One of the most common crop loss problems is soil depletion. An effective method of dealing with this process is the use of green fertilizers, or green manure. Sowing green manure crops increases soil fertility, enriching it with humus.
Siderata are grown to the stage of active vegetation, and then they are embedded in the soil in crushed form or completely whisked to a depth.
Features of winter rye
Winter rye as green manure has become widespread throughout Russia due to the many advantages of its use. One of them is the availability of rye seeds, which is explained by low cost. Rye as a siderat is a fairly unpretentious plant that grows on most soils, including acidic and slightly alkaline.
Winter rye has a powerful root system, which by the beginning of winter can reach 150 cm. Such long and strong roots are able to extract hard-to-reach microelements from the soil and process them into a species assimilated by cultivated plants. When planted, young plants quickly decompose, enriching the soil with phosphorus and potassium. In addition to performing a nutritional function, rye as a siderate, due to the complex structure of the root system, perfectly loosens the soil, makes it light and saturated with air and moisture, and prevents soil erosion.
For planting this green manure, plots that are freed in the fall from plants after harvesting are used, which is an additional advantage for owners of small plots. Rye, as a siderat, tolerates low temperatures and frosts down to -20 °, quickly grows green mass, which over the winter turns into a high-quality organic fertilizer. It is worth noting that many green manure crops require grinding, for example, lupine, mustard, rape. Rye as a green manure is simply embedded in the soil during spring cultivation.
Rye against pests and weeds
A useful property is the repelling of some insects and the prevention of diseases of cultivated plants. The number of wireworms decreases, pathogens and harmful bacteria are destroyed . Effectively growing rye to rid the site of nematodes. Planting winter rye for two years helps to reduce the number of weeds such as wheat grass, sow thistle, and bindweed.
Asking the question of when to plant rye on green manure, many gardeners act rationally and sow as the plot is freed from plants, starting in September and ending in mid-late November. The optimum temperature for germination of grains is +6 ...– 8 °. Even in the absence of snow cover, winter rye remains viable.
In spring, it is necessary to plow the area on which rye was sown. This should be done as soon as the snow cover has melted, in order to leave a sufficient supply of moisture for the plants, since winter rye drains the soil very much.
A valuable property of rye as siderat is the ability to use for the development of new sites.