Friday, 6 February 2015

Quick Mix green manure : How to have your own green manure to maintain soil fertiity

2/06/2015 08:38:00 am  , , , , , ,  No comments

There are three types of Green manuring depending on your needs, Namely
  1. Quick Mix – 2-3 month non-leguminous mix, fast growing, weed suppressive and reasonably drought tolerant.
  2. Summer N-Fix – 3-4 month, 2 clovers, requires weed control and inoculant, good potential for N and OM
  3. Winter N-Fix – 5-6 month, requires weed control, good before hungry summer crops.
Quick Mix
Buckwheat                    (4g/m2)
Ameranth                      (0.3g/m2)
Phacelia                        (1.2g/m2)
Sow anytime from April – Aug
Broadcast buckwheat separately.
Perhaps mix sand with small ameranth/phacelia seed to assist even sowing.
 
Can be incorporated from 6 weeks >
 
Buck wheat
  • Fast Growing
  • Shades out weeds
  • Attracts beneficial insects
  • Phosphate accumulator
  • Will germinate well in decomposing crop debris
  •  Slow to form viable seed
 
 
Green Amaranth

  • Fast growing
  • Drought resistant
  • Large woody plant if allowed to mature = possible N lock-up
  • Will not seed in long days
  • Buy as ‘grain’

 
 
Phacelia

  • Fast growing
  • Shades out weeds
  • Flowers attract beneficial insects
  • Soft tissue = rapid breakdown
  • Cut before seed set



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After 4 weeks cut all the plants and spread out on the raised bed and fill with soil and leave it for few days to decompose. After decomposing you can plant your crops.
 
Summer-n-fix green manure cultivation is explained in the tommorrow's post
 
Looking forward for your support and queries!



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Green Manure for soil fertility management and its benefits

2/06/2015 07:59:00 am  , , ,  No comments

Green manuring is a practice of ploughing or turning into soil undecomposed
green plant material for the purpose of improving physical structure as well as
the fertility of the soil. It increases the availability of plant nutrients that
contribute to the yield of the crop.
 
 
The microbial activities are enhanced as the fresh organic material acts as the nutrient source for the diverse soil flora and fauna. The structure of heavy, light and sandy soil is considerably improved
and unproductive lands can be converted into fertile ones by green manuring. In hilly areas, green manuring prevents soil erosion on sloppy lands by providing very good soil cover.
 
Green manure crops are quick growing legumes and grasses that are ploughed into the field, mulched on the top of soil and used as composting material. Amongst the green manure crops sunhemp and daincha are outstanding in biomass production. It is essential that there should be sufficient moisture in the soil when the green manure crops are ploughed into the soil to facilitate the microbial activity.
 
Benefits of Green Manuring :
  1. Green manures, in the case of legumes, fix nitrogen and contribute to farm nitrogen needs.
  2. It  protect and enhance the soil’s biological activity by providing nutrition for the soil organism.
  3. It aerates the soil, consequently improving the soil structure.
  4. Green manure crops cover the soil in between successive grain crops, thus protecting the soil against wind and water erosion.
  5. Green manure crops reduce soil compaction.
  6. Green manure crops provide a habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. 


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