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As soon as gardeners do not tweak, their land remains fertile and the potato harvest is not poor: they prepare organic dressings with their own hands, buy complex preparations for fertilizing the soil. ..after harvesting root crops.
Properties of rye as a siderata
Rye serves as an excellent fertilizer in the garden, not only for potatoes. This is due to the fact that as a result of planting such a green manure:
- The structure of the soil improves. The rye root system is very developed, it loosens the ground well, increasing its moisture and air capacity.
- Stocks of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are replenished. The green mass of siderata is gentle and quickly decomposes, saturating the garden plot with organic matter, humus and microelements.
- Obstacles to the emergence and multiplication of weeds are created. Weeds, even such as sow thistles and wheatgrass, do not grow well on a plot sown with rye.
- Pest suppression. Rye is particularly effective in the fight against nematodes.
A characteristic feature of this siderat is that in the process of decomposition it returns to the earth all substances taken for its development, but in a more accessible form. Also, rye is absolutely unpretentious to the soil - it grows equally well on sandy, and on clay soils, and on black soil.
With all its advantages, rye also has drawbacks that should be taken into account:
- plantations during growth very dry the soil;
- if you skip the time of harvesting and bring the rye to the earing, the greens will harden and it will be difficult to cut and chop.
When can you sow rye? 
Winter rye is used mainly for green manure, respectively, and it should be sown before winter. Immediately after harvesting the potato, the vacated area must be loosened, but not deep. The depth of sowing of rye is about 5 cm.
Approximate time of sowing green manure is from the third decade of August to the third decade of September.
One can sow the seeds in the following way:
- beds with row spacings 15 cm wide;
- in bulk( seeding rate - 1.5 kg per hundred).
Winter rye belongs to the most frost-resistant and drought-resistant siderats. However, in the case when the fall sowing did not work, you can plant spring rye in early spring.
When and how to clean a siderat? 
Gardeners use two methods of cutting and planting rye for fertilizer:
- Before frost .The green mass, sown in autumn, can be mowed 10-14 days before the onset of frost and embedded in the ground( not very deep).
- Before planting potatoes. Overwinters grow very quickly. When they reach 30 cm, with the help of a scythe or other tools, one should cut the greens under the root and chop it. Then put the shovel into the soil on the bayonet. Typically, this procedure is carried out for 2-3 weeks before planting potatoes.
When using rye as a fertilizer, it is worth considering that the decomposition of green mass occurs only if there is enough moisture. Therefore, if there are no rains, you will need to water the area.
