Sow oats in the fall. Oats as green manure: cultivation and use for garden crops

Among grains, the most popular green manures are rye, barley and oats. These plants provide good structure and health to the soil and suppress the growth of weeds. Each of them has its own merits. Before planting cereals, it is worth finding out in advance which of them is more necessary for your soil, whether it is necessary to allocate a separate area for this green manure, or whether it is better to sow it before or after the main crop.

If we consider the advisability of planting a particular cereal as a green manure, we should pay attention to the basic properties of each of them. Thus, rye is characterized by high frost resistance, so it is used for winter crops. Barley is known for its drought tolerance, which makes it suitable for planting in dry areas.

Main characteristics of oats

What is good about oats as green manure? He has many positive qualities, therefore very popular.

1. Inexpensive green manure. Oat seeds, like other cereals, are inexpensive and are sold not only in specialized seed stores, but also on the market.
2. The main advantage of oats as green manure is the saturation of the soil with potassium. This essential nutrient for plants is formed during the decomposition of green oats and is easily absorbed by plants. In young shoots of oats, the potassium content is 3–5 times higher than in old shoots, so green manure that is mowed in time and rotted in the ground will bring more benefits. The most demanding plants for potassium are tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Oats can be an excellent predecessor in the garden for these vegetables.
3. Oat roots contain substances that prevent the occurrence of a dangerous disease - root rot. Thus, oats not only enrich the soil with potassium, which is necessary for vegetables, but also fights the pathogen that often affects their roots. If it is necessary to increase the nitrogen content in the soil, oat and legume seeds are sown together, most often a vetch-oat mixture.
4. The fibrous root system of oats, like other cereals, loosens the soil well in the upper, fertile layer. Oat green manure strengthens light soils, protecting them from weathering and washing out, and makes heavy soils more breathable and loose. It can grow on any soil, but peaty and acidic soils are more suitable for it, and saline and sandy soils are less suitable.
5. Like all cereals, oats suppress the growth of weeds and are successfully used to clear areas of harmful plants. Green manures oats, rye and barley can be predecessors for any crop except corn, which belongs to the same family. But keep in mind that wireworms, a malicious pest of root crops, like to live in the roots of cereal plants.
6. Finally, the aesthetic functions of oats are of no small importance. Its lush young greenery pleases the eye in the spring, when the ground is still bare.

Features of cultivation

Unlike rye, oats are not planted in winter. Although this plant is cold-resistant, frost can destroy it, so it is sown in the spring.

When to sow oats as green manure

Planting is carried out early, when the ground is slightly dry after the snow melts. By planting oats as green manure in the spring, you can be sure that the plants will receive a sufficient amount of moisture from the soil and will develop well. There is a saying about this: “He who sows oats in the dirt will feel like a prince.” It is worth considering that the crop is moisture-loving, and in the absence of precipitation, watering is required. Oats do not tolerate heat well, this is another argument in favor of sowing them in early spring.

Oats are also sown as green manure in early autumn, after the main crops have been harvested. The main thing is that the plants have time to build up green mass before the onset of frost. Oats are cut and lightly mixed with soil. This technique increases the moisture capacity and looseness of the soil. You can not mow oats planted in the fall, but leave them in the winter to rot. In the spring, it is enough to loosen the bed and immediately plant vegetables.

How to sow green oats

Sow oat seeds in rows or scatter them thickly over a loosened surface, and then cover them with a rake. The sowing depth is approximately 2–3 cm. Some people practice mixed planting, alternating rows of oats and legumes - vetch or peas. It is recommended to sow a field for cereal green manure much denser than when growing for seeds, so the consumption seed material there should be more. So, per hundred square meters of land requires 5–6 kg of oat seeds.

The purpose of green manure is to obtain maximum green mass and a good root system. When densely sown, plants tend to the sun and stretch out, increasing the vegetative mass. Due to excessive planting density, the roots of cereals go deeper into the soil, which is also good. It is much more difficult for weeds to break through dense rows of green manure, so they are easier to control.

When to mow oats as green manure

Used to accelerate the growth of cereals agrotechnical technique– mowing the tops of plants that have grown 10–15 cm. Such mowing stimulates growth, resulting in an increase in the yield of green mass. It has been established experimentally that oats cut to a third of their height outstrip even those sown a week earlier in growth. If there is a lack of moisture, additional watering is necessary.

At what growth stage should oats be cut? It is most productive to do this when it has increased its maximum green mass. Highest concentration useful substances in green manure plants it occurs at the moment of flowering, in oats it occurs at the initial stage of heading. After cutting off the green manure, it is left on the soil in the form of mulch or mixed with the top layer of soil, cutting the roots at a depth of 5–7 cm.

When mixed with soil with sufficient moisture, the green mass quickly decomposes, resulting in green fertilizer. To speed up fermentation, you can water the soil with one of the EM preparations (preparations of effective microorganisms). Leaving the cuttings on the soil as mulch will provide protection against weeds and drying out.

It is not recommended to dig up green manure too deeply. The green mass, having reached the depth of the shovel bayonet, is pressed by the top layer of earth. With a lack of oxygen, its anaerobic decomposition occurs, and as a result, soil acidification. Such organic matter does not benefit plants, but only harm.

In those days, when people were just mastering agriculture, oats were considered a weed, and only after some time this cereal was noticed.

More about culture

Oats are considered a young crop in agriculture. The first mention of this cereal was noted in the 4th century BC. People sowed oats on large plantations to feed horses, and then they themselves began to eat this healthy grain.

Currently, it is customary to grow 2 types of oats:

1. Sowing (variety "Avena Sativa").
2. Byzantine.

The first type of oats is widespread, almost 90% of fields are sown with this species cereal crop.

There are many varieties of oats found in nature. You've probably heard of this species called sandy oats. It can also be grown on your own summer cottage, but for this it is necessary to comply with certain conditions. This type of cereal does well on sandy soils, hence the name. Sandy oats are native to the Mediterranean. This is the most ancient cultivated type of oat.

There are also many varieties of seeded oats, but these are mostly wild crops that can be found in nature. Each type of oat can be distinguished by external signs. If you look closely at ordinary seeded oats, you will see that the “tongue” has teeth, but this plant does not have the “ears” characteristic of wild crops. The spikelets themselves are not so densely spaced, and if you thresh them even in a primitive way (by hand), they quickly divide into grains.

There are varieties of seeded oats: this is the bare grain form. The name itself speaks for itself - that the grains easily fall out of their scales.

Let's briefly look at the characteristics of Mediterranean (or Byzantine) oats. This type of cereal is mostly grown in Central Asia. The spikelets are large, with 3 or 4 flowers. This type of oat is highly resistant to cold and drought; the flowering and ripening period is short.

Oats are a persistent crop, so growing this cereal yourself on your own plot is a real pleasure. Seeds germinate already at a temperature of +3 o C, the seedlings are not afraid of frost and are able to withstand temperatures down to -5 o C. But this only applies to the appearance of the first shoots, but mature plant It withstands high temperatures extremely negatively; in extreme heat (up to +40 o C), the plant dies.

Oats love moisture, so moist soils are perfect for sowing oats. By the way, any soil is suitable for growing oats; this crop does well on podzolic and sandy loam soil, and peat bogs. High yields can be achieved if you fertilize the soil with nitrogen fertilizers.

Preparing and sowing oats

Good predecessors for growing oats are potatoes, legumes, corn and winter crops. In agriculture, fields where beets were grown last year are often used for sowing oats. But this is most likely a necessity, because sugar beets dry out the soil greatly, and this cereal requires high humidity. After growing beets, it is best to plant corn in this place, and after harvesting, sowing oats is allowed.

If we are talking about mass sowing of oats, then it is necessary to plow the ground (depth 25 cm). If beets or corn were grown in this place before sowing cereals, then you need to do autumn plowing to get rid of beet aphids and other pests.

Before planting, it is advisable to fertilize the soil with phosphate rock to reduce its acidity. If the soil is peaty, then it is necessary to apply fertilizers containing manganese, boron and copper.

Only selected seeds are used for sowing oats. If you select yourself planting material, pay attention to the size of the upper and lower grains in the spikelet: the first ones will be larger, and they germinate faster. Choose seeds that are firm and have no visible signs of damage.

Before planting, the planting material must be kept in a manganese solution for 20 minutes to avoid contamination of the seedlings after sowing.

The timing of sowing oats is the same as planting spring crops - the end of April, while the soil is still moist. If you are planning to plant peas, barley and wheat, it’s time to start planting oats. If you are late with the deadlines by at least 10 days, the yield is reduced by 25%. Since oats are a grain crop, the cereal needs to be sown in a narrow row method: there are about 4.5-5.5 million seeds per 1 hectare. The depth of “wrapping” the seeds is small, since oat seeds are light (compared to wheat). On average, if the soil is well moistened, then embedding can be done to a depth of 4 cm, for light soils - 6 cm, for dry areas - 7 cm.

Harvesting

Growing oats is not a difficult task, since the crop ripens quickly and after approximately 120 days from planting, you can begin harvesting. As mentioned earlier, it is only important not to miss the timing of sowing seeds so as not to lose yield.

To ensure normal development, it is necessary to moisten the soil in a timely manner. If this is not done, then the losses will be significant. In order to make the task easier, it is necessary to install an irrigation system on the site and, in hot weather, constantly monitor the level of soil moisture. If you have time, you need to loosen the soil.

If you adhere to the technology of growing oats, then in order to speed up the ripening time of the cereal, it is necessary to roll the soil. In this way, you can get rid of not only the crust formed on the surface (harrowing), but also remove the plugs after the first shoots appear (thinning, getting rid of weeds).

Oats are an interesting crop; be prepared for the fact that you will not see smooth ripening. First, the first upper grains (the upper part of the panicle) will ripen, and then gradually the remaining grains will ripen.

Harvesting must be done after the grains have fully ripened, when most of them have reached “waxy” maturity. Harvesting at a summer cottage is done manually, cutting off the spikelets, which are then preferably tied into separate sheaves. The harvest should be stored in a well-ventilated area. After final drying, the spikelets can be threshed, and the resulting harvest can be used for its intended purpose.

How to grow oats on a windowsill

You can germinate oat seeds at home. This product is rich in nutrients. Back in the Middle Ages, people cooked jelly and porridge from sprouted seeds. Currently, the benefits of young oat sprouts have been proven, but it is almost impossible to buy this product, since the fragile sprouts do not tolerate transportation well and quickly deteriorate. The only thing correct solution: This is to grow your own oats.

The benefits of sprouted oats are enormous: it not only improves your well-being, but also gets rid of most problems digestive system(work of the stomach, intestines), hematopoietic organs, acceleration of metabolism.

If you have grown oats yourself on your site, then you need to select ripe and clean seeds without signs of rot or fungus. After preparation, you can immediately begin germinating oat seeds.

To germinate seeds you will need:

• water;
• capacity;
• gauze.

In addition, it is necessary to ensure good lighting and comply temperature regime. Once again, before putting the seeds in the container, check each cereal: if you notice spoiled or damaged seeds, they should be put aside.

Place selected seeds in a container, it can be a glass or porcelain bowl (you can take a cup), enamel dishes are also allowed to be used, but aluminum ones are not.

First, prepare the seeds: place a handful of oats in a sieve, place under running water to thoroughly rinse the seeds. After washing, you need to place the cereals in a prepared clean container and fill with water (2 cm above the seeds). Leave the container for 8 hours. During this time, the seeds will take up to 60% moisture. Drain the water and rinse the seeds again under running cool water. You will see that the seeds have increased, that is, they have swollen.

Now you need to straighten the wet gauze (you can fold it in several layers), put the seeds in 1 layer, and cover them with gauze on top. You can use a regular piece of clean fabric. Place the container in a warm and well-lit place; a warm windowsill will do. The temperature in this place should not be lower than +22 o C. Make sure that straight lines Sun rays did not fall on the seeds.

After 8 hours, the first sprouts will appear, they can be washed and eaten. Attention: it is allowed to eat only sprouts that have reached a size of 2-6 mm; if the sprouts are long and green, then you cannot eat them, as they are poisonous.

The sprouts need to be placed in the refrigerator, where they will continue to grow. Although not so fast. Do not throw away the drained water; it can be used to water indoor crops.

When is the best time to eat sprouted oats? Experts recommend eating oat sprouts in the first half of the day. Since such grains contain a lot of protein, it is not advisable to eat nuts and protein products (fish, cottage cheese, meat and eggs) along with oats.

How to Grow Oats for Pets

During the cold season, please your pets (rabbits, dogs, parrots, guinea pigs and cats) with a tasty and healthy treat - young oats. Growing oats at home for pets is easy and even interesting.

What you will need:

• selected seeds of unhulled oats;
• container with low sides;
• water;
• sawdust.

How to grow oats on a windowsill:

1. Take a suitable container, it should be dry and clean. You can use a plastic tray for growing seedlings with low sides.
2. Pour small sawdust (without additives) into the tray. The layer of sawdust should not be too thick, in order to place 2 more layers: oats and sawdust.
3. Use your hands to compact the sawdust.
4. Now we sow oats, the layer thickness is 1 cm.
5. We level the grains with our hands, pour a layer of sawdust on top (thickness no more than 1.5 cm).
6. We level the sawdust with our hands to distribute the shavings evenly.
7. We prepare the water, it should not be hot, but not warm, optimal temperature+38 o C. If you have poured a lot of water, the excess needs to be drained.
8. Compact upper layer and walk around the edges of the container.

Oats need to be watered every day, but not too much to prevent mold from appearing. In a day the first shoots will appear, and after 2-3 days - green shoots. You can treat animals with healthy grass.

Green fertilizers are one of the the best ways enrich the soil with organic matter, which will begin to work in the first year. For this purpose, they are sown various cultures from different families. Oats perform well as green manure, both in pure form and in a mixture with other components.

In agriculture, fallows have long been used, since this is a way not only to give a break to the soil after many years of its use, but also to enrich the soil with organic matter without loss of mineral elements. This is achieved due to the fact that everything used by the plant for development and growth is returned back, but in transformed forms. In addition, the benefits of green manure are manifested in the following:

• Improving the physiological properties of the soil. Thus, the root system of legume components loosens heavy soils many meters deep, and the fibrous roots of cereals strengthen the structure of the surface layers, which receive maximum impact from year to year.
• Erosion protection. Vegetation on the surface saves the soil from the harmful effects of water flows, especially on slopes, and dust storms. Thanks to this, the most fertile layer of soil remains on the site.
• Overheat protection. It is known that the temperature on the surface of pure vapors on hot days exceeds 50°C, which inhibits all ongoing processes and kills some microorganisms. The shade created by green manure helps to significantly reduce soil temperature.
• Improvement of phytosanitary condition. Dense vegetation inhibits the development of weeds, the root secretions of some plants repel certain pests, and also reduce the risk of contracting diseases. In order to choose a particular crop as a green fertilizer, it is necessary to take into account its effect on the soil, its relationship to growing conditions, the impact on the subsequent crop, which you are going to plant after incorporating green manure into the soil.

Oats as a crop

In nature, both annual and perennial species oats, however, the second is not widespread. This is a representative of cereals, forming a loose bush with a height of leafy stems up to 120 cm. It belongs to the early crops, grown in temperate climate everywhere. The purpose of sowing can be both for grain and as green fertilizer.

Oats easily tolerate low positive temperatures, which makes it possible to sow them in early spring when the soil reaches physiological ripeness. It is quite moisture-loving, especially during seed germination (hence the saying about sowing oats in mud), so in dry conditions the seedlings are sparse, but in further plants do not form a thick vegetative mass. This is a light-loving crop; it is not demanding on soil type, but is less fertile soils lower tillering and stem coefficient. Therefore, in growing conditions poor in nutrients, it is recommended to increase the seeding rate, especially if the purpose of cultivation is green manure.

Benefits of Oats

Oats have been used in agriculture as a green manure crop for a long time. This choice of plant is explained by its effect on the soil and on the subsequent crop:

1. This good predecessor for most cultivated crops, because he has practically no common diseases or pests with anyone. True, this does not apply to plants of the same family. You should also take into account the population of click beetles if you plan to plant potatoes in a fertilized area, since after oats the population may increase. But tubers with such a predecessor will no longer suffer from scab.
2. The fibrous root system strengthens light soils well and loosens heavy soils. And the embedded green mass makes the soil more moisture- and air-intensive.
3. Together with the vegetative mass of the cereal, a fairly large amount of phosphorus and potassium enters the ground. In terms of their biomass content, they are comparable to manure. There are fewer nitrogen compounds in this organic matter. The number of elements can be adjusted by the age of the plants. The older it is, the more potassium it contains, while nitrogen predominates in young organs.
4. Oats – goes well with other crops. A mixture of it with legumes (vech, fodder peas and others) is especially often sown, because they enrich the soil with the element missing in the cereal, and the stems of the main plant serve as support for them.
5. Cereals are very good at clearing the soil of weeds, since their thick stems exhibit better competitiveness than vegetables. And the unwanted vegetation that survives does not have time to form seeds before the biomass is mowed.

When to sow oats as green manure

In order to determine the timing of sowing green manure, it is necessary to take into account several parameters. Early ripening makes it possible to sow cereal both in early spring before planting the main crop, and in the fall after harvesting. In both cases, the oats manage to form sufficient above-ground mass for the organic matter to provide a noticeable increase in yield.
Seeds are sown in a scattering manner, followed by seeding with a rake or in beds. The consumption rate is 15 g/m2, while the continuous sowing method implies an increase in the amount of seed material by 1.5-2 times. Sowing in the fall also leads to an increase in this indicator. When preparing a legume-cereal mixture, the percentage of oats is reduced to 40%.

If you decide to sow a green manure crop on your plot, pay attention to the moisture content of the growing conditions. Plants spend a considerable amount of moisture during the period of growth and development, so if you often suffer from droughts, then it is only acceptable to use green fertilizers with watering or sowing after harvesting the main crop. Autumn sowing It is also preferable if the main crop is planted too early, due to which the oats do not have time to form a dense mass.

In general, mowing is carried out after 35-40 days when the height reaches 20 cm. At the same time, at least 2 weeks must pass between the application of green fertilizer and planting of the main crop for the stems to begin the decomposition process. To speed it up, you can add specialized products or ammonium nitrate.

Green manure fertilizer is one of the simplest organic fertilizers, which, in addition to its direct purpose, performs a number of other functions. Oats are the most common plant used for this purpose. In addition, its seeds are in maximum availability.

There are often cases when the soil in the garden does not meet the desired requirements: it contains too much clay or sand. To improve its physiological qualities, the method of planting green manure crops is used. These plants are designed to produce humus, which improves the composition of the soil and saturates it with micronutrients. Sow different types plants can be started from early spring and until the beginning of autumn. Cereals and legumes, alfalfa or clover are chosen as green manures. Oats are widely used in this capacity and have a number of advantages over other plants.

Advantages of oats as a green manure plant

Oats are a crop common as green manure. It has its own merits, so it is recognized among summer residents.

• Low cost. Oat seeds are common in the assortment of stores; they can be found not only in highly specialized departments, but also on the market.
• High potassium content. This mineral is necessary for all plants for balanced growth: it is formed from the green mass of oats. In young plants, its content is increased by 3–5 times, so many people mow green manure without waiting for the seeds to ripen. The most favorable soil after planting oats is for tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. It is not recommended to plant potatoes due to large quantity wireworms that appear due to cereal crops.
• For getting more nitrogen is used in mixed sowing, combining vetch, alfalfa or clover with cereals.
• The root system of cereal crops produces special substances in the soil that prevent the formation of rot and fungus.
• The roots have a fibrous structure, which helps them loosen the top fertile layer, making it lighter and more breathable.
• The high density of seed germination suppresses the growth of weeds, clearing the area.

Oats as green manure are planted from early spring until autumn. He is important organic fertilizer, is similar in composition and value to manure.

Sowing time

Oats are a cold-resistant crop; they can be sown in early spring after the soil has warmed up. There is no need to wait for it to dry; oats love moisture, so they are planted without waiting for the soil to dry out. Sufficient quantity water will ensure active growth of cereals and intensive growth of green mass. Therefore, if spring and summer are characterized by droughts, then additional watering should be provided.

Oats do not tolerate hot periods well, so sowing in the summer heat is not recommended.

It has a fast ripening speed, approximately 30–40 days; if sown in early spring, it will be possible to remove it before the onset of high temperatures air.

Oats as green manure can be sown in early autumn, before frost. You just need to calculate the time for its growth, since although it is cold-resistant, it does not like frost. For the same reason, it is not sown for the winter, like rye. Oats planted in the fall are mowed and left directly on the beds, sprinkled with a little earth. It is also permissible to leave it unmown: over the winter it will rot and form fertilizer. One plowing will be enough to crush and mix it with the soil.

Sowing and harvesting procedure

Sowing oats as green manure is done by scattering or in rows on plowed soil. Then they are buried in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. When mixed sowing, rows with other green manure crops are alternated. The consumption of seeds when sowing for fertilizer is slightly higher than for seeds, and is approximately 6 kg per one hundred square meters. This density provides protection from weeds, because it becomes much more difficult for other plants to break through the dense layer of oats. Also, the density of sowing forces oats to be planted root system in depth, which has a positive effect on the condition of the soil: looseness, oxygen and nutrients enter deeper layers.

To speed up plant growth, use a flat cutter to cut off the tops of mature cereals. This stimulates the development of green mass necessary to obtain fertilizer. They mow when the oats begin to ear and the greens have reached their maximum volume. After mowing, it is left on the beds, mixed with soil. In cases where the cereal harvest was plentiful, its surplus is carried to compost pit, or in the fall on beds that require fertilizer. To accelerate decay, it is spilled with a solution of EM compost.

Oats are a valuable fertilizer that improves soil properties. It gives the soil looseness, increases the content of nutrients and minerals, and also enhances moisture capacity. To improve the quality of the soil, it is necessary to grow plants with a developed root system and a large volume of green mass containing potassium and nitrogen. Green manure plants also introduce the following into the soil: important elements like phosphorus, calcium, magnesium. Sowing green manure to land that needs rest will prevent the leaching and weathering of useful substances from its composition, preserve and improve the structure for further planting.