Siderata as the best way to increase potato yield

Any good gardener always takes care of his plot because he strives to get a wonderful harvest on it. Sometimes it turns out that the owner is zealous, and the weed is regularly cut out from him, but somehow he is not lucky with the yield. There is one factor that can fundamentally change the approach to growing crops in the garden - this is taking into account the order of planting. Usually the site is planned for beds, and due to its small area it can be difficult to change crops in places. This is especially true of potatoes, which are allocated a place and planted there for years. Experts recommend changing the land for a vegetable every 4 years, everyone knows that it gives a good yield after legumes, radishes, pumpkin, cucumbers, etc. This, of course, is an ideal option, only the plots for these crops are smaller than potato crops. But there is always a way out of all deadlock situations. Found it in this case too. To get an excellent harvest every year, it is worth planting green manures for potatoes.

What is siderat and what is the use of it?

Siderat is a technical plant that is not grown until fully ripe, but planted only for the purpose of enriching and improving the quality of the soil on the site. Usually these are annuals. The roots of such auxiliary plants are very branched, they perfectly loosen the soil, which is important for its heavy varieties. Some plants effectively fight vegetable pests by replacing chemicals. Their foliage is great for mulch.

You can plant such wonderful plants before planting the main crops in the spring or after harvesting in the fall. As soon as the green manure grows up, it is dug into the ground under the main planting culture. Here you should be careful and not miss the moment - the plants must go under the ground before flowering: young shoots always decompose better, giving away the useful minerals we need.

As a result, we get an ecological fertilizer that:

• reduces soil acidity;
• saturates the soil with useful substances: green manure in terms of "calorie content" is not worse than manure;
• effectively fights root crop pests;
• stops the invasion of weeds;
• perfectly loosens heavy soils;
• promotes moisture retention on light soils.

So, we have decided that the benefits of green manure for your small six hundred square meters can be enormous. But here the nuances of growing are also present:

1. It is necessary to correctly calculate the planting time so that the plants have time to grow up for their successful digging. Young shoots rot better and contain, among other things, a large amount of nitrogen. If you tighten it with digging and the plant will drive out the buds, then the rough stems will not only decompose worse; microorganisms responsible for this process will begin to pull the missing nitrogen from the soil. Thus, you will receive a reaction inverse to the enrichment of the soil, and we do not strive for this at all.
2. It is important to decide on the amount of green fertilizer. If there is little green manure on the site, then the enrichment of the soil will not be particularly effective, and if you overdo it with the amount of buried greenery, then the mass may become acidic, and not decompose.
3. Each crop requires its own green manure, which will deliver the maximum of the necessary substances necessary for the yield of this particular crop.
4. Each year, the green manure for one culture needs to be alternated, since there is a wide range of applications for each.

Which are suitable for potatoes?

In order to get a high-quality potato crop, the site requires the presence of a sufficient amount of nitrogen and phosphorus. Therefore, you should choose plants of a certain group for siderates for potatoes.

Experts recommend using the legume family for a vegetable - these are sardella, peas, sweet clover, lupine, alfalfa. They give the necessary nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil.

Rapeseed, mustard, rapeseed, phacelia, oats, wheat or rye are also green manure for potatoes, however, they contain an order of magnitude less nitrogen, but they are no worse in protecting the soil from weathering, dehydration and enrichment with other useful minerals. If you sow them for the winter and do not mow, then the crops retain snow well and save the soil from deep freezing.

Such different effects of plants can be used. Therefore, we recommend combining different siderates for potatoes, i.e. plant them together. Thus, you can achieve a very good renewal of the site, and, consequently, a guaranteed increase in yield.

How and when to sow

You need to start sowing siderates for potatoes in early spring; do not wait for the heat to heat up, it is enough to warm up the soil by 4-6 cm. The seed consumption is usually taken at the rate of 2 kg of green manure per 1 hundred square meters; as we have already noted, you should not overdo it. The planting technology is usual: the soil is loosened, grooves are formed, seeds are distributed in them, they are covered with earth - nothing new. You can sow randomly on loosened soil and then walk with a rake.

2 weeks before the expected planting of green manure under potatoes, it is necessary to plow. The digging depth for heavy soils is 6-8 cm, for light soils - 12-16 cm. Some gardeners advise not to bury the plants, but to cut them to a depth of 2-3 cm from the surface level and leave them in the area where the potatoes will be planted. A hoe or flat cutter is used as a tool. Don't be intimidated by the untidy appearance of the site, after a while it will all rot.

Potatoes on such a site do not sit too deeply, 5-6 cm will be enough. Even after planting the root crop, you can continue to "feed" it with plants. You can also sow siderates for potatoes, such as mustard, between the rows. It will loosen the soil and retain moisture, and ward off weeds, and scare away pests. Isn't it a potato keeper? As soon as the green manure for potatoes is equal to the height of the tops of the main crop, they should be chopped to allow the vegetable to develop normally.

The cut material can be used in several ways: leave it on site or add it to the compost heap. It's at your discretion.

Siderata for potatoes are able to raise the crop yield without additional fertilization by 50-60 kg per one hundred square meters. And in terms of saturation, 3 kg of green mass can be compared with 1.5 kg of manure. Therefore, we advise all gardeners to enrich their summer cottage in a similar way and enjoy an excellent harvest every year.

Video "Siderates for different cultures"

The video tells in detail about siderates: what are they, how and when to sow, under what crops to use, other features.