Improving the soil with mustard: when and how to sow? White mustard as green manure: beneficial properties Mustard seedlings have turned yellow in places and are stunted in growth.

For Agriculture mustard cultivation has important. The crop is grown for fodder purposes; white mustard oil is used in Food Industry, for soap production and for technical purposes. This plant is an excellent honey plant. In addition, white mustard can improve the mechanical composition and structure of the soil in a short time.

It is these qualities that interest gardeners. Using mustard as a green manure eliminates the need for organic and chemical fertilizers and allows you to grow high-quality and healthy vegetable products. And the low cost of seeds, compared to the cost of fertilizers, helps save the family budget.

Article outline


Biological characteristics

Sinapis alba (white mustard) belongs to the cruciferous family and is an annual oil plant. Its closest relatives are black radish and cabbage.

Mustard is unpretentious to growing conditions and differs short terms ripening, resistant to seed shedding and lodging, practically not damaged by pests and almost not sick.

The root has a rod shape, has high assimilation qualities, and can grow to a depth of 1.5 meters. Lateral roots are located in the top layer of soil, growing horizontally 50 cm - 70 cm away from the main rod.

The stem is erect, ribbed, with multiple branches, covered with hairs. The height of the plant usually reaches 80 cm - 140 cm, depending on the structure of the soil and the intensity of watering during the growing season.

The leaves are bright green in color, have a dissected shape at the bottom of the stem, and are whole at the top. The inflorescences are yellow, have a pronounced honey aroma, one inflorescence can contain 25–100 flowers. The flowers are formed in racemes, of which there are 3–5 on one plant. The fruit is in the form of a multi-chambered, tuberous pod Brown with 4 – 6 seeds. Seeds are round with smooth surface light yellow color.

Stages of biological development:

  1. Shoots;
  2. Leaf formation;
  3. Shooting;
  4. Formation of buds;
  5. Bloom;
  6. Ripeness.

In turn, ripeness is divided into green, waxy and full. White mustard shoots under normal humidity conditions appear already on the 5th – 7th day. The plant does not have a rosette phase, since the beginning of stem growth coincides with the development of leaves.

The flowering period is observed approximately 30 days after emergence. Seeds ripen in the last ten days of July until mid-August.

Compared to other green manure crops, such as rapeseed, blue mustard or phacelia, white mustard is more cold-resistant. Seed germination occurs already at a temperature of +1°C – +3°C, optimal temperature for mustard development +16°C – +22°C. Nevertheless, white mustard is moisture-loving, and in the first stages of development it needs regular watering.


Ecological significance

White mustard refers to a number of green manure crops that restore and improve the structure of the fertile soil layer. The vegetative mass of mustard is rich in:

  • Vitamins;
  • Proteins;
  • Essential oils;
  • Microelements.

Even one incorporation of green mass into the soil improves its composition, saturates poor soils with humus, and makes the soil looser.

Thanks to its powerful rhizome, mustard consumes phosphorus and potassium from deep soil layers and saturates depleted soils with nitrogen necessary for normal plant growth.

In addition, mustard successfully fights the appearance of late blight, scab, fusarium, all types of rot and other fungal infections.

Regular sowing of this green manure allows you to permanently get rid of slugs, wireworms on potatoes and aphids on fruits. berry crops Oh.

Mustard becomes best predecessor for grains, as well as for nightshade crops. Green manure is used when growing seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in unprotected soil.

Sowing dates

You can use mustard as green manure in the spring, throughout the summer and in the fall. In spring, green manure is sown when the soil temperature stabilizes to +7°C – +10°C, approximately a month before planting the main crop.

Earlier sowing will not harm mustard, which has high qualities frost resistance.

The seeds will not freeze and will sprout when the ground warms up to the required temperature. But later sowing of seeds can lead to accelerated growth of mustard, and this will negatively affect the amount of its above-ground part, and there is also a possibility of damage by the cruciferous flea beetle.

Mustard is effective against codling moths on beans, beans and peas, expels wireworms in beet and potato fields, successfully fights gooseberry moth, late blight on carrots and tomatoes, and prevents fungi from developing on grapes.

To protect the plantings, mustard is sown next to vegetable crops; in fields with potatoes, green manure is sown between the rows.

In autumn, mustard is sown to prepare the soil for the next season:

  • As a prevention of infections and pests;
  • To replenish nutrients;
  • To improve the structure when there is a deficiency of humus in the soil.

To understand when to sow mustard, determine the main purposes of using green manure. For example, to enrich the soil, planting in the fall will be the least labor-intensive. For the same purpose, mustard is planted in the spring, but in this case timely sowing and incorporation of mustard into the soil is important.

More often, spring sowing is used in order to then plant vegetable crops. For example, by the time of planting tomatoes in open ground holes are dug in the bed with green manure. The remaining mustard will shade the young plants, repel pests and help prevent fungal infections.

Please note that mustard, unlike phacelia, grows back, although each time in smaller quantities.

Often gardeners set aside special beds for mustard so that they can then cut off the stems for mulch. Green manure is also used as a barrier for incompatible crops.

Beds with green manure between tomatoes, carrots and potatoes would be appropriate, since these plants have the same diseases. As a barrier, you can plant mustard between tomatoes and zucchini.


How to sow mustard?

The process of sowing mustard does not require digging up the soil; it is enough to loosen the soil to a depth of 8 cm - 10 cm and level it. In the beds, mustard is sown in bulk on the surface, followed by seeding with a rake.

  1. On large areas The seeds are planted in rows to a depth of 3 cm - 5 cm.
  2. Usually 15 cm is left between rows, but the type of soil and planting purpose must be taken into account.

During late planting in spring, when the vegetative mass of green manure grows less actively, the distance between rows can be reduced to 10 cm.

A similar distance is left between the rows when the purpose of planting is to reduce the number of weeds or in cases of sowing mustard on very depleted or sandy soils. But it is still not worthwhile to thicken the plantings too much, since mustard can be affected by pests.


Planting mustard into the soil

For planting mustard to actually bring benefits, you need to know how to properly incorporate this green manure into the soil.

The embedding procedure is carried out before flowering begins, when the vegetative mass retains its rich color and the stem has not begun to turn into a tube.

The basic rule for using green manure is that the green mass must remain in the top layer of soil, otherwise the beneficial effect will be lost.

Therefore, the mustard is not dug up, but most often cut or mowed, leaving it on the surface. However, in the case of a dry spring, the cut mass will take longer to rot, and the soil will not receive the full amount of nutrients.

Experienced gardeners recommend not mowing mustard, but using the hoe method. The plant is tapped at the root and sprinkled with a little soil. In this case, it will take only 7–10 days for the mustard to begin releasing microelements and replenish the soil with humus.

Please note that such sealing will only be needed in spring. If mustard is planted before winter, you don’t need to do anything with it. The green mass should go under the snow. At the beginning of winter, decomposition processes will begin due to internal heat plants and soil, and in the spring, along with the melting of the snow, the mustard will completely rot and give up everything useful material naturally.

What to choose - mustard or phacelia?

The question of which is better, phacelia or mustard, causes controversy among farmers. In fact, both green manures have advantages and you need to choose a crop taking into account the planting goals, location of the site and soil type.

The benefits of phacelia include:

  1. Versatility - phacelia can serve as a predecessor to any plant;
  2. Phacelia nectar attracts entomophages, which destroy pests;
  3. Decorative – phacelia blooms with beautiful blue-violet flowers.

Phacelia belongs to the gimlet family. Other plants of this species in middle lane do not grow, and therefore phacelia can be planted in front of any vegetable, ornamental or berry crop.

Phacelia nectar is a natural fungicide; it attracts entomophages, which, in turn, destroy codling moths, aphids and leaf rollers. Wireworms, locusts, and nematodes do not tolerate the aroma of phacelia.

If we compare this green manure with mustard, we can confidently say that the repellent effect of phacelia is more intense.

At the same time, phacelia is a good honey plant, and beekeepers often sow entire fields of phacelia for bees to work with.

The decorative nature of phacelia flowering allows you to plant this flower in empty spaces or plant it in flower beds, which make it look even more attractive.

The disadvantages of phacelia include:

  • High cost of seeds;
  • Higher consumption of planting material compared to the mustard sowing rate.

For 1 m² you will need up to 10 g of phacelia seeds and no more than 7 g of mustard. In large areas, planting mustard will become a more economical activity.

If we talk about the advantages of mustard over phacelia, we need to remind you that mustard better tolerates short-term frosts down to -7°C, and it can be planted in the spring much earlier than phacelia.

The period from germination to the beginning of flowering in phacelia is 10–12 days longer, and after cutting, this flower does not grow back, unlike mustard.

Which green manure to choose must be decided taking into account the characteristics of the site and soil structure. The goals and timing of planting are of no small importance when choosing green fertilizers.

Proper agricultural technology for green manure crops will in any case bring positive results. The soil on which green fertilizers were used will be transformed and will thank its owners with environmentally friendly fruits and a bountiful harvest.

Organic (ecological) farming methods help to grow cultivated plants without the use of synthetic drugs and pesticides. To enrich soils with useful substances, green manure plants are used, including important place Mustard occupies.

Sowing mustard to fertilize the soil allows you to avoid mineral fertilizers and makes it possible to obtain environmentally friendly vegetables. At the same time, the natural ecosystem is preserved in the soil.

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    The essence of the method

    Green manure plants, otherwise called “green manure,” improve the quality of the soil layer. They contribute to the formation of valuable vermicompost and saturate the soil with useful organic compounds. If there is a lot of humus, microorganisms actively multiply, the thermal conductivity of the soil layer decreases and its heat capacity increases. In humus soils, plants absorb water more actively.

    The roots of green manure loosen the soil and it becomes more porous. The plant mass accumulates useful substances, moves them from the lower layers of the soil to the upper ones, thereby green manure plants improve the quality of the soil.

    Mustard as a green manure, along with alfalfa, rapeseed and phacelia, is actively used by farmers and private gardeners. Most often, white mustard is planted as a fertilizer, and less often, Sarep mustard (blue mustard).

    Benefits of green manure plants

    The greens and roots of this plant, rotting and being processed in the soil, form up to 400 kg of vermicompost and other important organic compounds per hectare of land. A large amount of organic matter is the key to a good harvest of garden crops and berries. Mustard has the following beneficial properties:

    • Assimilates nitrogen from the soil (which prevents the removal of this element from upper layers soil), accumulates phosphorus and potassium.
    • When the green mass and roots decompose, mustard releases phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium into the soil.
    • Root system plants loosen the soil well; green mass and roots are processed by worms and microorganisms into vermicompost.
    • The seeds germinate quickly, grow actively and suppress the growing season of weeds.
    • The essential oils of this plant prevent the proliferation of certain fungi, bacteria and viruses (scab, rotting microorganisms), and the number of wireworms and slugs in the area decreases.
    • Mustard stimulates the growth of legumes planted in the neighborhood and grapevines, allowing for faster crop rotation on the site.
    • Smell essential oils repels some types of aphids and codling moths from fruit trees.

    The root system of an adult plant has a rod structure. It penetrates into the soil and subsoil layer by 2.5-3 meters. As a result, the soil is better ventilated, becomes moisture-absorbing and loosened.

    Mustard stems grow up to 70 cm in height. Therefore, plantings that are not mowed and left for the winter form dense, laid-down thickets that protect the ground from the winds.

    Constant strong winds blow away moisture and reduce the quality of the soil, as they carry away the finely dispersed part of the soil layer. The long stems of plants such as mustard prevent this process. Standing and laid down plantings of herbaceous plants and cereals retain snow on the site, resulting in reduced freezing of the soil layer.

    Seed material

    White mustard seeds can be purchased at specialty stores and pet food departments, or in flower and seed departments. Mustard seeds are sold in bags of various sizes or by weight. In such departments you can also buy other green manures; packaged white mustard is also available in online stores.

    High-quality seeds have a uniform light yellow color, they are hard, elastic, and do not have spots of gray and black mold. Among the yellow seeds there are grains of brown color.

    When buying grain by weight, you need to be sure that sellers are offering white mustard seeds and not rapeseed. It is difficult to distinguish them from each other without experience.

    Store seed in a dry room with normal or low humidity. If on outdoors hold on subzero temperatures, it is better to sow mustard seed in a pantry or dry cellar. Although planting material can normally withstand temperatures down to minus 5 degrees, it is better to prevent damage from freezing.

    Gardeners who plant this green manure every year produce seed material themselves. They sow some of the mustard seeds in a separate bed, thin out the sprouts so that the distance between plants is at least 15 cm, and harvest the seeds in the fall.

    Disembarkation dates

    Many farmers and private gardeners have appreciated the positive effect that white mustard gives as green manure; when to sow - in autumn or spring, everyone determines from their own experience. Sowing time depends on geographical location region, temperature and weather conditions of the growing season. Indigenous village residents often rely on their own sowing calendar. To this day, they focus on specific dates and holidays and begin sowing grain crops, flax, mustard and vegetables in accordance with them.

    Spring chores

    When to sow mustard in spring? At this time of year, green manure can be planted as soon as the snow melts and the soil thaws. Thus, in the southernmost regions of Russia and some CIS countries, sowing work can begin already in the last ten days of February. In regions with colder climates, this crop is sown in March, April and May. Sprouts appear from the ground already at an air temperature of 1-2 degrees.

    In order for the return from green manure to be maximum, sowing should be carried out a month before planting vegetables, berries and flowers in the ground. Sowing work is carried out before the beds and flower beds are formed.

    The roots and green mass of mustard can suppress the growth of vegetables and other crops if the roots and greens have not had time to rot. Therefore, at least 1-1.5 weeks should pass between planting mustard greens in the ground and planting the main crops.

    Work in autumn

    Sowing mustard in the fall will allow it to sprout and develop green mass until the soil freezes completely. Green manure sown in August, the first and second ten days of September can grow well and even gain color.

    If the stems of the plants have stretched 17-20 cm by the end of October, the greens are mowed down. After this, the area is dug up. If the stems and leaves are small (height 8 cm or less), the greens are not covered in the fall. It remains in the garden for the winter, and planting is done in the spring.

    When to plant white mustard in areas where above-zero temperatures last until mid-November? In the south, you can sow mustard in the fall in October and even in early November. This crop can produce partial germination at an air temperature of 2-3 degrees Celsius. If during the day the air warms up to 5-8 degrees, the shoots will be friendly, and the stems of the plants will stretch 8-10 cm in height. Warm, sunny, long autumn promotes good growing season.

    Young shoots do not die even at subzero temperatures (down to minus 4-5 degrees). If snow falls on green sprouts and melts on the same day, the seedlings will not die.

    In autumn, mustard should be sown immediately after harvesting, no later than 2-3 days. Otherwise, weeds will begin to sprout in the beds and flower beds.

    Harm to cabbage and other cruciferous crops

    Despite great benefit, which mustard brings, it cannot be grown in the garden together with cruciferous crops, since it itself belongs to this family. This plant is susceptible to a number of diseases that affect cabbage, radishes, radishes, turnips, and turnips. Cruciferous plants suffer from gray rot, Alternaria (black rot), white rot, false powdery mildew, vascular bacteriosis, phomosis, tracheomycosis, black ring spot, blackleg symptom.

    For everyone garden plants This large group is inhabited by the same pests. These are the cruciferous flea beetle, cabbage leaf beetle, oral fly, wavy flea beetle, centipede, aphid; several species of butterflies lay their eggs under the leaves of cruciferous plants and later their caterpillars eat the foliage.

    If you sow mustard with fertilizer, then, despite the short growing season, it can be affected by fungi and viruses that are dangerous for cruciferous crops. And after mowing and planting the greenery in the soil, fungi and viruses will settle on the main crops - cabbage seedlings, radishes and other crops of this group. Pests of cruciferous plants will quickly settle on them if they have managed to take root on mustard stems and foliage.

    Mustard as a fertilizer can be sown after cabbage, turnips, radishes and other vegetables. But you cannot plant vegetables of this group after mustard.

    Impact on other garden crops

    How does planting mustard affect other garden crops? Exists large group plants that give good harvests after this green manure. Thus, mustard plantings have shown high efficiency in potato fields. Sowing of green manure is done twice - in the spring, before planting seed potatoes, and in the fall, after harvesting. Also, green manure is planted twice a season before planting and after harvesting ground cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, beans, and beans. Rotten greens and mustard roots significantly increase the yield of these crops and vegetables.

    Cucumber and tomato seedlings grow quickly in soils fertilized with this green manure plant. Strawberries planted in fertilized areas also produce large yields.

    So, for example, in August, after harvesting a tomato, mustard seeds should be immediately planted on the plot. Densely sprouted greenery can be mowed in September, but it can also be left until winter.

    In spring, the area is plowed with a tractor plow or motor cultivator. Since tomatoes often suffer from late blight and other diseases, before plowing the soil is watered twice with water containing phytosporin.

    Green manure plants are planted densely, trying to get as much root and green mass as possible. You can sow mustard not too thickly, but then the effect of cultivation will be less.

    A root system developed in depth and to the sides can suppress the germination of small seeds planted in the ground. Root crops of carrots, parsnips, and beets will be deformed and there will be no high-quality harvest. For this reason, it is not recommended to plant seeds of root vegetables in place of green manure plantings of mustard.

    Preparing the site and sowing seeds

    How to sow mustard on green manure correctly? To carry out the work, you need to completely remove the main crops from the site and only then start planting green manure. Site preparation is carried out in the following order:

    • Fields and beds are cleared of remnants of the main crop (stems, leaves, lashes, tops).
    • Weeds are completely removed from the site. If weeds have capsules with ripe seeds, you should try to remove them so that they fall to the ground. minimal amount seeds
    • Green manure grows well in soils enriched with calcium. To adjust the composition of the soil, sand, lime, ash or dolomite flour are added to it.
    • The area is fertilized with humus, scattering it over the surface of the soil with a shovel. This is done in the fields using special equipment. For an area with a moderately alkaline soil reaction, it is enough to add 1-1.5 buckets of herbal compost or humus per square meter.
    • The beds are dug up with a shovel, large areas are plowed with a motor cultivator or plow to a depth of at least 20-25 cm (this crop loves loose soils through which rain and irrigation water seeps well).
    • The beds are leveled with a rake, breaking up large lumps of earth. For large areas, a harrow is used.
    • You can plant mustard on green manure without forming beds or flower beds; they can be made later, when the green manure is mowed and embedded in the ground.

    Process technique

    To plant green manure crops, you do not need to make furrows or holes. There is no need to maintain a certain distance between seeds. This planting method is called carpet planting. How to plant mustard correctly?

    • Seeds are taken in a handful and scattered evenly over the ground (taking into account that 5 grams of seed should fall per square meter).
    • If in some places the seed is densely sown, it does not need to be moved to another place. The goal of growing green manure is to obtain a dense root system and abundant green mass.
    • If seeds fall rarely, you can carefully add a few more grains on top of them.
    • Seeds scattered on the ground are sprinkled thin layer soil. The thickness of this layer should not exceed 1 cm.
    • When sowing small grains using the carpet method, some of the seeds may remain on the surface. Experience shows that they also germinate and sprout.
    • The area is thoroughly watered with a watering can. Watering using hoses with nozzles that create a powerful stream of water is unacceptable. This will lead to washing out and deepening of the seed material.

Increasingly, modern gardeners and gardeners are faced with the problem of soil depletion. Scientists suggest applying various mineral and organic fertilizers to restore and improve the productivity of the fertile layer.

Eco-friendly fertilizers

However, the most accessible and environmentally friendly method is to grow green manure plants on the site, which are also called green manure. Such crops that can enrich the soil with nitrogen and other organic substances include various types of clover and lupine, peas and beans, sweet clover and rapeseed, phacelia and, of course, white mustard. This article will tell you about the features and characteristics of this plant, methods of soil preparation and planting, as well as the use of white mustard.

A little history

The ancient Greeks and Romans knew and often used mustard for various purposes. The story has been preserved to us that in 33 BC. e. The military leader of the Persians, Darius, sent his opponent Alexander the Great a bag filled with sesame seeds as a challenge to battle. In response, the Macedonian sent a small bag containing white mustard seeds to the Persian camp. Such a message meant that, although the Greek army was smaller in number of soldiers, they were more “hot” and active in battles. The famous Greek healer Hippocrates used various parts of the mustard plant to treat many diseases. The spread of white mustard in Europe was facilitated by military operations and campaigns of the Romans, who used it for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

Botanical characteristics

White mustard, or, as it is also called, English mustard (Sinapis alba), is an annual Pancake week herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Sinapis (Mustard) of the Cruciferous (Cabbage) family. The root system of this green manure is deep and taprooted. The main root can “go” to a depth of up to three meters. The lateral roots are in upper layers soil and grow horizontally, moving 60-70 cm from the main one.

The above-ground part of white mustard grows up to 80 cm. The plant blooms, depending on weather conditions, in June-July, with yellow or whitish-yellow flowers, which are collected in a racemose inflorescence. Each such inflorescence can contain from 25 to 100 insect-pollinated flowers with a spicy honey smell. By the end of summer, a fruit is formed, which is a multi-chambered pod with a sword-shaped elongated spout and covered with hard short hairs. Inside the pod, as a rule, 5 to 6 spherical seeds are formed, which can be colored in various shades of yellow.

White mustard is a fairly cold-resistant and moisture-loving crop, so in the northern regions it blooms and forms fruits much faster.

Chemical composition

Both young leaves and flowers of white mustard are rich in a variety of vitamins, flavonoids and microelements. The seeds of the plant contain essential and fatty oils, saponins, amino acids such as arachidic, linolenic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic and others. In addition, they contain natural mineral compounds such as the thioglycoside sinalbin, the glycoside sinigrin and the enzyme myrosin. The oils contained in mustard give it a pungent taste, for which the glycoside sinigrin is responsible, and a specific smell.

Where is it used?

In addition to the fact that white mustard is a green manure, it is also used as a honey plant, a source of raw materials for the manufacture of various medicines, an oilseed and a spicy-flavoring crop.

The leaves of the plant are used for food, fresh added to salads, and boiled or stewed - as a side dish for fish and meat dishes. Oil is obtained from white mustard seeds, and the remaining cake is used to obtain mustard powder, from which various sauces and seasonings are subsequently made.

Whole seeds of this plant are used for various types of preserves, as well as for preparing cabbage and meat dishes, making minced meat. Ground white mustard seeds are used in the confectionery, baking, textile, soap and pharmaceutical industries.

But more than all the listed advantages of mustard, we are interested in why it is so good as a green fertilizer. Let's figure it out.

Advantages of mustard as green manure

Most gardeners and gardeners like white mustard as a fertilizer because it germinates very quickly, despite unfavorable weather conditions, and increases the volume of green mass. The seeds of this plant are able to germinate at a temperature of +1...+2 o C, and quite calmly tolerate a drop in temperature to -4...- 5 o C. All this allows you to sow mustard throughout the entire gardening season: from April to the end September.

As already mentioned, white mustard quite quickly grows green mass, which is very rich in minerals and microelements. It contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. However, it should be remembered that only those plants that have buds or begun to bloom can enrich the soil with nitrogen. At proper preparation soil, mustard can increase up to 400 kg of green mass per hundred square meters, which approximately corresponds to the application of 300 kg of manure.

A well-developed and deep root system of mustard restores air permeability, porosity and structure of the soil, thereby improving water permeability and moisture holding capacity. In addition, the roots of white mustard secrete special substances - phytohormones, which suppress the vital activity of various pathogens and nematodes, as a result of which the soil is disinfected.

The dug up green mass and the remains of roots are food for a variety of organisms that live in the soil, produce vermicompost and excrete in the process of vital activity carbon dioxide, necessary for plant nutrition.

White mustard is a green manure that perfectly enriches and disinfects the soil. After it, most vegetable and grain crops grow well, with the exception of representatives of the Brassica family.

How to prepare the soil for planting?

If white mustard is planted for subsequent industrial processing only on cultivated soils to which organic fertilizers have been added, then gardeners can plant this plant on difficult soils. Mustard can also grow on clayey, acidic, humus-poor soils. During its growth, this plant enriches the soil with phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen. For normal growth and development of mustard, the most important thing is sufficient quantity water, regardless of temperature environment. This green manure does not tolerate drought well and requires abundant watering.

How and when to sow?

White mustard should be sown early enough, as soon as the soil temperature reaches +8...+10 o C. Planting in such early dates provides a number of advantages:

  1. Moist topsoil and low air and soil temperatures promote the development of powerful roots and leaves that can compete with weeds for space in the sun.
  2. With such early sowing, cruciferous flea beetles cause less damage to mustard.
  3. This crop prefers long days, which makes late sowing undesirable. In this case, white mustard (reviews from gardeners and gardeners are unanimous in this case) goes through all stages of development too quickly, which negatively affects the plant.

If you plan to use mustard as a green fertilizer, then for each hundred square meters of land you need to prepare about 100-150 g of seeds. Many gardeners practice intercropping with legumes. Plant the seeds to a depth of about 2 cm, leaving 15-20 cm between rows.

Mustard is a plant popular among gardeners as a starting material for producing mustard seasoning with a special aroma and taste. It is widely used in the culinary field as a food additive, and in the field of official medicine as a warming powder.

Not every gardener knows that mustard can be sown as green manure. It can heal and enrich the soil with useful components.

These positive characteristics have long been appreciated by the citizens of Bulgaria.

Characteristics and structure of mustard

The scientific name of mustard is Sinapis. Botanists classify the plant as belonging to the cabbage family. The mustard genus is represented by 6 species. The most useful as an organic supplement is the type called “white mustard”. At the same time, there is also a popular name for the plant - "English mustard".

The CIS countries prefer to sow mustard in the northern regions. There, in some regions, it is presented to farmers as a weed that grows near traffic intersections and in fields.

Useful characteristics of the plant find implementation by improving the soil. Planted mustard is capable of releasing hard-to-dissolve phosphates and other components from the soil and accumulating them in its plant body.

Other agricultural plants are not able to absorb phosphate elements in the soil on their own. After mowing and rotting of the mustard, other seedlings are able to absorb poorly soluble components quite easily. This is precisely the feature of this organic fertilizer makes it an excellent green manure for sowing.

The term “green manure” must be understood as referring to plants that are planted for the purpose of their future mixing with the soil. Not only mustard is used as green manure. Lupins, legumes, crotalaria and clover are used here. Green manures are also called “green manures”.

The sown mustard has another useful characteristic- this is the possibility of accumulating nitrogen compounds in huge quantities in its root system, stem part and foliage, which in the future will be used for the development of garden plantings.

The sowing plant is excellent at accumulating phosphate compounds. After mowing mustard plantings and mixing them with the ground, the soil can receive a sufficient amount of useful microcomponents, required for subsequent plantings in this area and reap a good harvest.

Mustard leaves that fall into the ground contain the following:

  • 25% organic components;
  • approximately 1% phosphorus compounds;
  • about 0.7% nitrogen compounds.

What do you need to know about how to plant mustard?

White mustard, used as an organic fertilizer, is characterized by the presence of some advantages over other green manures. Its seed material has a higher germination rate compared to others garden crops. From the moment of planting until the first shoots appear, you need to wait about 4 days.

The frost resistance of young shoots is quite good: the plant can withstand a drop in ambient temperature up to up to - 5 degrees Celsius. Scientists have calculated that approximately 0.4 tons of green mass can be obtained from an area of ​​one hundred square meters.

When planting mustard as a fertilizer, you must understand that it is strictly forbidden to allow the seeds to ripen. If this requirement is neglected, the plant will be able to multiply uncontrollably in large numbers. garden plot. This rule applies to spring and autumn plantings.

English mustard grows quite quickly. Sometimes flowering occurs before emergence negative temperatures. For autumn planting there is no need to mow the green mass.

In winter, the cold successfully eliminates mustard leaves. Strong stems can perfectly retain snow mass. The root system helps retain water in the soil.

Due to its intensive development and huge amount of green mass, the plant is used as a protective natural remedy against strong gusts of wind. This helps retain water in the upper layers of the soil, makes it difficult to ventilate the soil and protects planted vegetable crops.

Since mustard spreads rather quickly throughout the area, it must be mowed before flowering. At the same time, it is allowed to replant the garden mustard seeds. It never hurts to make the soil much stronger than before. Yes, and mustard green mass has excellent soil-fertilizing substances.

Prejudices associated with planting mustard

Currently, unfortunately, in Russian Federation and other CIS countries, mustard is not the most common type of plant grown. This is largely due to the presence of negative reviews from gardeners. For example, it is assumed that the plant loves heat excessively, and also does not germinate well in the climatic conditions of the middle geographical zone.

However, both assumptions can be classified as myths. The plant does not have increased requirements for maintaining high temperatures.

It does not need to be watered intensively. And it usually manages to germinate so much in the middle geographical zone that seeds even begin to form.

Under natural growth conditions, mustard can be found in all natural areas, not including the permafrost zone. English mustard is distributed throughout the planet: it can be found in the United States of America, India and the Japanese islands.

Those gardeners who have already used this plant as organic fertilizer, can talk about the ease of its cultivation and the benefits for the future harvest.

Fertilizing the soil with mustard fertilizer helps not only provide the soil with nutrients, but also realizes other additional functions. U mustard has the following benefits:

Thus, white mustard has much more benefits than disadvantages.

Sowing mustard in spring

During spring, it is recommended to plant the plant in April as a fertilizer. The average geographic range is not an obstacle to this. In this case Sun rays warms up the ground well and the night cold comes less often.

Despite the unpretentiousness regarding the conditions external environment, it is advisable to wait until the ambient temperature increases to at least 10 degrees.

Sowing mustard in autumn

It is recommended to sow the plant where there are plantings of cereals or plants of the nightshade family. As a result, it is possible already in the next calendar year expect a bountiful harvest.

You don't have to mow the mustard before winter. During the thaw, the green mass has time to rot, ensuring that the soil is saturated with useful substances. To prevent the risk of seeds being washed away, it is advisable to plant them to a depth of about 1.5 cm.

Thus, we considered the question of how to sow mustard. Based on the above, sowing mustard requires only a little effort.

Green manure plants help restore fertility land plot and keep it in this state for a long period. Various cereals and leguminous plants. But still, gardeners and gardeners give greater preference to white mustard. This representative of the cruciferous family has numerous positive qualities.

The benefits of mustard as green manure

  • Unpretentious in care and maintenance.
  • Gives high yields.
  • Has early germination.
  • Green mass contains a large amount of useful substances.
  • It is a cold-resistant crop.
  • Scares away harmful insects.
  • Capable of preventing the spread of most plant diseases.

Mustard planting process

Sowing seeds

Sowing mustard seeds in autumn is carried out in the same way as in spring period. Seeds, which do not require any preparation, must be scattered over the prepared area and the soil leveled with a rake or sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. The thickness of the top layer will determine how quickly the first seedlings appear, so do not bury the seeds too deeply.

Covering crops

Covering beds until sprouts appear is only recommended if they are not under supervision. Open areas with freshly sown seeds are an attractive “dining room” for various birds that are not averse to eating it planting material. You can protect yourself from the raid of uninvited feathered guests using special coverings made of nonwoven fabric or nets that can be removed when seedlings appear after 3-4 days.

Temperature

Young seedlings are already cold-resistant and can grow fully even when night temperatures drop from 0 to 5 degrees below zero.

Landing dates


It is advisable to plant green manure plants in late August - early September. This will promote education large quantity green mass (approximately 400 kg per 1 hectare). You can use it different ways:

  • As mulch.
  • For making compost.
  • Apply into the soil as fertilizer.

It is recommended not to mow or dig up green manure crops sown in early autumn, but to leave them in the beds until spring. The above-ground part of the plants, after withering, will protect the soil from the cold, and the root part, gradually rotting, will enrich its structure.

Positive qualities of mustard

Almost a quarter of the mustard green mass consists of various organic matter, as well as from such useful elements as potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus.

The mustard root system is designed in such a way that it can absorb many beneficial substances that are not available to other green manures.

Mustard roots penetrating deeply into the ground (almost 3 meters) can accumulate and retain moisture.

The stems of green manure plants planted in the fall are so strong and powerful that they can be used on the site to retain snow and as protection from strong winds.

Note to gardeners!


Mustard is a weed

Despite its many beneficial qualities, mustard has one drawback - it can turn from a useful green manure into a weed, which will be very difficult to get rid of. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to mow the mustard plantings in a timely manner, before flowering begins. Blooming crops will leave behind great amount seeds and spread by self-sowing throughout the territory. This applies only to those plantings that grew after spring or summer planting seeds At autumn planting there is no such danger, because there is very little time before the onset of severe cold and the mustard simply does not have time to bloom.

Planting mustard and recording predecessor plants

Mustard autumn sowing It is not recommended to use it as a fertilizer for incorporation into the soil if this area will be intended for turnips, radishes or cabbage next season. All members of the cruciferous family are damaged by the same pests and diseases. For growing the above vegetable crops the best green manures will be cereals or legumes.