Of all the green manure crops, phacelia is especially respected by summer residents and gardeners.
The plant increases the fertility of the soil on the plot, and after such preparation many do not even add organic matter - manure and litter, as well as humus or compost. The main thing is to sow the green manure on time.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , an expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", an agronomist and landscape designer, told whether it is worth sowing phacelia for the winter.
Benefits of Phacelia
Green manure shoots are traditionally incorporated into the soil, which increases the nitrogen content, fertilizes and restores depleted soil.
How and when to sow
Phacelia can be sown several times a season, except in winter.
You can start in early spring after the snow melts – green manure can easily withstand spring frosts and freezes.
After just a month, the phacelia shoots are mown down and plowed into the ground, after which you can begin sowing.
All the main crops are planted in the beds: potatoes, tomatoes and other nightshades, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkin, greens, and legumes.
Sowing rules
When sowing green manure, 45-60 cm are left between rows; the norm is considered to be 5-6 kg of seeds per hectare.
The seeds are planted to a depth of 3 cm. Sowing is carried out on moist soil cleared of weeds.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
