Good day, Dear friends!
Summer residents using the principles on their site organic farming, have long adopted the green manure method. Planting various crops in areas of the dacha that are temporarily free from main crops, followed by embedding the vegetative mass into the soil - proven, effective and very budget method maintaining soil fertility.
Let's talk about why, when and how sow oats as green manure for winter and about the benefits of this method of soil enrichment.
Green manure can be sown at any time, except, of course, winter. Most often, gardeners practice winter sowing of ground cover crops, which is carried out after harvesting in the fall. In a short period of heat, they manage to collect a sufficient amount of greenery, which they leave under the snow, and in early spring plowed into the ground simultaneously with the planned digging and preparation of the beds for sowing.
This practice makes it possible to almost completely restore the balance of nutrients in the soil carried out by plants during the previous season and prepare the plantation to receive new vegetable, berry, fruit and ornamental crops in the future. One of the most beloved green manures by all gardeners, intended for autumn sowing, is winter oats.
The benefits of winter oats for the garden
Cereal crops in a short time (up to 60 days) give an excellent increase in greenery (up to 200 kg/acre), which allows the summer resident to fully replace the traditional autumn and spring application of organic matter (humus, manure, compost, bird droppings) and mineral compounds (ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium salt, nitroammophoska, etc.).
In addition, oats are considered a universal precursor for everyone. cultivated plants, except for cereals, and, as a rule, this type of agricultural product is grown extremely rarely in private gardens. It should also be noted that green manure with oats is budget-friendly. Consumption planting material is 2-2.5 kg per hundred square meters, and its price is affordable for every vegetable grower.
Advantages of sowing oats as green manure before winter
1. Soil cleansing. Oats are classified as phytosanitary. Phytoncides, essential oils and other biologically active compounds secreted by the root system of green manure 
into the soil, suppress the growth of perennial weeds (wheatgrass, sow thistle), clear the soil of nematodes, which is especially useful before or after cultivating potatoes.
2. High yield. Planted seeds germinate at temperatures from +2°C. The seedlings perfectly tolerate small soil frosts down to -4... -5 °C, continuing the growing season until the onset of cold weather, which allows plants sown no later than the end of September (for middle zone), collect the required amount of greens.
3. Protection of soil from erosion and freezing. Green oats left on the plot for the winter retain snow on the beds, helping to retain additional moisture in the spring. Ground cover plants prevent weathering and erosion of the top fertile layer of soil, as well as the leaching of nutrients on light soils during the period of heavy autumn rainfall and spring snowmelt.
4. Soil structuring. Erect fibrous root system within a few weeks it penetrates into deep soil horizons (up to 2 meters), qualitatively loosening the soil and increasing its porosity. In addition, the rhizomes are adapted for extracting poorly soluble phosphorus and potassium salts from the lower layers of the earth and converting them into compounds accessible to cultivated plants.
5. Decomposition rate. The roots and greens of oats rot very quickly, releasing all their nutritional components into the soil. At least 2 weeks must pass before the main crop is planted in the garden after the vegetative mass of winter oats has been planted. Spring digging after sowing oats as green manure before winter can be carried out immediately after the snow melts and the top layer of soil warms up, plowing the greens to a depth of 3-5 cm, or you can postpone the event to a later date, closer to planting work. Lupine as green manure Greetings, dear friends! Let's talk today about lupine as a green manure to improve soil fertility in...
Oats we will have doctor for the soil. There are many folk proverbs, in which our ancestors pass on their wisdom to us: Throw oats into the mud and you will be a prince.This oats in the swamp will be like gold.
Oats sown in the dirt will yield heaps of sheaves. Do not forget that oats can be sown as the first crop in the spring while the soil is very moist after winter. Cold soil is not a problem for oats. Even if the occasional snow falls, there will be no harm.
Sowing must be done very quickly. Until the sun takes the moisture from the ground. Oats choke out the weeds. Enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Therefore, feel free to sow oats where cabbage, carrots and beets will later grow. I sow oats in early spring in the beds that will be used for planting seedlings. This means they will stand empty until May. The oats have been sown. The bed is covered with green shoots from weeds.
When the time comes to plant seedlings, I do this. I make holes in the garden bed directly in the oats, plant the seedlings, and cover the planted plant with oat stalks pulled out around the hole. The rest of the oats are still growing in my garden bed. It performs the function of protecting young seedlings from cold winds. When the seedlings grow and become stronger, I pull out all the oats and use them as mulch. It really turns out that oats-doctor for the soil.
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For green fertilizer or to improve soil health, oats in a garden plot can be sown in different terms. The first time for sowing is early in the spring (late April) in soil prepared in the fall.
Sowing is planned for those crops that are planted in the ground late, the very last: cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, peppers. In greenhouses, oats can be sown even earlier. Autumn soil preparation is necessary because oats are sown very early, the very first of all crops, and you don’t even have to wait for the soil to thaw completely.
It’s not for nothing that our great-grandfathers made up the following saying about oats: “Sow oats in the mud, you will be a prince!” Early sowing is also necessary because oat seeds need a lot of moisture to swell and germinate. And in dry soil, oats may not sprout at all. There is no need to be afraid of early sowing, oat seeds germinate already at +1-2 degrees, and seedlings are not afraid of frost.
And if, after the emergence of seedlings, snow falls again, this will only benefit them. In cold soil, seeds are more quickly susceptible to various types of infections, so they can be treated with the most famous drug for this - potassium permanganate (in a 1 percent solution for 20 minutes). And then rinse in cold water. Oats can be sown in rows - in furrows. This is usually done when a small bed and few seeds are allocated for sowing.
And oats are sown randomly when a larger area is allocated for it. At the same time, they try to scatter the seeds evenly, and then plant them in the soil reverse side rake. Otherwise, the birds will collect all the grains. When sowing in rows, the distance between them is left no more than 10 cm.
In this case, 1 kg of seeds is enough for you to sow a whole hundred square meters or even a little more. The seeding depth is 3-4 cm. The grown green mass is mowed, crushed and buried in the soil two weeks before planting seedlings of heat-loving crops - the mass must be allowed to partially decompose.
If the harvest of green mass is very abundant, part of it can be used for mulching or put into compost. If the weather is dry after incorporation of green fertilizer into the soil, then the bed must be watered to speed up the process of its decomposition, otherwise the plants planted on it will not feel very good comfortable. You can plan the next sowing date for oats yourself. It will be summer or autumn - depending on the time the bed is cleared from early cabbage, onions, winter garlic and other early harvested crops.
At the end of August and in September there is no point in sowing oats - here would be better suited rye. In July and early August, the moisture reserves in the soil are no longer the same as in early spring, and you will have to water the soil before and after sowing. You can dig up an area with grown green fertilizer in the fall later than without it, since the roots of the plants are already partially loosened the soil and made it much easier to dig. It is very profitable to grow winter rye as green fertilizer. After all, it occupies the site at a time when the main crops have nothing to do on it: autumn, winter and early spring.
Therefore, such crops are called intermediate crops. They begin sowing winter rye in our zone from August 20-25. When sowing in early dates rye will have time to bloom well before winter, and early in the spring, only the soil will thaw a little, will continue to accumulate green mass and grow roots. Seed consumption for sowing per 1 hectare is up to 1.8 kg, seeding depth is 3-6 cm (in depending on the mechanical composition of the soil).
Sowing method: broadcast or row, with row spacing from 10 to 15 cm - they try to sow thicker with green fertilizer. The soil for growing winter rye must be prepared three weeks before sowing. In the spring, the grown green mass is crushed and buried in the soil two weeks before planting the main crop. What is the advantage of crops grown with green fertilizer? 1.
Green fertilizer (green manure) will cost you less than manure, since you will only have to spend money on seeds and partly on mineral fertilizers.2. Your garden beds with buried green manure will not end up with millions of weed seeds (as is the case with manure).3.
The yield of crops grown with green fertilizer is up to 300 kg (or more) of green mass, which is equivalent to the same amount of manure.4. In addition to the above-ground part, many invisible roots develop in the soil, and they penetrate to a depth of 1.5 meters or more.
At the same time, they extract nutrients from hard-to-reach compounds and carry them up from deep soil layers. That is, they facilitate the growth conditions of the plants planted after them.5.
Plowing green fertilizers increases the number of beneficial microorganisms in the soil by 1.5-2 times, and this improves the biological activity of the soil.6. All crops that we sow with green fertilizer suppress the growth of weeds and protect the soil from them.7.
Thanks to the substances secreted by the roots of oats and rye, the number of nematodes in the soil is reduced and the causative agents of many diseases are suppressed. When sowing mustard, peas, and beans for fertilizer, the wireworm disappears.8.
Potatoes grown after the application of green fertilizers are less affected by scab and other diseases. If you want to collect your own oat and rye seeds, then, firstly, you need to stock up on seed material of varieties released in your area, since rye brought, for example , from the south, it will not ripen. The second condition is the timing of sowing: oats are sown in early spring, winter rye - in the third ten days of August. The third condition is that when preparing the soil for sowing, fertilizers must be applied: 4-5 kg of humus, up to a glass of ash or 2 tbsp. l. any complex fertilizers per 1 sq. meter. The fourth condition is that for growing grain, the crops are not thickened, they are sown less frequently: for oats with row spacing - 15 cm, for rye - 15-20 cm. If weather the seeds will not be allowed to ripen in the garden; the stems of the cereals are cut off and ripened in a dry, ventilated room. And then the seeds are threshed and dried in a warm room. After the period of post-harvest ripening (after 2-3 months), the germination of the collected seeds is checked.
Oats for cats: how to germinate them?
Everyone knows that an animal’s diet must be balanced and include a sufficient amount of vitamins for full growth and development. One of the favorite treats for cats, which is a storehouse of vitamins, is sprouted oats.
Moreover, a very important function of green grass is to stimulate the gag reflex, which helps the cat get rid of licked hair, bones or poorly digested food. Oats for cats can be purchased at a pet store, or you can germinate them at home, because all you need to grow greens is sunlight, Fresh air, warmth and some water.
It is better to choose a container for growing oats that is shallow, but with a wide diameter, which will allow you to germinate a large amount of young grass. A layer of 1-2 centimeters of earth or crushed sawdust is placed in a container.
Oat seeds are evenly sprinkled on top, which are covered with approximately the same layer of earth as the first. Some owners pre-soak the seeds in gauze before planting, and plant it in the ground with green sprouts, which allows the oats to germinate faster.
The planted seeds should be watered generously and covered. plastic bag, in order to create a greenhouse effect. To speed up the growth of grass, it is advisable to keep the soil or sawdust always moist.
The plastic bag can either be removed immediately after the seeds have sprouted, or left, but then regularly ventilate the young plants. You can cover the dishes in which the greens are growing with a potato or fruit net. This will prevent the cat from digging up the ground.
Since animals are more willing to eat young grass, oats should be planted twice a month, especially since the process itself, how to germinate oats for cats, is very simple and does not require special skills. And it takes very little time, because it only takes about a week to grow from seeds green grass approximately 5 - 6 centimeters high.
And you can feed oats even when the grass has taken root and even reached waxy ripeness. If the cat refuses to eat sprouted oats, then you can gradually introduce it a small amount of into the animal's diet in crushed form. Young grass will only have positive influence on the cat’s health, so a loving and caring owner should not neglect raising it.
What you need to know before sowing oats. Oats are not afraid of either cold or snow, so they can be sown to improve and fertilize the soil personal plot at different times. The first time for sowing is early spring, around the end of April, in soil prepared in the fall.
Sowing is planned for crops that are the last to be planted in the ground - zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers. In greenhouses, oats can be sown even earlier.
Autumn soil preparation is necessary because due to the early sowing of oats, you don’t even need to wait until the soil finally thaws. And early sowing is necessary because oat seeds need a lot of water to germinate, since oats may not sprout in dry soil.
Oat seeds germinate at a temperature of one or two degrees Celsius, and its seedlings are not afraid of frost, so there is no need to be afraid of early sowing. Even if snow falls after germination, this will only benefit the oats.
In cold soil, oat seeds can be susceptible to various infections, so before sowing it is recommended to treat them with potassium permanganate for about twenty minutes in a one percent solution.
Oats are sown in rows and scattered. It is sown in rows in furrows when the area has been allocated for sowing. small area, but the seeds themselves are few. They sow randomly when the areas are larger.
In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the seeds are scattered evenly, and then embed them in the ground with the back of the rake, otherwise there is a danger that birds will peck them.
When sowing oats in rows, the distance between them should be no more than ten centimeters. The embedment depth is three to four centimeters. In this case, one kilogram of oat seeds is enough for one hundred square meters.
After the oats have sprouted green shoots, they are mowed, crushed and incorporated into the soil two weeks after planting the main crops. If the weather is dry after planting in the ground, you need to water the area generously to speed up the decomposition process. Otherwise, plants planted after oats will not feel entirely comfortable.
You can plan the next sowing of oats yourself, but it should be noted that there is no point in sowing them at the end of August or September - winter rye is better suited here. In addition, in July and August the moisture reserves in the ground are much smaller, so you will have to water the area both before and after sowing.
That's all that can be said about sowing oats as a green fertilizer. Nothing complicated! All you need is a little free time and the desire to increase the harvest collected on your own plot.
A story about how oats grow and what is cooked from them.
Oats
How to sow oats
Fields sown with oats, until recently, stretched to the very horizon, pleasing the eye with a pleasant first green and then golden carpet. Today, oats are sown less frequently, but this cereal is becoming in demand due to its high nutritional value.
1 If we talk about oats not on an industrial scale, this crop has become widely used to improve soil health. Like a real doctor, oats suppress the growth of aggressive weeds, and the deep roots of the plant enrich the soil with potassium and organic matter, improving its structure and water permeability.
Among cereal plants, oats have green manure value. It appeared before wheat and was one of the first crops cultivated in fields for the purpose of producing grain. Currently, it is sown not only for culinary purposes, but also as an assistant in soil reclamation.
All cereals remove weeds well thanks to their branched root system, and also loosen heavy clay soils, protecting them from cracking and drying out.
Thanks to regular sowing of oats as green manure, light sandy plots of land are enriched with organic matter, which is important for growing vegetables. The big advantage of oats as a green manure is that it is suitable for all crops as a predecessor.
It is not sown only in front of cereals, but on small summer cottages this is not necessary. Nowadays no one sows grain with the aim of processing it into flour and baking bread.
There are spring and winter types. Depending on the time of planting oats, either a winter or spring variety is used as green manure. If you think about what to sow - rye or oats, then in arid climates it is better to use oats as a fertilizer, since rye has a drying effect. By planting it together with vegetable crops, there is a danger that the main plant will not receive enough moisture and develop worse.
When the question arises, which is better as green manure - oats or rye, then, according to reviews from gardeners, they are often planted together, since rye shoots contain a lot of nitrogen, while oat shoots contain potassium and phosphorus. Both crops are suitable for greening depleted areas with high acidity or salinity. The seedling mixture will need intensive watering as rye seedlings use more water.
What is the value of oats for green manure?
With its help, you can restore neglected areas and put them into crop rotation. This takes time, but the effect will still appear. On average, it takes 2 - 3 years for the top fertile layer to recover and remove the nitrates accumulated over the years of using mineral fertilizers. Organic matter will gradually accumulate, making the soil looser and more water-retentive.
Video: Sowing oats so as not to dig up the soil
Oats grow on soils with any physical and chemical properties:
- sandy;
- clayey;
- podzolic;
- rocky;
- peat
Therefore, it is possible to provide plants with nutrients in an area that is as poor in terms of fertility as desired.
Sowing oats to fertilize the soil in the fall is possible after all garden crops - as an intermediate green manure. It does not tolerate disease and is not related to legumes or cruciferous plants, so it is considered a neutral crop for garden plants.
Nutrients of oat crop
Oats are used as green manure to obtain the main nutritional components - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Young greens contain more nitrogen than mature plants, so Oats as fertilizer for the garden are cut when they reach 20 cm in height.
There is more potassium and phosphorus in plant tissues than nitrogen. It is more profitable to plant oats in a mixture with bean vetch, which attracts nitrogen to its roots. This mixture is called improved manure because it provides all three nutrients to plants, while additional phosphorus must be added to the manure.
Important! Potassium is especially useful for nightshades, cucumbers, cabbage, and berry plants. This makes their taste richer and sweeter.
When to sow oats
Green manure is used from early spring to late autumn. As an independent crop, they are planted in a separate bed, periodically pruned, and used to prepare green fertilizer infused with water. The seedlings grow back. When sowing oats as green manure in the fall, the greens are left in the garden bed. There are two ways:
- when to mow oats as green manure and embed them in the ground;
- when the green mass is left on top, and the roots remain in the soil and rot.
Both methods are justified, but there are supporters of careful farming who do not want to disrupt the work of soil microorganisms, so they do not dig up the soil. In this case, when to sow and when to bury (or not to bury) green manure oats is up to the owner of the plot to decide.
Planting oats in autumn
When to sow oats in the fall depends on when frost occurs. It is better to take seeds of a winter variety if you plan to cut the green mass in the spring, when it is still growing.
After harvesting the garden beds, be sure to apply complex mineral fertilizers. When mixing oat seeds with vetch, nitrogen doses are reduced by 50%. It is necessary to apply fertilizers, because green manure - oats or other grains - must receive nutrition in the fall.
Per hundred square meters you need 200 g of grain. You can either sow oats manually or use special devices.
In the first case, the seeds are scattered on moist soil and covered with soil. It is important to treat them before sowing with potassium permanganate or boric acid to protect seedlings from fungus.
Oats in summer
Spring oats are used as green manure to fertilize the soil in summer and are used as mulch. The cut green mass is placed between the rows, you can water it with a solution of biological fertilizer to decompose faster and cover it with a layer of straw. Such a blanket retains moisture near the roots, and soil insects gradually process plant residues and turn them into humus.
For the second time this summer, some gardeners plant seeds in strips between the rows of the main crop and allow them to grow until a certain point. When the time comes to mow oats for fertilizer, they are carefully trimmed with a flat cutter without turning the soil, placed under the roots and mulched. If you do not cover the layer of greenery with straw or sawdust, it will dry out.
Planting in spring
Spring planting of oats begins when the snow has just melted, that is, into the mud. At this time, it is better to use winter varieties of seeds. The beginning of April or the end of March in the southern regions of the country is the time to grow green mass, cut it and plant it in the soil for rotting.
The greens are ready to be used for fertilizer through 40 – 45 days after sowing. The process of decay of plant residues takes time - about two weeks, after which you can begin to plant seedlings on the site. In total, preparatory activities take 2 months, so you need to calculate when to plant oats as green manure and when to plant them in the ground in order to meet the deadline.
Important! It is not advisable to add the entire amount of cut greenery to the soil to prevent souring. It's better to add the rest to compost pit, feed to birds or animals or put in a barrel of water
conclusions
Oats are a valuable nutritious raw material for the garden. It improves soil composition and serves as nutrition for vegetable crops. But it is more profitable to use it in a mixture with other green manures or periodically change green manure crops to maintain the cleanliness of the soil and its fertility.
Fields sown with oats, until recently, stretched to the very horizon, pleasing the eye with a pleasant first green and then golden carpet. Today, oats are sown less frequently, but this cereal is becoming in demand due to its high nutritional value.
If we talk about oats not on an industrial scale, this crop has become widely used to improve soil health. Like a real doctor, oats suppress the growth of aggressive weeds, and the deep roots of the plant enrich the soil with potassium and organic matter, improving its structure and water permeability. Loves oats very much Domestic bird, and application in therapeutic nutrition This cereal has broken all popularity records. Seeds are prepared for sowing carefully: treatment for about 20 minutes in a weak solution (1%) of potassium permanganate avoids contamination of crops infectious diseases. It is better to buy seeds from trusted companies at the rate of 1 kg of oats per hundred square meters. Oats are a very unpretentious crop; they are not afraid of cold and snow. Already at the end of April, seeds can be sown in soil prepared in the fall. In order for oats to sprout vigorously, you need to sow them in moist soil. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 1-2 degrees Celsius, so early sowing is preferable. Oats are sown in two ways: in rows and scattered. If the area is small, then it is better to sow in furrows, the distance between them should be at least 10 cm, and the depth should be 3-4 cm. Large areas sow randomly, making sure that the seeds are scattered evenly. After sowing, the seeds must be carefully embedded in the soil; this is conveniently done with the back of a rake. If oats are used as green manure, then after they have sprung well and bloomed, they mow them and plant them in the ground. The sprouts decompose, nourishing the soil and healing it from various diseases. To speed up this process, in dry weather it is necessary to water the area.
Oats are grown to improve soil health, prepare healing infusions, decorative crafts made of golden straw, making beautiful dry bouquets is not difficult at all. This plant is responsive to care and good care, the main thing is not to miss the timing of its sowing.
Oats with long roots are able to loosen and structure the soil well, its dense plantings suppress weeds and suppress their growth, root secretions repel pests, and cold resistance allows the crop to be sown both in early spring and autumn.
These qualities make it possible to use cereal for the general improvement of fertile soil over a wide range of time.
When you need to sow oats as green manure in the fall, so that it has time to gain green mass, restore the soil structure and replenish the area with nutrients, information about this is below.
What is the value of oats as green manure?
This cereal crop considered the best predecessor: oat roots loosen the soil, making it lighter and more breathable. This prevents the development of root rot, from which cucumbers suffer in unfavorable weather. Loose soil allows the tap roots of the cucumber to penetrate deeper into the soil to seek moisture and nutrition.
Oats are also a valuable precursor for other crops that do not belong to the cereal family. A green mass harvest sown on 2.5 acres is equivalent to 500 kg.
Characteristics with which oats can attract the attention of gardeners:
It is important for the gardener to know that oats do not like heat and should not be planted late spring or in summer.
Autumn timing of sowing oats without embedding in the soil
When to sow oats as green manure in the fall? Its sowing can begin immediately after harvesting the main crops, until the soil is dried out by the wind or clogged with rain. Planted at such a time, the cereal has time to grow a sufficient mass of green shoots.
Before the onset of cold weather, you can do the following:
- mow the oats and lightly work them into the ground;
- When mowing, leave the greens on the surface like;
- if there are no ears of corn, the oats remain uncut, gradually rotting over the winter.
By leaving the mown grass on the surface as a soil protective layer, the vegetable grower prevents the destruction of the top layer of soil by natural forces (water and wind) and its drying out. In the spring, all that remains is to loosen the beds and plant early vegetables or.
Sow oats as green manure in the fall too late dates not worth it; Unlike rye, it does not like frost and is not suitable for winter planting.
How to sow and care for oats?
If the areas are large, it is better to sow using a fan method; in small areas, we can use the row method. The plot should be loosened and free of weeds. The seeds must be buried in the soil; to do this, the area will have to be harrowed.
Oats germinate and grow quickly in a humid environment, so if seasonal rains are not enough, you will need to organize 3-4 waterings.
Oats are less demanding than oats, they will grow well on peat bogs, clay soils, areas with high acidity.
Spring sowing dates for oats as green manure
When to sow oats as green manure in the spring, given its cold resistance and early ripening? As soon as the soil warms up slightly and allows you to go into the garden, you can start sowing. There is no need to wait for the soil to dry out, given that oats are moisture-loving.
Early spring is the most optimal time for planting oats. If it is necessary to speed up ripening, experienced gardeners mow the grain when it reaches 10-15 cm and thus stimulate further active growth and increase the amount of green mass produced.
When the heading phase begins, oats can be cut; during this period, their greens accumulate the greatest amount of nutrients. After mowing, the mass remains on the soil as a mulch layer. To speed up fermentation, green manure is mixed with soil or treated with preparations of effective microorganisms.
You can sow oats in the spring as green manure at a later date, but the time must be calculated so that it has time to grow before the onset of heat. It is not necessary to wait for the oats to spike; they can be mowed at a height of 20 cm and lightly plowed into the ground. If cut greenery is buried deeply, due to lack of oxygen it will begin to turn sour, which will harm the soil.
Between the periods of incorporating green manure into the soil and planting a garden crop, 2 to 3 weeks should pass so that the stems have time to begin the decomposition process.
VIDEO: about oats as green manure
Find out more about how exactly oats are used as green manure in the fields:
