Fields sown with oats, until recently, stretched to the very horizon, pleasing the eye with a pleasant first green and then golden carpet. Today, oats are sown less often, but this cereal is becoming in demand due to its high nutritional value.
If we talk about oats not on the scale of industrial cultivation, this crop has been widely used to improve the soil. Like a real doctor, oats inhibit the growth of aggressive weeds, and the deep roots of the plant enrich the soil with potassium and organic matter, improving its structure and water permeability. Oats are very fond of Domestic bird, and application in health food this cereal has broken all popularity records. Seeds for sowing are carefully prepared: treatment for about 20 minutes in a weak solution (1%) of potassium permanganate avoids contamination of crops infectious diseases... It is better to buy seeds from trusted companies at the rate of 1 kg of oats per hundred square meters. Oats are a very unpretentious culture, they are not afraid of cold and snow. Already at the end of April, seeds can be sown in the soil prepared in the fall. In order for oats to give friendly shoots, you need to sow it in moist soil. Seeds germinate at 1-2 degrees Celsius, so early sowing is preferred. Oats are sown in two ways: in rows and randomly. If the area is small, then it is better to sow in grooves, the distance between them should be at least 10 cm, and the depth - 3-4 cm. Large areas are sown randomly, making sure that the seeds are scattered evenly. After sowing, the seeds must be carefully embedded in the soil, this is convenient to do reverse side rake. If oats are used in the role of green manure, then after it rises well, blooms, it is mowed and buried in the ground. The sprouts decompose, nourishing the soil and healing it from various diseases. To speed up this process, it is necessary to water the area in dry weather.
They grow oats to improve the soil, prepare medicinal infusions, decorative crafts from golden straw, making beautiful dry bouquets is a snap. This plant is responsive to care and good care, the main thing is not to miss the timing of its sowing.
Sowing green manure allows you to restore the structure and improve the composition of the soil, enrich it with useful microelements and improve its health. Various agricultural crops are used as green manure crops: legumes, cereals, buckwheat, mustard, rapeseed, sunflower, calendula and others. It is impossible to name any plant that would be universal. But from the total it is worth highlighting oats. It has a lot of advantages that experienced gardeners know about.
Benefits of oats as green manure
Oats as a green manure are suitable for growing in temperate climates, as they easily tolerate positive temperatures and close to zero. He loves moisture and light, but he is not so picky about the type of soil, although he bushes less on infertile soils. This grain crop stands out among most other green manure plants for its advantages:
- It stands out for its availability and low cost. Oat seeds are always available not only in agricultural firms and specialized stores, but also on the market. The price of seed is affordable even for families with below average incomes.
- When the green mass of oats decomposes, the soil is saturated with potassium and phosphorus, which are necessary for normal plant growth. Tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are especially demanding on potassium. The content of the trace element in young shoots is almost 5 times higher than in old ones, therefore, it is necessary to mow the green manure before the seeds ripen.
- It is an effective green fertilizer, as it easily competes with manure in its ability to fertilize the soil.
- The fibrous roots of the cereal loosen the upper fertile layer, improving the air and moisture permeability of the soil. At the same time, they strengthen light soils and prevent weathering and soil leaching.
- Oat roots release special substances into the soil to prevent root rot and fungal infections.
- Due to the high germination density of the cereal crop, weed growth is suppressed.
- Oats as a green manure will be a good predecessor for almost any garden crop, except for corn and root crops.
- Differs in rapid growth - 30-40 days after sowing, the cereal can be mowed and embedded in the ground.
- Easily combines with other green manure plants. To increase nitrogen in the soil, it is sown in a mixture with legumes - fodder peas, vetch, alfalfa or clover.
- Unpretentious to soil characteristics - able to grow on clay soils, peat bogs and soils with high acidity.
One more thing can be added to all the advantages of oats as green manure. It delivers aesthetic pleasure - lush young greenery that has sprouted in early spring looks beautiful on bare ground. But it is necessary to sow oats in time. Gardeners practice sowing both in spring and autumn.
Do not plant oats as green manure for potatoes. More suitable for this vegetable legumes(alfalfa, vetch, peas, lupine). During the decomposition of oats, nitrogen is not released, which is so necessary for the root crop. In addition, there is a great danger of infection of potatoes by wireworm - this pest appears due to the cultivation of cereals.
Sowing in spring
The optimal time for sowing is early spring, when the snow melts and the ground warms up a little. It is believed that dirt is not a hindrance to agricultural work when it comes to oats. After the snow melts, the soil contains enough moisture for the seeds to germinate. Grain seeds germinate even at temperatures of 0-1 ° C. If you miss the right moment and wait for the soil to dry out, you will have to take care of additional watering. You can sow oats later, but you need to calculate the time so that the cereal has time to grow before the onset of heat.
Although this culture is distinguished by good germination, to improve the result, it is recommended to pickle the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes before sowing.
On large areas sow oats in a fan-like manner - scatter thickly over the surface. In small areas, the line method is used - in rows:
- Before sowing, the site is cleared of weeds and loosened.
- The seeds are buried in the soil by 2-3 cm.
- If, in the process of greening, it is necessary to increase the nitrogen content in the soil, the rows of cereals and legumes alternate.
- With a small amount of seasonal precipitation, at least 3-4 waterings are organized - moisture-loving oats will respond with rapid growth.
Oats as green manure are sown much thicker than when grown for grain. Dense sowing encourages the plants to stretch upward and bush, preventing weeds from breaking through. The recommended seed consumption is 5-6 kg per one hundred square meters.
To accelerate ripening, experienced gardeners practice mowing the cereal when the stems reach a height of 15-20 cm. This procedure stimulates active plant growth and increases the final yield of green mass.
Finally, oats are mowed at the beginning of the heading phase. It is at this point that the maximum amount of nutrients accumulates in the tissues of the plant, and the green manures cut before flowering decompose faster.
The cut mass can be left on the surface of the site as a mulching material - it perfectly protects the soil from drying out and weed growth.
To obtain green fertilizer, mown oats are mixed with top layer soil, pruning fibrous roots at a depth of 5-7 cm.Do not dig up the area with mowed grasses on a shovel bayonet, otherwise acidification of the soil and the development of pathogenic microflora will worsen the condition of the soil and will not benefit, but harm. To speed up the fermentation process, the mowed mass is treated with EM preparations (EM-1, Baikal EM-1, Shining-1).
2-3 weeks after mowing the oats, the main garden crop is planted.
Sowing in autumn
In summer, it is not worth sowing oats - the culture does not tolerate a hot climate, does not give the expected tillering (growth of stems). But in early autumn after harvesting, you can have time to get a portion of green fertilizer. Autumn sowing technology does not differ from work in spring. The main thing is to calculate the time required for the growth of green manure.
Among cereals, the most popular siderates are rye, barley and oats. These plants structure well and heal the soil, suppress the growth of weeds. Each of them has its own merits. Before planting cereals, it is worthwhile to find out in advance which of them is more necessary for your soil, whether it is necessary to allocate a separate area for this green manure, or is it better to sow it before or after the main crop.
If we consider the feasibility of planting one or another cereal as a green manure, one should pay attention to the main properties of each of them. So, rye is characterized by high frost resistance, therefore it is used for winter crops. Barley is known for its drought tolerance, which allows it to be planted in arid regions.
Main characteristics of oats
What is good about oats as siderat? He has many positive qualities, therefore it is very popular.
- Inexpensive green manure. Oat seeds, like other cereals, are inexpensive and are sold not only in specialized seed stores, but also in the market.
- The main advantage of oats as green manure is the saturation of the soil with potassium. This nutrient, essential for plants, is formed during the decomposition of oat greens and is easily absorbed by plants. In young shoots of oats, the potassium content is 3-5 times higher than in old ones, so green manure that is mown and rotted in the ground in time will bring more benefits. The most demanding for potassium are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Oats can be an excellent on-site precursor for these vegetables.
- Oat roots contain substances that prevent the occurrence of dangerous disease- root rot. Thus, oats not only enrich the soil with potassium, which is necessary for vegetables, but also fights against the pathogen that often affects their roots. If it is necessary to increase the nitrogen content in the soil, seeds of oats and legumes are sown together, most often a vetch-oat mixture.
- Fibrous root system oats, like other cereals, loosens the soil well in the upper, fertile layer. Oats strengthens light soils with green manure, protecting them from weathering and leaching, while making heavy soils more breathable and friable. It can grow on any soil, but nevertheless, peaty and acidic ones are more suitable for it, less salt marshes and sandy ones.
- Like all cereals, oats inhibit the growth of weeds and are successfully used to clean the area from harmful plants... Siderata oats, rye and barley can be precursors for any crop other than maize belonging to the same family. But keep in mind that the wireworm, a malicious pest of root crops, likes to settle in the roots of cereal plants.
- Finally, the aesthetic functions of oats are of no small importance. Its lush young greenery is pleasing to the eye in spring, when the ground is still bare.
Growing features
Unlike rye, oats are not planted in winter. Although this plant is cold-resistant, frost can destroy it, therefore it is sown in spring.
When to sow oats like green manure
Planting is carried out early, when the ground dries out a little after the snow melts. By planting oats as green manure in the spring, you can be sure that the plants will get enough moisture from the soil and will thrive. On this score, there is a saying: "He who sows oats in the mud will feel like a prince." It should be borne in mind that the culture is moisture-loving, and watering is required in the absence of precipitation. Oats do not tolerate heat well, this is another argument in favor of sowing it in early spring.
Sowing oats as green manure is carried out in early autumn, after harvesting the main crops. The main thing is that the plants have time to increase the green mass before the onset of frost. The oats are mowed and lightly mixed with the ground. This technique increases the moisture content and looseness of the soil. You can not mow the oats planted in the fall, but leave it in the winter for decay. In the spring, it is enough to loosen the garden and plant vegetables right away.
How to sow siderate oats
Oat seeds are sown in rows or scattered thickly over the loosened surface, after which they are covered with a rake. The sowing depth is approximately 2–3 cm. Some practice mixed landings, alternating rows of oats and legumes - vetch or peas. It is recommended to sow the field for cereal green manures much denser than when grown for seeds, therefore, the consumption of sowing material should be higher. So, per one hundred square meters of land, 5–6 kg of oat seeds are required.
The goal of greening is to obtain maximum green mass and a good root system. With dense sowing, the plants tend to the sun and stretch out, increasing the vegetative mass. Due to the excessive planting density, the roots of cereals go deeper into the soil, which is also good. It is much more difficult for weeds to break through dense rows of green manure, so they are easier to deal with.
When to mow oats for green manure
To accelerate the growth of cereals, an agricultural technique is used - mowing the tops of plants grown by 10-15 cm. This mowing stimulates growth, as a result of which the yield of green mass is increased. It has been experimentally established that oats cut down by a third of the height outperform even those sown a week earlier in growth. If there is a lack of moisture, additional watering is required.
In what phase of growth should the oats be mowed? It is most productive to do this when it builds up its maximum green mass. Highest concentration nutrients in green manure plants it occurs at the time of flowering, in oats it occurs in initial stage earing. After cutting off the green manure, it is left on the soil in the form of mulch or mixed with the top layer of the earth, cutting the roots at a depth of 5–7 cm.
When mixed with earth at enough moisture, the green mass quickly decomposes, resulting in a green fertilizer. To speed up fermentation, you can water the soil with one of the EM preparations (preparations of effective microorganisms). If cut plants are left in the soil as mulch, they act as protection from weeds and drying out.
Digging green manure too deep is not recommended. The green mass, hitting the depth of the shovel's bayonet, is pressed with the top layer of earth. With a lack of oxygen, its anaerobic decomposition occurs, and as a result, soil acidification. Such organic matter does not benefit the plants, but only harm.
Oats are both a nutritious unpretentious cereal crop and green sprouts that are useful for humans and pets. It is worth figuring out how to plant oats in the ground or sprout it at home in order to collect good harvest on the site or get nutritious sprouts in a city apartment.
Knowing how to plant oats will provide your cat with fresh greens.
Grain preparation
The first stage of growing oats, the same for sowing in soil or a pot, is his pre-sowing treatment... What is needed for this:
- Make a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate.
- Soak seeds for 20 minutes.
- Rinse with clean water.
This procedure is necessary for the disinfection of grain, it reduces the risk of mold. To prevent the grains from sticking to your hands when planting, they must be completely dried.
How to properly plant oats in the tray
To grow oats, you will need a shallow bowl, potted flower tray or seedling tray. The larger the diameter of the container, the more grass you can grow in it. You need to fill the container with earth, you can use a soil mixture from a flower shop. It should be borne in mind that oats love acidic soil.
- Spread a finger-thick layer of earth.
- Spread the oats evenly.
- Cover with a layer of earth about 1 cm on top.
- Pour water over the ground.
For optimum humidity and temperatures create a greenhouse effect. To do this, cover the container with a film. Until the seedlings appear, the grain does not need oxygen. When the sprouts appear, the film is removed so that they have enough light and oxygen.
Oats require high humidity, when the soil dries out, the shoots will quickly die. Therefore, you need to regularly moisten the ground with a spray bottle. However, avoid stagnant water, especially if there are no drain holes in the container.
To have a constant supply of young greens, oats are sown in several trays at intervals of two weeks. While the animal eats grass from one bowl, a fresh portion will grow up.
How to plant oats in the ground
Oats are sown in the ground at the end of September, after the harvest is complete. This culture is very fond of moist soil, therefore, if the autumn is dry, the crops should be watered regularly. Planting technology for oats personal plot consists of the following stages:
- Dig up and loosen the soil.
- Make parallel grooves with a stick at a distance of about 10 cm from each other. If desired, you can do without grooves by simply spreading the grain evenly.
- Sow oat grains into the grooves not too thickly.
- Rake through the plot, carefully covering the grain with earth. The embedment depth should be no more than 4 cm.
- Water the area abundantly with a sprinkler (rain).
In a week, the first shoots will appear, and in a month, the earth with green oats can be dug up. Earthworms will gladly feast on greens, generously fertilizing the soil.
Oats will be with us by the doctor for the soil. There are many popular proverbs in which our ancestors pass on their wisdom to us: This oats in the mud - you will be a prince.This oats in the swamp will be like gold.
Oats sown in the mud will give a bunch of sheaves. Do not forget that in spring oats can be sown with the first crop, while the soil is very wet after winter. Cold soil is not scary for oats. Even if occasional snow falls, there will be no harm.
Sowing must be done very quickly. Until the sun draws moisture from the ground Oats drown out the weeds. Enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Therefore, feel free to sow oats where cabbage, carrots and beets will later grow. I sow oats in early spring in the beds that will be used for planting seedlings. This means they will stand empty until May. Here the oats have been sown. The garden bed is covered with green seedlings from weeds.
When it comes time to plant seedlings, I do this: I make holes on the garden bed right in the oats, plant seedlings, I put the planted plant around the hole with oat stalks pulled out around the hole. The rest of the oats are still growing in my garden. It serves to protect young seedlings from cold winds. When the seedlings grow up and get stronger, I pull out all the oats and use them as mulch. Indeed, it turns out that oats doctor for soil.
Have you read this? :
For green fertilizer or for improving the soil, oats in a garden plot can be sown in different terms... The first sowing period is early spring (late April) in the soil prepared in the fall.
Sowing is planned for those crops that are planted in the ground late, the very last: cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, peppers. In greenhouses, oats can be sown even earlier. Autumn soil preparation is necessary because oats are sown very early, the very first of all crops, and you do not even have to wait for the soil to thaw completely.
It is not for nothing that our great-grandfathers developed the following proverb about oats: “These oats are in the mud, you will be a prince!” Early sowing is also necessary because oat seeds need a lot of moisture for swelling and germination. And in dry soil, oats may not germinate at all. early dates sowing is not necessary, oat seeds germinate already at + 1-2 degrees, and seedlings are not afraid of frost.
And if, after the emergence of seedlings, snow fell again, it will only benefit them. In cold soil, the seeds are more quickly exposed to various kinds of infections, so they can be treated with the most famous drug for this - potassium permanganate (in a 1% solution for 20 minutes). And then rinse in cold water. Oats can be sown in rows - in grooves This is usually done when a small bed is allocated for sowing and there are few seeds.
And they sow oats randomly when a larger area is allotted for it. At the same time, they try to scatter the seeds evenly, and then they are embedded in the soil with the back of the rake. Otherwise, the birds will collect all the grains. When sowing in rows, the distance between them is no more than 10 cm.
In this case, 1 kg of seeds is enough for you to sow a whole hundred square meters and even a little more. The seeding depth is 3-4 cm. The grown green mass is cut, crushed and buried in the soil two weeks before planting of heat-loving crops - the mass must be allowed to partially decompose.
If the crop of green mass is very plentiful, part of it can be used for mulching or laid in compost. If the weather is dry after planting green fertilizer in the soil, then the garden must be watered to speed up the process of its decomposition, otherwise the plants planted on it will not feel very good. You can plan the next sowing date for oats yourself. It will be summer or autumn - depending on the time the garden is released from early cabbage, bow, winter garlic and other early harvested crops.
At the end of August and in September, there is no longer any point in sowing oats - here better fit rye. In July and early August, the moisture reserves in the soil are no longer the same as in early spring, and you will have to water the soil before and after sowing. You can dig up a plot with grown green fertilizer in the fall later than without it, since the plant roots are already partially loosened the soil and it is much easier to dig it. It is very profitable to grow winter rye on green fertilizer. After all, it occupies a site at a time when the main crops have nothing to do on it: autumn, winter and early spring.
Therefore, such crops are called intermediate crops. Sowing of winter rye in our zone begins from August 20-25. When sowing in the early stages, rye will have time to open up well before winter, and in early spring, only the soil will thaw a little, continue to accumulate green mass and grow roots. -6 cm (depending on the texture of the soil).
Sowing method: spread or row, with a row spacing of 10 to 15 cm - they try to sow thicker for green fertilizer. The soil for growing winter rye should be prepared three weeks before sowing. In the spring, the grown green mass is crushed and buried in the soil also two weeks before planting the main crop. What is the advantage of crops grown for green manure? 1.
Green fertilizer (green manure) will cost you less than manure, since you will have to spend only on seeds and partially on mineral fertilizers. 2. Your buried green manure beds will not (as is the case with manure) get millions of weed seeds.
The yield of crops grown for green fertilization is up to 300 kg (or more) of green mass, which is equivalent to the same amount of manure. 4. In addition to the above-ground part, many roots invisible to us develop in the soil, and they penetrate to a depth of 1.5 meters or more.
At the same time, they extract nutrients from hard-to-reach compounds and carry them up from deep soil layers. That is, they facilitate the growth conditions for the plants planted after them. 5.
Plowing green fertilizers increases the number of beneficial microorganisms in the soil by 1.5-2 times, and this improves the biological activity of the soil. All crops that we sow on green fertilizer suppress the growth of weeds, clean the soil from them. 7.
Due to substances secreted by the roots of oats and rye, the number of nematodes in the soil decreases and pathogens of many diseases are suppressed. When sowing mustard, peas, beans for fertilization, the wireworm disappears. 8.
Potatoes grown after applying green fertilizers are less affected by scab and other diseases. If you want to collect your seeds of oats and rye, then, firstly, you need to stock up on seeds of varieties released in your area, since rye brought, for example , from the south, you will not ripen. The second condition is the sowing time: oats are sown in early spring, winter rye - in the third decade of August. The third condition is that when preparing the soil for sowing, it is necessary to apply fertilizers: 4-5 kg of humus, to a glass of ash or 2 tbsp. l. any complex fertilizers per 1 sq. meter Fourth condition - for growing for grain crops do not thicken, sow less often: for oats with row spacing - 15 cm, for rye - 15-20 cm. If weather they will not allow the seeds to ripen in the garden, the stalks of the cereals are cut and ripened in a dry, ventilated room. And then the seeds are threshed and dried in a warm room. After a period of post-harvest ripening (after 2-3 months), the germination of the harvested seeds is checked.
Oats for cats: how to germinate them?
Everyone knows that the animal's nutrition should be balanced and include in its composition a sufficient amount of vitamins for full growth and development. One of the favorite treats of cats, which is a whole storehouse of vitamins, is sprouted oats.
Moreover, a very important function of green grass is to stimulate the gag reflex, which helps the cat get rid of licked hair, bones or poorly digested food. Oats for cats can be purchased at a pet store, or you can sprout at home, because all you need to grow greens is sunlight, Fresh air, warmth and a little water.
It is better to choose utensils for growing oats that are shallow, but with a wide diameter, which will allow a large amount of young grass to germinate. In a container, with a layer of 1-2 centimeters, earth or crushed sawdust is laid out.
Oat seeds are evenly poured on top, which are covered with about the same layer of earth as the first. Some owners pre-soak the seeds in gauze before planting, and plant them in the ground with green sprouts, which allows the oats to germinate faster.
The planted seeds should be watered abundantly and covered. plastic bag, in order to create a greenhouse effect. To accelerate the growth of grass, it is desirable that the soil or sawdust is always moist.
The plastic bag can either be removed immediately after the seeds have sprouted, or left, but then regularly ventilate the young plants. You can cover the dishes in which the greens grow with a potato or fruit net. This will prevent the cat from digging up the ground.
Since animals are more likely to eat young grass, oats should be planted twice a month, especially the process of how to sprout oats for cats is very simple and does not require special skills and abilities. And it takes very little time, because it only takes about a week to grow green grass about 5 - 6 centimeters high from seeds.
And you can feed oats even when the grass is rooted and even has reached waxy ripeness. If the cat refused to eat sprouted oats, then you can gradually introduce a small amount of it into the animal's diet in a chopped form. Young grass will only positive influence to the health of the cat, therefore, a loving and caring owner should not neglect her cultivation.
What you need to know before sowing oats. Oats are not afraid of cold or snow, so it can be sown to improve and fertilize the soil in the garden at different times. The first sowing date is early spring, around the end of April, in the soil prepared in autumn.
Sowing is planned for such crops that are planted in the ground by the very last - zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers. In greenhouses, oats can be sown even earlier.
Autumn soil preparation is necessary so that, due to the early sowing of oats, it is not even necessary to wait until the soil finally thaws. And early sowing is needed so that oat seeds need a lot of water for germination, since oats may not sprout in dry soil.
Oat seeds germinate at a temperature of one or two degrees Celsius, and frost is not terrible for its seedlings, so there is no need to be afraid of early sowing dates. Even if it snows after sprouting, it will only benefit the oats.
In cold soil, oat seeds can be subject to various infections, therefore, before sowing, it is recommended to treat them with potassium permanganate for about twenty minutes in a one percent solution.
Oats are sown in rows and scattered. It is sown in rows in grooves, when it is allocated for sowing small area, and the seeds themselves are few. Sowing randomly when the area is larger.
In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the seeds are scattered evenly, and then embed them in the ground with the reverse side of the rake, otherwise there is a danger that they will be pecked by birds.
When sowing oats in rows, the distance between them should be no more than ten centimeters. The embedment depth is three to four centimeters. In this case, one kilogram of oat seeds is quite enough for a hundred square meters.
After the oats have given green shoots, they are mowed, crushed and embedded in the soil in two weeks after planting the main crops. If the weather is dry after embedding in the ground, you need to water the area abundantly with water in order to accelerate the decomposition processes. Otherwise, the plants planted after oats will not feel very comfortable.
You can plan the next sowing of oats yourself, but it should be noted that there is no point in sowing it at the end of August or September - winter rye is better suited here. In addition, in July and August, the moisture reserves in the ground are much less, so you will have to water the site, both before and after sowing.
That is all there is to say about sowing oats as a green fertilizer. Nothing complicated! You will only need a little free time and a desire to increase the harvest harvested on your own personal plot.
A story about how oats grow and what is prepared from it.
Sowing oats
How to sow oats
Fields sown with oats, until recently, stretched to the very horizon, pleasing the eye with a pleasant first green and then golden carpet. Today, oats are sown less often, but this cereal is becoming in demand due to its high nutritional value.
1 If we talk about oats not on the scale of industrial cultivation, this crop has been widely used to improve the soil. Like a real doctor, oats inhibit the growth of aggressive weeds, and the deep roots of the plant enrich the soil with potassium and organic matter, improving its structure and water permeability.