Acidic soils in garden plots are not uncommon; the soil becomes acidic over time, more and more weeds appear in the beds, and productivity decreases. Typically, summer residents eliminate the problem by liming, but there is a method that is no less effective. Some plants can reduce the acidity of the soil, make it more crumbly, and saturate it with nitrogen. A detailed story about which green manures deoxidize the soil well will be useful for beginners and experienced gardeners.
How to determine soil acidity
Litmus test strips will help you accurately determine acidity.They can be purchased at flower shops, garden centers, and pharmacies. First, soil samples are taken from several beds in different areas of the dacha. Soil with a pH value from 0 to 7 is considered acidic.
A small amount of soil from a depth of 15-20 centimeters should be wrapped in several layers of gauze and placed in a glass filled with distilled water. The contents must be shaken thoroughly, and then the test strip should be placed in the container and left for 30-60 seconds. The colored strip is compared with the color scale on the litmus indicator package, and the acidity of the soil is determined from it. After carrying out several tests, they get an idea of the pH value over the entire area of the site.
Important: the soil is taken before applying fertilizers in order to obtain accurate values. The result obtained allows you to understand whether it is necessary to combat high acidity.
Green manure for acidic soil
These are fast growing annual plants that can be influenced by many factors:
- change the pH of the soil on the site;
- improve its structure;
- protect crops in the beds from diseases and pests;
- saturate the soil with nitrogen and other necessary microelements;
- obtain valuable biological fertilizer;
- use the remains of green manure as mulch.
Crops that can increase soil pH include: white mustard, various types of legumes, rye, oats, and phacelia. Planting sweet clover, alfalfa, fodder peas, clover, spring vetch and other legumes will provide nutritious food for animals in the farmyard. To deoxidize the soil, green manure is sown in the fall, after harvest, or in the spring.
What is better to sow
Mustard sowings protect crops on the site from infection and prevent the appearance of wireworms, slugs, and codling moths.You can sow at the end of August or at the end of April (in the southern regions - at the end of March). After 30-40 days, after mowing the crop, the gardener receives valuable fertilizer. It is often sown between rows and around fruit trees. After mustard, you should not plant cabbage, radishes, radishes. Plants from the same family suffer from the same diseases. After the green manure, carrots, potatoes, and nightshades (peppers, eggplants, tomatoes) are planted.
Rye is sown in the fall, it protects the soil from freezing, and by spring it forms a complete fertilizer. Mow the plant when a thick mass forms, until an ear appears. It is suitable for subsequent planting of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, radishes). After it, strawberries bear fruit well. It is better to combine rye with mustard to protect the area from wireworms. Green manure is sown 1.5 months before the temperature drops. Spring sowing is carried out after the snow has melted; the crop is not afraid of frost.
Phacelia is an unpretentious honey-bearing green manure that attracts bees to the site. Protects the soil from the spread of fungal infections, protects against the appearance of aphids, codling moths, and wireworms in the beds. It is sown after the snow melts and is not afraid of drought and frost. They begin mowing 1.5 months after sowing.
When to sow and when to bury green manure
Plants can be sown 3-4 times per season if the gardener allows the area to rest. Autumn planting of green manure allows you to obtain ready-made organic fertilizer by spring, comparable in value to manure.In this case, they are not mowed; they are left standing until the site is dug up in the spring.
Plants planted in early spring are plowed into the soil 2-3 weeks before planting the main crops; the soil must be given time to receive useful substances from green manure. To maintain effectiveness, planting should be repeated every 2 years.
Most green manure plants are unpretentious to soil types and weather conditions and do not require care. Sowing such plants increases crop yields, improves soil quality, and reduces the amount of chemicals used on the site. Systematic use of plants will help reduce acidity and make even difficult areas, poor in organic matter and nutrients, fertile.
