Green Manures – Species Selection Francis Rayns and Anton Rosenfeld, Garden Organic

Factsheet 25/10 Horticulture Stoneleigh Park Development Kenilworth Soil grown crops Warwickshire CV8 2TL Company T: 0247 669 2051 Projects FV 299 and 299a E: [email protected] Green manures – species selection Francis Rayns and Anton Rosenfeld, Garden Organic Green manures, also referred to as fertility building crops, may be broadly defined as crops grown for the benefit of the soil. There is a wide range of species that can be drawn upon, each with their particular qualities and this factsheet aims to help growers select the most appropriate green manures to fit various roles. woT related factsheets address the effects of green manures on soil nutrient management and soil physical and biological properties (24/10) and the economic implications of their use (26/10). Background • Manipulating the availability of soil They may demand attention at nutrients busy times of year and under some Green manures have been used in circumstances pest, disease and traditional agriculture for thousands • Reducing leaching losses weed problems can be exacerbated. of years but conventional farming However, recent emphasis on systems largely rejected them as • Suppressing weeds reducing the environmental impact of the use of fertilisers and pesticides all farming systems (partly stimulated became more common. They can • Reducing pest and disease by new legislation) has led to a bring a range of benefits: problems growing interest from the conventional sector. • Adding organic matter to the soil • Providing supplementary animal To gain the most from green forage manure crops it is important that they • Increasing biological activity are carefully integrated into the crop • Drying and warming the soil rotation and proper attention paid to • Improving soil structure their husbandry (Figure 1). A wide Despite these effects green manures range of plant species can be used as • Reduction of erosion are still often under utilised by today’s green manures and some are more growers. There can obviously be suitable for specific purposes than • Increasing the supply of nutrients problems with their use – there are others. available to plants (particularly by direct costs of seed and husbandry adding nitrogen to the system by and they can tie up land that would fixation) otherwise be used for cash cropping. 1 To gain the most out of green manures, proper attention should be paid to their husbandry Types of green of many organic field vegetable and mulch. Such leys may be pure clover arable rotations (Table 1). Where (when nitrogen fixation is a priority) or manures animals are present on the farm the a grass/clover mixture (when organic leys would usually be grazed or cut for matter build up is also important). Red Long term green manures silage, but in stockless systems they or white clover and ryegrass are key are normally cut several times during species. Leys are usually established for two the summer period and the mowings or three years and form a basic part allowed to remain on the surface as a Table 1 Long term green manures Common name Latin name Nitrogen fixer? Notes White clover Trifolium repens Yes Many varieties available. Usually mixed with grass for medium to long term leys Red clover Trifolium pratense Yes Many varieties available. Often mixed with grass for short to medium term leys. May also be grown as a summer green manure Lucerne or alfalfa Medicago sativa Yes Deep rooted and persistent. A medium to long term ley – performance improves in successive years Sainfoin Onobrychis viciifolia Yes Drought tolerant medium to long term species suited to thin alkaline soils Perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne No Good persistence, thriving on fertile soils. As a green manure it is usually mixed with clover Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata No Large root mass contributes to soil organic matter Timothy Phleum pratense No Well adapted to cooler and wetter conditions Chicory Chichorum intybus No Often mixed with grass and clover. Deep roots bring up nutrients from subsoil Winter green manures would otherwise be bare (Table 2). crops is to minimise nitrogen leaching However, it can be difficult to establish for which non-legumes (e.g. rye) are Sown in the autumn and incorporated them early enough to do any good if particularly effective. When used for in the following spring, they provide harvest of the preceding summer crop this purpose they are often called a way of fitting a fertility building crop is delayed. They can be legumes (e.g. winter cover crops. into a rotation by utilising land that vetch), but a major use for this class of Table 2 Winter green manures Common name Latin name Nitrogen fixer? Notes Common vetch or tares Vicia sativa Yes Probably the best leguminous winter green manure. Can also be sown in spring Field beans Vicia faba Yes Can be established late in the autumn but produces a rather open canopy over the winter Grazing rye Secale cereale No Very effective for preventing nitrate leaching. Adds considerable organic matter to the soil Brassicas Various Brassica and No There can be issues with growing Raphanus species Brassicas as green manures in a field vegetable rotation Ryegrass Lolium multiflorum No Westerwolds ryegrass can give very rapid growth. Can also be sown in the spring, often mixed with a clover Summer green manures nitrogen mid rotation (Table 3). They shorter-term green manures can may be grown for a whole season from include non-legumes such as mustard Usually legumes (e.g. fenugreek) April to September or for a shorter and phacelia. that are grown to provide a boost of period between two cash crops. These Table 3 Summer green manures Common name Latin name Nitrogen fixer? Notes Crimson clover Trifolium incarnatum Yes An annual that dies after setting seed. Can also be sown in autumn to be ready for following spring Persian clover Trifolium resupinatum Yes An annual that responds well to mowing Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Yes A very quick growing annual, not tolerant of mowing Lupins Lupinus spp. Yes The traditional green manure of temperate climates Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia No Often grown to attract beneficial insects Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum No Particularly effective at scavenging for phosphorus White mustard Sinapis alba No There can be issues with including mustard as a green manure in a field vegetable rotation with other Brassicas Sweet clover Melilotus spp. Yes A biennial that can grow to 2m tall Undersown green manures use can make this impractical for growing species such as subterranean conventional growers. A similar thing clover would be suitable for this. A A good way of establishing many can be done with some horticultural variety of other intercropping systems legumes is to sow, by broadcasting in crops (e.g. sweetcorn climbing beans (e.g. alternate beds of green manures the spring, into an established cereal or even tall Brassicas), but care is and cash crops) are possible. Greater crop (Table 4 overleaf). This gives needed to avoid too much competition. crop diversity can have pest control the green manure a longer growth This can be minimised by specialist effects (e.g. reducing egg laying by period and can help in weed control inter row mowers or even root pruning cabbage root fly). in organic systems although herbicide using tractor-drawn implements. A low Table 4 Green manures particularly suitable for undersowing Common name Latin name Nitrogen fixer? Notes Subterranean clover Trifolium subterraneum Yes Low growing so ideal for undersowing Yellow trefoil or Medicago lupulina Yes Sets seed freely. Low growing so ideal black medick for undersowing Protected cropping systems offer into the particular cropping plan of an also play an important role in attracting particular challenges and opportunities individual grower. beneficial insects, but management for green manuring. Because of Fertility building in orchards is often decisions to achieve these twin goals the warmer temperatures it may difficult because nitrogen must be must be carefully integrated. Similar be possible to sow ‘summer’ green provided at the right time to ensure issues also apply in other long term manures at any time of year but trial good fruit set and quality. Green cropping situations such as asparagus and error would be needed to fit them manures grown as an understory can production. Selection of green no choice of variety at all. The range (not more than a few mm). Sowing of varieties supplied as organic seed is too deep will reduce the germination manure species usually even more limited. dramatically. The soil should be rolled after sowing to increase soil moisture General considerations contact with the seed. Several more for selection include: Leguminous green distantly related groups of legumes manures are also effective green manures. The • the relative cost of seed use of lupins for this purpose was These are generally considered to mentioned by the Romans. Some • speed of germination and growth be nitrogen fixing but this will only species are more commonly used as happen in the presence of correct cash crops including field beans and • longevity strains of Rhizobium bacteria. For peas. more common legume species these It must be remembered that some • tolerance to mowing or grazing will certainly be present naturally in of these legume plants, if grazed the soil but some species such as without being diluted with other feed, • suitability for animal forage lucerne, fenugreek and sweet clover may cause bloat or reproductive will usually benefit from inoculating the problems in the animals. • competitiveness with weeds seed before sowing. Clovers (Trifolium spp.) are the White clover (Trifolium repens) • ability to grow in a nutrient-poor soil most widely grown crops for fertility Suitable for medium to long term leys, building purposes. There are many white clover is one of the most tried • nitrogen fixing ability species with different characteristics.

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