Fast-growing siderat radish olive

We are not very lucky with the soil - the ground is heavy and clay. To get a harvest, you have to make an effort. I want to try this season to sow part of the garden oilseed radish. I heard that it loosens the soil well. Tell me how to use oil radish as siderat?

Unlike other radish varieties, oilseed crops are not grown for root crops. Its main value lies in the green mass, since the plant does not form a root as such. Instead, it grows a very long and branched rod, thicker at the top. Despite the unpresentable view, the roots of the culture are rich in trace elements such as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. A green mass can reach up to 1.5 m in height, while it is characterized by very rapid growth.

Thanks to these properties, oilseed radish is widely used as a siderat in horticulture. It not only improves the composition and structure of the soil, but also protects it from erosion. The crops left for the winter keep the snow on the ground, which prevents its freezing and rapid loss of moisture.

Cultivation of green manure

Oilseed radish per season can be planted up to 3 times, because the plant reaches full maturity in 1.5 months. The first sowing of seeds is best done at the end of April - at the beginning of May, when after the early crops the area becomes free.

In order to avoid the thickening of crops, seeds should be mixed with sand and evenly sown throughout the site. Soil after sowing zaboronovat. On 1 square.m. you will need a maximum of 4 g of seeds.

It should be borne in mind that when the green manure is grown in autumn, the consumption of seed material doubles. This is due to the natural growth retardation with decreasing air temperature.

Embedding into the ground can be started 50 days after planting, before the plant blooms. For this plot just dig a shovel. If the deadlines are missed, and the radish has greatly increased in height, you must first mow the green mass. Too thick shoots are better to pry and lay in the compost, where they quickly rot.

Properties of oil-bearing radish as green manure

As a green manure, the variety is suitable for use in any region, because it does not lose growth functions even in cold weather and endures long periods of rain. Especially good is the radish-siderat for heavy soil. A strong and long root system not only loosens the ground, but also “draws” useful substances from it to the surface, where they will be more accessible.

As a result of the use of oil-bearing radish as green manure:

• increases the water and air permeability of the soil;
• ; its essential oils do not give a chance to develop various bacteria and fungi;
• completely destroyed even the most resistant weeds;
• increases soil acidity;
• nutrients are converted to a more readily available form;
• in the decomposition of green mass is the saturation of the earth with phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.

The leaves and shoots of the plant are completely decomposed when there is a sufficient level of moisture in the soil.

Sowing oilseed radish as green manure - video