Phacelia is an effective green manure that improves the soil, protects it from weeds and attracts beneficial insects. But this green manure has one property that agronomists keep silent about and amateur farmers do not know about.
What is phacelia and what is its special feature?
Phacelia is an annual plant that has gained popularity as a green manure for its beautiful purple flowers, ability to quickly build up green mass, and belonging to the water-leaf family, which has no representatives among garden crops.
Phacelia grows quickly and decomposes quickly after being incorporated into the soil. Green manure has a long root system that helps loosen the soil and improve its structure.
But the roots of this green manure have another property that is almost never mentioned. They are an ideal “partner” for mycorrhiza.
What is mycorrhiza and why is it needed in the garden?
Mycorrhiza are microscopic fungi that live in symbiosis with the root system of plants. The roots of plants feed the mycorrhiza with carbohydrates, and the mycorrhiza extracts water and nutrients from the soil, which it “feeds” and “waters” the plants with. Its hyphae grow much further than the roots of trees, grasses and shrubs.
Digging up the soil, adding chemical fungicides and fertilizers kills this valuable fungus. But when it is introduced into the soil, the yield of cultivated plants can increase by 2-3 times, since the area of their nutrition increases.
How are mycorrhiza and phacelia related?
Mycorrhiza grows very well on the roots of phacelia. If you constantly sow this green manure in the garden, it will preserve and increase the number of fungal roots. Moreover, it is not necessary to sow it as a monoculture. It is enough that several plants constantly live in the beds, in the garden, in the flower beds. Phacelia blooms beautifully, attracts pollinators, structures the soil and serves as a habitat for mycorrhiza. It is useful in all respects.
But this method will only work if you are a supporter of natural farming, which means refusing to dig and add chemicals. In this case, it is enough to add mycorrhiza once (it can be purchased in gardening stores). After that, it will spread throughout the garden itself, and the root system of phacelia will help with this.
If you are a supporter of traditional farming and regularly dig up the garden, loosen the soil and apply chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, then even phacelia will not save mycorrhiza. In this case, you will have to apply it annually, or better yet, several times per season. But not earlier than 2 weeks after applying chemicals and fertilizers.
