Caliente Mustard:
- improves soil structure – as a green manure
- suppresses soil disease and weeds – as a biofumigant
green manure
Caliente Mustard produces a naturally occurring biofumigant gas (isothiocyanate (ITC)) when its plant cells are damaged (by crushing or chopping).
This gas suppresses a range of:
- soil-borne diseases, including Verticillium wilt, Rhizoctonia spp., Pythium spp., Fusarium spp., and Sclerotinia spp.
- nematodes (eelworms)
- wireworms
To encourage the production of the biofumigant gas ITC:
- chop the Caliente Mustard plants as finely as possible – the finer the chop the greater the effect. Either, use a rotary mower, a strimmer or garden shredder
- incorporate the chopped mustard into soil immediately, simply digging in the whole crop, un-chopped, will not give the same effect. Mix the shredded vegetation into the top 15cm (6in) of the soil either with a rotovator, or by digging in with a fork
- seal the soil surface, at once, to keep the gases in, using polythene
- the soil temperature should be warm, between 10-15°C (50 – 59°F)
- autumn or late spring incorporations are the most effective
To grow Caliente mustard:
- Sow spring to late summer – it will be ready 60 to 90 days after sowing
- To cover areas of bare soil over winter, sow early October (no later than mid-October) & the crop will be ready for incorporation in early to mid spring
- 200g of seed covers approx 120sq.m
- 1kg covers approx 600sq.m
- Caliente mustard is available from Tozer Seeds
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[...] The Caliente Mustard sown in July has been chopped up and incorporated into the soil. [...]
Pingback by Incorporating Caliente Mustard into the Soil « Top Veg — September 29, 2009 @ 6:44 pm
A little off the subject maybe, and we all understand some keen gardeners can be lectured from all angles to become more environmentally friendly, but it’s also crucial to think on people ethics. For example, some makes of rotovator may be made with child labor in Asia. So PLEASE think about where your rotovator is coming from if you make a purchase. A cultivator manufactured in the US may not be cheap, but it is a very important choice.
Comment by Mr Rotovator! — May 15, 2010 @ 7:36 pm