After the harvest, when the plots are empty, the land is tired, because the plants have drawn the nutrients they needed to grow. To regenerate soils and prevent progressive depletion, “green manure” is grown.
Covering uncultivated plots of green manure is a natural and eco-friendly way to fertilize soils and prepare them for future planting.
Green manure is composed of fast-growing crops that capture and store nitrogen in the air and in the soil.
The main crops used as green manure are clover, vetch, phacelia, mustard, rapeseed and alfalfa. Most of the time, only one plant is used for a plot, but one can also mix several plants.
After a few months, green manure will be cut and, after drying, will be buried in the soil to enrich it and improve its structure.
The benefits of green manure:
-It avoids leaving the soil bare, reducing erosion
-It protects the soil from settlement during heavy rains
-It fertilizes the soil with the nutrients drawn from the air and soil
-It enriches the soil by decomposing.
-It occupies the land instead of weeds
-It decompacts the soil thanks to deep roots
-It attracts pollinating insects.