Oat is an annual herbaceous plant from the Cereal family. It is used not only in food, as many are used to think, but also as siderat. This will be discussed further.

What is sideration for?

Sideration improves the structure of the soil, increases productivity and its quality, protects the soil from destruction by wind and water, without involving chemicals. Besides, landlord owners can grow environmentally friendly products using fertilizers and insect control products exclusively of natural origin.

The siderata root system is designed to absorb most of the nutrients from the lower layers of the soil, allowing other crops to be absorbed. Oats also help maintain water balance.

Oats for soil improvement

• Cereal has been used as siderate for many decades, due to the following properties:
• stems - a real storehouse of healthy protein;
• it takes about 2-3 years to completely restore the upper layers of the soil after years of use of mineral fertilizing;
• active ventilation and oxygen saturation of the soil;
• land disinfection;
• preventing weed development;
• the fibrous root system strengthens the lungs and loosens heavy soils;
• contributes to saturation of the sowing site with a large amount of phosphorus and potassium, but nitrogen is quite small.

In addition to the number of advantages described above, the plant is also unpretentious to the type of soil, regardless of its physical and chemical composition. Due to the fact that oats are not related to bean and cruciferous crops, it is rightfully considered one of the most neutral siderates.

What crops do you need to sow oats for?

Growing oats for sideration is irrational in front of cereals (millet, corn, wheat, etc.), since all the mentioned crops belong to the same family, and the procedure will not bring much benefit. Sowing a plant before planting potatoes also does not make much sense - it does not save the tubers from wireworms or beetles, but on the contrary, it itself is exposed to the pest.

Did you know? Initially, jelly was cooked from this cereal, and in Western Europe this drink was attributed to cereals.

In other cases, green manure will benefit and perfectly feed the soil.

The following plants respond best to this kind of fertilizer:

• berry shrubs (raspberries, currants, blackberries, etc.);
• sweet pepper of any grade;
• Tomatoes
• zucchini;
• cabbage;
• physalis vulgaris;
• cucumbers.

It is impossible not to mention that after potatoes, on the contrary, it is advisable to sow oats in the garden, since the roots contain a special substance that allows you to get rid of common scab in the ground, and it also prevents the appearance of brown rot, fungal diseases and roundworms.

Rules for sowing oats

There is an instruction, following which you can learn to properly and quickly plant cereals. Before proceeding to the procedure itself, it is necessary to perform simple preparatory work. First of all, the seeds should be soaked in a weak (one percent) manganese solution for 15–20 minutes, the soil should be cleaned of old rhizomes and tops, and loosened in any convenient way. Below is detailed information on further actions.

When is the best time to sow oats?

Since cereal is cold-resistant and hygrophilous, it is more advisable to sow in autumn, or rather, in October. If you plan to cut greens in the spring, then when choosing seeds, it is better to pay attention to winter varieties. During this period, the fertile layer replenishes the balance of nutrients. It is necessary to start sowing the autumn immediately after the harvest and carefully monitor the weather forecast: if weather forecasters transmit early frosts, the procedure should be postponed until spring, because the oats will not have time to grow.

Spring sowing is done as soon as the snow has finally melted, that is, into the mud. In the southern part of Russia, they most often resort to sowing in mid-March - early April, so that the land has time to warm up. Then the culture will have enough time to grow green biomass, so that the gardener then mowed it and buried it in the ground for further conversion into humus.

Often plant breeders resort to sideration to mulch the soil in the summer. To do this, it is enough to cut the green mass, if desired, pour it with organic fertilizer, and then cover it with dry grass or straw - such a "blanket" retains water in the roots, and various insects gradually process the litter and turn it into humus. In summer, the owners also resort to re-sowing oats with furrows between the rows of the main culture, allowing it to grow up to a certain time.

Important! Siderat needs 35–45 days to build vegetative mass.

Sowing algorithm

Sowing technology is one, regardless of the season. It consists of several simple steps.

The procedure can be performed in two ways: in rows and scatter. The first option is used when the bed is small, the distance between the rows should be 10-12 cm. The second method assumes that the seeds mixed with sand or wood ash are scattered evenly in bulk. Approximately 2 kg of planting material is required per 100 m², but if it is supposed to be sowed with furrows on plowed soil, 1 kg will be sufficient.

Further, the plantings are leveled and sprinkled with a thin layer (2–4 cm) of earth - this measure helps the grains to take root, so that they are not blown away by the wind, and also not be eaten by birds. If the soil is dry or prone to drying out, it is advisable to water the sowing area abundantly.

Seedling Care

Grain is not picky in care, so special events are not expected.

However, there are a number of simple but effective recommendations:

1. Watering. The plant is hygrophilous, so if there is no rain for a long time, you need to organize the supply of moisture yourself. Neglecting the recommendation, you increase the likelihood that the estimated amount of greenery will not grow.
2. It will not be superfluous once every couple of days check sowing status: when the leaves began to hatch, what do they look like, do they develop, etc. If the indicators are not particularly optimistic, this means that the previous culture very poorly depleted the substrate. In this situation, you need to make as much as possible mineral fertilizers, ammonium nitrate or superphosphate.
3. It is allowed to use one of the techniques of agricultural technology. When the length of the shoots reaches 10-15 cm, you can cut them by a third. Such manipulation provokes active growth and a greater amount of greenery.

Cleaning technology

About two months pass between sowing and mowing. During this time, the culture manages to gain the necessary mass and collect useful components. The main guideline is the appearance of pollen. Another important fact: the humidity of oats during harvesting should be in the range of 15–20%.

The siderat is removed using the Fokin plane cutter, cutting roots at a height of 5–7 cm from the ground, then the greens are repaired to a depth of 5–15 cm (depending on the type of soil) - it is enough to dig the culture no more than a depth into the bayonet of a shovel, and then compress with the top layer the soil.

Important! If harvesting is carried out in spring, oats must be shut up no later than 2 weeks before planting the main crop. If you neglect the terms, he will not have time to overtake in time.

When the green biomass is mixed with the earth, the decomposition process beginsthanks to which a natural fertilizer appears. To speed up the process, effective microorganisms (EM preparations) or ammonium nitrate are most often used.

Is it possible to harvest oats manually

Manual oats harvesting as a method has existed for a long time and is still practiced. It is suitable for those who trust their own work more or who do not have the necessary tools. Nevertheless, this option takes the greatest amount of time, since it involves the use of a knife or some other sharp object, which will cut the stems one or more at once. Further actions are no different from conventional technology.

Advantages and disadvantages of oats as siderate

Oats are highly regarded among plant growers.

• He has a lot of advantages as a siderat:
• Cold resistance. Cereal can be sown both in spring and closer to winter, after harvesting. But it is worth considering that subzero temperature is contraindicated.
• Unpretentiousness - the plant always performs the task even on the poorest soil, and also feels good in the shade.
• Rich composition. This top dressing is saturated with a small amount of nitrogen, plants use it to form new cells. Carbohydrate-soaked grains are considered good food for planting. In the composition you can find macro- and microelements, as well as almost the entire group of vitamin B. Essential oils and plant antibiotics (phytoncides) contribute to the inhibition of the development of various fungi and bacteria.
• High germination of seed material - It grows well in the soil without bald spots.
• Weed Fighter. Oats grow rapidly, thereby preventing unwanted specimens from developing.
• Low cost, seeds can be found in almost any specialized store.

• No matter how ideal the culture may seem, there are a number of disadvantages that can be decisive for someone:
• relatively scarce volume of deciduous mass;
• low nitrogen content - if it is supposed to saturate the soil with this element, it is better to abandon the use of the described cereal;
• the need for frequent and plentiful watering;
• fragility of the roots - the system goes shallow into the soil, as it is formed only by subordinate roots;
• the plant is too sensitive to heat, so you can not sow it in an open area.

Which is better - oats or rye

Each sideral representative has both pros and cons, therefore, they should be compared by the type of planting and soil. The table below is intended to clarify.

It is important to understand that it is more advisable for residents of regions with a dry climate to choose oats, since rye tends to dry the land, but in the fight against weeds and fungal infections it is much more effective.

Did you know? Scientists have proven that oats have healing properties. From the crop collected shortly before flowering, tea is made that accelerates metabolism, and an additive to the bath, which helps soften the skin, get rid of its defects, as well as normalize blood sugar.

In order not to constantly bother with compost or other types of fertilizers, you can sow cereal like oats on your plot. It is not only extremely effective, but also does not require special attention.