Hola,
Can anyone tell me when they dig in their nitrogen crops? I have lupins in half my vege patches but have not grown them before. I often notice the garden of an elderly lady that I walk past on the way to work. She dug her lupins in yesterday and I am wondering if the 1st of July is a classic time to dig them in. I guess it takes a good couple of months to properly break down?
Smiles
Laine
Replies
OK, might have answered my own question here:
"Lupins are a slow starter. They take two to three months between germination and flowering. It takes approximately a month from the time of seedling emergence for the nodules to form on the roots and begin fixing nitrogen. Cut down the plants before flowers are open, otherwise lupins will self seed." http://www.seedaholic.com/green-manure-lupin-organic.html
However, here is another one - how much nitrogen is released into the soil during the plants life vs. how much is released when the plant dies and the root noduels break down?
The reason I ask is I think my beds are nitrogen deficient and I want to ensure there is nitrogen there this spring. I don't have enough compost material to do a hot compost prior to spring, so any I composted would be the old slow 6 month breakdown style - to slow for this years crops.
Smiles
Laine
Hey all,
Thanks for your replies. I will wait for the flowering, if it happens prior to spring that is. Bridge, when you say "This means that no matter where you are, when you plant them will depend on when you harvest/ or dig under in your case." does that mean they always flower after a set time period?
Smiles
Laine
Hi Laine, My understanding is that the best time to dig them in is when they are 10% in flower as after that they start taking goodness out of the soil in order to flower. This means that no matter where you are, when you plant them will depend on when you harvest/ or dig under in your case.
I would reccommend actually putting them in your compost and back into the soil that way for a few reasons. NUmber 1 - you would have more space in your garden to plant crops instead of waiting for the lupins to break down. Number 2 - you would be losing more carbon to the atmosphere if you dig them in, as they will take nutrients out of your soil in order to break down. Number 3 - COmpost is the most effective way of getting the right balance of nutrients in your soil.
By themselves, lupins dug in will not be as effective as they would if you had put them in your compost with lotsa high carbon crops : ) Also, if you leave the lupins to flower and mature they would be a useful carbon crop but this takes a lot longer, if you harvest them while only 10% flower they are an excellent nitrogen addition to the compost. Hope this helps.
Hi Laine,
I have used lupins for many years as a greencrop, and I usually try to dig them in just as they get ready to flower. Seems a shame, I know, as they have pretty flowers, but I remember reading somewhere that they return the highest amount of 'goodies' to the soil at that stage of growth (particularly nitrogen).
Cheers, Kate