Green manures

[Digitalis]

What are your thoughts on 'green manures'?

I'm considering trying some this year on a large bed.

Which variety would you recommend for clay soil?

[Digitalis]

[manicscousers]

we use phacelia, grows quite quickly, chopped down and covered over winter on a couple of beds  :)

[ceres]

I use phacelia too, and the bees love it.

[Flighty]

I'm about to use a packet of buckwheat.

This might help you decide what to use

http://www.kingsseeds.com/kolist/1/VEGETABLES/V-G/GREEN+MANURES

[saddad]

Vetch does well on our clay soil, as do field beans, but Phacalia is the best all-round as it doesn't mess up any crop rotations  :)

[nilly71]

Phacelia  for me too, i let it flower too much and don't think it can be dug in now, but the bees loved it.



Neil

[Sparkly]

We put buckwheat in a bed about a month ago when the garlic came out. Might put it in a couple more beds this year yet. Has good coverage so far.

[Eristic]

What are your thoughts on 'green manures'?

Total waste of money, time and effort. Why not let the weeds grow for a few weeks and then dig them in? Green manure only works if you have livestock to eat it and poo as they go.

[tonybloke]

What are your thoughts on 'green manures'?

Total waste of money, time and effort. Why not let the weeds grow for a few weeks and then dig them in? Green manure only works if you have livestock to eat it and poo as they go.

well, apart from all of the nitrogen - fixing ones, I would agree with eristic. (must be having a wierd day) ;D ;D ;D

[Mr Smith]

Last year I put a load of bullock muck on the lotty  this year its mustard seed I know I'm right, ;)

[caroline7758]

In case anyone is thinkijng of ordering Phacelia from King's and wonders about the price of the Ikg pack, I emailed them and it's 12.95 plus p&p.

[Eristic]

10 kilo of chicken manure pellets is between £8-£10 depending on where you go and must have a thousand times the fertilizer content.

Do less work and more thinking.  8)

[1066]

Fair comment Eristic but what does chicken manure do for soil structure? I thought 1 of the reasons people used green manures was so that they got the benefit from added organic material ?

[tonybloke]

and green manure are used to prevent rain run-off, to avoid leaching of nutrients, and as a living mulch. there's more than one solution to every problem ! ;)

[Eristic]

Fair comment Eristic but what does chicken manure do for soil structure? I thought 1 of the reasons people used green manures was so that they got the benefit from added organic material ?

Chicken manure does nothing for the soil structure, it's a fertilizer. The green manure does nothing to the soil structure either as you are simply returning what has been taken out. This is good, but digging in a few months growth of weeds would have the same affect. Without the cow, green manure is just extremely expensive weed. The modern concept of green manure is just marketing hype to part you from your wealth. If your soil requires building up you need to add compost or proper manure not money.

Now the big question. How does anyone manage to get land spare long enough to grow these extremely expensive weeds? I keep walking my plot looking for space to plant food. I have beetroot seedlings sitting in boxes, leeks waiting to vacate the nursery and sprouting broccoli and sprout plants waiting to be transplanted to their final quarters.

[powerspade]

What I have found to be the best is to collect as much leaves as possible mix it with Comfrey and kitchen waste also I harvested the clippings from a playing field which the council mowed, and bracken of the near by mountain. The resulting compost heap yield 4 tons last year After sieving the lot I mixed in chicken pellets, the results have giving me the best harvest so far for 9 years. Can`nt wait until the autumn to start all over again. I have tried green manures in the past. That cost money and as a allotment old duffer like me I`m carefull with the cash (tight), 

[1066]

thanks for the responses as always lots to learn! Personally I won't be growing any green manure, as either the beds will be in use or I have yet to start digging them (planned for this winter / spring).

Powerspade that's a lot of compost  :D

[Mr Smith]

I like that idea of adding chicken poo to the compost bin, I will give it a go this year, :)

[sambucus]

Fair comment Eristic but what does chicken manure do for soil structure? I thought 1 of the reasons people used green manures was so that they got the benefit from added organic material ?

I would be very surprised if you could obtain chicken manure that did not contain any organic material.
As for what poultry manure does for soil structure here is one of many possible examples of how it can be beneficial. http://www.aensi.org/aejsa/2008/72-77.pdf

[1066]

interesting link Sambucus. Mind you I had to google Sorghum to find out what it was!