We sow rye in the fall as green manure to improve soil composition.

Winter rye is the most important agricultural crop in the non-chernozem zone. In addition, it is an effective green manure. We will tell you in detail about its cultivation later in the article.

There are spring and winter cereals. Spring cereals are sown in the spring and ripen by summer. Winter crops are sown in late summer or autumn in order to get a harvest in spring or early summer.

Features" of digging rye as sederat: the choice is up to the gardener

Sowing a cereal crop is only half the battle. The seedlings still need to be handled correctly. Now it's time to find out what to do with rye planted in the fall.

Agronomists offer several options for solving this issue:

1. Leave the planting in this condition for the upcoming winter. The benefit of this method is that the microflora in the upper layers of the soil is not destroyed by sunlight during digging.

Still, it is worth considering that rye in the garden brings both benefits and harm. Its regular planting in the same place leads to drying out of the land.

Manure contains a lot of weed seeds. If a farmer constantly adds organic matter to the garden, then he himself contributes to the cultivation of weeds in the country. However, by sowing rye as green manure in the fall, the gardener protects the site from weeds. Among other things, dense crops of cereals retain snow and rainwater at the required depth, thereby evenly distributing moisture and storing it in the ground.

Sometimes the gardener does not have time to remove the crop, and it outgrows it. In such cases, it is mowed down and disposed of. And when young shoots appear, the soil is plowed again.

Tips and tricks

Advice from experienced farmers on the use of rye crops:

1. Wait until the rye grows and starts to spike. By mowing such shoots, you will prepare nutritious hay for goats and cows for the winter. Thus, not only green fertilizer is obtained, but also complete food for animals.
2. Rye straw can be burned to produce ash. This fertilizer is also extremely useful. It has been used for centuries either in dry form for sprinkling plants or in liquid form for feeding vegetable or fruit crops.

Rye as a green manure is not suitable for all crops

Since the grain is sown at the end of summer or early autumn, it begins to grow quite early in the spring. This happens when the temperature rises by only 2-3˚C. By the second half of April, the seedlings of the crop reach 30 cm and are suitable for repeated mowing. Based on these features, rye is most often used as green manure for potatoes and other late crops.

It is sown in areas reserved for:

After green manure, the soil becomes looser, as well as air- and moisture-permeable. Moreover, it is enriched with many minerals, because during decomposition the culture releases a sufficient amount of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium into the soil. At the same time, this cereal helps to destroy pests such as wireworms and nematodes.

In addition, planting rye after potatoes inhibits the growth of harmful weeds:

Farmers practice using several green manure crops at once. Sowing oats, vetch, ryegrass and phacelia in combination with rye maximally saturates the area with all useful macro- and microelements.

Rye is not a desirable precursor for nightshades and all other grain crops.

As you can see, it is better to use winter rye as green manure in the fall, because it quickly gains green mass in the spring. Of course, the farmer will have to decide for himself when to mow it and incorporate it into the soil. If he does everything correctly, the garden will please him with a rich harvest.

Care and cultivation

In order for winter rye to produce a high yield, it requires year-round care:

• Autumn. The goal is to obtain strong, hardened, well-rooted and bushy seedlings. Works: Rolling. Used to enhance seed-soil contact. This is especially useful when there is insufficient humidity. But on heavy and wet soils, rolling is not required.
• Fertilizer application. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied - they will help the plants survive the winter. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied sparingly.

The use of snow retention increases the yield by 4 c/ha or more.

Fertilizing and tillage

To feed rye, two types of fertilizers are used - mineral and organic. The latter are manure, as well as manure-peat compost mixture enriched with phosphate rock. Often, together with phosphate-potassium fertilizer, lupine is plowed on infertile soils.

Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied during plowing, nitrogen fertilizers are applied twice:

1. When leaves, nodes and internodes are formed - 30-65 kg/ha.
2. When the spikelet tubercles are formed – 30 kg/ha.

If you feed the crops in time, the increase in yield will be:

• forest and soddy-podzolic soils – up to 8 c/ha;
• sandy loam and sandy soils - up to 12 c/ha.

Table 3 shows approximate doses of fertilizers for winter rye.

Table 3

Crops are treated depending on the condition - if necessary, poisonous substances against pests and drugs against diseases are used. The crops are also sprayed with an anti-lodging agent, Campazon. This drug can be mixed with herbicides.

Diseases, pests and prevention

Diseases can significantly reduce the rye yield, or even completely destroy the crops. The most common diseases:

• Stem smut. Accompanied by the appearance of gray stripes on the leaves - they then germinate with black spores. The harvest drops by 5-6 times.
• Fusarium root rot. Accompanied by destruction of stems. The ears are obtained with underdeveloped grain.
• Powdery mildew. Plants are affected by a coating that destroys the leaves.
• Bacteriosis is black and brown. Flowering organs and grains die.

Following the rules of crop rotation helps prevent diseases:

• processing of seed material;
• use of regionalized and disease-resistant varieties;
• using only healthy seeds;
• compliance with the rules for storing seed grain;
• proper soil preparation for sowing;
• rapid identification of foci of the disease and their prompt elimination using special drugs.

Along with diseases, insects and rodents cause damage to the crop. Common pests of winter rye:

• bread beetle;
• aphid;
• turtle bug.

Pest control involves treating crops with insecticides Force, Shaman, etc.

It is prohibited to sow seeds harvested from fields where stem smut has been observed.

To prevent infection of fields by weeds and insect pests, the following agrotechnical practices are used:

• change of grain crops on one field;
• seed dressing;
• presence of pure vapors;
• use of appropriate chemicals;
• compliance with sowing deadlines.

To prevent the breeding of rodents - mice and gophers, there should be no grains on the field. The task is to carry out cleaning without loss. At the end of the harvest, the following work is performed on the field:

• they peel and plow the stubble;
• they make baits from grains soaked in poisons.

Gophers are capable of causing enormous damage to crops; to prevent their reproduction, unfavorable conditions are created - their habitats are plowed up and treated baits are laid out.

Rye as a fertilizer for the garden

Rye is an annual cereal, and therefore has a number of advantages over other members of the family. The main one is that it acts as an excellent organic fertilizer. Rye supplies the soil with nitrogen and potassium, and its long rhizomes (up to 1.5 m) loosen the soil, improve its structure, as well as air and water exchange, and protect against erosion.

The grass sprouts quickly and produces a powerful green mass, bushes well, is not fussy, and is frost-resistant. Most often, rye is used as green manure. Immediately after harvesting, sowing is done. And shortly before the cold weather, the green carpet is buried in the ground. In this way, it is possible not only to improve the soil health, but also to obtain excellent organic fertilizer, which by spring will rot and be able to nourish garden crops.

Rye also copes well with weeds. She simply does not allow them to grow, displacing them with her long and powerful rhizomes.

Note. Rye should definitely be planted after garlic, onions, and root vegetables, which tend to accumulate a number of diseases in the soil, the main ones being several types of rot and nematodes.

Crop rotation

The predecessors of winter rye are selected so as to create favorable conditions at the time of sowing the rye:

• optimal soil structure;
• no weeds;
• absence of soil pests;
• optimal soil moisture and nutrition.

Precursors are selected depending on climatic conditions and soil characteristics. The best predecessors for certain regions of Russia are in Table 1.

Table 1

Rye itself is an excellent predecessor; one gives high yields in one place for 2 years in a row. But when rye is grown in one place for a long time, yields begin to decline.

Beneficial features

Rye contributes to the accumulation of large amounts of macroelements (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) in the soil. It enriches the top layer of soil with organic substances, making the soil maximally suitable for further cultivation of vegetable and berry crops, thanks to the build-up of an impressive layer of humus.

Benefits of using green manure:

Improves soil structure. With powerful rhizomes, it loosens the soil, saturating it with oxygen and making it more moisture-absorbing.
• Replenishes reserves of basic macro- and microelements.
• Cereal greens quickly decompose, enriching the soil with organic compounds and humus.
• Blocks the growth and development of weeds. Even the most malicious of them (wheatgrass, sow thistle) weaken in opposition to the grain.
• Fights pathogenic soil microflora, relieving it of a number of common diseases.
• In the area where the green manure grew, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini and pumpkin will develop well next season.

Note. A characteristic feature of a cereal crop is the ability to return to the soil all the nutrients taken for its own growth and development in a form more convenient for absorption by plants.

Digging

Agronomists have different opinions regarding digging. On the one hand, digging allows you to improve the aeration of heavy soil and “deliver” nutrients to the deeper layers of the soil. At the same time, supporters of no-till farming argue that digging up green manure is a violation of the eco-balance of the soil. When moving soil layers, most of the beneficial microorganisms are lost, and erosion processes are aggravated.

When using the second method, the greenery cut in spring is scattered on the surface of the beds, watered with water if necessary, and after a couple of weeks, the soil is slightly loosened and vegetable crops are planted.

Many experienced gardeners note that when using the no-till method, the soil structure actually becomes better and the fertile layer becomes thicker.

Advantages and disadvantages

Rye differs from other green manures in its abundance of advantages and almost complete absence of weaknesses.

Advantages:

• Not picky about soil type. It can grow successfully even on highly acidified or alkaline soil.
• Affordable price.
• It can be an excellent autumn food for livestock.
• Strongly developed rhizomes, thanks to which rye obtains its nutrition from the deep layers of the soil.
• Nutritional value. Green manure rapidly rots in the soil, providing garden crops with all the main useful components.
• Aeration. The powerful rhizomes of rye naturally loosen the soil on the site.
• Retains snow, preventing soil freezing.
• Displaces weeds and prevents their spread.
• Fights pests and diseases.
• It is an excellent companion for potatoes, carrots, and beets.

Flaws

• Cereals consume a large amount of moisture, and therefore dry out the soil greatly. Requires regular, abundant watering.
• If the rye is not incorporated into the soil in a timely manner, the greens will become coarse and cause a lot of trouble.

Attention! Do not plant rye among fruit trees and berry fields, as well as between vegetable beds. This will lead to lower yields.

Botanical features

Rye has a fibrous root system that penetrates to a depth of two meters and can grow quite easily on sandy soils. High physiological activity allows crops to absorb useful elements from the soil, represented by poorly soluble compounds, in the shortest possible time.

The hollow stem part of rye has five to six internodes. The stem is straight, bare along almost the entire length, except for the area directly under the ears. The average height of the stem, depending on the varietal characteristics, can be about 0.8-1.0 m. The leaves are broad-linear, flat, up to 30 cm long and 25 mm wide. At the base of the leaf blade there is a shortened tongue with short bare or pubescent ears covering the stem part.

When and how to sow?

The effectiveness of a crop is determined by its age: young shoots contain a lot of nitrogen, mature shoots are valuable for their organic component.

You can sow immediately after harvesting and until the end of September. But it’s better to do this as early as possible so that the plant has time to gain strength and bloom. Before planting, it is recommended to feed depleted soil with organic matter and minerals.

It is better to choose small-grained winter varieties. They will need up to 2000 g per hundred square meters. The seeding depth is 4 cm. If the soil is light, then deeper. When sowing manually, the seed application rate is 1 pc. for 5 sq. cm.

Important! You can’t just scatter the grains around the area, because the birds will immediately peck them off. Be sure to embed them in the ground.

The seeds do not have to be fresh. It’s better to take last year’s ones, which have already gone through the ripening period.

Some gardeners sow rye immediately after digging up potatoes. The soil is not fertilized, since organic matter and mineral fertilizers have already been added to it. The area is simply loosened or shallowly dug. Some sow rye in beds, leaving row spacing of at least 16 cm wide, others simply in bulk (up to 1500 g per hundred square meters).

Winter varieties are resistant to frost and drought. If it was not possible to sow a cereal plant in the fall, you can do it in the spring, using spring varieties.

Rye harvesting

Harvesting is the final stage of growing any cereal crop. Rye is harvested using combines when the grain moisture content is no more than 20%. Then a single-phase cleaning is carried out. If the moisture content of the grains is 30-40%, it is necessary to carry out two-phase cleaning:

• mowing the ears of corn and placing them on the stubble in windrows;
• after the grain dries, which lasts several days, threshing and selection of windrows.

The maximum yield occurs at the end of the period of waxy ripeness - at this time the flow of dry substances into the grain stops. To prevent grain shedding, it is recommended to begin harvesting approximately in the middle of wax ripeness.

If the rye grows too long, it may develop fusarium. This is especially true in rainy weather. The optimal standing density is 300 stems per 1 square meter. m. Optimal roll thickness depending on humidity:

• high humidity – 15-18 cm;
• normal – 18-22;
• low – up to 25 cm.

If the weather is dry, then in the Non-Black Earth Region, the Urals and Siberia the grain ripens in windrows for 3-4 days, in the Black Earth Region and the Volga region - 2-3 days.

When picking up windrows, combines with headers move in one direction. The grain masses are fed ears forward so that the uniformity of feeding is not disturbed.

When and how to dig?

Gardeners traditionally use 2 methods of applying green manure for fertilizer:

Powerful rye greens are mowed about a couple of weeks before the onset of cold weather. After this, the area is dug up, embedding it in the ground.

If winter rye has not been incorporated into the soil since the fall, then in the spring it will rapidly begin to grow. When it reaches 0.3 m, it is cut and crushed. After this, the area is dug up. All this is done approximately 14-21 days before planting the potatoes.

Note. Overheating of the green mass occurs only if there is a sufficient amount of water. If there is no precipitation, the area will have to be watered manually.

That’s why many people don’t wait for winter wheat to grow back in the spring, but immediately after the snow melts, while the soil is sufficiently moist, they plant green manure into the ground.

You can also simply cut the plants and leave them in the beds. This method makes it possible to preserve the functionality of rye rhizomes. At the same time, natural leaf compost will appear on the surface.

Features of sowing work in the garden

You can sow rye as a green manure on ridges, as well as in open ground areas, which will destroy pathogens of fungal diseases and inhibit the development of nematodes. As a green manure predecessor crop, rye is recommended to be planted before potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers .

If in the spring you should plant green manure such as rye in furrows, then in the autumn it is recommended to plant this green fertilizer by simply scattering the seeds on the soil and covering it with a mulch layer. It is allowed to plant winter green manure crops in furrows, but maintaining a sowing depth of no more than three to four centimeters . It is advisable to cut off the green mass with a flat cutter directly above the surface, after which the root system remaining in the soil needs to be dug up.

When is it advisable to sow rye in the fall as green manure?

This cereal plant is one of the TOP 3 best green manure crops in agriculture, since it saturates the soil with an incredible amount of nutrients than all other plants. Thanks to the fibrous root system, the sprouts of the crop grow so quickly that they manage to absorb all the nutritional components before any weed. In addition, this cereal has high biological activity, which allows it to obtain useful compounds from substances that are difficult to break down. However, the question arises when to sow winter rye as green manure in order to maximize its full potential.

The cereal crop has one important feature - it is able to increase its biomass within 45 days. By the end of this period, it becomes fully suitable for wintering.

Therefore, it is sown immediately after harvesting vegetables:

• end of August - in the 20th;
• at the beginning of autumn;
• last ten days of September.

The dates given here will be optimal only for central Russia. However, in the southern regions, the best time to sow rye is most often October. This month, farmers completely remove all other crops from their gardens: beets, carrots and cabbage. In addition, the warm weather in this area lasts almost until the end of November.

If the greenery of cereal plants outgrows, then the stems acquire a too rigid structure. To process vegetation into fertilizer, soil microorganisms have to absorb all nitrogen reserves from the soil.

Terrain and climate

Rye is a unique crop; it is the only representative of grains cultivated in any climatic regions - from Yakutia to hot South American countries. Winter rye is grown in many countries, but its main crops are concentrated in the USA and Europe.

Advantages of winter rye:

• low dependence on meteorological conditions;
• undemanding to soil fertility;
• stability of yields.

Rye grains lose germination faster than other grains - after 3-4 years, 70% of the seeds are no longer able to germinate.

Rye is very popular in Russia. It is especially actively grown in regions where other grains do not produce high yields due to difficult conditions - low temperatures, high humidity, few sunny days, etc.

In Russia, the leader in rye production is the Stavropol region. Here the highest average yields are up to 50 c/ha. Also, a lot of rye is grown in the Lipetsk and Moscow regions, in the Krasnodar region and the Kaliningrad region. And in Transbaikalia, Khabarovsk Territory, Yakutia, Buryatia and the Amur Region, rye is the main cereal crop.

Technology for growing rye as green manure: how many seeds are needed and how to care for the seedlings

Many gardeners prefer to sow cereal crops as the site becomes vacant. Others are waiting for the time when they will free it completely. They divide it into beds with a step of 15 cm, or distribute the seeds in a chaotic manner, sowing in bulk. However, after this they do not go on vacation, but continue to look after their lands.

There are several features of growing rye as green manure:

1. Agricultural technology of sowing. For 1 hectare of personal plot you will need to prepare up to 1-3 kg of ripened seeds. The depth of seeding of grains is from 2 to 5 cm. To achieve such a precise effect, some farmers use a rake.
2. Watering. Most of the rhizomes of the crop are mainly concentrated in the upper layer of the soil. Therefore, the plant urgently needs sufficient moisture. To do this, at the stage of preparatory work, if there was no rain in September, the area is thoroughly irrigated with water.
3. Feeding. Although rye survives on severely depleted soils, agronomists still recommend periodically fertilizing the soil. Nitrophoska (at a rate of 20 g/m²) is often used as such a nutritional supplement.

For sowing, it is recommended to buy last year’s seed. Seeds that are too young simply do not have time to go through the full ripening process, and therefore have low germination. In addition, farmers are urged not to plant this cereal crop near fruit trees or shrubs. Otherwise, the plant will absorb all the available moisture reserves in the summer cottage.

The depth of seed placement is different for each type of soil. For sandy loams this figure is 5 cm, for clayey ones - 2 cm, and for all others - 3 cm.

Optimal sowing dates

Sowing of winter rye begins no earlier than the average daily air temperature reaches 15-16°C. There should be about 50 days left until frost. When the air temperature drops to the specified values, the risk of infection by Hessian and Swedish flies is significantly reduced.

The quality of rooting and hardening of plants depends on the correct timing. In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, last year's seed material is used for sowing. If fresher seeds are taken, they are kept in the sun for 3-4 days to warm them up. Or they are treated with air heated to 45-50°C.

Approximate sowing dates:

• Non-Black Earth region - from August 20 to September 5.
• Siberia - from the beginning of August to September 15.
• Central Black Earth Region - from August 25 to September 15.
• Southern regions - from September 25 to October 10.

Seeding rates depend on regional soil and climate characteristics, million units per 1 ha:

• Volga region - 4.6;
• Non-chernozem zone – 6.7;
• Ural and Siberia – 6.6.

Features of digging rye as sederat: the choice is up to the gardener

Sowing a cereal crop is only half the battle. The seedlings still need to be handled correctly. Now it's time to find out what to do with rye planted in the fall.

Agronomists offer several options for solving this issue:

1. Leave the planting in this condition for the upcoming winter. The benefit of this method is that the microflora in the upper layers of the soil is not destroyed by sunlight during digging.
2. Before frost, mow down the succulent shoots. By then they should reach 30 cm. The area can be dug up or mulched with the resulting biomass.
3. In early spring, mow down all available greenery. Then dig it together with the soil to a depth of 12-15 cm (for light soils) or 6-8 cm (for heavy soils).
4. After mowing, leave the stems in the area as mulch. After 2-3 weeks, when the greens rot, loosen the top layer of soil and plant vegetable crops.

Still, it is worth considering that rye in the garden brings both benefits and harm. Its regular planting in the same place leads to drying out of the land.

Manure contains a lot of weed seeds. If a farmer constantly adds organic matter to the garden, then he himself contributes to the cultivation of weeds in the country. However, by sowing rye as green manure in the fall, the gardener protects the site from weeds. Among other things, dense crops of cereals retain snow and rainwater at the required depth, thereby evenly distributing moisture and storing it in the ground.

Sometimes the gardener does not have time to remove the crop, and it outgrows it. In such cases, it is mowed down and disposed of. And when young shoots appear, the soil is plowed again.

Soil preparation

Tillage depends on the predecessor. Before sowing winter rye, the field is hulled to a depth of 7-8 cm, having first removed the predecessor. If harvesting is late, they do without peeling, immediately apply manure and plow the soil 30 cm deep. In the spring, the soil is harrowed and cultivated 2 times, first by 10 cm, then by 5-6 cm. In addition, in the summer, fields prepared for sowing winter wheat:

• cultivated;
• peel;
• disk;
• harrowing.

The interval between sowing and plowing is 1 month, this is necessary for the soil to settle. Plowing in forest-steppe and sub-taiga zones - 25-27 cm, in forest-steppe and steppe - 20-22 cm.

If fields are infested with stubborn weeds, it is recommended to treat with herbicides, such as Roundup, instead of just cultivation.

Rye as a green manure is not suitable for all crops

Since the grain is sown at the end of summer or early autumn, it begins to grow quite early in the spring. This happens when the temperature rises by only 2-3˚C. By the second half of April, the seedlings of the crop reach 30 cm and are suitable for repeated mowing. Based on these features, rye is most often used as green manure for potatoes and other late crops.

It is sown in areas reserved for:

After green manure, the soil becomes looser, as well as air- and moisture-permeable. Moreover, it is enriched with many minerals, because during decomposition the culture releases a sufficient amount of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium into the soil. At the same time, this cereal helps to destroy pests such as wireworms and nematodes.

In addition, planting rye after potatoes inhibits the growth of harmful weeds:

Farmers practice using several green manure crops at once. Sowing oats, vetch, ryegrass and phacelia in combination with rye maximally saturates the area with all useful macro- and microelements.

Rye is not a desirable precursor for nightshades and all other grain crops.

As you can see, it is better to use winter rye as green manure in the fall, because it quickly gains green mass in the spring. Of course, the farmer will have to decide for himself when to mow it and incorporate it into the soil. If he does everything correctly, the garden will please him with a rich harvest.

Winter rye description

Rye is a herbaceous plant, annual or perennial, belonging to the large family of cereals. Its name in Latin is Secale cereale, which means “sowing rye”. Within the species there are wild subspecies and over forty cultivated varieties.

Plant differences relate to the following points:

• appearance and nutritional characteristics of grains;
• spine development;
• ear length;
• pubescence of the stem.

Root system. Rye has a fibrous root system, buried 1-2 m deep. This plant has powerful and developed roots, which are especially effective on light sandy soils. Rye roots, consisting of primary (embryo) and secondary (nodal) roots, quickly absorb nutrients contained in poorly soluble compounds. The grain, immersed in the soil, forms 2 tillering nodes. One is located in depth, the second is near the surface, and it becomes the main one. Rye is characterized by intensive tillering - the plant forms from 4 to 8 shoots, and if favorable conditions are created - 50-90.

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Stem. The rye stalk is a hollow straw consisting of several knees (from 4 to 7) connected by nodes. The lower internodes are thicker than the upper ones - 6-7 mm versus 2-4 mm. The stem is erect, pubescent under the spike, and then bare. The height of cultivated rye is limited to 1.5 m, wild species are higher - up to 1.8 m or more. The stem and leaves are green, but due to the waxy coating they appear bluish. As they ripen, the color of the stem and leaves changes, first becoming gray-green, then gray-yellow and finally golden yellow.

Ear. Rye has an inflorescence in the form of a spike, consisting of 2 or 3 flowering spikelets attached to the stem. The shape of the grain is oblong or oval, slightly flattened on the sides. The top of the grain is bare or pubescent. Each variety of rye has its own ear length, it varies between 8-17 cm. The weight of the grain depends on the variety:

• for large-grain varieties, 100 seeds weigh more than 38 g;
• for varieties with grains above average size - 30-38 g;
• for varieties with medium-sized grains – 20-30 g;
• for small-grain varieties - up to 20 g.

Advantages of winter rye over other green manures

Rye as a fertilizer, in comparison with other grains, legumes, and cruciferous vegetables, has a number of characteristic advantages:

• it grows quickly, bushes well, and thanks to its fibrous root system, it perfectly loosens the soil;
• the greens are juicy, tender, and quickly decompose when planted in the ground;
• compounds that are difficult for plants to access, added with phosphorus fertilizers, are processed into easily accessible ones;
• rye growing on a plot or in a field can suppress the growth of weeds;
• The root system of rye secretes substances that have a healing effect on the soil, suppressing the growth and development of pathogens.

Deciding when to sow winter rye as green manure is not difficult; you can start sowing after harvesting vegetables, root crops, and other agricultural crops. For central Russia this time is the end of August, beginning of September. It is important that by the arrival of winter it has time to take root and begin to bush.

Rye sown before winter will play another important role; it will serve to protect the soil from erosion caused by rain and winds, and will also cope well with the retention of snow on the site.

With the arrival of warmer weather, rye begins to actively grow and accumulate green mass, which can begin to be incorporated into the soil in May.

The beds on which rye grew can be used for planting late vegetables: potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, by which time the green manure will have time to grow sufficiently. But when planting potatoes after rye, you need to take care to protect them from wireworms, because the pest loves to settle on the roots of this cereal.

You can plant vegetables and seedlings in the beds two weeks after plowing fertilizer into them.

Interesting Facts

Facts about rye you might not know:

• Rye grains are actively used in weight loss. They contain a lot of fiber, which helps to quickly satiate and satisfy hunger.
• Eating rye products reduces the likelihood of gallstones by 13%. Rye activates the movement of food into the gastrointestinal tract and reduces stomach acidity.
• Rye is an important supplier of magnesium. The production of more than 300 enzymes, including insulin, depends on this element. Rye fibers reduce the need for insulin, which is why diabetics are recommended to eat brown bread.
• Rye bread removes toxins from the body, reduces cholesterol, prevents tumor diseases and breast cancer.

Rye is a valuable food crop that can produce crops in the most unfavorable climatic conditions. This cereal plant not only serves as a raw material for the baking industry, but is also an excellent green manure that allows you to increase the yield of vegetables and root crops.

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Rules for sowing winter rye for fertilizer

After the harvest is harvested and plant residues are removed from the garden, the soil needs to be loosened with a flat cutter or cultivator; a small area can be loosened with a rake.

It is better to purchase grain from last year’s harvest; it is guaranteed to be ripe and suitable for sowing. One hundred square meters will take approximately 2.5 kg.

A gardener who decides to plant green fertilizer on his plot for the first time will ask how to sow winter rye as green manure. It is necessary to sow densely, especially when sowing in autumn. There are two methods of planting: some gardeners sow in rows, making furrows across the beds with a hoe, some scatter them evenly on the ground, covering them with the back of a rake.

In dry weather, crops should be watered, as this plant greatly dries out the soil, having a high absorption capacity.

The timing of sowing winter rye for green manure is also beneficial for gardeners, because it is planted as an intermediate crop, the land for it is occupied in the fall and winter, and in the spring it is freed up for garden crops.

In the autumn-winter period, as a ground cover plant, it will help protect the soil from the effects of adverse weather conditions.

If it was not possible to sow in autumn, you can plant spring varieties of rye in the spring, although they are used much less frequently than winter varieties, and the seeds are not so often found on sale.

Or winter rye is sown, but the benefits from it are much less than with autumn sowing:

• does not have time to grow a sufficient amount of green mass;
• the root system is not sufficiently developed, soil loosening does not occur fully.

But experts believe that on depleted soils, even such measures to enrich them will be beneficial.

There are several more advantages in favor of winter rye as green manure:

• firstly, it is accessible and easy to find on sale;
• secondly, it is not demanding on soil composition and grows on almost all soils;
• thirdly, low cost - for a small amount of money it is possible to buy 8-10 kg of grain on the market.

So there is every reason to choose winter rye for green fertilizer for your plot. Its use will be especially appropriate on compacted soils that do not drain water well, since the root system of rye will improve their moisture absorption and air exchange.

Demand for sowing

Rye has food and feed value. In addition, this cereal crop is an excellent green manure. Bread is baked from rye, and its grain serves as feed for farm animals. Flour is fed to pigs, and bran is fed to cattle.

Rye is the most important national product of Russia, but since Soviet times its cultivation has been steadily declining. If in 1990 in the Russian Federation 8 million hectares were allocated for rye, then in recent years the gross harvest is 2.5-3 million tons. Wheat today turned out to be more profitable to grow than rye. However, Russia continues to be the leading producer of rye. Only Poland and Germany can compete with the Russian Federation. The most rye - 20% - is grown in Tatarstan and Bashkiria.