What is phacelia, what is it grown for and what does it look like?

Phacelia is a culture not widespread in horticultural circles, as you recognize it, an irresistible desire arises: "I want to grow!". The universal plant is in no hurry to reveal its capabilities, hiding unique abilities behind the external nondescriptness. But for a knowledgeable gardener, it will become an indispensable assistant in restoring soil fertility, it will provide beekeepers with a rich bribe of tasty and healthy honey, and for lovers of beauty it will give the filigree beauty of unusual bell-shaped inflorescences of sky-blue color.

Delicate petals of a sky-blue hue and an unusual shape give the inflorescence fragility and sophistication

Biological characteristics of the plant

The phacelia plant is a herbaceous one-cut culture of the Borage family, which grows naturally in the vastness of the American continent. Most of the species, and there are more than 80 of them, are annuals, but perennial grasses are also found.

Stems are erect, strongly pubescent, during the growing season they form a branched bush with many shoots of the second and third order, with a total height, depending on the variety, 25-100 cm. species with a pinnately dissected leaf plate.

The flower corolla is a regular bell 2-3 cm in diameter with five petals and the same number of long stamens with large anthers.Phacelia flowers are collected in dense or rare spike-shaped inflorescences, among which twisted inflorescences-curls look especially original.

It is interesting! Each plant forms from 20 to 40 spike-shaped inflorescences, in total, this is from several hundred to a thousand flowers per season. Thanks to this, the flowering period lasts up to one and a half months, supplying the bees with a large amount of high-quality nectar.

Phacelia is a light-loving plant, but it also develops successfully in shaded areas. She prefers light, drained soils, but if she does not receive them, she herself works to improve their structure.

The peculiarities of the biology and vegetation of a plant determine its agricultural value.

1. Like legumes, it is a versatile precursor for all garden and horticultural crops, filling the soil with organic matter and nitrogen in an easily digestible form.
2. The full growing season of grass from sowing to seed ripening lasts 80–95 days, so it can be planted at any time of the year and several times per season.
3. Phacelia has an enviable vigor of growth, in 40–45 days it gains the maximum volume of green mass, which, under favorable conditions, is up to 300 kg per hundred square meters.
4. The plant can withstand frosts down to -9⁰C, is not afraid of recurrent spring chills, so it can be sown very early.

Endless phacelia meadows - a beekeeper's dream

Phacelia species

Despite the variety of plant species, only a few of them are grown in European latitudes.

• Phacelia bell-shaped belongs to the category of annual ornamental crops and will appeal to lovers of natural flowers. A short plant (20–25 cm) with juicy bluish-green leaves on long petioles and bright blue flowers, collected in loose brushes, will look amazing in the border, the composition of the flower lawn. The plant has several hybrid garden forms with increased decorativeness, its further selection is underway.
• Phacelia curled is another unusual garden species. Each shoot of this plant ends with a curl inflorescence, consisting of small blue flowers, from which, after flowering, no less decorative seed pods are formed.
• Phacelia is rowan-leaved, it is also called tansy because of the pinnately dissected leaves. It is this species that is recommended to be grown as a green fertilizer, fodder and melliferous crop. From one root it forms a bunch of stems up to 100 cm high, abundantly covered with leafy mass and fragrant flowers. The color of the petals in this species is more modest, gray-blue, but in flower groups the plant looks quite harmonious.
• Phacelia Pursha is a medium-sized plant (50-60 cm) with highly pubescent foliage and small flowers of an unusual lavender shade. It blooms for a long time, replacing faded inflorescences with new buds on the side shoots.

Note! On sale there are seeds of perennial phacelia. These are quite rare, unusual species that grow in the subalpine and alpine zones. Despite the difficulties of growing, they will certainly appeal to collectors of alpine flora.

Belonging to the same family (Borage) gives F. bell-shaped some resemblance to forget-me-not

A distinctive feature of F. Pursh is variegated lavender petals

The universal qualities of culture

Versatility is one of the most valuable qualities of this culture. Phacelia is simultaneously a honey plant, a source of green food for pets, improves the composition and structure of the soil, fights weeds and pests, while it looks great, smells, and serves as a decoration of the site. Let's consider the beneficial qualities of the plant in more detail.

Green manure

Phacelia tansy is considered an almost ideal green manure culture. When sowing 150-200 g of seeds on a weave, it forms a dense green carpet within a few weeks after planting, and by the beginning of budding (40-45th day) it grows up to 300 kg of green mass.Due to its juicy consistency, the tops quickly decompose after mowing and embedding in the soil, enriching it with organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and microelements. A fibrous root system with many nitrogen-containing nodules helps to loosen the soil, removes excess acidity.

The fact that planting a unit of green mass in the soil in terms of nutritional value is equivalent to the introduction of the same amount of matured plant compost or humus speaks in favor of the phacelia-siderata.

To make heavy clayey or simply killed soil loose and fertile, it is recommended to grow tansy phacelia in one place throughout the year, making 2-3 crop rotations, starting in early spring. The grass is mowed 1-2 weeks after the beginning of flowering, the biomass is buried in the ground or used as mulch, the stubble is dug up and re-sowing is done.

A big plus of phacelia as a green manure is that it is not affected by pests.

Advice! Although the plant is considered drought-resistant, it can only grow a normal volume of leaf mass in conditions of good humidity. In regions with dry summers, it is recommended to sow the crop 2 times a year - in early spring and late summer, sowing the area as the main harvest is harvested.

Phytosanitar

Along with improving the structure, phacelia heals the soil. How does this happen?

• Fights weeds. A densely sown crop quickly rises and closes, displacing weeds with roots and shoots.
• It alkalizes the soil, suppresses weeds that appear at high acidity (woodlice, horse sorrel, wheatgrass).
• The plant contains phytoncides, which repel some pests (leaf rollers, moths) and attract insects that eat them.
• Clearing the soil from wheatgrass roots contributes to the decrease, and eventually the complete disappearance of the wireworm population - thunderstorms of tuberous crops.
• Locusts and some types of soil nematodes avoid the neighborhood with the rowan-leaved phacelia.
• The culture has a depressing effect on fungal, viral and other pathogenic microflora, serves as prevention of late blight of vegetable plants, root rot, scab.

The bright green carpet of F. tansy leaves quickly rises, forming a dense closed grass stand

Honey plant

Beekeepers are not indifferent to fragrant culture. Phacelia fields during the honey harvesting period from the continuous hum of bees look like small power plants, and in terms of nectar productivity, the plant is second only to flowering linden. For a season, striped workers collect 250-300 kg of honey from 1 hectare of crops.

Phacelia honey - delicate, tasty, aromatic, belongs to rare varieties of the highest quality, has many useful properties.

• Belongs to dietary products, it is indicated for people with diseases of the stomach, liver, low acidity, gastritis.
• Honey normalizes the intestines, eliminates dysbacteriosis, and has a beneficial effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract.
• Heals ulcerative formations on the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum.
• This sweet natural product is an excellent tonic, calms the nerves, improves sleep, increases the body's resistance to diseases, and normalizes metabolic processes.

Phacelia honey is very elastic and crystallizes slowly, so it is often left to feed the bees.

Advice! If there are problems with pollination of garden and horticultural crops, plant bright blue phacelia islands in different parts of the garden. Insects from all over the area will flock to your site.

Excellent honey plants all types of phacelia - both decorative and agricultural

Ornamental plant

In decorative floriculture, bell-shaped phacelia and its garden forms are often cultivated. In flower beds, laid out in a natural style, other types of this unusual plant look organically, for example, F. twisted, F. Pursha.

Bright blue flowers are spectacular against a background of dark greenery, combined with white and yellow flowers - perennial daisies, heliopsis, yarrow, coreopsis, gailardia.If you like Moorish lawns (a flower meadow instead of neatly trimmed grass), blue phacelia spots on a multi-colored carpet will accentuate the pattern.

Due to the long flowering from June to September, a flowerbed or lawn with phacelia looks elegant all summer long, creates an atmosphere of tranquility, exudes a sweet honey aroma.

Blue spots of F. campaniform on a Moorish lawn

Fodder crop

You can use the tender and succulent phacelia grass for animal feed. In this case, it is recommended to grow it not as a monoculture, but in combination with vetch, peas, and other legumes. Green mass is nutritious and beneficial for the health of animals, they quickly gain weight, do not get sick. Cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry love this feed mixture.

Wherever you sow phacelia - in a field or in a flower bed, near an apiary or in aisles in a garden bed, it will be useful everywhere, it will delight the eye and smell delicious.

Moscow, Russia, on the site since 11.01.2017

Phacelia is one of the best green manure

Siderata are plants that are grown to improve the structure and composition of the soil before planting cultivated (fruit and ornamental) plants... All green manures are especially resistant to various adverse conditions, and are often able to withstand fairly low temperatures. One of the most popular cultivated plants among the green manure is the phacelia.

Phacelia is an annual plant, resistant to adverse environmental conditions... This plant has the ability to accumulate organic matter in the soil, which can be used by other plants. In addition to a qualitative change in the soil, a structural one also occurs - the soil becomes loose, which means that oxygen can easily flow to the roots of plants.

Phacelia species

There are three types of phaceliawhich have a number of differences.

Phacelia tansy

Twisted phacelia - the plant is low, up to 50 centimeters. It blooms from mid-June to October with small blue flowers. Flowers are collected in twisted inflorescences, which determines the name of the species.

Bell-shaped phacelia - Plants of this species are even smaller, reaching a height of only 25 centimeters. It blooms with dark blue bell-shaped flowers, which are collected in racemose inflorescences. This type of phacelia is prized for its bright and long-lasting flowering.

Phacelia tansy - the most valuable type of phacelia. Plant height reaches 100 centimeters. It blooms with blue flowers with a grayish tint. The bush is very voluminous, as there is a huge number of side shoots. Tansy phacelia is valued not only as an excellent green manure, but also as a wonderful honey plant.

Why Phacelia?

Now a huge number of siderates are known, so inexperienced gardeners have problems when choosing a suitable plant. So why exactly phacelia?

• Phacelia is not just a green manure, but also an ornamental plant. Yes, some types of phacelia look more decorative, some do not, but any phacelia can decorate your site with its small flowers.
• Phacelia grows very quickly under any conditions.
• This plant is able to withstand frosts down to minus 8 degrees.... And also, phacelia grows absolutely anywhere: sunny, shaded.
• If you have a poor soil structure on your site, then the phacelia is at your service. A single planting, of course, will not correct the situation, but if the phacelia is regularly planted in a problem area for three to four years, the soil structure will improve, and one might say, it will be ideal.
• Dried phacelia are not harvested in autumn... It is necessary to dig up the site, and during the winter all the remnants will rot, therefore, the soil will be "saturated" with humus.

The benefits of phacelia for your site

As mentioned above, the phacelia has a well-developed root system, which perfectly loosens the soil.In loose, well-drained soil, plants develop quickly and well, so the phacelia is used to a greater extent for this. But, in addition to loosening the soil, phacelia also has a whole host of useful properties.

Phacelia refers to plants that are able to protect the site from the invasion of insect pests. By planting this plant in your garden, you will protect your garden crops from the invasion of aphids and weevils. Also, phacelia flowers have a pleasant aroma that attracts insects that fight against leafworms, moths and apple blossom beetles.

In addition to its ability to protect other plants from insects, phacelia can also protect against disease. Bacterial infections, such as gray rot, late blight, root rot, etc. - the risk of infection by them is significantly reduced.

Phacelia deoxidizes the soil very well, makes its pH almost neutral... This indirectly affects the appearance of weeds - they are less common, since weeds prefer acidic soils more.

Also, phacelia excellent honey plant... If your garden lacks pollinating insects, then by planting phacelia, you will attract a huge number of bees and bumblebees to your site, which will pollinate your plants.

And, of course, because of its unusual flowering, phacelia can be perfectly used in mixed flower beds (mixborders), in alpine slides and rockeries.

Planting phacelia and caring for it

You can sow phacelia in two main periods: in spring and in autumn. But, you can grow it all season, sowing every 3-4 weeks. In depleted areas, it is sown in early spring, and in areas with acidic or heavy soil in the fall.

Prepare a site for phacelia in early autumn.... To do this, the soil must be dug to a depth of 5-7 centimeters. Seeds are sown randomly. In order to sow an area of ​​1 square meter, you will need 200-250 grams of seeds. Since the phacelia seeds are small, they can be mixed with sand for a more even planting.

Seeds germinate 2 weeks after sowing. At first, the seedlings look weak, but after a few days they begin to quickly stretch out and gain weight.

Vegetables can be grown with phacelia... To do this, on the site sown with phacelia, you need to prepare planting holes. For crops such as: tomato, pepper, eggplant, cabbage - you need to create near-stem circles that can be mulched with phacelia stems. For sowing garlic, carrots, beets and other crops, the phacelia is mown. Grooves are created on the site, into which the sowing of the above crops is carried out.

Phacelia seed crop rotation

To successfully grow phacelia on your site, it is enough to buy the seeds of this plant once. After the plants have faded, the inflorescences are plucked and placed in a warm, ventilated place where they dry out. Subsequently, phacelia seeds obtained from adult plants are sown. Thus, a kind of "seed cycle" is obtained. However, every 4-5 years it is worth renewing the seeds by buying new ones.

Phacelia can not only improve the soil, but also save you from many other problems. For example, it will save you from the need to treat plants with special agents to protect them from insect pests and diseases. Phacelia is one of the best green manures.

How to use phacelia as a green manure, and what are its advantages

It has long been known that most plants are multifunctional. But it would hardly have occurred to anyone to use the outwardly attractive phacelia as a green manure to enrich the soil with useful substances.

Nevertheless, this plant, capable of decorating any personal plot in the process of its flowering, can be useful for this purpose as well.

To understand the full validity of this idea, you need to figure out what green manure is, how useful phacelia is in this role, and how to use it to fertilize the earth.

How does phacelia contribute to a good harvest?

Scientists have noticed that land depleted due to intensive use is capable of restoring fertility over time, if it is not planted for several years. This is facilitated by various natural factors, including green manure - all kinds of self-sowing plants that bring nutrients to the soil.

Many plants belong to siderata, for example mustard, rye, oats, clover, lupine and others.

But using them in this capacity is not effective in every case, since the acidity of the soil that has changed after them may not be suitable for the planted crops.

Phacelia, on the other hand, is universal in this respect, due to the fact that most of the plants cultivated in our area are not "related" to it.

In addition to the positive effect on the acidity, phacelia has other benefits that are important for increasing yields.

1. Its decomposed green mass is an excellent organic fertilizer, which is comparable in functionality to manure.
2. As it grows, its root system loosens the soil to a depth of 20 cm, making it breathable.
3. Various entomophages flock to its flowers - insects that eat garden pests, such as leafworm, aphid, moth and so on.
4. The fungicides that it secretes protect cultivated plants from diseases (rot, late blight and others), and also prevent the reproduction of wireworms, nematodes and other parasites.
5. The neighborhood with phacelia has a detrimental effect on some weeds, due to which they gradually disappear from the garden plot.

For many cultivated plants, the proximity to phacelia is very beneficial. So, growing next to beans, phacelia promotes the binding of nitrogen molecules in the air, enriching the soil with nitrates.

Another property that is beneficial to its neighboring plants is its ability to retain moisture in the ground.

Due to its melliferous qualities, the blooming phacelia attracts insects participating in the pollination of crops grown on the site.

Advice
It is not worth planting plants belonging to the same family after the phacelia, since the composition of the soil will be inappropriate, and pests common to this family may remain in the ground.

When is it better to sow phacelia as a green manure?

There are many ways to use phacelia to improve yields. It all depends on what results you want to achieve. If you need to increase the fertility of the soil in some area, then for this this green manure is sown several times per season. Since the phacelia is frost-resistant, it can be sown even in early spring.

Due to the fact that its seeds are very small, it is better to mix them equally with dry sand for a more even distribution in the prepared soil. For one hundred square meters, about 200 g of planting material will be enough, which is best sown in bulk, embedding to a depth of 2-3 cm using a rake. If there is not enough moisture in the soil, then it is advisable to water the planted area.

After about 1.5 months, the phacelia begins to bloom, and this is the most suitable time to mow it. The resulting biomass is mixed with the ground, digging up the plot, but before that, it is advisable to water the cut grass with a special compound that improves the decomposition process.

Having leveled the dug area, you can start adding the next batch of seeds to the soil.

And when shoots appear and the plant reaches the flowering phase, it is necessary to repeat all the above procedures again.

Thus, until late autumn it will be possible to complete 3-4 crop rotations, and by the spring of next year the soil in your garden will be quite suitable for growing vegetables and other useful crops.

Advice
If the phacelia is not mowed in time, then its stems can become rough, which will slow down the decomposition process, and this will contribute to the development of harmful microorganisms in the semi-rotten biomass.In addition, the earth will be oversaturated with nitrates, and cultivated plants will "burn".

You can also sow phacelia immediately after harvest to restore nutrients to the soil. If it is not mowed for the winter, then the earth will not freeze, but in the spring it will be loose, and a lot of moisture will remain in it.

Another way to use phacelia for good yields is to plant seedlings in its thickets. For this, holes are made right in the grass, in which the seedlings are placed. This will protect them from exposure to sunlight and wind, and the soil from drying out. In the case of root crops, it is better to plant phacelia between rows.

Growing with them at the same time, it:

• will fertilize the soil and save moisture in it;
• will provide better air access to the roots;
• protect the plant from diseases and parasites;
• will not let the weeds grow.

Having considered the above facts, we can come to the conclusion that phacelia is a universal and irreplaceable green manure.

Especially when you consider that this plant is completely unpretentious and grows even in clay, sandy and rocky soils. With its help, you can make even the poorest soil fertile.

And using winter crops of phacelia, you can protect the land from wind and rain erosion, as well as from freezing.

It is impossible to overestimate the ability of this plant to loosen the soil, supply it with mineral and organic substances and retain moisture in it.

The phytosanitary properties of phacelia make it even more attractive to gardeners who are struggling with crop-spoiling microorganisms and insects.

And if we add to these advantages of the phacelia, its ability to attract pollinators to the plantation in the process of its flowering, we can say with confidence that it will be possible to benefit from it almost all year round.

We use phacelia as a siderat

Siderates for the garden - a great variety: rye, mustard, oats, and many others. But most siderates are not universal - they acidify the soil, then crop rotation must be observed, then moisture is taken from garden plants. Perhaps, if anyone can be called a universal green manure, it will be phacelia.

What is the beauty of phacelia? Why is she better than other siderates? We will talk about that in our article.

Features of phacelia as a siderat

Phytosanitary properties of phacelia

Phacelia as a fertilizer is good because it makes the soil healthy. She is a gorgeous phytosanitary. The fact is that most siderates have their "congeners" in the garden: cruciferous mustard - cabbage, radish, turnip; spring vetch - beans and peas. Phacelia, on the other hand, has no relatives on the ridges, as a rule - it belongs to the aquifolia family.

Due to its "dissimilarity", phacelia as a fertilizer is capable of expelling moths, leaf rollers, and apple blossom beetle from the site (because it attracts entomophages, and they already destroy pests).

They also do not like phacelia like locust green manure, nematodes (which annoy root crops), wireworm (therefore, phacelia is an excellent green manure for potatoes).

And also phacelia as siderat prevents the appearance on the site of various bacterial viral diseases - whether it be rot, drying out or late blight (another proof that phacelia is an ideal green manure for potatoes or other nightshades).

If you plant phacelia as fertilizer with beans, this alliance will not only "get" nitrogen out of the air and keep it in the upper layers of the soil, but will also reduce the number of pea weevils, root weevils, aphids and some other pests.

Phacelia as a honey plant

Phacelia as a honey plant is of great value. In addition to its aesthetic beauty, this plant blooms approximately six weeks after planting.

The flowers of the phacelia are very beautiful - they are collected in inflorescences in the form of curls, and each of them has about 70 tiny flowers. Phacelia as a honey plant is good because the flowers do not bloom at the same time, but every two days.

Thus, both seeds and flowers are found in one inflorescence.

Phacelia as a honey plant is unique in that it blooms quite late, when there are almost no other flowering plants left. Therefore, it can be used to improve late harvests - for example, for legumes or other crops pollinated by bees. As a result, the number of barren flowers in your garden will be significantly reduced due to the phacelia melliferous plant.

Phacelia as a soil fortifier

Phacelia as a siderat it is absolutely unpretentious to soils: it grows on clay, peat, sandy loam, sandy, loamy, poor stony soils and chernozems. Thanks to her, you can get a crop even in the zone of risky farming.

Phacelia as a fertilizer can deoxidize the soil, making it neutral. This not only favors the growth of garden crops, but also displaces weeds from the garden that like "sour" - sorrel, wood lice.

But in order to make the soil rich with phacelia as fertilizer, sowing it as an intermediate green manure is not enough.

It will be better if you set aside a whole season for this plant, while planting 3-4 waves of phacelia: sown in early spring, the phacelia has grown, the budding period has begun, you mowed it and sowed it anew. And so on until frost.

As a result, you can get light, fertile soil in just 1 season.

Planting phacelia as a siderat

When to sow phacelia as fertilizer?

This green manure is frost-resistant, capable of withstanding slight frosts. Therefore, the phacelia is suitable both as an autumn green manure and as a spring one. It can be sown from March to October.

If you decide to sow this green fertilizer "for the winter" or at the end of summer - do it immediately after harvesting potatoes, tomatoes or other crops - so the soil will not dry out.

If in the spring, then the phacelia is sown immediately after the snow melts. Since this plant gains weight surprisingly quickly (200 kg before planting garden crops from a hundredth) and easily decomposes, its use can easily replace the introduction of manure. In this case, the phacelia should be cut off like a green manure 2-3 weeks before planting the main crop.

How to sow and care for phacelia as a siderat

The seeding rate of phacelia is about 200 grams per hundred square meters. Seeds should be buried 2-3 cm in the ground. Make sure that the soil is moist - otherwise it is necessary to water the crops. Seedlings appear in 7-10 days.

Cut this siderat after 40-45 days with a flat cutter, oblique, cultivator or other tool. You can use the phacelia tops as mulch, or you can put them in the ground, depending on what goals you are pursuing. For better decomposition of green manure, it is advisable to pour it with an "EM" type preparation (based on microorganisms).

By the way, phacelia does not have to be cut before planting crops. If it is onion, potatoes, garlic, carrots - then yes, you need to cut and make furrows on the ground for seeds, without digging up - here you have a mulch that traps moisture and weeds growth.

But if you plant seedlings - strawberries, cabbage, peppers - it is better to make holes right in the phacelia shoots like siderata. Thus, young seedlings will be protected from wind, sun and soil drying. And as soon as the young plants get stronger, the green manure can be cut off. Remember, the roots of the phacelia, while remaining in the soil, rot, loosen it, structure it, enriching it with humus.

With autumn crops, it is advisable to leave phacelia as a fertilizer for the winter - it will cover the soil from freezing and erosion. But if the plant has managed to bloom, it is better to mow it.

That's probably all about the main features. phacelia as siderata... If you are interested in the general benefits of siderates, you can familiarize yourself with this topic in the previous article. There you will also find a table of green manure characteristics, which will help you decide on the choice of green fertilizer.

And now you can watch a video about phacelia as a siderate:

Tatiana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board Sobcor of the Internet edition “AtmAgro. Agroindustrial Bulletin "

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Phacelia (siderat): properties, photos, reviews. When to sow phacelia as a green manure? :

Any gardener who grows various crops on his site seeks to increase their yield in all possible ways. For this, many use fertilizers, choose the best varieties, carry out regular weed harvesting and loosening.

However, quite often the owners of personal plots use green manure plants (phacelia, rapeseed, oats, and others). These crops not only contribute to the enrichment of the soil, but also perform a decorative function. Consider further what is the phacelia as a green manure in the garden.

Reviews about this culture will also be described in the article.

General information

Siderata are plants that are planted before the main crops are planted. They contribute to the enrichment of the soil with nutrients.

Siderata ensure the renewal of humus reserves, increase the fertility of the top layer of the earth, and improve the structure of the soil. Most of these crops are undemanding, cold-resistant.

Siderata reduce soil acidity, accelerate microbiological processes, and contribute to the accumulation of useful elements in the upper horizons.

Phacelia as a siderat: reviews

The basis of soil fertility is formed by organic compounds (about 1%) and humus (about 4-5%). Unfortunately, most of the Russian soils do not even have such indicators.

To increase the organic content by at least 1%, it is necessary to add 3 buckets of peat, 3/4 of compost, or one of rotted manure per 1m2 of area. As gardeners themselves note, the purchase of the required amount of expensive fertilizers today significantly hits the budget.

Experienced gardeners have successfully adopted an inexpensive alternative. According to summer residents, phacelia does an excellent job with its tasks and at the same time significantly saves money. Already in the first season, it noticeably transforms the soil. The unpretentiousness of the plant is of particular importance for gardeners.

In many areas, phacelia is planted as a siderat in early October. Before the onset of frost, the culture has time to gain the necessary mass.

Main purpose

Phacelia green manure and other similar crops are planted for:

1. Fertilizers of soils.
2. Shading seedlings.
3. High-quality structuring of the earth layer.
4. Cleaning the soil from weeds.
5. Protection of vegetables and other crops from weeds.
6. Restoration of eroded soil.

The benefits of culture

Phacelia as a green manure in the garden develops quite quickly. As mentioned above, it is undemanding to the soil composition. Phacelia siderate feels very good in absolutely any conditions. It transforms heavy soil, predominantly clay type.

Under the influence of culture, the earth becomes breathable and light. This has a beneficial effect on the condition of cultivated vegetables and other plantings. Phacelia green manure is widely used as a lawn grass. It attracts bees, which pollinate trees and shrubs.

Among the main advantages that gardeners call in their reviews, it should be noted:

1. Frost resistance.
2. Long planting period.
3. Versatility.

Phacelia green manure: when to sow?

Cultivation of a crop is possible throughout the season. In this case, it does not matter when the disembarkation will take place - in late autumn or early spring. The culture is resistant to frost and does not die even at a temperature of -8 degrees. There are, however, optimal times at which the green manure phacelia is planted.

When to sow a crop in the middle lane? The optimal period is considered to be the time from April 25th to May 5th. At a later planting, most of the moisture will go into the depths, and the seedlings may be uncooperative. For other regions of the country, a slightly different term was conditionally adopted when sowing phacelia as a siderat.

The first half of summer is considered optimal.

Landing features

The seeds are deepened by 1.5-2 cm.Phacelia green manure is mixed with dry sand. The ratio is 1 pack. seeds on a glass of sand. The resulting mixture should be scattered over the area. After that, it is necessary to fence the soil to cover the seeds of 2-3 cm of soil.

Phacelia as a siderat develops well in sunny areas. However, it will also feel good in shaded areas. One hundred square meters will require about 200 seeds. Planting is carried out in an ordinary continuous way with row spacing of 30 or 45 cm.

Experienced gardeners recommend carefully planting seeds in the soil, since direct exposure to light can slow down the development of seedlings. Large gaps between rows are usually made for convenience in weed control.

The honeycomb of the appearance of the first shoots before flowering takes about 40 days. Phacelia siderat blooms, the photo of which is presented in the article, for about a month or two.

An important point

Do not overtighten with the incorporation of green mass. It is more expedient to carry out this work within the first week from the beginning of flowering. First of all, grooves should be dug in the aisles. Their depth is about 10 cm.

After that, it is necessary to prune the plant slightly below the soil and lay the greens in the prepared furrows. Organic matter should be lightly sprinkled with compost or garden soil.

Some summer residents simply mow the phacelia with a sharply sharpened flat cutter, deepening it 2-3 cm below the soil surface, and then leave the greens to decompose right on the garden bed.

Care

In order for the culture to develop well, during the first weeks after planting, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds. On dry days, watering should be done if necessary. The flowering culture begins in a month, maximum 1.5 after planting. Phacelia exudes a pleasant aroma.

Useful cultural features

Not every crop has the same characteristics as phacelia green manure. The properties of the culture have made it very popular among gardeners. Its main useful characteristics include:

• Resistance to the negative influence of pests.
• Fast development. For about one and a half months, phacelia gains approximately 300 kg / weave. This figure can be compared with the introduction of the same volume of manure.
• Liveliness of character. Phacelia can be planted in close proximity to vegetable crops. In this case, it will, among other things, provide protection for plantations from the scorching sun and wind.
• Frost resistance. The plant, as mentioned above, does not die during frost. This, in fact, allows landing in the cold season.

In the early stages, the phacelia grows very quickly. This facilitates the closure of the grass stand, due to which, in turn, the development of weeds is suppressed. Due to this, the number of weeding beds is minimized. In addition, it allows you to stop the development of fungal or viral diseases.

In the process of decomposition in the soil, phacelia is an excellent organic fertilizer. It is very quickly and easily absorbed by the earth. Nitrogenous compounds that come along the decomposition of the mass are present in the most suitable form, as opposed to a chemical substance. The leaves of the plant also enrich the soil with potassium.

The specific smell of nectar that comes from the flowers attracts predatory insects. They hunt pests (locusts, leaf rollers, moths, apple blossom beetles, and others). Due to the large volume of green mass, the soil is protected from wind and water erosion.

In addition, there is reliable information that phacelia can inhibit the development of nematodes in the soil.

Specificity of use

In order for the crop to bring maximum effect, the soil must be well processed. During the summer, a minimum of 2 crop rotations are required. After the phacelia has faded for three weeks, it is mown. The freed area should be dug up, mixing the earth with grass. Then the plant is replanted.

By autumn, with this cycle, the soil is saturated with the required amount of oxygen, becomes fertile and light. To obtain a high yield of tomatoes and cucumbers, they are planted in the holes between the already growing phacelia. In addition, the crop ensures good development of potatoes.

After hilling, the green manure is sown between the rows.

Some rules

It should be said that not all conditions can be favorable for certain plantings. However, with some effort, using the right methods, high yields can be obtained fairly easily.

If you do not know some of the features of growing "green fertilizers", you can make a number of mistakes, as a result of which all the work will go down the drain.

In order not to be disappointed in the method of enriching the land with useful compounds by planting green manure, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Crops must be mowed on time. Otherwise, the stems will become rough, which will significantly slow down their rotting in the soil. Not completely decomposed biomass, in turn, can become a source of fungal and viral diseases.
2. To protect vegetable crops from weeds, it is necessary to sow phacelia not in rows, but in bulk.
3. Tops are trimmed 2 weeks before the main plantings are planted.
4. Plants that belong to the same family as phacelia and other green manure should not be sown next. This is due to the fact that common pests can persist in the soil.
5. If the planting of a crop is carried out to restore fertility, then the "green fertilizers" should be mowed with a flat cutter or oblique, trying not to damage the root system.
6. Winter green manures that were sown in late autumn are not recommended to be cut before the onset of frost. It is more expedient to leave them until next spring. In this case, there will be no need to plow the land, since it will be quite loose anyway.

Conclusion

Technologies for improving soil conditions using biological fertilizers are becoming more and more popular today. They are used both in large agricultural enterprises and in private household plots. Technologies include different methods and techniques.

The fundamental principle of the concept of any operation using biological mass is a careful attitude to the soil. The use of plant fertilizers in the form of green manure helps to restore the balance of the earth.

The introduction of technologies involving the use of biological mass significantly saves money, eliminates the need to purchase expensive feedings. One of the undoubted advantages of this method is the ability to grow environmentally friendly products at minimal cost.

The use of green manure allows the formation of a new humus layer. In agriculture using traditional methods of tillage, it is destroyed, as a result of which all the nutrient compounds necessary for the normal development of vegetable crops and obtaining a high yield are removed from the soil along with the resulting product.

Thanks to the natural method, the land is transformed, quickly restores its structure, and fertility is noticeably increased. The use of natural methods of soil cultivation does not require any specific knowledge. Undoubtedly, any business has its own nuances. However, with the right approach, you can achieve excellent results.

It is also important to note that in comparison with chemical fertilizers, green mass does not harm either the land or the crops that are grown on it. The crop contains no compounds that can be harmful to humans or animals. This is especially true in modern conditions, when much attention is paid to the environmental friendliness of products.

Phacelia as a green manure: from sowing to harvesting seeds

19.04.2018

Phacelia is an unpretentious and very beautiful flower.Many summer residents plant it in their plots to decorate the territory and attract pollinating insects.

Despite its visual appeal, the plant is popular as a universal green manure, because it perfectly increases the fertility of the land. Let's get acquainted with the beneficial properties of phacelia as a siderat.

We will tell you about the methods of planting it, the secrets of care and embedding in the ground.

Overview of Phacelia

The birthplace of the flower is considered to be North and South America. The vast majority of varieties are used as honey plants or in the design of flower beds and flower beds. Tansy phacelia is predominantly chosen with siderat.

It reaches a height of 120 cm. It has a straight, succulent stem, in the lower part of which there are large and delicate leaves.

Small lilac flowers, forming umbrellas, exude a sweetish aroma that attracts bees.

Phacelia is valued not only for its pleasant appearance. During its growth, and then in the process of decomposition, it is able to beneficially influence the structure of the soil, enriching it with nutrients. The green mass of the plant contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, which are indispensable for the development of plantings. In addition, it contains sugar and starch, which serve as food for horticultural crops.

The benefits of culture

If we talk about the advantages of green manure over others, then there are several:

1. Cold resistance. You can sow greens both in early spring and before winter. She is not afraid of frost and feels great at temperatures down to -10 degrees.
2. Versatility. Green fertilizer is appreciated for its widespread use, because it is permissible to use it for any horticultural crops.
3. Long growth period. The plant planted on the site quickly gains deciduous mass and can be used as a green manure 2-4 times per season.
4. Weed control. The plant fights well against weeds, preventing them from developing in the beds.
5. Not demanding on the soil. Feels good in any soil.
6. Self-seeding ability.

Useful properties of green manure

Phacelia has a number of characteristics that are important for increasing yields:

1. Regulates the pH level. The plant is distinguished by alkalizing properties and is able to turn even the most acidic soil into neutral.
2. Improves the quality and quantity of the crop. Greens plowed into the ground quickly decompose and nourish plants with useful components, which in turn affects productivity.
3. Improves soil structure. The powerful root system loosens the soil, increasing the flow of oxygen and moisture.
4. Saturates with humus and microelements. Decomposing, biomass saturates the soil with phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and other elements.
5. Attracts pollinating insects and entomophages (predatory insects). Phacelia is a honey plant, so the bluish-lilac flowers are an excellent bait for bees and other beneficial insects.
6. Kills bacteria in the soil. The phytoncides and essential oils that make up the plant help fight fungi and pathogenic bacteria, as well as repel pests.
7. Suppresses the growth of weeds. Due to its rapid growth and development, phacelia simply leaves no chance for weeds.
8. Retains moisture. Before winter, you can not mow green manure. This will prevent deep soil layers from freezing during the cold season, and in spring it will help keep the soil moist.

Phacelia is multifunctional and suitable for fertilizing many crops. In particular, they like this top dressing:

• currant bushes;
• carrot;
• tomatoes;
• Bell pepper;
• pumpkin.

Growing phacelia as a siderat

To improve the composition of the soil on the site, phacelia is sown several times per season, starting in early spring. The method is selected based on the goals of growing the plant.

The best method is to mix the planting material in equal proportions with dry sand and sow it in bulk, 300 g per hundred square meters. It is better to close the seeds into the ground with a 3-4 cm rake and spill it well with warm water.

Phacelia will gain color in 1.5-2 months. Then the greens are mowed, spilled with a special solution for better decomposition and plowed into the ground. After that, a new batch is sown. You can repeat the process 3-4 times.

Planting green manure is allowed before winter, after harvesting. This approach will lead to the restoration of the nutrient properties of the soil and replenish the content of trace elements in its composition.

Experienced gardeners advise planting seedlings in phacelia thickets. This technique will protect the seedlings from the wind and the scorching sun, and the soil will not dry out. If you sow the phacelia in the midges of root crops, it will enrich the soil with microelements, accumulate moisture in it, activate the flow of oxygen to the roots, and protect plants from diseases, weeds and parasites.

Watering greens is required as the soil dries up, at least once a week. It is not worth overmoistening the soil and allowing moisture stagnation. The flower does not need loosening and weeding. To increase decorativeness, it is permissible to apply fertilizers during the growing season. Treatment with chemicals from pests and diseases is not required.

How the seeds of phacelia and other popular green manure look like, as well as how they are sown, can be seen in the video:

Getting seeds

Phacelia seeds are sold in every garden store and are very cheap. But collecting them by hand from plants on your site is quite simple. It is only necessary to take into account in advance the fact that the bushes intended for collecting seeds require more care. They should be weeded more often so that later you do not have to clear the material of weeds.

The collection is carried out after the lower part of the seed pods becomes brownish. Faded buds are cut off, dried and rubbed. The resulting mixture must be sieved and cleaned from various impurities.

The seed is stored exclusively in ventilated containers, otherwise there is a risk of mold.

Summing up

Phacelia has many irreplaceable qualities and its contribution to the development of horticultural crops cannot be overestimated. It perfectly loosens the soil, saturates it with macro- and microelements, as well as organic matter.

In the fight against weeds and pathogens, she has no equal. Adding to this the refined beauty of the buds, you can get an exquisite decoration of a summer cottage with subsequent benefits for its land.

Phacelia as a green manure: from sowing to harvesting seeds Link to main publication

Phacelia as a siderat

In any summer cottage, in addition to fruit crops and ornamental (for example, flowers), there are so-called auxiliary plants, whose role is to enrich the soil, prevent pests, etc.

All these plants make up an extensive group of green manure, among which there is also a phacelia, which, in addition to a purely functional orientation, can exist as an attractive, albeit not too spectacular, flower.

The most important advantage of this group of plants and the phacelia itself in particular is that it can be sown almost at any time of the year, although autumn and spring are most preferred.

This is due to several points: firstly, with green manure, there is usually no waiting period for their flowering or enhanced growth, they must simply be on the site; secondly, they all have high resistance to cold and other weather conditions, as a result of which they will not die even under the snow.

But if you want the green manure to have time to increase the green mass by the beginning of the summer season, it is recommended to sow it in the middle of autumn: before winter it will hatch and get stronger, partially tighten the area, and in the spring, after overwintering, it will wake up first and continue to grow.

Such a move is considered successful when a certain green manure is sown to prevent the appearance of weeds in the selected area. Phacelia can also be used for this purpose.

And yet, when is the best time to sow phacelia as a siderat? Everything is quite simple with it - if necessary, you can even sow phacelia after the site is inhabited by the main crops: the growth rate of the grass is very high, after 1.5-2 months.

its bunches already reach their maximum height, and buds of inflorescences appear on the tops. The classic sowing date for phacelia is early October or late March, as soon as the soil can be loosened before the initial sowing.

The most important feature of this culture is that it can coexist with absolutely any plant, without disturbing its development at all and without provoking the appearance of any diseases, which often becomes the reason for choosing a specific site for a specific bush.

Phacelia is completely universal, and from the point of view of its benefits, it is most relevant for cruciferous plants.

For 1 sq.m. usually about 7-10 g of seeds are sown, in the fall - up to 14 g, distributing them over the loosened or dug up soil, deliberately not burying them.

If necessary, you can sprinkle it on top with sand, but usually the soil is simply loosened again, and thus the phacelia seeds independently penetrate into the soil, settling there and starting their development. Seedlings appear after 7-8 days, in dry weather this can happen on the 10-11th day.

Flowering begins at 35-40 days, lasts about a month, during which it manages to go through all the phases and fade away.

At the end of it, the plant stems are mowed, because, like all green manure, the phacelia begins to fully function only after the elimination of its tops, which, decomposing, supply a huge amount of nutrients to the soil, comparable only to the introduction of a large amount of manure. If necessary, an earlier cutting of the stems is also allowed, if you do not plan to use the phacelia as a honey plant.

Phacelia is not only an excellent green manure, but also a source of honey, as a result of which the bees will circle over the bushes all month, which lasts the flowering of the plant.

Therefore, if you do not want frequent contact with these insects, it is advisable to sow phacelia either next to cereals that will stand without your participation until autumn, or between flowers in flower beds, where buzzing insects will appear in any case.

Or, if the phacelia is grown only as a green manure, its tops will have to be cut before the flowering enters the active phase, i.e. in 1-1.5 weeks from the moment of its beginning. For this, deep (8-10 cm) grooves are created along the beds, where cut stems of phacelia are laid and covered with earth.

However, as the comments on specialized forums show, you can not cover the phacelia tops - in the open form, it will decompose no worse, although this will happen somewhat more slowly.

The reason why gardeners grow phacelia is the proportion of nutrients with which it fills the soil at the time of its growth, and which increases after the mown tops begin to decompose in the ground.

With its average yield of 20 tons per 1 hundred square meters of land, phacelia gives the same result in a given area as the corresponding amount of humus.

And if you make a calculation based on the value of phacelia seeds and the value of humus, it can be argued that fertilizing the soil with this green manure is a much more profitable undertaking.

1. Firstly, it enriches the substrate with potassium, which is contained in its leaves, and the chemical micro- and macro-elements that are released from the phacelia at the time of its overheating are in a more easily digestible form than those obtained from any chemical fertilizer intended for feeding.
2. Secondly, due to the spreading of the bushes, which grow in any weather, the phacelia allows you to protect low plants (up to 50 cm) from being blown by the winds (which is why it is sown in open areas), as well as from stagnant water, since its excess phacelia immediately takes away for itself, and moisture does not reach deep layers.
3. Thirdly, phacelia is incredibly resistant not only to cold weather, but also to almost any parasite and disease. For this reason, it is used both as an insulation material (mulch) and as a phytosanitary agent. It has been proven that the plant contributes to enhanced protection of potatoes, allowing you to save up to 95% of the harvest, and also prevents lodging of beans and peas. Some gardeners confirm that phacelia can save the earth even from the appearance and development of nematode larvae.
4. Fourthly, even the roots of this green manure are considered useful: being pivotal, they penetrate into deep layers, and even in the process of their growth they loosen the ground, as a result of which air permeability and water exchange are improved. For this reason, phacelia is often recommended to be sown on dense soils in order to contribute to their additional relief.
5. Fifthly, phacelia is valuable as a honey plant, and even as a kind of "transmitter9raquo; this function: if you plant several of its bushes next to a fruit crop, bees will fly to the latter much more often, moreover, it will be easier for them to pollinate the flowers of the same cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers due to the presence of phacelia nearby.

Phacelia is a unique green manure

The basis of soil fertility is organic matter (1%) and humus compounds (4-5%). Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of Russian arable land cannot boast of even such modest indicators.

And in order to increase the amount of organic matter in the soil by at least 1%, it is necessary to close three buckets of loose peat, or a bucket of rotted manure, or three quarters of a bucket of compost per square meter of garden area.

It is clear that the purchase of organic fertilizers, which are not cheap nowadays, in this case will cost a vegetable grower a pretty penny. So how to cultivate the soil on the site without compromising the family budget? Such a unique green manure as phacelia will quite cope with this task.

Phacelia green manure can be sown before and after any vegetable crop. It is believed that its green mass, as it decomposes, enriches the soil with nitrogen in an amount equivalent to the application of 3 kilograms of pure manure per square meter of land. But this is only a small fraction of the benefits that can be brought by growing phacelia as a green manure.

And that's all about phacelia ..

Let's take a closer look at the benefits of phacelia as a green manure:

1. Nitrogen compounds entering the soil as the organic matter decays are in the most favorable form for assimilation by plants (as opposed to chemical nitrogen). In addition, phacelia leaves also enrich the soil with potassium.
2. The intensive development of plants in the early stages ensures the closure of the grass stand, due to which weed growth is suppressed. This means that the amount of weeding required for the phacelia plantation can be minimized.
3. Phacelia gives a considerable amount of green mass and protects the soil from water and wind erosion.
4. The resistance of this crop to a wide range of diseases and pests allows the use of this green manure for phytosanitary purposes.
5. Phacelia as a green manure is distinguished by excellent cold resistance and can tolerate short-term frosts up to - 7 ... 9 degrees. Therefore, the seeds of this plant can be sown before winter, and in the earliest spring and summer.
6. This plant has a livable character, so its garden can be located in the immediate vicinity of planting vegetables. Thus, it will also play the role of a backstage culture, protecting its neighbors from the northerly winds and the scorching sun.
7. Phacelia is a valuable honey plant, so it is sown near apiaries more often than other crops. An amateur vegetable grower can turn this property of this green manure to his advantage by planting two or three phacelia bushes in the corner of the borage. Believe me, all the bees and other beneficial insects in the area will flock to the bright, fragrant flowers and at the same time care for your cucumber garden.
8. Phacelia roots, as they die off, will loosen the earth and create air and water ducts in it, thereby improving its mechanical structure.
9. There is reliable information that phacelia is able to suppress the development of nematodes in the soil.

Phacelia is an unpretentious green manure plant

Phacelia is an unpretentious plant and tolerates any soil composition, except saline and acidic ones. Of course, it gives the maximum amount of greenery when grown in well-lit areas with fertile, light soil. For a square meter of garden area, you need 0.6-1.2 grams of seeds of this plant.

Phacelia shoots appear as early as eight days after sowing, but when sowing in dry weather, this may take a little longer.

Sowing of this culture can be carried out from late April to early July to a depth of 1.5-2 centimeters. At the same time, the best dates for sowing phacelia as a siderat is April 25 — May 5 (for central Russia).

With a later sowing, most of the spring moisture will already go to the depth and the seedlings may turn out to be uncooperative.

The phacelia is sown with a continuous row method with row spacing of 30-45 centimeters. I advise you to carefully plant the seeds of this culture in the soil, since light exposure can inhibit their germination.

Wide row spacing is usually done for easy weed control.

From the beginning of germination to the appearance of the first flowers, it usually takes about 40 days, and the mass flowering of this culture lasts about a month.

It is better not to be late with the incorporation of the green mass of phacelia: ideally, this work should be done in the first week from the moment it begins to bloom. First, grooves about 10 centimeters deep are dug in the aisles, then the phacelia plants are cut just below the soil level and the greens are laid in the made furrows. Then organic matter is lightly sprinkled with compost or garden soil.

Or you can simply mow the plants using a sharply sharpened flat cutter (deepening it 2-3 centimeters below the soil surface) and leave the raw organic matter to decompose right on the garden bed.

I hope that all of the above has convinced you of the advisability of sowing such green manure as phacelia in your area. Perhaps you will even find a place for this plant in your flower bed, because daring curls of phacelia flowers can decorate any floral arrangement with their presence.

Phacelia is beneficial to grow near tomato and cucumber beds, because it attracts pollinating insects like a magnet. I suggest you verify this yourself by watching a short video.

Phacelia - growing and care

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Maxim, let's try to figure it out)) I myself sow oats under the plums this spring. What happens - we'll see. I got a very abandoned and overgrown garden, in which before that the main "siderat" was nettles)) Well, to runny.

Thanks for the article. I met Phacelia that year, an amazing plant, it grows quickly, it blooms nicely. They took responsibility for a piece of land that belonged to horticulture, turned it into a dump, but, accordingly, it was overgrown with weeds, and the land also contained a large amount of clay. I disassembled the dump and sowed a bag of "Flowers for decorating the facades of the building" there was a phacelia in the seeds, it grew well, suppressed the weed, the soil is chilly and loose (despite the fact that it is clay) this year, daffodils and iris were planted on this site. Daffodils are already delighting with their richness and liveliness. Phacelia is a magic flower, a savior. And they decided to turn this place into an informational one, the husband will put up a bulletin board (so that the announcements are not hung anywhere), and I will make a nice flower bed.

Elena, thanks for the kind words

Finally I found a store with a decent selection of green manure, bought a phacelia, we will try this year. Marina, thanks again for the article !!!

Can be used as green manure in small spaces and flower crops, for example, calendula, which not only enriches the soil, but also heals it: it is known that phytoncides secreted by calendula are harmful to plant pathogens. Calendula and marigold bushes can be placed in compost, or they can be embedded in soil. Flowering plants are, among other things, very beautiful. When the phacelia blooms, the meadows sown with it turn lilac-blue, and bees constantly buzz above them.

We ourselves noticed that many bees fly around the blooming phacelia from early morning until night. And they decided

In addition, phacelia is an excellent forage plant.

Phacelia. Phacelia. The bee's favorite.

Green manure

Phacelia tansy​2.​

An unsurpassed melliferous plant, an excellent soil enrichment with organic substances - all these are the properties of phacelia. The cultivation of this culture can be carried out more than once a season. Consider this and more.

This, by the way, refers to the issue of dehydration: both weeds have a very strong, branched root system (where are cultivated plants!). Nevertheless, they do not cause any problems to trees - only the gardener has problems 🙂 Many people make flower beds under trees, tinning is also a traditional practice, so I suppose there is no need to fear that sowing green manure will somehow take away water or food from the fruit ...Last edited on 15 April 2015, 12:43

Yes, such a planting of seedlings is quite appropriate. The main thing is to observe several important conditions:

Phacelia bell-shaped

Hello Marina, tell me please, for three years we put the garden in order, chose sow thistle and other weeds, the harvest was not particularly pleasing, but here it was the circumstances that we would not plant anything for a year, that we had better sow to increase the fertility of the soil, and not ruin your work, i.e. so that the land is not empty and overgrown with weeds again? Your advice as a specialist is very necessary and important. Thanks in advance. Natalia.Yes, phacelia is an excellent honey plant. Last year, my neighbors complained that there were few bees, and the plants were poorly pollinated. I did not face such a problem - bees and phacelia willingly visited, and did not offend other cultures.

Use it for the benefit of your garden

, Used for all domestic animals, is superior in nutritional value to vetch oats and other feed mixtures. Animals that are given these plants are much less sick and gain weight faster.

... To use it as a green manure, it must be mowed, crushed, buried in the soil. The green mass of phacelia quickly decomposes, enriching the soil with nitrogen and potassium compounds.

(Phacelia tanacetifolia) is a plant with a height of 50-100 cm, which develops up to 20 large lateral branches bearing second-order stems. The leaves are alternate, pinnately dissected. Prized for its beautiful flowers that emit a thick honey aroma. The flowers are small, regular in shape, up to 2 cm in diameter, bluish-gray in color, with an interlocking corolla, collected in a curl inflorescence, which consists of 4-9 curls. Flowers do not open simultaneously, each blooms for 2 days, therefore, on one inflorescence, you can find seeds, and open flowers, and buds.

Phacelia bell-shaped

Phacelia: growing a crop is worth it

Phacelia twisted

In the comments, you can read about the experience of our summer residents: someone sows phacelia under trees and shrubs (if not mowed, it will also attract bees; however, this will not play a role for trees: the phacelia will still bloom later than fruit) ; someone sows alfalfa (this is an option for warmer regions; in the middle lane, I have not heard or seen alfalfa cultivated; perhaps, I simply did not come across)).Last year we had a cold summer and a very long spring. The winter is very snowy. We still swim (although we swim almost every year).

1.Siderates should not shade the seedlings (that is, at the time of planting the tomatoes, the siderates should still be low; if they are already outgrowing, it is better to mow them before planting the seedlings).

Thanks for the "specialist"

Phacelia tansy

But you need to be careful with flowering siderates: after flowering, they naturally form seeds. And if the moment is missed, they will safely multiply by self-seeding. On vegetable beds, this is still superfluous.... The next year after the harvest, we sowed phacelia, after which the soil is enriched with all useful substances. It turns out that phacelia displaces weeds by changing the acidity of the soil from acidic to neutral. But it is better to sow phacelia twice during the summer period (this is real, since it blooms in 40 days). After the first sowing (can be carried out immediately after the snow melts) wait for flowering, and after that, mow the grass and dig up the area along with the green mass. The denser you sow, the more green mass there will be. Then again you need to sow the seeds of the phacelia in the dug area and repeat the process from the beginning.As you can see, phacelia has many advantages - it is undemanding to growing conditions, weeding and loosening are required only in the first 2-3 weeks after sowing, it blooms for a long time, abundantly and very beautifully, goes well with any other flowering plants.

For 40-45 days, the plant forms 200-300 kg of green mass per hundred square meters, which is equivalent to the introduction of 300 kg of manure. During the summer, you can get 3-4 crop rotations. Such a mass allows you to make any soils of high quality, after which you can get high yields for 2-3 years even without fertilizing.

Flowering begins 30-45 days after sowing. Within 10-15 days, the flowers open gradually, and then abundant and very beautiful mass flowering begins, lasting 45-50 days.

(Phacelia campanularia) is an annual low-growing plant 20-25 cm high, cultivated since 1882. Stems are erect, reddish. The leaves are gray-green with a brownish-red border along the edge of irregular denticles, up to 6 cm long. Flowers 2.5-3 cm in diameter, bell-shaped, intense dark blue and dark lilac color with dark spots at the base, with yellow anthers. Flowers are collected 10-12 in one-sided racemose loose inflorescences. The bright color of the corolla is emphasized by the white coloration of the bell bottom and the stamens sticking out above the corolla. Blooms in a month - one and a half after sowing. Blooms profusely for 30-40 days.

Bees love the nectar of phacelia flowers. To get the maximum amount of honey, it is necessary to sow the crop several times between April and June, or even before the onset of winter. The usual sowing rate for phacelia is about 0.8 g of seeds, provided that there is a distance of 45 cm between the beds, and about 1.1 g at 20-25 cm: that is, in a monoculture it is 10 -12 kg per 1 ha or half the norm coupled with other herbs. The honey obtained from phacelia is very tasty. Growing plants is a must for many beekeepers: it is also worth noting that this is a lot of money. Phacelia is a honey plant capable of producing honey from 150 to 250 kg per hectare of land.

According to the season - as a general rule, green manures are sown at several times - from early spring to late autumn (before winter). I guess the situation is no different for a garden. In any case, for myself for the future (as the garden is cultivated) I see the following scheme: sowing in early spring (now - cereals, as weeds are displaced - possibly phacelia and mustard); sowing in summer - after mowing the siderates of spring sowing; sowing after harvesting and harvesting volunteers - depending on the timing of harvesting; sowing before winter - for late varieties of apple trees, from which the harvest is removed in late autumn.

I read all the opinions and wanted to add something. Lupine should and should be used as a green manure, because we are not talking about the perennial lupine we are used to, but one-year-old.This is a very good green manure, its flowers are white, the root is branched, but this is what we need. No need to uproot it. Its seeds are white, round, like a pinned pea. You can get your own seeds, or you can cut lupines for mulch. The wireworm is afraid of lupine, so it can be planted pointwise along the edge of potato ridges. Phacelia quickly gives green mass, but most importantly, phacelia is combined with any plants. Crop rotation with green manure has not been canceled, i.e. it is not advisable to plant cruciferous green manures in front of cabbage, radishes, etc. It's the same story with legumes.

2. The flowering of siderates should not be allowed; they need to be cut off in time. And you don't even need to remove it from the garden - leave it as mulch right under the tomato bushes.In general, I am as much an amateur as many - just with some experience and a large number of "bumps" stuffed as a result of this experience, from which I try to warn others as much as possible))Handsome lupine is a recognized leader in terms of soil enrichment with nitrogen. Grain green manures (rye, oats and others) and clover perfectly loosen the soil. White mustard is a real medicine for the potato field: according to the observations of many gardeners, the crops of this green manure noticeably reduce the number of wireworms, and potatoes are less sick, including late blight and scab.

We learned that phacelia is also used as a forage plant for pets. They gain weight faster and get even less sick.

Phacelia is ideal for gardeners: a beautiful ornamental plant, good honey plant, irreplaceable green manure and phytosanitary. Growing this plant, you get both benefits and aesthetic pleasure. And it's easy to grow it, it's affordable.

Unlike manure and mineral fertilizers, phacelia not only enriches the soil with organic matter and easily digestible mineral compounds and microelements, but perfectly loosens and structures the earth. It transforms heavy, clayey soils into light, free-flowing, air-permeable soils, which significantly improves the growth and ripening of fruits (vegetables, berries, root crops, potato tubers). In winter, it protects the soil from deep freezing, traps snow, contributing to the accumulation of moisture, and in summer from droughts, water and wind erosion.Phacelia tansy is unpretentious, can grow on any type of soil (even on stony and sandy loam), is undemanding to soil fertility. Cold-resistant (can be sown immediately after thawing the soil), withstands frosts down to -9 ° C. Drought-resistant, does not tolerate excessive moisture. Prefers a sunny place, but also shade-tolerant (grows well under tree crowns). Phacelia is not affected by diseases and pests. It is one of the few plant species that is capable of growing and producing a good harvest in risky farming areas.The seeds are small, brown. There are 1900-2000 seeds in 1 g. They ripen at the same time and easily fall out of the opening boxes, so they are collected in several stages. They remain viable for 3-4 years. The plant produces abundant self-seeding.

Not only beekeepers are happy with this culture. Farmers and gardeners widely use already faded phacelia as a green fertilizer. They are able to enrich the soil so that you can forget about fertilizing it for 2-3 years. Phacelia can grow on almost any soil, which means that unsuitable soil for sowing other crops can become fertile in just a year: after the plant has bloomed, you need to mow it and bury it shallowly into the ground. For livestock, by the way, phacelia is also very useful.

As an option, I am thinking about sowing clover: on the one hand, this is a tinning option (clover is resistant to trampling and mowing, a perennial that forms a dense sod over time); on the other hand, it has a useful property to accumulate nitrogen, and the mown green mass serves as a natural fertilizer.Well, a bonus: clover is an excellent honey plant that attracts insects))

Siderates before

And so - it's very convenient: siderates do not allow weeds to sow in the garden, and the soil does not need to be loosened, and after mowing, the tomatoes will be fed))

And in your situation, I would most likely plant cereals (oats or rye, for example). Let me explain why this is so.

In general, sowing green manure successfully replaces the introduction of manure into the soil. Moreover, such fertilization costs much less and there are no risks of introducing weed seeds and pathogens into the soil (which happens when using fresh manure). So I sow green manure every year on any free piece of land - and I'm happy with the results.Sowing melliferous phacelia in the garden contributed to better pollination and fruit setting on vegetables and berries. Phacelia honey is valued no less than linden honey.

You may like the phacelia so much that you need a lot of seeds. It's easy to get them yourself. To do this, leave the plants of the earliest sowing dates. Note that the seeds ripen unevenly and fall off quickly. Therefore, the phacelia inflorescences with brown seed coats in the lower part of the curls, where the most valuable seeds are, are cut off, and laid out for ripening. After that, they are threshed and cleaned of impurities. Seeds remain viable for 2-3 years.

If the phacelia is sown from autumn to green manure, then after three weeks of flowering, it is necessary to mow the grass and dig up the area, digging in the green mass. The denser you sow the grass, the more soil will be processed by its roots. After the first digging on the shovel's bayonet, the processed soil goes down, and unprocessed soil rises to the surface from below. For high-quality processing of the soil with a shovel bayonet, it is necessary to sow phacelia seeds on the newly raised land again. After such processing in the fall, you will get a layer of light, fertile soil.

You can sow phacelia at any time from early spring to late autumn (before winter), after harvesting even late crops, the best sowing time is June - July. Sow in any free area. To obtain 100 plants, you need 0.2 g of seeds. Sowing an area of ​​50-80 m2 will require approximately 100 g of seeds. Due to the fact that seed germination slows down in the light, it is necessary that the seeds are completely covered with soil. The optimum seeding depth is 1.5-2 cm. Seedlings appear 8-14 days after sowing.

Phacelia bell-shaped is an unpretentious, rather cold-resistant, relatively drought-resistant, shade-tolerant plant, but prefers open sunny spaces and light, fertile, well-drained soils (does not like waterlogging) of various types, except for acidic and saline ones.

There is another positive point: Phacelia, which can be grown on any soil, protect it from nematode formation, wind and rain erosion.

Hello. My husband and I are now working on a plot that had not been cultivated before our arrival for two years. There was no experience. There are many old apple trees on the plot, there are cherries and plums. Under all the fruit trees, everything was overgrown with weeds. Last year I sowed clover under the apple trees. And although it can be said there was no summer (+12 in July) and the year before that was very fruitful, last year there were no fewer apples. So I think the apple trees were good. Under the hawthorn there was a general disgrace, construction waste was dumped there. There was a lot of wheatgrass, celandine and less nettles. Without much hope, I dug up that I could weed, sow phacelia, and lo and behold, wheatgrass and celandine were gone. And the phacelia is such a pretty, soft herb. So this year I sowed everything with green manure. It was not possible to do this last fall, because it snowed very early. I do not know if the green manure will have time to gain the required mass before the main plantings.​ ​

Thank you, Marinochka !!! Huge !!!

First, they have a relatively long growing season.That is, having sowed these plants in spring, in principle, you can not worry too much until autumn. With the same mustard, for example, this will not work: it must be mowed on time, and then sow something again.

Marina, thanks for your advice, a very useful and interesting article, and your answers. I also have a question)) This year they planned to design the site, plant trees and shrubs, lay flower beds, but apparently it will not work, they decided to freeze everything until next year. Last year, we did all the preparatory work: we made the paths, flooded the site, took out all the construction waste and excess soil. And now the snow will melt and there will be bare earth, moreover, compacted. The soil is heavy, clayey. So they decided to sow everything with siderates, or rather, mustard, annual lupine and of course phacelia)). I decided that it would be beautiful and without weeds. But on the Internet, everyone writes that it is necessary to mow and embed it in the soil after 8 weeks and not allow it to bloom. How can we be ?! Do not let it bloom and mow, and sow again right away? Or let them bloom, and in the fall, mow and repair everything? Or mow and repair next spring? Please tell me how we can arrange everything better.

To improve the yield of tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables

In what place of the site to place the phacelia - near the apiary, in the flower garden, in the garden, in the field, decide for yourself. In any case, there will be only benefit. It is worth noting that phacelia is one of the few plants that is a good universal predecessor for any vegetable crops.

When sowing phacelia in spring for fertilization, the plants are mowed without waiting for flowering, and embedded in the soil.

Phacelia. A beautiful and useful plant.

Plants grow quickly, branch well and build up a large green mass, and begin to bloom within 30-50 days after sowing. Within 10-15 days, the flowers open gradually, and then massive flowering lasts for about a month. The duration of flowering depends on weather conditions and soil fertility, usually 20-60 days. Propagated by seeds, which are sown in late April - early May immediately to a permanent place. Autumn sowing is possible. Cannot tolerate transplants.Phacelia: growing from seedMarina agrees that many flower beds are planted under trees, but still under old ones with a huge root system. You can plant bulbs, even plant strawberries. But it is better to mulch young trees, they cannot be dug in. The article contains a photo of a perennial lupine again, and an unfortunate one-year-old orphan can be found in the backyards on the Internet, so confusion arises. He is a wonderful siderat, an orderly of the garden and vegetable garden, the wireworm is afraid of him like fire. The green mass is good, and the root system is smaller than that of its perennial counterpart, but it loosens the earth well. He is not afraid of frosts down to -6 degrees. Only he does not like swampy and saline soils, but requires moisture. And there is no need to dig up green manure, the whole point of sowing green manure is to obtain mulch and enrichment-loosening-restoration of the soil. It is necessary to undercut at the root in time. You can not buy seeds, but collect your own, they are large, white, like half beans. I also liked the oats, but the wheat, please, won't cut it down. I have been friends with phacelia since the end of the 80s, tk. dad had bees, he had to sow. An excellent green manure, and most importantly universal - it is combined with any plant.

​..​

Hello Marina. I have a question to which there is probably no definite answer, but still I hope for your ability to analyze. I don’t know how early in the spring you can sow phacelia and mustard. We only have a small plus for two days during the day, a small minus at night. After Easter, they promise + 10-11 in the afternoon (not the fact that they guessed right). If you sow in unheated soil I will not ruin the seeds, the price of them bites.

Secondly, they will give a good green mass, which will later serve as fertilizer.OlgaCultures to them in the neighborhood, we sow phacelia.More precisely, first we sow phacelia, and then we plant seedlings of vegetable crops to it. After a week, we dig the ground between the vegetables, mulching the soil with phacelia. Phacelia disinfects the entire area, retains moisture, attracts pollinators and repels pests. Vegetable crops do not get sick, they grow faster, there are no barren flowers. We started sowing phacelia in the garden as well - instead of lawn grass (for disinfection, better pollination of trees and shrubs).

Are you still in doubt about whether you need to sow phacelia in your garden or vegetable garden? Just try and appreciate the beauty and benefits of this plant!

By sowing phacelia in the spring in the beds, and then planting seedlings of vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, etc.) on it, you can thus protect the seedlings from wind and temperature changes at night, and during the day from direct sunlight. Seedlings are planted in phacelia beds, making holes and then sprinkling them with compost. After 5-7 days, the phacelia is cut off and the soil is mulched with it in the same beds.

For abundant flowering, plants need to be fed 1-2 times with full mineral fertilizer. Weeding and loosening are required only in the first 2-3 weeks after sowing. When the soil dries up, watering is necessary.With early spring sowing, seedlings appear in 5-8 days, with autumn sowing - after 15-20 days. The first thinning of plants at a distance of 5-7 cm is carried out when 3-4 leaves appear. They break through again when the plants reach a height of 6-8 cm, while leaving them at a distance of 10-15 cm from one another.

This crop can be planted anywhere - in apiaries, in vegetable gardens, in flower beds, in the fields - everywhere it will be useful. Phacelia seeds are obtained in an easy way. This requires plants from the earliest crops. It is worth noting that the seeds quickly crumble, as their ripening is uneven. Therefore, it is necessary to cut off only those inflorescences of plants that have brown seed coats. The lower part of the curls is cut off, where the most complete seeds are located, then they are placed until fully ripe, then they are threshed and various impurities are removed. The seeds will be able to sprout even after three years.Tatyana, please tell me why young trees cannot be dug in. And I already sowed clover under the young seedlings (last year of planting). Was it impossible? And how to fix the situation?

Before, do you mean before the beds, or in the spring in the beds before planting cabbage, radishes on them (in the case of mustard)? thanks.

Phacelia and others, or why do I sow green manure

Tatyana, both of these cultures are cold-hardy. Phacelia is allowed to be sown even in the snow or immediately after it descends; it can withstand frosts down to -5 ... -7 degrees, so the beginning of April is usually quite a good time for its first sowing. Of course, our weather is absolutely unpredictable, but I want to believe that there will be no more severe frosts.

Thirdly, a strong and branched root system of cereals loosens the soil well. From this point of view, clover is also considered a good green manure, but I, for example, am afraid to sow it: if you start it, you won't get rid of it.

Olga, we have already discussed situations similar to yours in the comments, so I will write briefly so as not to repeat too much - you look through, read, there are different opinions, you can look at the situation from different points of view and choose the one that seems most suitable to you ... After all, it's hard to say "what's best" for you from the outside - we can just speculate about what options exist

To increase the yield of potatoes

Material from the site: - Phacelia - honey beauty

Phacelia, releasing phytoncides, disinfects the entire area, retains moisture, attracts pollinators and distracts parasites

Phacelia can be sown as a pure crop, or in a mixed version, in the aisles of the main vegetable crops, as well as in the garden in the trunks of trees, berry bushes.

When feeding with mineral fertilizers, the diameter of the flower and the duration of flowering increase.

As an advice, we can say that if you need high-quality and fruitful seeds of this culture, you can turn to the society of beekeepers for help - they probably have more than one kilogram in stock. Caring for this crop is only about removing weeds. And this should be given special attention. If weeding is not possible, then all that remains is to mow the weeds right on top of the phacelia. Growing otherwise shouldn't be difficult. Plant the plant in moist soil. The most correct option is to plant in beds with a distance of 40-65 cm, then the planting rate will be in the range of 5-6 kg per hectare. In order for the phacelia to give a good harvest and melliferousness on soils where the fertility rate is low, it is necessary to pay great attention to fertilizers. For this, the norms of phosphorus and potassium, magnesium and boron are increased. Here is such a useful plant - phacelia!

Olga

Tatyana, there is such a thing, it is sinful: when I talk about a garden, I usually mean mature trees) I agree: of course, a different approach to young seedlings is needed. But again, for siderates - even the same phacelia - and it is not necessary to deeply cultivate the soil. It is enough to loosen the surface layer, sow and rake through. And oats, in fact, do not require more. The only difficulty with him is if the birds flock to fresh crops. My birds are afraid to land on the ground - the garden is under the reliable protection of three red-haired "watchmen"

The principle of using green manure - the LAND SHOULD NOT be empty. Crop rotation, i.e. alternation of crops, in front of cabbage, radish on the same bed, not cruciferous green manure should be sown. They reaped the harvest and sowed green manure immediately that day. We didn't have time ... Well, at least cover the boxes with a double layer of cardboard.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

This year, I am more worried about not even the cold, but the lack of moisture in the soil. I don’t know how in your area, but we had very little snow, and now strong winds are drying everything up. The pond on the outskirts of the village, which at that time was usually filled to the brim, has almost completely dried up this year ... In such conditions, the seeds may die not from cold, but from drought - they simply do not have enough moisture to germinate. We never watered the crops in early spring, but here, it seems, we will have to - there is almost no snow left, there is nowhere else for the earth to take water ...

Finally, fourthly, cereals will not weed strongly (at least in our latitudes; if it is warm in your area, the conditions are favorable - the situation may be fundamentally different, this must be taken into account). In our short summer, the grain does not really have time to ripen, so even if the cereals are heading, it’s not scary.

So, on the questions ... If we are talking about mustard and phacelia, then yes, everything is exactly like that: do not let it bloom, mow and sow again. By the way, phacelia grows on clay and even blooms, but it is gaining a rather modest mass - perhaps it is worth sowing something more "powerful" here.

I advise you to sow phacelia in strips between rows after hilling - it will help the upper soil layer not to thicken, retain moisture, and provide additional oxygen access to the tubers. Do you still doubt whether you need to sow phacelia in your garden or vegetable garden? Just try and appreciate the beauty and benefits of this plant!

Phacelia. Useful qualities of phacelia. Using phacelia to increase the yield of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and other vegetable crops.

... It is noticed that with mixed crops (phacelia - in the aisles of the main crop), the damage to the main crop by pea weevils, aphids, moths, and leafworms is significantly reduced. Locusts die from the neighborhood with phacelia. The nectar given off by its flowers; promotes the reproduction of entomophages that infect the larvae of pests.

Phacelia tansy, in addition to decorative qualities, has many other advantages - this

Olga, Samara

Bright, attractive color, large flowers of the bell-shaped phacelia are the best decoration for flower beds, borders, rocky hills, rabatok. It can be used as an ampelous plant and grown in hanging baskets. Phacelia campaniform seeds are often used in Mauritanian turf mixtures.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

FATSELIA.

Alexander, Minsk

But I know that many summer residents have this problem when sowing cereals - birds fly from all over the area to feed. Tell me, is it possible to plant phacelia, mustard and lupines before winter in mid and late August, so that later they will not be cut off, but left under the snow?

Marina, thank you. I'm really glad that I will finally sow my favorite phacelia and reduce the chances of weeds. We had enough snow, although it cannot be compared with the north. And last summer there was a lot of rain and very cold; according to meteorological observations, there has not been such a cold summer since 1956. You have, of course, drier and hotter, but year after year is not necessary. Where do you get water for irrigation? Do you have a well, well, or some other source?

Last year, I sowed oats like that - where the ground had already been dug up, but my hands did not reach planting in time. From May to autumn, I grew up calmly. For me, all the worries were - to scatter the seeds and dig through the soil with a rake well. Then he himself))

Both mustard and lupine weed very well, so I would not leave them "unattended" - otherwise you can simply replace some weeds with others)) Well, the root system of lupine - akin to woody - can also be embarrassing. On the one hand, it can loosen the clay, and on the other, you can fight it later ...

Source:

I want to tell you about

There is information that it inhibits the development of nematodes, wireworms in the soil, prevents the appearance of viral and fungal diseases on neighboring plants and subsequent crops in the crop rotation.

Elena Krivchuk

Valuable melliferous, fodder and green manure culture

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Phacelia twisted

Elena Krivchuk

Phacelia

Tatiana Suvorova

Hello. And after sowing, I cover it with a covering material and water it. So the birds have nothing to eat, and after a week or two, when I see the greens, I open them. Don't worry.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Dmitry, of course, can be planted at any time, especially since mid-August or the second half of August will allow the seeds to sprout and the plant to develop. Lupine will not have time to grow and bloom, it is better to plant it in the spring. Phacelia will not bloom either, but it will give enough greenery to cover the garden. The mustard will rise too. So leave it in the garden without cutting, without digging. I sow carrots, spinach, radishes, lettuce, parsnips in green manure in high beds before winter. I have been planting garlic in mustard for 2 years and I regret that I have not done this before. It would be more correct to put it this way: if you have harvested, sow green manure immediately into the moist soil, do not put it off until tomorrow. We have a water supply)) Local - the village has its own water tower; for the winter, the water is drained from it - the pump is running. Someone who did not connect to the water supply - who has a well, who has a well.

Marina, good afternoon. Many thanks for the help. Tell me, I understood correctly, I now need to sow cereals, and in the fall just mow and dig them up?

Here the oilseed radish is still praised. But it, like mustard, should not be brought to flowering. I have heard and read a lot of good things about alfalfa, but in our area, for example, it is not grown - it is a plant for a warmer climate.

Siderata are various crops that are sown to improve the composition and structure of the soil, enrich it with nutrients. Many plants can be used as green manure. These are the usual peas and beans; lupine and vetch; Clover; mustard leaf; oats, rye and others. Phacelia is my favorite

Tatiana Suvorova

Phacelia

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Sowing phacelia in the garden promotes better pollination and fruit setting on vegetable and berry crops. By the way, it is very useful to sow phacelia near currants, the scent of flowers of which is not very pleasant to bees. Vegetable crops do not get sick, they grow faster, there is no barren flower. So sow the phacelia around the beds, bushes, trees to disinfect the site and pollinate the flowers.

Tatiana Suvorova

(Phacelia congesta) is a plant about 50 cm tall with very small blue flowers barely reaching 5 mm in diameter. They are collected in crowded inflorescences at the tops of the stems. Shoots are covered with soft, abundantly pubescent light green leaves. The flowering period of the twisted phacelia is very long, from June to September.

Elena, Volgodonsk

- a plant with a melodic name, has long been revered by farmers and flower growers. Beekeepers call her the queen of the nectar ball.

Olga Timchak, Russia

Simply because the root system is close to the surface. But you can not loosen it deeply, the main thing is to prevent drying out by mulching. Now you can put mulch on top under the crown, make a layer thicker so that it is dark for the clover. 2 years ago I also put cardboard under my "Medunitsa", tk. I had to leave, but the days were warm. All the weeds in the trunk circle died.

Something in the internet there is little information about planting green manure in the trunks of fruit trees.

And the weather is for sure - year after year does not happen, and you never guess what kind of surprise awaits this time. Last year, the spring was early, the summer was hot and dry - in my memory, for the first time, tomatoes could be planted in open ground in May, and they ripened in the ground. And this year, forecasts promise us a long spring, and the summer is cold ... So far, it is clear that this is the way things are going ((

Tatiana, Sudislavl

Here is the same question, how to "mothball" a site or part of it, I constantly come across this (we are) ...

Mikhalych, Oleg, Chisinau

I myself, if you need to occupy the soil for a long time, give preference to cereals. Oats grow well almost everywhere. Vico-oat mixture is also good, but vetch, if it blooms and gives seeds, will turn into a weed, so such crops must also be mowed on time.

Like mustard greens, phacelia grows very quickly, but outwardly (for my taste) it is noticeably more attractive. Fast growth is an undoubted advantage; weeds simply do not have time to sprout and develop where phacelia is sown. This is one of the reasons for sowing green manure: when the land is vacated, wild grasses quickly conquer it. The nature of empty spaces does not like it, especially if the territory is cultivated and well-groomed. An even rug of mustard or phacelia leaves will protect the garden from weeds. And at the phacelia, moreover, the foliage is very elegant.

Tatiana, Sudislavl

- a beautiful, undemanding care and very useful plant that we discovered a couple of years ago.

Dmitry (Finland), Pori

To increase the yield of potatoes after hilling, sow the phacelia in strips between the rows - it will help the upper soil layer not to thicken, retain moisture, provide additional oxygen access to the tubers, and, therefore, will contribute to the growth and high-quality ripening of tubers.

Tatiana, Sudislavl

Its flowers are rich in nectar, honey from which is valued as highly as linden.The method of reproduction and care is the same as that of the bell-shaped phacelia. Plants should be given a sunny location with well-permeable, loose soil. If rainy weather sets in in summer, they develop poorly and do not look decorative enough.Biological genus Phacelia (Phacelia L.), numbering about 80 species, belongs to the family of aquifers growing in North and South America. The name of the genus comes from the Greek word "phakelos" - "bunch", and is explained by the arrangement of flowers in the inflorescence.As for mulch - I will add a bit from my own sad experience.The main thing here is not to rush: if the earth has not yet completely thawed, and we rush to mulch it, we can only make things worse. It was like that with straw under the plantings of blackberries: under the straw "fur coat" the ice did not melt until May. When everything was blooming all around, my blackberries had not really even grown, because the ground was cold. So it makes sense to wait until the grass grows to grow - then lay out the mulch.

Maxim Klevtsov

Does anyone do this? what time of year? what green manures are planted?

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

In our first village winter, there was a lot of snow, and it began to melt late, but amicably - so we literally "swam". Okay, I have sandy loam soil - at least the water didn't linger too much. And where there are lowlands with dense soils, there was absolutely trouble. But after that, every year, spring is drier and drier - just manage to catch the moment before the moisture leaves the soil. And it doesn't look like they managed to catch him this year: ((

Tatiana Suvorova

Marina, good afternoon. Many thanks for the help. Tell me, I understood correctly, I now need to sow cereals, and in the fall just mow and dig them up?

Tatiana, Sudislavl

Clover is beautiful, and as a source of nitrogen in the soil it is good, and the honey plant is excellent (it will attract bees to the garden). But it sods the soil, so personally I am in no hurry to use it as a siderat - it is difficult to dig it up later.

You can sow green manures not only in the vacated beds, but also in the garden under the trees, and at the foot of tall crops. For example, last year phacelia coexisted with dahlias. Only one caveat: you need to sow siderates after the main plant grows up a little, otherwise they will begin to compete.

At first, we bought seeds quite by accident and sowed them (preferably together with sand) in the spring in the garden, where we allocated a plot for flowers.

Tatiana Suvorova

Autumn and podwinter sowing is highly effective, as it allows you to get enriched soil in early spring even before planting the main crops. To improve the quality of the soil (if the site is already sown) in the fall, after harvesting, sow the site with phacelia. She will have time to grow 1-2 months before frost. Sowing in winter must be done in such a way that the seeds do not germinate in the fall.

To create a long continuous flow of nectar for bees, the phacelia is sown in two or three terms: first, simultaneously with early spring crops and later, in order to ensure bribes in the non-harvest period, or to strengthen it.

This look can be used for a blue and blue border.

All types of phacelia are excellent honey plants

Tatiana, I apologize for answering after 10 days, I just live in the country, in the city on short visits. The birds solved the problem with the siderates - as soon as the sprouts appeared, the birds pulled everything out.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Does it dehydrate the tree itself ???

Nikolay Butakov, Yekaterinburg

So it is not far to the Sahara, but I would not like

Tatiana, Sudislavl

Marina, I'm glad that I met you on the Internet. I found a lot of useful things in your articles for myself. I saw a photo like that, where tomato seedlings were planted in holes made right in mustard and phacelia. Do you think this is correct?

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Somehow Siderata is a good fertilizer. They are dug up when the green mass grows, but usually before flowering. Cereals sown in the fall are often mowed before frost and left until the spring digging. When green manure is embedded in the soil, it is saturated with organic matter and loosened up. And legumes, as you know, also have the ability to accumulate nitrogen, increasing soil fertility.

Tatiana Suvorova

Seed germination was one hundred percent. The flowers are blue, small, collected in inflorescences. The plant looks very beautiful in a flowerbed with dense sowing. But then we learned from our neighbors that the phacelia not only blooms beautifully, it is also a wonderful honey plant and pollen plant, enriches the earth with elements necessary for plant growth, loosens, reconstructs the soil, scares away caterpillars, wireworms and other plant parasites, prevents the appearance of viral diseases in vegetables.

Tatyana

Phacelia normalizes the soil reaction, due to which it actively displaces weeds from its area.Planting phacelia on acidic soils helps to change the acidity of the soil closer to neutral, which can be used to control weeds that prefer acidic soils (for example, wood lice and other annual weeds).

More recently, gardeners have discovered tansy phacelia as irreplaceable

The most popular among phacelia gained

... Three species are cultivated in Ukraine: bell-shaped phacelia, f. twisted and f. tansy.

Hello. Siderata began to sow recently. Everywhere they write about the pros, and what are the disadvantages of each? And she also planted currant seedlings in the fall, at what distance can you plant phacelia?