is best to use special equipment for such work, because it is rather difficult to do it manually.

After cutting the green part of the rye, the roots can be left in the ground, as they will begin to rot on their own.

If rye sprouts from the roots again, you can mow them again and make a green fertilizer based on them, which is good for seedlings. Another option for obtaining fertilizers is straw sprout harvesting, when burned, nutritious ash is obtained, which contains 14% potassium, 6% phosphorus and 10% calcium. Such ash can make the soil less acidic. It is best used in soil cultivation for potatoes, tomatoes and other crops.

For more information on the beneficial properties of rye, as a siderat, see below.