Pea soup or Olivier salad are dishes loved by many. But not everyone knows that the plant is suitable not only as an element for the menu. For livestock breeders, crop tops are animal feed, for farmers they are a means of saturating the soil with nitrogen.
If we consider peas as green manure, then they are convenient and profitable. In addition to improving the health of the soil, the crop will produce fruits for bottling or fresh consumption. Maintenance is minimal; you don’t have to track the height of the stem for cutting.
Benefits of peas as green manure
The main advantage of bean green manure is its effectiveness in restoring soil quality. The plant is characterized by intensive growth, the performance of which is one of the best among other green manures. In terms of growth rate, it ranks first among legumes.
The legume species has the ability to accumulate nitrogen and other nutrients, and then easily release them to the soil, making it more fertile. The advantage of culture for improving soil quality is:
- growth rate;
- frost resistance;
- low cost of planting material;
- the opportunity to get tasty fruits and at the same time improve the quality of the soil;
- ease of harvesting, no special equipment is required for such work;
- good result in increasing soil fertility;
- the ability to quickly improve soil quality;
- unpretentiousness in cultivation.
In addition to enriching the soil, green manure peas minimize the number of weeds and help prevent the appearance of pathogenic bacteria. The plant belongs to the group of excellent honey plants, which helps attract beneficial insects, which are natural enemies of garden pests.
Using mustard cake as fertilizer
One of the available types of organic fertilizer is mustard greens. Young shoots that have reached the age of 5 weeks are saturated with useful microelements, which, when decomposed, enrich the soil with nutrients.
The cost of such bait is a pittance, the labor costs are scanty. The planted seeds have good germination, so a minimum of time is spent on agricultural technology; all that remains is to wait for the first shoots to grow, remove the greens and plow the soil.
Useful properties of fertilizer
Mowing young mustard to fertilize the soil
- The fertilizer composition does not contain weed seeds, pathogens and pest larvae (unlike manure and humus).
- Environmental friendliness of the product.
- Availability of phytosanitary properties.
- Increased soil microbial activity.
- Preventing erosion.
- Universal application.
- Affordable price.
When to fertilize
You can fertilize the soil at the end of the season after harvesting or in early spring. It will take a little time to grow mustard, so you can sow it, for example, after early cucumbers or tomatoes. And it is better to distribute the resulting cake over the garden bed in the fall; a sufficient amount of time will pass for the raw material to rot and enrich the soil with nutrients.
If you add the cake in the spring, then the planting of the current season will not be able to use the fertilizer; it takes 2-3 months to decompose the mustard waste, but the soil will become looser.
These factors are also important for normal vegetation. In addition, young green manure contains a large amount of useful minerals, which have a beneficial effect on vegetable crops.
How do they affect the soil?
As a garden crop grows, the soil naturally loosens, which leads to better penetration of water and air into the soil. Planting other garden crops in the future will contribute to their better growth, so they will take root along the existing air passages.
See also
How to grow and care for peas using modern technologyRead
Planting a legume plant replenishes the nutritional value of the soil; it helps saturate the soil with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and many other microelements. Pea roots prevent soil erosion and block the growth of weeds.
A few secrets
Sometimes peas as green manure are used to prepare fertilizer for indoor flowers. To do this, pour a little water into plastic bags, put picked parts of green peas there, remove the air and place the resulting substrate in the sun. If you notice that the peas have turned black and the volume of water has decreased by 3 times, this means that the fertilizer is ready. And it can already be poured into pots. You can also water other vegetable crops with this green tea. Very often, pea tops are simply filled with water and left for a couple of weeks. This fertilizing also enriches the soil with useful substances and microelements, but this solution has a specific smell, so it is better not to brew such tea in a living room.
When and where to plant peas on green manure?
Sowing of green manure can be done throughout the season, including before planting the main crop and after its harvest. The best time for planting is spring. The possibility of carrying out work is determined depending on the region; peas can be sown after there is no threat of severe frost. In most Russian regions, sowing in open ground is carried out in May. After 2 weeks from the moment of first planting, the seeds are replanted, which prolongs the growth time of the plant.
The plant loves soil after nightshades, so it is recommended to plant it in the place of previous growth of potatoes or tomatoes. It is not recommended to plant legumes twice in the same place. Seeds can be planted dry, but greater germination is observed after soaking in water for 4 hours.
Peas are sown to a depth of 5 cm, 2-3 cm are left between them, and 25 cm are left between rows. There should be about 100 peas per 1 m2. The following rules should be followed:
- watering is carried out only during periods of drought;
- It is recommended to tighten the net until germination, since birds love to eat the seeds;
- The planting site must be periodically cleared of weeds;
- For better growth, shoots need additional support.
To prevent pea diseases, it is recommended to sow mustard or basil at the planting site; such plants repel most legume pests.
Growing conditions
Regardless of what peas are grown for, there is a need to carry out general care measures. This will require watering first.
In the absence of rain, moisturizing is carried out daily in the first weeks. After emergence of seedlings, watering is reduced.
Loosening is also required. After sowing, the first procedure is necessary a week later. Then loosen the soil 5-7 days after emergence. Further procedures are carried out after watering when the soil is compacted.
What crops is it suitable for?
Grain and nightshade crops take root well in beds after peas. Peas are most often used in garden plots for tomatoes and potatoes. Legume plantings are recommended for planting white cabbage and cauliflower. The plant quite quickly goes into a rest period, so it can be mowed green; when rotting, the long shoots and developed root system of the plant help saturate the soil with nutrients that are required for the growth of other crops.
See also
The benefits and harms of peas for the human bodyRead
When and how to remove green manure peas?
Green manure peas grow until it is time to plant the main garden crop. Full maturation occurs at 12 weeks, some species require 16 weeks. There are several options for cleaning the plant:
- a simple way is to simply dig up the area, in which green manure is embedded in the soil and the main crop is planted on top;
- using a flat cutter, with which the green manure stems are cut a couple of centimeters deeper than the soil level, after which the vegetable crop is planted, the cut tops are used to mulch the soil;
- Holes are made next to the main crop and the peas grow along with the plant; as soon as the legume grows 5 cm, the shoots are cut with scissors and placed on the chest.
The last method is labor-intensive, but effective. To obtain natural fertilizer, pea stems can be cut and soaked in boiling water for 10 days. This product is a valuable source of nitrogen and potassium.
To dig up the soil or not after sowing green manure
How and when to sow white mustard against weeds to get maximum effect. The main thing is that the plant stems do not become coarse, as they will take longer to decompose. This happens after 7 weeks. At the same time, seeds begin to develop. If you do not cut the mustard before this point, it will be difficult to remove it from the site.
Green manure is often used to renew the soil. It is cheaper and less labor intensive than applying manure. Many summer residents do not know that digging up the soil is harmful, and after green manure there is no need at all.
When digging the soil, bacteria reach the surface and die under the influence of ultraviolet rays. Another variety ends up in deep layers, where it is unable to reproduce.
The soil is usually dug to allow water to penetrate more easily, but mustard roots do this without human intervention. Through the channels remaining after rotting, moisture flows to a great depth - up to 2 meters, so there is no point in wasting energy and time.
What diseases and pests does it help against?
Peas are effective in controlling wireworms. This larva appears in acidic soils and is a threat to potato crops. The wireworm does not tolerate proximity to legumes, so the plant is considered an effective means of combating such a pest.
Planting peas helps control onion root mite. The planting site of the legume attracts many beneficial insects, as the plant has excellent honey-bearing qualities.
