Phacelia

Phacelia (Phacelia) is a perennial and annual herbaceous crop from the Borage family, which is most widespread in the American continent and has more than 100 different species. Each type has its own characteristics and advantages, endowed with certain positive qualities. Phacelia is not only a wonderful honey plant and an original garden plant, it is also a green manure, which improves and enriches the composition of the soil.

Description of phacelia green manure

The phacelia plant consists of an erect stem up to 1 m high with numerous lateral shoots, oblong basal leaf plates and numerous umbellate inflorescences of a lilac shade, resembling small bunches. In translation from the Greek language, phacelia is translated as "bundle" precisely because of this shape. After the end of flowering, small fruits ripen on the plants - capsules about half a centimeter long with a pair of dark brown seeds.

Herbaceous annuals or perennials have high decorative and winter hardiness, resistance to all pests and diseases, coexist well with various crops and their favorable development and growth do not depend on their predecessors. The green manure plant improves the structure of the soil, protects it from weeds, lowers the acidity level, saturates the soil with potassium and nitrogen and very quickly builds up green mass. A universal culture not only itself resists any diseases and pests, but also protects all nearby plants from them. Experienced gardeners and gardeners advise planting phacelia in mixed plantings with vegetable plantings. She will not only act as a reliable protector, but also attract bees and many other insects - pollinators to the site.

Growing phacelia from seeds

Sowing seeds

Sowing seeds is recommended in early spring, summer, early and late autumn. It all depends on how the future harvest will be used and for what purpose the planting is done.

Sowing in the early days of March is usually used to obtain humus or mulch. Seeds can be sown in the ground as soon as the last snow melts. This method allows you to see the first shoots in about fifteen days. The green mass grows in a short time. To obtain high-quality humus, the cut grass is embedded in the soil at a shallow depth, and for use as mulch it is left in the beds.

If phacelia is needed in a garden plot or vegetable garden as a honey plant, then its sowing can be done during the entire warm season in several stages. The seeds are scattered in moist aisles in vegetable beds and grown until the harvest is ripe. Withered plants are mowed, and new seed is sown in their place.The collected grass will be useful for making fertilizer or will be used as a mulch layer.

To renew and improve the structure of the soil on the land plot or in the garden, as well as to saturate it with the necessary nutrients, sowing must be carried out from mid-August to mid-October. The grass cut after ripening remains on the surface of the earth until spring. Such mulch in the autumn helps to preserve the integrity of the soil and protects it from erosion and erosion by abundant autumn precipitation. For perennial crops, this is a reliable protection of the root system from severe frosts and long, snowless winters.

Late autumn sowing (subwinter) is recommended to be carried out much denser, because not all seeds will be able to survive the harsh winter. This method is used on an area with early ripening varieties of vegetable crops, before planting the green manure will ripen and will be cut. Sowing in the winter makes it possible to get very early shoots.

How to properly prepare the seeds

Phacelia seeds are very dark in color and are practically invisible on the soil surface, which complicates sowing and leaves the risk of not sowing the entire area. Because of this, it is recommended to mix the seeds with fine dried river sand before sowing. Stratification of this seed is not required, since it is endowed with high germination and does not require any additional preparation for sowing.

Planting phacelia in open ground

Before sowing, the soil on the site must be moistened and loosened with a rake, and then randomly scatter the seeds.

If the phacelia is planted between the main crops, then for sowing seeds it is recommended to use small grooves no more than 2-3 cm deep. They must first be filled with water and allowed to soak into the ground. The seeds are spread evenly over the entire groove and sprinkled with soil. In moderate weather, crops are not immediately irrigated.

Phacelia care

Watering

When sowing seeds in autumn and spring, when the soil has a sufficient amount of moisture from melting snow or autumn rains, watering of herbaceous plants is not required. With uniform precipitation in the warm season, watering the phacelia is also not necessary. The only reason for additional moisture in the plantings is a prolonged drought and very hot weather.

The soil

Since no phacelia weeds are scary, the only care requirement is shallow loosening of the soil for more free air penetration to the root system. It should be carried out periodically - once or twice a month.

Fertilization

Organic fertilizers containing microorganisms effective for the soil are recommended to be applied in accordance with the recommendations prescribed on the package. Such preparations as Shining-1, Bokashi, Optim-Humus and Baikal EM-1 contribute to the rapid growth of green mass, a rich harvest and are ideal for phacelia.

Harvest

The duration of its decomposition depends on the timing of mowing the grass. The optimal time for harvesting is the bud formation stage. With a later mowing, parts of the plants become coarse, which significantly slows down the decomposition process and creates conditions for the spread and development of harmful organisms that can harm the soil and plants.

Before harvesting, it is recommended to treat the top layer of the earth with a special preparation that will accelerate the decomposition process, then harvest and dig it up with the soil. To obtain high-quality humus, a sufficient amount of moisture is required. This can be natural precipitation or additional irrigation with a hose with a spray nozzle.

Re-sowing

After digging up a land plot with green manure, it is necessary to carefully level the surface with a rake and re-sow the phacelia seeds.

Throughout the warm season, it is possible to grow three or even four crops, and even renew the soil structure in this area. The nutritious and fertile soil is ideal for growing vegetables in the coming spring.

Types and varieties of phacelia

The most popular types of phacelia are Tansy, Silvery, Lance-shaped, Silky, Twisted, Pursha, Bell-shaped, Full-cluster, Variegated, Layel and Bolander. Most often, these herbaceous crops are grown as an ornamental decoration.

Phacelia silvery (Phacelia argentea)

A rare species native to northern California. Prefers to grow in coastal areas with sandy slopes or dunes. A feature of this species is its drooping and ascending half-meter stems, pubescent leaf plates of a silvery shade with a shiny surface and small spherical white flowers.

Phacelia silky (Phacelia sericea)

differs in several pubescent branched stems and deeply cut leaf plates. The average height of the stem is 40 cm. The inflorescences consist of numerous blue or purple flowers with elongated stamens. Varieties:

Verna - about 20 cm tall with white or blue flowers in cluster inflorescences
Ciliosa - undersized form with purple flowers

Phacelia campanulate (Phacelia campanularia)

This species also has such names as Californian phacelia or Californian bell - an annual with fragile erect stems of a reddish hue, blue-green leaves about 6 cm in length and flowers - dark blue bells about 3 cm in diameter. Popular variety:

Blue Bonnet - has a bright blue color and a height of about 40 cm

Phacelia purshii

A species that is the latest discovery of breeders. The plant is distinguished by half-meter stems, densely pubescent dark green leaves, two-colored purple-white flowers of a very small size (no more than 3 mm in diameter).

Phacelia twisted (Phacelia congesta)

It differs in the height of shoots up to 50 cm, pubescent with light green leaf plates and twisted inflorescences of very small blue flowers.

Phacelia spear (Phacelia hastata)

A plant of half a meter in height with very small flowers of a white or purple hue, common in America. It prefers to grow in dense thickets of wormwood or in coniferous forests. The surface of the leaf plates is covered with dense silvery hairs. Popular variety: