The use of organic fertilizers for your own summer cottage is becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. Such products are safer, they can increase plant resistance to diseases and pests, and improve the composition of the soil. For example, the use of mustard cake has a positive effect on the quality of potatoes and protects crops from insects. Detailed information about the properties of this fertilizer will definitely be useful to gardeners.
Description of mustard cake
Mustard has long been known as an oilseed crop, used as a spice suitable for improving the taste of meat dishes, and added to homemade canned vegetables.
At a summer cottage, Sarepta mustard is used as green manure - a plant that can improve the quality of the soil and rid the area of weeds. Due to the high content of essential oils in the stem and leaves of the plant, it is able to protect plantings from pests, fungal and bacterial infections.
Mustard cake is the compressed parts of the plant left after pressing the oil. It contains a much higher concentration of essential oils than growing mustard. The fertilizer contains mineral elements and fatty acids that are beneficial for plants. The cake remaining after cold pressing of the oil is used as a top dressing.
As a result of repeated (hot pressing), the result is not a useful, but a dangerous fertilizer; such cake cannot be used in the garden. Under the influence of high temperature, solvents are formed in such cake, which are quite toxic compounds.
Oilseed waste is thoroughly dried and ground. The finished homogeneous substance is capable of disinfecting the soil thanks to the phytoncides it contains. Fertilizer protects vegetable beds from:
- wireworm;
- nematodes;
- Colorado potato beetle;
- scoops;
- carrot and onion flies.
Spectrum and operating principle
The fertilizer is used to protect the root system of plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) from various types of rot; it protects potato tubers, carrots, and radishes from damage by pests.
Important: fertilizer should not come into contact with plant roots. The cake is placed in the hole, sprinkled with soil to a depth of 5 centimeters and the plant is planted.
Berry bushes are fed with mustard cake (planting raspberries, red and black currants). Scattering the cake around the berry bushes protects the plantings from pests. The essential oils contained in the preparation repel insect pests and disinfect the soil around berry bushes. Indications for use on plantings of strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants: the appearance of weevils, protection against fungal infections.
It must be remembered that improper use (contact of the roots directly with the cake) can cause burns to the root system and inhibition of plant development.
Instructions for use
The cake can be applied to the soil during autumn or spring digging of the site (100-200 grams per 1 square meter of area). Used for feeding tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, onions, garlic, cucumbers. When planting, place a teaspoon of cake (15-20 grams) into the hole, sprinkle it with 5 centimeters of soil, then plant the plant.
Improving root crops
When planting carrots and radishes in a summer cottage, lightly sprinkle the rows with cake before planting the seeds in the soil. 1-2 tablespoons of fertilizer per square meter is enough.
Potato fertilizer
It is placed in the hole when planting potatoes, a tablespoon under each tuber, sprinkled with earth on top so that the potatoes do not touch the fertilizer. Mustard cake can be used together with wood ash and Fitosporin.An overdose of the drug is almost impossible, but it is better to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations available on each package of substrate.
Greenhouse
In the greenhouse, the cake is used after harvesting. Mixing with soil allows you to disinfect the soil, preparing it for the next season. Use 20-40 grams of product per square meter. Fertilizer is sprinkled on the beds, after which the soil is loosened. The soil should be slightly moist.
From pests
The product can protect berry bushes (raspberries, black and red currants), and vegetables from pests. In this case, it is scattered around the bush (20 grams) or used as mulch in the beds.
Safety precautions
Work should be carried out with rubber gloves. Afterwards, you need to wash your hands thoroughly. The product does not generate dust, is not a toxic compound and does not harm beneficial insects on the site.
When should cake not be used?
Mustard belongs to the cruciferous family, so the cake is not used to fertilize any types of cabbage, turnips, and arugula. It is not used on swampy and acidic soils, as it can increase the acidity of the soil.
How to store biofertilizer?
Store mustard cake in dry rooms with good ventilation, away from direct sunlight. The packaging must be tightly closed; the package must contain information about the name and purpose of the fertilizer. Do not keep near food, feed or animal supplements. If stored properly, the shelf life of the fertilizer is unlimited.
What can be replaced?
Instead of mustard cake, you can use mullein (manure mixed with water in a ratio of 1:5 and infused for 2-3 weeks), pine litter. You should choose well-rotted brown needles. These are also effective organic fertilizers that can improve the quality of the soil, its structure and saturate the soil on the site with the necessary microelements.
