Sowing mustard in the fall - when to dig up the beds
Most gardeners prefer organic soil fertilization. One of them is green manure, such as mustard. And if everything is clear with its spring planting, then many are interested in one nuance: sowing mustard in autumn - when to dig up the plot? And is it worth doing this at all, given that in some areas winter is early and the crops still do not have time to go into color. And until next spring, frosts will still destroy this annual crop. Before answering this question, let's remember what siderates are generally needed for, and specifically mustard.
White English mustard is used as a siderat. It is popularly known as yellow due to the characteristic color of the inflorescences.
Mustard green manure properties
In addition, mustard as a siderat has many other advantages:
- Actively growing crops prevent the emergence and growth of weeds in the sown area.
- There is a lot of mustard in the green mass nitrogen, which, after embedding, enriches the soil with it.
- Mustard has the ability to accumulate phosphoric acids, especially their sparingly soluble salts. This is important, because the reserves of phosphorus in the soil are rapidly depleting, and this is of great importance for the productivity of all crops.
- Siderat is able not only to give nitrogen to the garden, but also to delay its connections longer. This prevents rapid leaching.
- Mustard contains phytoncides, so it can be sown in problem areas to fight fungal diseases.
- Some pests do not like mustard, which also plays into the hands of gardeners.
- The mowed green mass is an excellent mulch blanket that will protect the beds from winter frost.
When using mustard as a green manure, you should not wait for its fruiting. Moreover, it is the green mass that is rich in nutrients that is important.
Sowing mustard in the fall - when to dig
Autumn sowing is carried out immediately after the site is vacated after harvest. Further actions depend on the climate of the growing region:
- In the south, with warm autumn and late frosts, mustard grows quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to dig it up after the seedlings reach a height of no more than 20 cm. It is important not to let them bloom, because then the plants coarsen and then decompose poorly in the soil.
- In the middle lane with a short and cold autumn, it is more expedient to leave young crops until spring. On the eve of close frosts, they will not have time to go into color. And it will be possible to dig up the site in spring.
If the green manure is still growing, but it is already cold outside, there is another option. You can simply mow the crops, and then they will mulch the earth and protect it from freezing.