Why sow oats. Oats as green manure: the best time to sow

Oats are a grain crop that people learned about and began to cultivate long before wheat. It was this plant that began to be used as a green fertilizer, discovering the still unknown properties of oats.

There is more protein in oat grains than in wheat kernels, they are enriched with a set of vitamins. Oats are grown as a cereal, but it is much more useful to sow oats as green manure.

What are the advantages of oats as green manure?

Decaying in the ground, young green shoots of oats saturate the soil with organic and mineral substances, potassium, and phosphorus. According to the ability to feed the soil, oats are compared with rotted manure.

One sown oat is equal to 500 kg of manure, on an area of ​​2.5 acres. If there is a need to saturate the earth with nitrogen, then oats or legumes are sown as green manure - vetch-oat mixtures.

Oats contribute to loosening, strengthening the top fertile soil layer during crop growth. Therefore, it is possible to sow oats on heavy soil, which it will loosen, structure and contribute to filling with moisture, nitrogen and oxygen. On light soils, oat cover will help strengthen the upper fertile layer, protecting the site from natural weathering and washing out. Enriched with organic matter by growing oats on them, soils become more water-intensive.

Oats as green manure is a great way to get rid of. In this regard, not only oats are good, but all cereals in general. Dense crops of grain crops help to muffle the growth of weeds, covering the ground with a dense green "carpet".

On the site where oats were grown last year, you can plant any horticultural crop in the fruiting season, expecting a perfect harvest, with the exception of cereal crops.

If you are going to sow oats in the country, be aware that cereals are attractive to wireworms who like to feast on potatoes. Therefore, sowing oats before potatoes is not recommended, but after that it is welcomed, because, like other crops grown on the site, oats have a preventive effect in the fight against potato scab, nematodes, fungal diseases, and root rot.

The advantages of oat cultivation include the unpretentiousness of the culture, which sprouts on almost all types of soil: black soil, peat bogs, acidic podzols, clay and sandy soils, loams.

Oats - an irreplaceable cereal crop

In nature, both annuals and perennial species oats, although the latter are much less common than the former. This representative of cereals, at the beginning of the growing season, forms a loose bush with leafy stems with an average height of 50-120 cm. Oats are an early crop that feels great in temperate climate so it is grown everywhere. It is grown for the purpose of cultivation, as a grain crop, as a green manure - green manure. It is insensitive to low positive temperatures, which allows sowing cereals as soon as the soil reaches physiological ripeness.

oats moisture-loving plant, therefore, it is important to take this fact into account and provide the cereal with favorable conditions. Agronomists register thin seedlings when grown in dry conditions and the further absence of the formation of a dense vegetative mass. Oats are a sun-loving crop. Although it is not demanding on the type of soil, but on the "poor" land, the coefficient of tillering and stalking is lower than usual. Therefore, if you are going to plant oats in fresh soil, it is recommended to multiply the seeding rate, especially if oats are grown as a fertilizer.

When is the best time to sow oats?

The timing of sowing oats is flexible. AT middle lane In Russia, most people who cultivate oats start sowing as soon as the snow melts and you can get into the garden. Although farmers recommend waiting until the soil warms up and becomes “warmer” closer to mid-April.

If the spring sowing did not work out, then such a grain crop as oats can be sown until mid-September, even in autumn. Because cereals love moisture, be prepared to keep your crops properly hydrated in dry weather.

Features of seed dressing

Before sowing oats by hand, do not forget to disinfect and pickle oat grains with potassium permanganate. This will help protect them from diseases and pests, and provide resistance to adverse weather conditions. Oat seeds are kept for 20 minutes in a 1% solution and washed with running cold water.

Technology of sowing oat seeds

Siderat is sown in bulk on large plots or in rows on small summer cottages. The soil is previously loosened and cleared of weeds. Seed consumption rates for sowing:

  • in bulk - 16-22 grams per m 2; 165-205 grams - per 1 acre of land;
  • in rows - 10-11 grams per m 2; 1000 grams - per 1 acre of land.

After sowing, the grains are covered to a depth of 2.5-3.5 cm by harrowing the area with a rake. Now you know how to sow oats in a summer cottage or garden with your own hands and without the use of agricultural technology.

Fertilizers for oat crops

To ensure good seedlings and further growth and bushiness of oats, use:

  • granular fertilizers and fertilizer mixtures, regardless of NPK composition;
  • granulated potassium chloride;
  • granules or crystals of ammonium sulfate;
  • fertilizers (suitable "Kaligmat" in granules).

How and when is oats mowing?

Early spring sowing of cereals provides early harvests plant masses. At the same time, the timing of mowing directly depends on the goals of growing crops.

You can start harvesting after 40 days if you decide to sow green manure oats early. When the seedlings gain a height of about 17-23 cm, you can get to work.

Starting mowing, focus on planting dates horticultural crops. If in the spring you are going to plant vegetables on the site after oats, then mowing and planting greenery in the ground (as well as other green manure) is carried out no later than 14 days before planting vegetables.

By mowing and planting seedlings into the soil, it is possible to ensure systematic watering of the site. This helps to speed up the process of decomposition of green oats. To avoid souring of green manure, it is covered with a thin layer. The remaining fertilizer greens are often sent to compost pit, applied to mulch or given away as pet food. In any case, the greens will not disappear.

Oats are not only a useful grain crop, but, as it turned out, a high-quality fertilizer of natural origin - green manure. Now you know how to fertilize the earth without using chemical compositions to get a healthy and rich harvest for the fall. The subtleties of growing and cultivating oat greens described in the article will help you understand the intricacies of the process of fertilizing the soil and grow high-quality oats, no matter how you plan to use it in the future.

oats we will have soil doctor. There's a lot folk proverbs in which our ancestors pass on their wisdom to us: This oats in the mud - you will be a prince.This oats in the swamp - will be like gold.

Oats sown in the mud will give a bunch of sheaves. Remember that oats can be sown as the first crop in the spring while the soil is very wet after the winter. Cold soil for oats is not terrible. Even if the occasional snow falls, there will be no harm.

It is necessary to carry out the sowing very quickly. Until the sun takes the moisture out of the earth. 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 on beds that will be used for planting seedlings. And that means they will stand empty until May. Here are the oats 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 right in the oats, plant seedlings, I wrap the planted plant around the hole with oat stalks. The rest of the oats are still growing in my garden. It performs the function of protecting young seedlings from cold winds. When the seedlings grow up and get stronger, I pull out all the oats and use them as mulch. It really turns out that oats are a doctor for the soil.

Did you read this? :

On the green manure or to improve the soil, oats in a garden plot can be sown in different dates. The first sowing date is early in the spring (at the end of April) in the soil prepared in the fall.

Sowing is planned for those crops that are planted in the ground late, the latest: 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 until the soil thaws completely.

It is not for nothing that our great-grandfathers composed such a saying about oats: “This 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 dates, oat seeds germinate already at + 1-2 degrees, and seedlings are not afraid of frost.

And if, after the emergence of shoots, snow fell again, this will only benefit them. In cold soil, the seeds are more quickly exposed to various kinds of infections, so they can be treated with the most famous drug for this - potassium permanganate (in a 1% solution for 20 minutes). And then rinse in cold water. Oats can be sown in rows - in the grooves. 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 they are buried in the soil with the back of the 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 and even a little more. The depth of seed placement 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 - it is necessary to allow the mass to partially decompose.

If the crop of green mass is very plentiful, part of it can be used for mulching or put into compost. If the weather is dry after green fertilizer is planted in the soil, then the bed should 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 time for oats yourself. It will be summer or autumn - depending on the time the beds are released from early cabbage, onions, winter garlic and other early harvest crops.

At the end of August and in September, it makes no sense to sow oats - here better fit 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. loosened the soil and digging it is much easier. It is very profitable to grow winter rye for green manure. After all, it occupies a 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. Start sowing winter rye in our area from August 20-25. When sown early, rye will have time to spread well before winter, and in early spring, only the soil will thaw a little, it will continue to accumulate green mass and grow roots. -6 cm (depending on the mechanical composition of the soil).

Sowing method: broadcast or row, with a row spacing of 10 to 15 cm - they try to sow thicker for green manure. The soil for growing winter rye should be prepared three weeks before sowing. In the spring, the grown green mass is crushed and buried in the soil also two weeks before planting the main crop. What is the advantage of crops grown for green manure?

Green fertilizer (green manure) will cost you less than manure, since you will have to spend only on seeds and partly on mineral fertilizers.2. Your garden beds with buried green manure will not get (as in the case of manure) millions of weed seeds.3.

The yield of crops grown for green manure is up to 300 kg (or more) of green mass, which is equivalent to the same amount of manure.4. In addition to the aerial 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 for the plants planted after them.5.

The plow of 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 the crops that we sow for green manure 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 decreases and pathogens of many diseases are suppressed. When sowing mustard, peas, beans for fertilizer, the wireworm disappears.8.

Potatoes grown after the introduction of green fertilizers are less affected by scab and other diseases. If you want to collect your seeds of oats and rye, then, firstly, you need to stock up on seeds of varieties zoned in your area, since rye brought, for example , from the south, it will not ripen for you. The second condition is the sowing time: oats are sown in early spring, winter rye - in the third decade 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 for grain, the crops are not thickened, they are sown less often: for oats with row spacing - 15 cm, for rye - 15-20 cm. ventilated area. And then the seeds are threshed and dried in a warm room. After a 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 the nutrition of an animal must be balanced and include a sufficient amount of vitamins for full growth and development. One of the favorite delicacies of cats, which is a storehouse of vitamins, is germinated 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 at home, because all you need to grow greens is sunlight, Fresh air, heat and some water.

It is better to choose dishes for growing oats shallow, but with a wide diameter, which will allow you to germinate a large amount of young grass. In a container, a layer of 1-2 centimeters is laid out earth or crushed sawdust.

From above, oat seeds are evenly poured, 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 already with green sprouts, which allows the oats to germinate faster.

Planted seeds should be watered abundantly and covered with a plastic bag in order to create the effect of a greenhouse. To accelerate the growth of grass, it is desirable that the earth or sawdust is always wet.

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 greens grow with a grid of potatoes or fruits. This will prevent the cat from digging into the ground.

Since animals are more likely to eat young grass, oats should be planted twice a month, especially since the process of how to germinate oats for cats is very simple and does not require special skills and abilities. And it takes quite a bit of time, because it takes only about a week to grow from seeds green grass approximately 5 to 6 centimeters high.

And you can feed oats even when the grass has taken root and even reached wax ripeness. If the cat refused 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 health of the cat, so a loving and caring owner should not neglect its cultivation.

What you need to know before you sow oats. Oats are not afraid of either cold or snow, so they can be sown to improve and fertilize the soil on personal plot at different times. The first sowing time is early spring, around the end of April, into the soil prepared in autumn.

Sowing is planned for such crops that are the latest 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, it is not even necessary to wait until the soil has completely thawed. 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, it will only benefit the oats.

In cold soil, oat seeds can be subject to various infections, therefore, 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 the grooves when a small area is allocated for sowing, and there are few seeds themselves. Scattered when the areas are larger.

At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the seeds are scattered evenly, and then plant them in the ground with the back of the rake, otherwise there is a danger that they will be pecked by birds.

When sowing oats in rows, the distance between them should be no more than ten centimeters. Seal depth - three to four centimeters. In this case, one kilogram of oat seeds is enough for a hundred square meters.

After the oats have given green shoots, they are cut, crushed and embedded in the soil two weeks after the planting of the main crops. If the weather is dry after embedding in the ground, you need to water the area abundantly with water to speed up the decomposition process. Otherwise, plants planted after oats will not feel very comfortable.

You can plan the next sowing of oats yourself, but it should be noted that it makes no sense to sow it 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 less, so you will have to water the site, both before and after sowing.

That's all that can be said about sowing oats as green manure. Nothing complicated! It will take only a little free time and a desire to increase the harvest harvested on your own personal plot.

A story about how oats grow and what is prepared from it.

Oats

How to sow oats

The fields sown with oats, until recently, stretched to the very horizon, delighting the eye with a pleasant first green, and then a golden carpet. Today, oats are sown less often, but this cereal is becoming popular due to its high nutritional value.

1 If we talk about oats, not on the scale of industrial cultivation, this crop has been widely used to improve the soil. Like a real doctor, oats suppress the growth of aggressive weeds, and the deep roots of the plant enrich the soil with potassium, organic matter, improving its structure and water permeability.

Green manure is used to improve the structure of the soil, protect the site from weeds and the scorching sun, as well as replenish the fertile layer of the earth with nutrients. When you need to sow oats as green manure, how will it help in the garden? Let us consider in detail the methods of using this crop on a personal plot.

The use of green manure

Siderates are green spaces that are used to restore the fertile layer of the earth after growing crops. With their help, you can replenish the depleted supply nutrients, which were used up during the cultivation fruit and vegetable crops. As siderates, plants are used that are capable of gaining a dense green mass in a short time. One such plant is oats.

The use of green manure in enriching the fertile layer with microelements does not end there: they protect the sown area from the spread of weeds. These plants are rapidly gaining vegetative mass, not giving weeds a chance to develop. Green manure also contributes to the aeration of the fertile layer, as they create conditions for loosening the soil.

Green manure crops can be sown at any time during the growing season:

  • before sowing the main agricultural crops;
  • after harvest;
  • instead of the main crops.

In early spring, gardeners sow green manure, which is then embedded in the soil when digging. After planting seedlings or sowing seeds. Another way to use green manure plantings is to cut green mass: crops are mowed and lined with them. In this case, oats as green manure are used as mulch in spring.

Oats as green manure are mowed before earing.

In autumn, immediately after harvesting the fruits from the site, green manure can be sown. Before sowing, it is necessary to carefully prepare the site: free the land from the roots perennial weeds remove all rubbish. Siderates are sown according to the principle lawn grass- in bulk or in rows. The method must be chosen based on the layout of the subsequent cultivation of horticultural crops.

The green mass of plants buried in the soil forms compost in it, which is useful in its composition for cultivated seedlings.

In autumn, sowing is carried out mainly in bulk, after mixing the seeds with sand. Sand is necessary so that the seeds are scattered evenly, and not heaped. After sowing, the soil is leveled with a rake. During the dry period, it is recommended to water the sown area with water.

The benefits of green manure

  • do not turn into mineral fertilizer;
  • moisten the soil and protect from drying out;
  • nutrients are not washed out of the fertile layer of the earth by rains;
  • green manure roots left in the ground contribute to looseness and aeration of the soil;
  • contribute to the enrichment of the soil with nitrogen and humus;
  • contribute to the increase in productivity on the site;
  • protect the fertile layer from blowing away during strong winds.

Plow green manure into the ground before they begin to bloom, at which time the green mass has accumulated a sufficient amount of nitrogen.

Oats as green manure

Oats as green manure in autumn and spring are of great value for garden crops and land:

  • contains useful protein mass;
  • contains an important mineral composition;
  • promotes aeration of the soil;
  • helps to strengthen the soil;
  • has herbicidal properties;
  • increases the productivity of the site;
  • disinfects the soil.

Oat stalks contain much more protein than clover or alfalfa. Therefore, growing oats is much more efficient.

The mineral composition is rich in phosphorus and potassium, which has a beneficial effect on crops that need these trace elements. Clay soil, enriched with oat green manure, becomes more favorable for growing agricultural crops.

Oats are distinguished by a branched and powerful root system, which favorably affects technical specifications soil: it becomes more moisture and breathable.

Strong root system favorably affects loose soils, as it strengthens the soil and does not allow it to crumble.

Oats sprout in dense rows, so they can be used instead of chemical herbicides: weeds have no chance to develop. The green rows of oats do not allow the development of a single weed.

Oats are one of the most unpretentious crops to care for. It develops on soils of any type, bringing great benefits: it effectively replaces fertilizer with manure.

Disadvantages of oats

  • insufficient amount of nitrogen;
  • insufficient volume of vegetative mass;
  • the need for frequent irrigation.

Oats are not rich in nitrogenous substances, this is its big drawback. However, nitrogen deficiency can be compensated by additional application of this substance to the ground. Plants especially need nitrogen in the spring, so when spring training the site should take care of replenishing the fertile layer with nitrogenous compounds.

Note! In regions with a hot arid climate, oats will not take root - they will quickly dry out.

There is another way to replenish the soil with nitrogen: sow alfalfa or clover along with oats. These plants will fully restore the nitrogen reserves in the soil, and you do not have to buy agrochemicals.

It should be remembered: oats prefer low temperatures, plentiful watering and shading. Therefore, it is often sown in autumn time. spring sowing also fully suitable for oats: the earth is moist, the air temperature is low, the sun's rays are not too active.

What crops are suitable for

When to sow oats as green manure, and for what crops? A novice gardener must remember the rule: you cannot sow the same crops one after another. That is, cereals are not grown before sowing other cereal crops. However, oats are not suitable for potatoes either, so it is not recommended to sow them under this crop. Oats cannot resist the wireworm, the most persistent potato pest. Therefore, before planting potatoes, you need to choose a different green manure.

If you are going to sow other crops on the potato plot, then oats will come in handy more than ever: it eliminates potato scab in the ground.

For all other agricultural crops, oat green manure will only benefit, so feel free to sow seeds and grow oats in spring or autumn.

Seeding rules

Consider the question of how to sow oats as green manure. We already know that this culture loves low temperatures and moisture, but does not tolerate arid climates and cold. October is the best time to plant in autumn. As soon as the crop is harvested from the site, you should immediately start sowing the seeds: the oats should have time to grow before frost. If weather forecasters predict early frosts, then sowing should be postponed. It is better not to risk it, but to sow the seeds in the spring.

Note! Oats need 40-45 days to grow vegetative mass.

Autumn sowing is very useful for replenishing the fertile layer with food. During the winter, the green mass manages to well-rotate and give valuable substances to the soil.

Oats as green manure are laid in the spring when melt water appears under the snow. In regions with a warm climate, this happens at the end of February, in other regions you need to wait for the month of March. In a month or so, the oats will sprout, but will not have time to sprout. As soon as the stems mature, the green manure is plowed into the ground.

Before sowing, seeds should be kept in a weak manganese solution for disinfection.

It is not necessary to keep in the solution for too long: twenty minutes is enough. After the seeds are thoroughly washed under running water, putting on gauze. The fabric will not allow the seeds to drain into the sink. Clear the area for sowing from debris and rotten growth, sow the seeds in random order. Dry soil before sowing is recommended to be well moistened with water from a hose. It will take about a couple of kilograms of seeds per hundred square meters of sown area.

Do not forget to systematically irrigate the seed plot with water in dry weather. If the grains grow poorly, then the soil needs to be fed with minerals. Superphosphate or saltpeter is well suited. However, if the soil is not too depleted by the cultivated crops, then oat seedlings grow without problems.

Mowing and incorporation into the soil

As soon as you notice a panicle of inflorescences with pollen, get ready to cut. You can’t grow oats longer: tough stems don’t melt well in the ground. A couple of weeks after mowing and planting greenery in the ground, crops can be planted. Before this period, sowing and planting is meaningless: oat stalks will not have time to rot.

In autumn, it is recommended to mow the greenery, but not to embed it in the ground. Just leave the stems on the surface of the earth: this will protect the soil from freezing. You can close up the autumn green manure into the soil in the spring - in April. If you have grown too much green mass, put some in compost heap. If you plow all the oats, it will begin to sour, and not rot.

Note! To make the mowed mass faster than rotted, chop it with a shovel before embedding it in the ground.

Embedding green manure in the ground enriches it with nutrients, and mowing the green mass serves to mulch and strengthen the sandstones with roots.

If you need to deacidify the soil or enrich it with agrochemicals, do this before sowing the seeds. For deoxidation, add wood ash or slaked lime. On the square meter the plot leaves a faceted glass of lime and a couple of tablespoons of fertilizer.

Outcome

A competent approach to working with the site will allow you to grow a rich harvest with a minimum of investment. organic fertilizers can do an excellent job if they are applied to the soil in a timely manner. Oats is a high-quality fertilizer for the soil, enriches it with microelements. It is also suitable for mulching, keeps the fertile layer from freezing in winter and replaces herbicides.

Oats perfectly structure the soil: loosen loams and strengthen sandy soils. This natural fertilizer can completely replace some agrochemicals and even compost. Oats are grown in spring and autumn, 40 days are enough for it to gain green mass. Then the shoots are cut off or the site is dug up. On sandstones, it's best to simply mow down the growth so that the roots strengthen the soil. On the fertile lands it is recommended to plow green manure into the soil, and plant crops on top. Remember that oats tolerate frost and heat equally poorly, and are also demanding on moisture.

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The annual use of soil for growing crops impoverishes, depletes the soil, and reduces crop yields. Compensate for nutritional deficiencies different ways. Simple, economical and environmentally friendly - sowing green manure plants - annual crops that have a beneficial effect on the structure of the soil, heal it, enrich it with useful trace elements.

This article is devoted to such green manure as oats: when to sow it, how to grow and harvest it.

Owners of household plots grow environmentally friendly products, using natural, organic preparations for fertilizer, pest and disease control.

Sideration is an opportunity to improve the structure of the soil, increase productivity, protect the soil from erosion (destruction by wind and water), without resorting to the help of "chemistry".

The root system of useful plants absorbs nutrients (potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, silicon, magnesium, calcium) from the deep layers of the soil, making them available for absorption and nutrition of garden plantings.

The roots of green manure are a real "bioplow", which improves the structure of the earth (sandy makes it cohesive, clayey - more airy), loosens, allows oxygen to penetrate, and maintains water balance.

Green fertilizers are used to reduce acidity, develop beneficial microorganisms, enrich the earth with organic matter, and get rid of weeds.

Oats as green manure: advantages and disadvantages

Any green manure crop is beneficial for the land and agricultural plants grown after it.

When planning the planting of vegetables or berries, you should familiarize yourself in advance which green manure is used for specific crops.

Oats grown as a fertilizer are no exception: they have their pros and cons.

The positive properties include:

  • frost resistance, shade tolerance;
  • undemanding to the composition of the soil;
  • high seed germination;
  • ease of care when growing;
  • compatibility with most crops (except potatoes and cereals);
  • good herbicidal properties (inhibits the growth of weeds);
  • rich in phosphorus and potassium compounds;
  • decrease in soil acidity;
  • production by the root system of substances that suppress the reproduction of pathogenic fungi and rot;
  • at spring planting will please seedlings long before the appearance of primroses.

The disadvantages are modest amounts of green mass and nitrogen. Another significant disadvantage is that oats do not respond well to hot weather and lack of watering.

Growing features

Like any plant, oats have their own specifics of cultivation.


Which crops are best to sow?

Oats are an annual from the cereal family, an unpretentious culture in terms of care.

Oats planted as green manure will be a useful precursor for plants that need a high potassium content in the soil. These are tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, pumpkins, eggplants, onion, raspberries, blackberries, currants, strawberries. Grown after oats, these crops will please with a bountiful harvest.

Do not plant oats before:

  1. Potatoes: there is a high probability that green manure will infect the culture with wireworm. It is advisable to sow oats after potatoes, since in this case it will act as a bio-fertilizer for the soil.
  2. Cereals: plants belonging to the same family suffer from the same diseases and pests.

When and how to sow oats?

Oats need to be planted in the ground until it dries out after the snow melts. The grass does not like heat and drought, therefore the best time for planting oats as green manure - spring (March-April, in warm regions - the end of February). Before the onset of hot summer, green fertilizer will have time to grow and enrich the substrate beneficial substances- you do not have to fertilize the soil with manure.

In autumn, oats are planted as green manure after harvest: from the beginning of September to the tenth of October. If such deadlines are observed, the cereal will have time to build up a deciduous mass before severe frosts.

Sowing oats is possible in two ways: scattered and in rows. In small plots or beds, the plant can be sown in rows. The distance between the strips is left about 10 cm. In large areas, they sow randomly, trying to scatter the grain evenly.


In both cases, the soil is first loosened and leveled. Grain material is prepared: the seeds are kept for 20-30 minutes in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, then washed several times in clean running water.

The consumption of oat seeds per one hundred square meters of land is 2-2.5 kg when sowing scattered, 1-1.5 kg when planting in rows. AT plastic cup a volume of 200 ml is placed 95-100 g of seed.

After planting, be sure to sprinkle the grain with a layer of earth 2-4 cm. This will protect the material from being blown away by the wind and pecked by birds. Thoroughly water the area with a watering can or hose with a sprayer. Oat grain loves moisture, so it germinates better in moist soil.

How to care for crops?

Special measures for the care of cereals are not required. The only requirement is a sufficient amount of moisture for the growth and development of green mass. If the weather is stingy with precipitation, you need to water the plantations using spray nozzles.

If the pierced sprouts are weak, grow poorly, this means that the previous plant has so impoverished the substrate that even oats cannot develop on it. In this case, you need to make a small amount mineral fertilizers, superphosphate or saltpeter.

When to mow oats and should it be done?

The opinions of professional farmers and amateurs on this issue were divided. Some are in favor of digging up green manure, others are for no-till farming.

Soil is an ecosystem in which all forms of life are represented. The plain-looking layers of the earth are rich in insects, fungi, bacteria, which are involved in the nutrient cycle. They create air and water channels, which improves the structure of the earth. Digging disrupts this ecosystem that takes months to build.

What to do with green mass in spring and autumn? It is reasonable to mow it and spread it on the surface of the soil. abandoned top layer greens independently rot, enrich the earth with organic matter. It is permissible to mix the stems with the ground to a depth of several centimeters. In the spring on fertilized useful plants soils carry out digging of sites for planting.

Mow biomass in 40-50 days. During this time, the cereal grows by 15-20 cm. If you miss the moment of mowing, then the overgrown aerial part will become rigid, partially lose useful trace elements, and will rot longer. Instead of mowing, the stems are removed with a flat cutter.

Grass planted in spring period before planting the main crops, mow no later than two weeks before planting vegetables and berries. This is due to the fact that all plants secrete colins (poisons) to oppress other seedlings. Two weeks is enough to harmful substances broke up and went into the deep layers of the soil, without harming subsequent plantings.

After mowing the biomass, it should not be buried too deep into the ground: without oxygen, the process of green rotting will begin.

Subject to the rules organic farming the use of green manure in crop rotation helps to increase soil fertility, balance acidity, improve structure, increase yields without resorting to aggressive means and methods.

Cereal green manure oats perfectly copes with the tasks. When taking into account the agricultural technology of cultivation, the culture will become indispensable assistant in the backyard of a summer resident or agricultural fields of farms.

Very often the land in the garden does not meet our requirements. It may contain a large amount of sand or clay. Most summer residents do not want to overpay for compost and use artificial fertilizers. AT agriculture there are more efficient safe ways to saturate the soil with useful trace elements. They will be of interest to summer residents who do not want to spend a lot of money and time to create an optimal soil structure.

Green manure crops are used to improve the physiological properties of the earth. They form humus, thereby improving the soil, and filling it with useful substances. Such crops can be sown from spring to autumn. Oats are widely distributed as green manure, which has a number of advantages. Often these plants are referred to as "greenish fertilizers", since all the nutrients that are in the root of green manure remain in the soil and fertilize it.

Kinds

Cereal green manures include wheat, barley, oats, rye. To legumes: phacelia, clover, peas, lupins. Compositae includes radish, mustard, sunflower. In addition, there are other annual siderates that grow in two months. Early maturing cold-resistant species include oats, fodder peas, and mustard. These species are sown at the beginning of the spring period, as soon as the snow melts. Plants are sown quite densely, with a wall. Fourteen days before planting the main crop, they are cut.

In the autumn, green manure is planted after crops that were made in the fall are not cut. Plants used to saturate the soil with nutrients can be sown for a whole season, as soon as the soil is freed from the main crop. The younger the green manure oats, the more nitrogen it contains, which means it will decompose faster in the ground. About fourteen days after cutting, the soil will be ready for planting the main crops. Mature green manure rot longer, however, the soil receives much more nutrients.

Oats - green protector

In agriculture, oats are often used as green manure to improve the quality of the soil. Oats - annual plant relating to is resistant to frost. This culture is quite unpretentious. Observing elementary agricultural technology, you can get enough fertilizer to enrich the soil. That is why the owners of farms, as well as vegetable growers in most regions of the country, give their preference to this cereal. Oat green manure activates growth organic compounds in the soil, which are necessary for the growth and maturation of the main crops.

Green manure is one of the safest soil fertilizers. Scientists have found that green manure crops cover the soil with vegetative mass, thereby protecting it from erosion, which can be caused by strong winds or downpours. Winter crops, which include oats, are able to return to the earth the nutrients used by the main crops over time. summer period. Covering green manure helps to correct the temperature of the soil, activates microbial activity, and in addition, changes the structure of the soil, creating root canals to improve water permeability, as well as aeration.

The use of oats as a green manure crop

Each soil differs in acidity, structure, nutrient levels and other features. There is no optimal green manure that would be equally suitable for loamy and chernozem soil. In addition, some of these plants are incompatible with certain types of crops.

Pros of using oats:

  • cold resistance;
  • shade tolerance;
  • can grow on poor soils;
  • simple growing technique;
  • high density of seed germination;
  • affordable price of seed material;
  • the productivity of the main crops increases;
  • compatibility with most types of crops;
  • suppresses the growth of weeds, and also cleans the soil from them;
  • able to process complex phosphorus compounds in the soil;
  • fertilizer contains a large amount of potassium - this mineral is needed for plants for balanced growth;
  • the roots of the culture give the earth special elements that prevent the formation of fungus and rot.

Disadvantages of using oats

  • A small amount of vegetative mass.
  • Low level of nitrogen to saturate the soil. To avoid this disadvantage, it is recommended to plant other green manure plants along with oats, such as clover or alfalfa.
  • Demanding for watering.
  • Does not tolerate heat well.

Oats as green manure, when to sow?

Basically, sowing of oats takes place by a broadcast method, which does not require special equipment (if we are not talking about sowing large areas). First you need to level and loosen the soil. Next, the seeds are sown, with the help of a rake they are covered with earth and watered. The soil layer above the seeds should not exceed two centimeters. When to plant green manure? Oats, as well as other types of green manure crops, can be sown in the spring. For example, those who live in the southern regions can sow seeds at the end winter period and those who have summer cottages located in the temperate climate zone, it is recommended to wait until the warm days of March.

On average, it takes about two kilograms of cereals to fertilize one hundred square meters of land. Depending on the type of soil and its nutrient content, the sowing rate can be increased or decreased. When is green manure in autumn? This question is asked by a large number of amateur vegetable growers. Agronomists advise planting oats in the first weeks of September, it is believed that this optimal time. However, when sowing in the autumn period, temperature conditions must also be taken into account. Planting should be completed before the first frost.

Using oats as green manure in the summer is a great way to improve the structure and condition of the land on the site, which is resting this year from sowing the main crops. In the spring, oats are planted, and during the summer they are mowed until flowering begins, so the young shoots absorb largest number nutrients and rot much faster.

When to mow green manure?

Agronomists advise cutting the crop before flowering in order to avoid uncontrolled self-seeding. To dig up oats in the autumn or not, each summer resident decides on his own. To form a humus layer, oats should be cut and left on the site. To change the structure of the soil and in order for the nutrients to penetrate deep into the earth, digging will be required.

seed material

In case you want to sow your own oat seeds, you will need to prepare the seed. Green manure oats should be planted in early spring. When preparing the soil for sowing, fertilizers are applied: five kilograms of humus, about a glass of ash or two tablespoons of complex dressings per 1 sq. m.

It is necessary to sow less often, with row spacing of fifteen centimeters. In case the weather did not allow the seeds to ripen in the garden, the stems of the plant are cut off and left to ripen in a dry, ventilated room. Next, the seeds are threshed and dried. Then, after about three months, the collected seed material is checked for germination.

Secondly, green manure crops should be mowed in time, avoiding lignification of roots and stems, as well as the moment of flowering. All this clogs the site, and makes it difficult to loosen the earth.

Thirdly, do not sow the same green manure in the same place every year.

Fourth, choose the crops you want to plant wisely. Some grow well on poor soils, others need fertile ones.

Oats green manure - valuable fertilizer which improves the quality of the land. With its help, the soil becomes loose, the amount of nutrients and microelements increases, and the moisture capacity increases. Siderata bring into the ground such necessary elements like magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. These cultures are the best environmentally friendly fertilizer.