Quick cure as a short-term solution
For a quick 2 to 4-week soil treatment in spring or as an interim solution in summer, a green manure with the following often not winter-hardy green manure plants is suitable.
Broad bean (Vicia faba):
Legumes for pre-sowing, nitrogen collectors, and deep-rooted plants. They have taproots up to 1.5 m long, making them suitable for loosening soils even in heavy soils. Cut off the above-ground parts of the plants when they have set fruit. The roots remain in the soil so that the collected nitrogen is available to the bedding plants. Good for nutrient-poor and dry soils.
Bee friend (Phacelia tanacetifolia):
This attractive borage suppresses weeds and is considered a nitrate scavenger. This shallow-rooted plant with many fine roots grows rapidly and is suitable for all vegetable crops. It is ideal as a follow-up crop for beans and peas and helps combat their foot-and-root diseases. It also functions as a green manure in shady areas. It is a valuable food source for bees and insects.
Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba):
This well-known cruciferous plant, also known as white mustard, germinates and grows very quickly. Do not use as a green manure before or after other cruciferous plants such as cabbage, cress, rocket, radishes, rapeseed, or horseradish. It forms taproots and a large root mass that loosens the soil. The mustard oils also have a positive effect on bacterial and fungal life in the soil. When sown by July, it attracts northern blue and mignonette butterflies.
Lupine (Lupinus)
Blue or yellow lupins – these fragrant legumes are the best-known nitrogen collectors among green manures. They tolerate drought, quickly build up a lot of green mass, suppress weeds, and are particularly suitable for subsequent cropping on nutrient-poor and medium to heavy soils, as they loosen the soil. Never plant them before or after beans and peas!
TEXT: Martina Raabe
