White mustard (Sinapis alba) is grown in almost all regions of Russia. For an annual plant of the cruciferous family, only permafrost zones are not suitable. The plant is unpretentious to care for. Mustard is used as a spice in cooking and in horticulture as a green manure (green manure mustard). Consider when it is necessary to sow and dig up green manure mustard, recommendations for growing.

How to use mustard as a siderat

Mustard is grown from seeds. The size of the seed is 1-1.5 mm, it is convenient to lay them out one by one into the prepared grooves during planting. The plant will grow up to 70 cm tall. The leaf plates are pinnate, the plant blooms well. After the flowering period, pods with yellow seeds inside are formed (up to 15 pieces per pod). The flowers are bisexual, pollination takes place with the help of the wind, bees.

Green manure

Green manure

Mustard is sown to fertilize the soil. The plant enriches the earth with phosphorus and nitrogen. Digging up the site along with the growing mustard, it is immediately buried in the ground. Stems and leaves give their useful microelements to the plants growing in the beds.

The use of mustard as a siderat is very convenient and effective. Green dressing does not require much effort from gardeners: the fertilizer does not need to be transported, it is enough just to embed it in the soil. To do this, use a hoe, hoe or shovel.

You can sow a crop as fertilizer in the spring before planting garden crops on the site or in the fall after harvesting. The plant can withstand frosts up to minus 5 degrees. If you plant seeds in April, you can have time to feed the soil before planting garden plants.

Why mustard is useful for the soil

Mustard blossom

Mustard blossom

Mustard is prized as a highly digestible fertilizer. It sprouts quickly, builds up a large green mass (up to 400 kg per 1 hundred square meters).

The leaves and stems of the plant contain:

  • Organic matter;
  • Nitrogen;
  • Phosphorus;
  • Potassium.
Burying green manure

Burying green manure

The benefits of green manure:

  • Enriches the soil with useful microelements (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen), improves the fertile layer;
  • Green manure is effective in restoring depleted soil. For 30-45 days, it releases organic substances and microelements that are assimilated in the soil;
  • It is capable of absorbing hardly soluble forms of mineral trace elements, making them readily available;
  • Plays a role in improving the structure of the soil, it is used as a loosening agent in heavy soils. It performs the function of drainage, increases the air permeability of the soil, the three-meter tap root penetrates the ground and ventilates it;
  • Prevents the washing out of nutrients during watering or rains. Horticultural crops protect the land from wind and water erosion;
  • The plant releases substances that prevent the growth of mold, is able to kill pathogenic bacteria, reduces the content of putrefactive microorganisms in the ground, scab;
  • Siderat is used as a mulch layer;
  • The place where the spice plant grows is protected from attacks of pests (wireworm, slugs);
  • During the flowering period, it is an excellent honey plant.
Honey plant

Honey plant

White mustard is used as green manure and significantly improves the quality and fertility of the soil. Moreover, it is considered an unpretentious culture, does not require a lot of effort and time to leave.The seeds are sold in garden shops (for example, mustard variety Kuban). They can be bought at low prices in the markets. After flowering, you can collect material for sowing for the next season yourself.

On a note. It is necessary to use mustard for fertilizing the soil together with other types of fertilizers: compost, rotted manure. There should be a sufficient number of microorganisms in the soil that will feed on the fertilizer. Mustard leaves and twigs are good food for earthworms. If there is no one to decompose the green fertilizer, then it will sour, and fungus and pests will appear in the soil.

Timing of sowing seeds

Mustard is white as green manure when sowing depends on the purpose of the site. You can sow seeds in open ground in the spring or autumn. White mustard is sown in spring, from the beginning of March. In the southern regions, where spring comes earlier, you can plant seeds in the garden in the third decade of February.

In order for the mustard to feed the earth, it is planted 30-35 days before the main planting of horticultural crops. If there is a greenhouse, then you can plant seeds there; after the plant reaches 10-15 cm, mow and deepen in the garden.

Preparing the garden

Preparing the garden

Suitable soils for sowing seeds:

  • Sandy loam;
  • Cultivated peat soils;
  • Sod-podzolic, fertilized with organic matter.

On a note. The culture grows poorly on clay soil, salt marshes, soils with a high level of acidity.

Mustard is a moisture-loving, frost-resistant plant; it is recommended to plant it on the sunny side of the site.

On a note. White mustard will be a good neighbor for grapes, potatoes, beans, and fruit trees. It will protect garden plants from diseases and pests. Horticultural crops growing in this place receive powerful nutrition and impetus for intensive growth. It is undesirable to plant seeds next to cabbage, radish, radish, lettuce and other cruciferous plants.

Is it possible to sow mustard in the fall, when is it better to do it? In the autumn, the seeds are sown in early September, after the main harvest. The plant is left to winter, it is embedded in the ground for feeding for the next season.

For the southern regions, October - early November is considered a favorable time for disembarkation. Seedlings germinate well even at plus 2-3 degrees. Seeds planted in October grow up to 10 cm in height.

It is recommended to sow the seeds immediately after harvest, before the weeds begin to sprout. The white mustard bed must be thoroughly cleaned of weeds and roots.

Mustard sprouted in autumn serves as a good mulching layer.

Basic rules for sowing white mustard in the fall:

  • After harvesting, clean the beds provided for a useful plant from the remnants of vegetables, stems, roots, remove weeds;
  • Water the plot with water, the soil must be moistened;
  • The earth must be sprinkled with rotted manure or humus. 5-7 liters of fertilizer are enough for 1 m². Additionally, you can add a little dolomite flour;
  • Dig up the plot, loosen it with a rake. Remove large stones, clods of earth;
  • For autumn planting, greens are used as green manure, so there is no need to make grooves, measure the distance. Seeds in bulk are poured onto the garden bed (5 g of seeds are consumed per 1 m²);
  • Bury the seeds a little into the ground, a maximum of 1 cm. Pour the plot from a watering can.

Seedlings appear in 5-7 days.

How to plant mustard on the site

The size of the seeds allows gardeners to easily plant a plant in the garden, taking into account all the recommendations. The gardener determines the time for planting independently. White mustard is good for the soil when planted in spring and fall.

Seeds for planting

Seeds for planting

Instructions on how to sow mustard in spring:

  • When choosing a planting site, it is important to take into account the predecessors and future neighbors of the plant. It is not recommended to plant white mustard if cruciferous plants have been growing in the garden before.The site must be sunny, sheltered from the wind;
  • Dig up the bed, remove the roots of the weeds, pour the ground with cool water;
  • Make small grooves in the garden bed. The distance between the rows is at least 20 cm. Plant each seed every 10-15 cm, to a depth of 1.5 cm;
  • Seed consumption - about 4-5 g will be needed for 1 m²;
  • Sprinkle the grooves with earth (no more than 1 cm);
  • Water the plot abundantly from a watering can. Do not water with a bucket or hose. A strong jet of water can deeply deepen or wash out seeds.
Abundant watering from a watering can

Abundant watering from a watering can

The first shoots begin to appear after 3-4 days. Usually the seeds hatch at the same time, the sprouts grow in a green carpet.

On a note. When the question arises of how best to sow white mustard by hand from weeds in spring, you can use the "loose" planting. If you plan to sow a large area of ​​the site, then you can simply scatter the seeds on loose soil and bury them in the ground using a rake. In this case, the percentage of seedlings decreases, and the consumption of seeds increases.

The difference between spring and autumn sowing

Each planting method influences the soil and nearby plants.

Pros of spring planting seeds:

  • Spring sowing allows you to nourish the soil with the necessary trace elements before planting horticultural crops and to destroy parasites and pathogens in the ground;
  • Seedlings inhibit the growth and development of weeds for almost 3 months.

The downside is the inability to plant spicy greens, cruciferous plants next to the garden bed.

Positive aspects of autumn planting:

  • Rapid growth of seedlings - grow well even at low temperatures down to -5 degrees;
  • The plant serves as mulch in winter, prevents soil freezing and dehydration;
  • Due to the content of essential oils in the leaves and stems, the soil is disinfected;
  • Autumn gives the opportunity for good plant growth, the root system fully develops and performs the function of loosening the earth;
  • Erosion prevention.

Among the disadvantages of autumn planting are:

  • Birds can peck on a significant amount of seeds if they remain on the surface;
  • In frosty and little snowy winters, the plant may freeze out;
  • In the spring, it is not recommended to plant cabbage, radish, lettuce in the place where mustard grew.

When to mow mustard and dig up

Active growth of greenery depends on regular moisture in the soil and warm weather. It grows well in sufficient light. In one month, it can grow up to 20 cm in height.

This should be done for several reasons:

  • After the formation of flowers, the stems and leaves begin to coarse, which will significantly slow down the subsequent decomposition of the plant in the ground after digging. Delicate leaves decompose faster and saturate the soil with beneficial microorganisms;
  • During the flowering period, the plant consumes nutrients for the growth of flowers. The yellow flower subsequently forms pods with seeds. This reduces the benefits of greens like green manure, which is essential for berries and vegetables;
  • After flowering, seeds are formed. Propagating a plant in this way causes it to grow erratically, like a weed.

The beveled tender green mass is immediately dug up, a little deepening into the ground with a shovel. In dry weather, it is important to water the dug area periodically, to maintain soil moisture. This allows organic matter to decompose faster and penetrate the ground.

On a note. To accelerate the formation of green fertilizer (biohumus), gardeners add the drug Baikal. But, if the soil is severely depleted, after many years of growing garden crops without regular feeding, dug up mustard will not help. It is necessary to fertilize the ground with humus.

Tips and tricks for gardeners

White mustard is easy to grow even for beginners. Seeds can be simply scattered on the prepared bed.

Some tips for gardeners on how to get good green manure:

  • The bed must be carefully leveled and cleaned of extraneous residues of vegetation, this will ensure proper contact of the soil and seeds for good shoots;
  • It is important not to burrow the seeds when planting. The recommended depth is 1 cm. On sandy soils it is possible to deepen a little more to protect the seed from drying out, and on heavy compacted soils, on the contrary, it is better to plant closer to the surface;
  • Timely mowing makes it possible to obtain the most efficient green fertilizer. It is recommended to bury leaves and stems in the ground in the spring, before planting vegetables;
  • Potatoes and strawberries will grow actively if phacelia or mustard were used as green manure;
  • Planting seeds in the grooves is carried out in the spring, in autumn you can plant seeds in bulk.

The use of mustard, as a green manure, will allow gardeners to saturate the soil with a large amount of different microelements in a short time, which increases the fertility of the land.

The simple maintenance and cultivation of the plant makes it popular as a green fertilizer. It is important to choose the right neighbors for mustard and you can grow a good harvest of different garden crops.