What siderates need to be sown before planting strawberries and what are their benefits

Everyone loves to eat strawberries, which is not surprising, because its taste and benefits cannot be overestimated. The owners of vegetable gardens and backyard plots grow berries, striving for a better harvest from year to year. It is difficult to do this without some subtleties. Someone resorts to fertilizers, while someone helps the plant with the help of knowledge suggested by nature. So, we propose to find out what green manures are, and how to use them correctly for strawberries.

Why are siderates needed?

Siderata are plants or a mixture of them, which are not grown for the purpose of human consumption, but in order to improve the structure of the soil, enrich it with organic matter and essential nutrients. Thanks to a special root system, they are able to extract nutrients from the soil, and after digging them, useful substances become available to other plants.

Microorganisms affect plant debris from certain crops, which subsequently decompose and turn into humus.

Advantages and disadvantages

Speaking about the merits of siderates, it is worth highlighting the following:

1. Weed control. During the growth period, plants are able to displace weeds due to the rapid growth of the root system. However, here you should be careful and timely mow the plant so that it does not end up in the category of weeds.
2. Increased fertility. Certain plants fill the soil with nitrogen, which the crops receive from the environment.
3. Growth in the amount of organic matter.
4. Increasing soil looseness. Cereals have a branched root system that divides the soil into clumps.
5. Pest control.
6. Unhindered entry of air into the ground.
7. Preservation of nutrients in the soil in winter.
8. Renewal of the soil structure if it is compacted during construction work.

Along with this, there are disadvantages that are worth knowing for those who grow green manure in their beds, in particular:

1. If the plant is chosen incorrectly, you can end up with the opposite of the desired result. So, fertilizer should be chosen depending on what kind of soil is on the site, as well as what kind of crop is going to be grown in a certain place.
2. Before sowing, it is necessary to carefully dig up the ground, since otherwise they will not grow as needed and will not provide sufficient green mass.
3. If the green manure is deeply embedded in the ground, they will not decompose, but will turn into a peat-like mass.

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Sowing dates

Planting strawberry siderates can be done throughout the season. Some gardeners plant the garden for a whole year, as soon as the crop is harvested. Therefore, we can conclude that certain plants can be grown throughout the year.

What green manures to plant in front of strawberries?

Equally important is the correct choice of green manure for strawberries, as well as the time when it needs to be planted. For berries the best are: radish, kosmeya, rapeseed, phacelia, mustard, peas, dill, garlic.

Planting siderates in the beds is carried out year-round, but it is better to do this in the autumn or spring. Further, we propose to understand this in detail.

Spring

In spring, green manures are planted in the immediate vicinity of the wells where strawberry cultivation is planned. As soon as the "helper" plant is fully grown, it is not worth removing it. So, in the beginning, the strawberries will be under some protection from the sun and cool wind. It is necessary to cut siderates at the time of their flowering. You will need to cut the tops and mulch it into the ground. The depth for burial should be chosen as medium so that oxygen enters the ground, as a result of which the tops will turn into fertilizer.

In the spring, the beds need to be sown with radish, which, although it does not differ in a large number of useful elements, loosens the soil; buckwheat, which copes well with weeds; legumes; lupine.

Autumn

The autumn siderata are usually planted after the berries are picked, most often in August. The plant is brought to the flowering stage, after which it is mowed and plowed into the ground to a depth of no more than 15 centimeters. Popular autumn species include rapeseed, rye, oats, phacelia, mustard.

Some gardeners use green manures in the form of mulch. They are grown in a separate bed, cut off green areas and line them with free space in the ground. Next, the soil is loosened and wood ash is poured on top, which is also covered with cut grass. All this is moisturized from time to time. And in autumn new plants can be planted here.

What should not be used as siderates

Among the plants of "helpers" there are those that are not suitable for strawberries, and instead of the expected benefits, they bring only harm. It is for this reason that you should know that berries will not get along with eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and potatoes. In particular, this is due to the fact that the above crops suffer from fungal diseases or Fusarium wilt.

These unpleasant ailments lead to decay of the root system, but the worst of all is that the disease persists for a long time in the ground and is capable of infecting the least resistant plant planted nearby.

Will siderates help with growing strawberry berries in greenhouses?

Thanks to green fertilizers, crop rotation of plants in greenhouses is accelerated. This is a sine qua non for the soil to remain fertile. In a greenhouse, there is no hope for a natural crop rotation, so green manure is an alternative. Thanks to the developed root system, they will definitely help to grow berries in the greenhouse. The following crops are used as siderates:

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1. Legumes.
2. Cereals.
3. Cruciferous.

Planting methods

It is also necessary to mention the method of growing green manure for strawberries. So, the inter-row option is considered the most common. As for the berry, it is doubly effective, since during the growth the “helper” plant actively protects the delicate strawberry flowers from the scorching sun and wind.

Planting rules for green manure

All plants are planted solely depending on their preferences for the land and their ability to survive temperature fluctuations. So, in unsuitable soil, green manure will not grow well, as a result of which it will be unable to fulfill its tasks. For example, if the ground is heavy, you should not plant rapeseed, but buckwheat will take root perfectly.

As noted earlier, legumes are the best crop in the form of green manure. Their usefulness for the soil is comparable to the properties of manure. If there is a lack of phosphorus in the soil, it is worth planting rapeseed or white mustard. The lack of potassium will make up for buckwheat.

Crops with a specific aroma protect the crop from plant pests.

After mowing the green parts of the plants, they are buried no more than 15 centimeters deep. Nevertheless, such fertilizers can completely provide the berry with the necessary elements for development and growth, so it is worth additionally resorting to mineral feeding.

The main thing is to remove the greens from the site in time, until the tops have hardened, otherwise it is difficult for the plants to rot in this form.

Errors made when using siderates

The most common mistakes when using siderates:

1. Sowing in unsuitable soil.
2. Deep plowing of fertilizers.
3. Re-standing of plants.
4. Untimely sowing.