There are often cases when the soil in the garden does not meet the desired requirements: it contains too much clay or sand. To improve its physiological qualities, the method of planting green manure crops is used. These plants are designed to produce humus, which improves the composition of the soil and saturates it with micronutrients. Sow different types plants can be grown from early spring to early autumn. Cereals and legumes, alfalfa or clover are chosen as green manures. Oats are widely used in this capacity and have a number of advantages over other plants.
Advantages of oats as a green manure plant
Oats are a crop common as green manure. It has its own merits, so it is recognized among summer residents.
- Low cost. Oat seeds are common in the assortment of stores; they can be found not only in highly specialized departments, but also on the market.
- High potassium content. This mineral is necessary for all plants for balanced growth: it is formed from the green mass of oats. In young plants, its content is increased by 3–5 times, so many people mow green manure without waiting for the seeds to ripen. The most favorable soil after planting oats is for tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. It is not recommended to plant potatoes due to the large number of wireworms that appear due to cereal crops.
- For getting more nitrogen is used in mixed sowing, combining vetch, alfalfa or clover with cereals.
- The root system of cereal crops produces special substances in the soil that prevent the formation of rot and fungus.
- The roots have a fibrous structure, which helps them loosen the top fertile layer, making it lighter and more breathable.
- The high density of seed germination suppresses the growth of weeds, clearing the area.
Oats as green manure are planted from early spring until autumn. He is important organic fertilizer, is similar in composition and value to manure.
Sowing time
Oats are a cold-resistant crop; they can be sown in early spring after the soil has warmed up. There is no need to wait for it to dry; oats love moisture, so they are planted without waiting for the soil to dry out. A sufficient amount of water will ensure active growth cereals and an intensive set of green mass. Therefore, if spring and summer are characterized by droughts, then additional watering should be provided.
Oats do not tolerate hot periods well, so sowing in summer heat Not recommended.
Has a fast ripening speed, approximately 30–40 days, when sown in early spring it will be possible to remove it before the onset high temperatures air.
Oats as green manure can be sown in early autumn, before frost. You just need to calculate the time for its growth, since although it is cold-resistant, it does not like frost. For the same reason, it is not sown for the winter, like rye. Oats planted in the fall are mowed and left directly on the beds, sprinkled with a little earth. It is also permissible to leave it unmown: over the winter it will rot and form fertilizer. One plowing will be enough to crush and mix it with the soil.
Sowing and harvesting procedure
Sowing oats as green manure is done by scattering or in rows on plowed soil. Then they are buried in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. When mixed sowing, rows with other green manure crops are alternated. The consumption of seeds when sowing for fertilizer is slightly higher than for seeds, and is approximately 6 kg per one hundred square meters. This density provides protection from weeds, because it becomes much more difficult for other plants to break through the dense layer of oats. Also, the density of sowing forces oats to grow their root system deeper, which has a positive effect on the condition of the soil: looseness increases, oxygen and nutrients enter deeper layers.
To speed up plant growth, use a flat cutter to cut off the tops of mature cereals. This stimulates the development of green mass necessary to obtain fertilizer. They mow when the oats begin to ear and the greens have reached their maximum volume. After mowing, it is left on the beds, mixed with soil. In cases where the cereal harvest was plentiful, its surplus is carried to compost pit, or in the fall on beds that require fertilizer. To accelerate decay, it is spilled with a solution of EM compost.
Oats are a valuable fertilizer that improves soil properties. It gives the soil looseness, increases the content of nutrients and minerals, and also enhances moisture capacity. To improve the quality of the soil, it is necessary to grow plants with a developed root system and a large volume of green mass containing potassium and nitrogen. Green manure plants also add important elements such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium to the soil. Sowing green manure to land that needs rest will prevent leaching and weathering useful substances from its composition, will preserve and improve the structure for further plantings.
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.
Have you read this? :
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. Be afraid early dates there is no need for sowing, oat seeds germinate already at +1-2 degrees, and the 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 sown early, rye will have time to bloom well before winter, and in early spring, when the soil thaws a little, it 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 (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 conditions do not allow the seeds to ripen in the garden, the stems of the cereals are cut and ripened in dry conditions. ventilated area. 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 green grass approximately 5 - 6 centimeters high from seeds.
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 a small amount of it into the animal’s diet in crushed form. Young grass will only have a positive effect on the cat’s health, so a loving and caring owner should not neglect its cultivation.
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.
Oats have long been considered the most popular cereal among green manure. It appeared in the fields long before rye and has been cultivated for many decades. Its grain contains a sufficient amount of useful vitamins and microelements, and the greens are valuable for improving the structure of depleted soils. The article outlines the advantages of oats as green manure, methods for sowing and incorporating them into the ground, as well as the secrets of obtaining a good harvest of the crop.
Oats as green manure - advantages and disadvantages
Juicy green oats have many advantages when compared with other green manure fertilizers:
- Rich composition. contains nitrogenous substances, which are a source of building material for plant cells. Carbohydrates found in grains are excellent nutrition for planting. Contains micro (iron, copper, manganese, zinc) and macroelements (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur), as well as B vitamins. Phytoncides and essential oils inhibit the growth of fungi, microorganisms and bacteria.
- Cold resistance. The crop can be sown both in spring and before winter, after harvesting. She tolerates cold well, but frost is contraindicated for her.
- Unpretentiousness. Oats grow well in poor soils and feel good in shaded areas of the garden.
- High seed germination. The green manure seed grows well in the soil, leaving no bald spots.
- Weed control. Due to speed dial deciduous mass of oats does not allow weeds to develop.
- Improving the structure of heavy soils. Having a fibrous root system, green manure loosens dense soil, improving air circulation and moisture capacity, and the upper layers are strengthened and protected from erosion.
- Low cost of seeds. Sowing material can be easily purchased at garden stores at a low price.
Fertile green manure fertilizer can be compared in its properties to manure. To improve the quality of green mass, oats are planted together with legumes.
The most common disadvantages include:
- Small volume of deciduous mass. Oats provide too little greenery compared to other green manures, which is sometimes not particularly profitable.
- Poor nitrogen content in the composition. If the goal is to enrich the soil with nitrogen, then cereal green manure will not be the best choice.
- Requirement for watering. The culture is moisture-loving; it will be difficult to grow it with poor watering.
- Relative fragility and weakness of the rhizome. The fibrous root system is formed exclusively by adventitious roots and goes shallow into the ground.
- Heat intolerance. The green manure plant is sensitive to the scorching sun, so it is better to shade it or initially plant it in the shade.
Which crops are best to sow in front of?
Oats are not suitable as green manure for cereals. It is not advisable for them to fertilize plantings of barley, buckwheat and wheat.
There is no point in plowing the crop before planting potatoes. Green manure will not save tubers from wireworms, since they are also susceptible to this pest.
All other garden crops will benefit from oats and will perfectly feed the soil.
Respond favorably to fertilizer:
- , blackberries, ;
- Bell pepper;
- tomatoes;
- zucchini;
- cabbage;
- strawberries and strawberries.
- physalis.
Features of sowing and cultivating oats as green manure
The green manure crop withstands cold periods, so it is often sown before winter, in October. However, freezing oats is contraindicated. If an early onset of frost is planned, then sowing is postponed to spring.
Seeds pre-treated with a weak solution of manganese are added in bulk to loose soil, compacted and poured out with a hose. warm water. One hundred square meters of land takes 2 kg seed material. It is important to distribute it evenly without leaving bald spots.
Grains require frequent and abundant watering. If seedlings do not appear for a long time, it is allowed to apply mineral fertilizers - saltpeter. Green manure does not require any other care.
Sowing oats as green manure in spring
Spring planting of green manure depends on the weather. In cold regions it should be started in late March-early April, in warm regions - from February. The soil should warm up well. Otherwise, there is a high probability of seeds freezing. You shouldn’t wait for it to dry out, since oats are a moisture-loving crop.
The seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in a 1% manganese solution, washed and mixed with sand or. Sown in bulk or planted in rows on plowed ground. Then the plantings are leveled with a rake, sprinkling them with a thin layer of substrate.
In order to stimulate the growth of oats, you can cut off the sprouts when they reach 15-20 cm.
Green manure is mowed during the heading phase, when it is maximally filled with nutrients, or when it reaches a height of about 20 cm. The mass is spilled with a solution for rapid decomposition and plowed into the ground.
Sowing oats as green manure in the fall
Winter green manure can be planted in the fall, after harvesting. It will protect the soil from freezing, and the phytoncides and essential oils included in the composition will cleanse the soil of nematodes and wireworms.
First, the soil is loosened and cleared of debris. Treated seeds are mixed in equal proportions with sand, scattered over the area and compacted to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Without water, it will not be possible to grow oats to a suitable size, so the plantings need to be well watered. Green manure will decompose over the winter and will bring invaluable benefits to the soil and subsequent plantings.
When to mow oats?
It usually takes one and a half months from sowing to mowing the green manure. During this time, the plant manages to gain the necessary mass and accumulate useful components. You need to focus on the appearance of pollen.
In spring, greens are mowed and plowed 2-3 weeks before planting the main crop, otherwise it will not have time to decompose and improve the soil.
Autumn mowing is carried out in November. The stems should not be buried too deep. They will help the earth not to freeze in the cold and retain moisture with the onset of warm days.
If there is too much greenery, it can be sent to the compost bin.
Let's sum it up
Oats are a very healthy and quite versatile green manure. Timely planting of seeds, proper care of seedlings, mowing and plowing on time - that's all the plant needs. Such simple actions will lead to an improvement in the soil structure on the site and an increase in the quality and quantity of the harvest.
The use of oats as green manure is demonstrated in the video:
In order not to shovel heaps of compost on their site every year, many gardeners are starting to use artificial fertilizers. However, there are more available methods enrich the soil with nutrients and improve its structure. Among these, first of all, it is necessary to note the green manure of the soil through a cereal crop such as oats. How effective this is, we will consider further.
Green manure- these are the so-called “green fertilizers”. Certain plants are specially grown to be buried shallowly in the ground to improve the structure and quality of the soil.
Oats as a crop
Oats are a representative of cereals, which belongs to the early crops and grows everywhere in temperate climates in the form of a loose bush that has leafy stems up to 120 cm high. In nature, annual types of crops are more common, but there are also perennials, although they have not received widespread.
Oats are grown both as a grain and as a green manure. It is not afraid of low temperatures above zero, which allows it to be sown in early spring, when the soil reaches physiological ripeness. However, unlike rye, oats do not tolerate frost.
The plant is quite moisture-loving, especially during seed germination, which is different from barley. Thus, in dry weather conditions, seedlings become sparse, and the plant does not produce a dense vegetative mass.
Oats are also a heat-loving crop, but are unpretentious to the type of soil - they grow on loam, chernozem, peat bogs, clay and sandy soils. Of course, when growing a plant on more fertile soils, the tillering and stem ratio is higher.
Optimal conditions for oats it is cool, damp weather, so it is not advisable to use it as green manure in summer or winter. The ideal time for it is spring and early autumn.
Why are oats used as green manure?
Oats have long been used for soil greening, due to its following properties:
- It has particularly nutritious stems that contain more valuable protein than alfalfa and clover.
- The vegetative mass contains more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen. In terms of the content of nutrients, cereal biomass is comparable to manure, but there are fewer nitrogen compounds in this organic matter. It should be noted that the amount of elements depends on the age of the plant: the older it is, the more potassium it contains, but nitrogen predominates in young greenery. In this regard, oats as fertilizer are cut when they reach 20 cm in height.
- It has a fibrous root system that strengthens light soils and loosens heavy ones. In addition, the embedded green mass of the plant makes the soil more air- and moisture-intensive.
- Forms dense plantings - its stems are located close to each other, so weeds do not appear between them. Oats simply drown them out, showing better competitiveness. If unwanted vegetation does appear, it does not have time to form seeds before mowing the biomass.
- It gives a high yield - from one hundred square meters of land you can collect a mass equal to 100 kg of high-quality manure.
Thanks to all of the above properties, with the help of oats it is possible to restore neglected areas and put them into crop rotation, although this will take time - about 2-3 years. Gradually, the top fertile layer will be restored, losing nitrates that have accumulated over years of use mineral fertilizers. The soil will gradually receive nutrients from the green manure, which will allow it to become looser and more moisture-absorbing.
Oats can be confidently sown as an optimal soil loosener, as well as to prevent root rot from affecting garden crops.
Disadvantages of oats as green manure
There are several disadvantages of oats:
- Has a small amount of green mass. IN spring period the soil may be excessively depleted, so oats alone may not be enough to green manure it, although it will support the area where the sowing is carried out.
- Contains little nitrogen. For this reason, oats should be sown in areas where alfalfa or clover is already growing. In the future, the gardener needs to plow two crops at once.
- Needs low above-zero temperatures and frequent watering. Oats love shade, coolness and abundant watering, so they are more suitable for growing in regions with cool climates and wet springs. In hot weather, the plant will wither and dry out.
Despite some disadvantages, oats as a green manure have many positive characteristics, which is why they are used by many gardeners.
Which is better: oats or rye?
Any green manure plant has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should choose green fertilizers for different plantings and soil types. So, in order to determine which cereal green manure is better - oats or rye, you should compare their characteristics, and also decide on the purpose of planting.
How cultures differ from each other can be found in the table:
| Purpose | Soils | Consumption rate |
|
| Oats | Grown in areas where it is planned to obtain good harvest crops that need large quantities potassium Such crops include tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Oats can be sown after early harvest vegetable crops to mow before the first hard frost. | Prefers acidic or peaty soils. Not afraid of the risk of plant damage from root rot. | You can sow 1.3-1.8 kg of oats per hundred square meters. Mowing is done before mass flowering. |
| Rye | Planted under a number of garden crops. These include zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, tomatoes, late cabbage. It is one of the most frost-resistant green manures, therefore it is mainly used for winter sowing. | Grows well in all types of soil. It is also not afraid of virgin soil and beds that are prone to waterlogging. | You can sow 2 kg of rye per hundred square meters. The plant should be mowed 2-3 weeks before planting the main crop. |
In arid climates, it is better to sow oats, since rye has a drying effect. If you need to prevent the growth of weeds and destroy pathogens of fungal infections and nematodes, you should use rye. Its root system perfectly loosens even the heaviest soils, although it causes drying out of the soil surface.
Before winter, it is better to plant rye, since it is not only cold-resistant, but also not afraid of even severe frosts. Oats are more suitable for autumn or spring planting.
Some gardeners prefer to plant oats and rye together, since oat shoots saturate the soil with potassium and phosphorus, and rye shoots saturate the soil with nitrogen. In addition, both crops can be used for greening of depleted areas that have high acidity or salinity. However, when growing crops together, it is worth considering the risk that the main plant will not receive the required amount of moisture and will begin to develop worse. To avoid this, the mixture of seedlings must be watered abundantly, since rye and oat shoots consume more water.
What crops should I plant in front of?
Oats have virtually no relatives in the garden, other cereals, and they are an excellent precursor for most cultivated crops. These include:
- raspberries;
- currant;
- strawberries;
- strawberry;
- sweet pepper of any variety;
- tomatoes;
- cucumbers
Of course, it is worth considering that oats are cereal crop, so it cannot be sown in front of other grains, such as buckwheat or wheat. In addition, it is not recommended to sow oats in an area where you plan to grow potatoes in the future. The fact is that its root system attracts click beetles or wireworms, the population of which is increasing and poses a great threat to potatoes. So, for this crop it is worth choosing a different green manure.
After potatoes, on the contrary, it is recommended to sow oats for sowing change, since its roots contain specific substances that destroy the remains of potato scab in the soil, and also prevent the occurrence of root rot, nematodes and fungal diseases.
Oats should be planted together with legumes, such as vetch or fodder peas, since such a mixture is an improved manure and enriches the soil with all the necessary elements.
Sowing time
Oats are cold-resistant and even cold-loving crops, so it is advisable to plant them in the cool season:
- In early spring. When the snow melts on the site, winter seeds can be planted. So, the optimal time for carrying out this work is the beginning of April or the end of March. Oats like to grow in moist soil, so you don’t need to wait for the soil to dry out to plant them (it just needs to warm up). It is recommended that the planting itself be carried out approximately 2-3 weeks before planting the main crop, since green manure is mowed during the period of bud formation before seed set, when it contains a maximum of microelements.
- Early autumn. Oats are a cold-hardy crop, but not frost-resistant, so they need to be planted before frost sets in. The plant ripens quite quickly - in about 30-40 days. Oats planted in the fall should be mowed and left directly on the beds, lightly sprinkled with soil. This will make the soil loose and moisture-absorbing. Oats can also be left uncut. In this case, it will rot in the winter and be converted into fertilizer. One plowing will be enough to crush it and mix it with the soil.
Autumn sowing is preferable if the main crop is planted too early, due to which the oats do not have time to form a dense mass.
So, oats as green manure can be sown in early spring, when the soil is slightly dry, or in the fall after harvesting. The greens will be ready for use as fertilizer a maximum of 40-45 days after sowing.
The process of decay of plant residues will require about 2 weeks, after which the seedlings can be transplanted to the site. In total, preparatory activities take 2 months. Taking into account these time frames, everyone can calculate when to plant oats on their plot in order to saturate the soil in a timely manner.
How to sow oats as green manure?
If the plot is small, then green manure is usually sown in rows (beds), and if large - in bulk, followed by raking to a depth of 3-4 cm. When sowing using the first method, the consumption rate is 15 g per 1 sq. m. m plot. If the continuous sowing method is used, the amount of seed increases by 1.5-2 times. This indicator also increases if sowing work is carried out in autumn period. If a bean-cereal mixture is being prepared, then the proportion of oats should be reduced to 40%.
- for sowing it is worth choosing winter oats, especially when the green mass is planned to be cut in the spring;
- Before planting, the seed should be soaked for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid to prevent infection of seedlings by fungi;
- seeds can be sown manually or using a special device;
- When sowing by hand, the seeds need to be scattered over a pre-moistened area and sprinkled with soil.
The following video explains how to sow oats without having to dig up the soil:
How to care for crops?
After sowing, oats must be provided with proper care By following rules:
- Water thoroughly if the weather is dry. The fact is that oats are a moisture-loving crop, so if the amount of water is insufficient, then without additional irrigation it will not be able to actively grow and intensively produce green mass.
- Check the condition of the crops every 3 days. It is necessary to determine whether the sprouts have hatched, what type they are, whether the leaves are developing normally or are drying out due to warm weather. If the stems are stunted, then you need to add a little mineral fertilizer in the form of ammonium nitrate or superphosphate. It should be noted that similar problems have to be encountered if the previous crop has excessively depleted the soil even for green manure.
- Apply a special agrotechnical technique - when the oats reach 10-15 cm, you need to trim them by 30%. Such manipulations stimulate plant growth, which in the future makes it possible to obtain more green mass to fertilize the soil. It should be noted that gardeners have experimentally established that cereals cut to a third of their height outstrip even those plants that were sown a week earlier.
In general, oats are easy to grow and only need adequate moisture. Only in isolated cases is it necessary to add additional fertilizers to the soil.
When and how to mow oats as green manure?
About 30-40 days should pass from the moment of sowing to mowing, but it is better to navigate by the grown green mass and panicle of flowers. When pollen appears on it, you need to immediately cut off the stems. In addition, the cutting should be carried out at the initial stage of heading, when the oats have grown to 20 cm, since it is in this state that they contain the maximum of useful substances. In the future, the stems will begin to become coarse and poorly decompose in the ground, and will also be steadily deprived of potassium.
The following video shows how to cut oats to green manure the soil, and also explains why this particular grain crop should be sown as green manure:
At autumn sowing The mowing time often falls on the last days before the onset of cold weather, and in the spring - before the onset of hot May days.
Oats as green manure should be cut with a flat cutter, cutting the roots at a depth of 5-7 cm, and then embedded in the soil to a depth of 5-15 cm, depending on its structure: it is better to embed it deeper in clay soil, and shallower in light sandy soil. In any case, there is no need to excessively deepen the oats into the ground, otherwise, without access to air, they will begin to decompose and acidify the soil, bringing only harm to the plants, not benefiting them. So, it is enough to dig up the green mass to a depth of a shovel, and then press it top layer soil.
If mowing is carried out in the spring, then the oats must be embedded in the ground no later than 2 weeks before planting the main crop, otherwise it will not have time to rot in time. If the work is carried out in November, then there is no need to drive it into the ground. It is better to do this shortly before the April sowing. Thanks to the cut stems, the ground will not freeze too deeply, so it will be ready for planting in the spring.
After mixing with soil, the green mass quickly decomposes with sufficient moisture, resulting in green fertilizer. If necessary, you can speed up the fermentation process of biomass by watering the greens embedded in the soil with one of the preparations of effective microorganisms (EM) or adding ammonium nitrate.
There is no need to dig up the stems, leaving them on the ground as mulch. In this case, they will protect the soil from drying out and weeds.
If there is a lot of green mass, then the excess does not need to be embedded in the ground, since in this case it will turn sour. So, the remainder should be thrown into a compost pit, where the green manure quite quickly breaks down into other components. In addition, the green mass can be placed in a barrel of water or used as feed for birds and livestock.
Can oats be used in summer?
Oats do not tolerate hot weather well, so they are not recommended to be grown in the summer heat. However, some gardeners prefer to use it in the summer, since it perfectly loosens loams and clay, removes putrefactive bacteria and excess moisture from the soil.
In summer, spring oats are used as mulch, which are placed between the rows. To speed up the process of decomposition of green mass, it should be watered with a solution of biological fertilizer, and then covered with a layer of straw. Such manipulations will also preserve moisture near the roots and encourage soil insects to gradually process plant residues and turn them into humus.
Video: oats as green manure
The method of weeding oats can be clearly seen in the video below:
Oats are a cereal crop that can be used for soil greening, because, thanks to its branched root system, it removes weeds well and loosens heavy clay soils, preventing them from cracking and drying out. In addition, the green mass of oats acts as an excellent fertilizer, as it saturates the soil with nitrogen, potassium and other useful elements.
One of the oldest grain crops, which appeared on the fields long before wheat, accordingly, oats were one of the first to be used as a green fertilizer. Oat grains contain many vitamins and more protein than wheat grains. But this cereal is interesting not only for its grain - oats as a green manure bring no less benefits.
Advantages
Firstly, when decomposing in the ground, oat greens saturate the soil with organic matter and minerals, potassium, phosphorus and, to a lesser extent, nitrogen. Oats can be compared with manure in their ability to fertilize the soil. One harvest of green oat mass is equal to 500 kg of manure, on an area of 2.5 acres. If the goal is to increase the nitrogen content in the soil, then oats and legume green manure are sown, usually a vetch-oat mixture.Secondly, thanks to the fibrous root system, oats, like other grains, loosen the soil well and strengthen the top, fertile layer. Therefore, this cereal is good for heavy soil - it loosens it, improves its structure, makes it more breathable, and increases moisture capacity. Yes, and on light soils, oats will be useful - by strengthening the top, fertile layer with its roots, the plant protects it from weathering and leaching. Due to the enrichment of organic matter, light soils become more moisture-intensive.
Thirdly, oats as green manure - good remedy from weeds, all cereals can boast of this. Dense crops of oats suppress the growth of weeds, so in one season you can free the area from weeds.
Since this green manure belongs to cereals, it is a good predecessor for almost all garden crops, excluding, of course, cereal crops. It is worth considering that cereals attract wireworms, which also love potatoes, so planting oats before potatoes is not recommended. But after potatoes, there will be oats, by the way, since, along with other grains, this crop is good in the fight against potato scab. Also, this cereal green manure helps against nematodes, fungal diseases, and root rot.
The advantages of oats include its unpretentiousness. Oats sprout on almost any soil - chernozem, peat bogs, acidic podzols, clayey, sandy soils, loams.
When to sow oats in spring
There is even a Russian folk saying regarding the sowing time: if you throw oats into the mud, you will become a prince. IN middle lane In Russia there are supporters of sowing in early spring, who sow oats as soon as it is possible to go to the site, and farmers who prefer a “warmer” sowing time and sow grain somewhere from mid-April.If you missed the spring sowing, you should know that you can sow oats in the middle zone until mid-September. The crop is moisture-loving, it is worth taking this into account, so in the event of a dry late sowing period, you must be prepared to provide watering.
Seed dressing
Before sowing, it is worth disinfecting and treating the seeds with potassium permanganate. Oat seeds are kept in a 1% solution for 20 minutes. After this, the seeds are washed with cold water.How to sow oat seeds
Green manure is planted in bulk over large areas or in rows in a small area, in previously loosened soil cleared of weeds. The consumption rate for oat seeds when sowing in rows is 10 g. per 1m2 or 1000 gr. per hundred. When sowing in bulk, seed consumption increases to 16 - 20 g. per 1m2 or 160 - 200 gr. per hundred. After sowing, the oat seeds are planted to a depth of 3 - 4 cm - just harrow the area with a rake.When to mow oats
Early sowing of oats ensures an early harvest of plant material. The timing of mowing depends on the purpose of cultivation. You can start mowing greens after 40 days, during which time the seedlings gain a height of about 15 - 20 cm. Before mowing oats, you should first of all focus on the timing of planting garden crops. If after oats it is planned spring planting, let's say vegetables, then they mow and plant the greens in the soil, like other green manure, no later than 2 weeks before planting the vegetables.After mowing and embedding the seedlings into the soil, the area can be irrigated to speed up their decomposition. To avoid souring of greenery in the soil, you should not plant a large amount of it (in a thick layer). Excess greens are often placed in a compost pit, used for mulch or animal feed.
