Fodder Radish Green Manure Seeds

Overview

Fodder Radish is a very quick growing green manure. It germinates in about 3-10 days depending on soil temperature. It has the ability to draw up nutrients from the subsoil and also penetrate compacted soils with its strong deep rooting tap root.

Fodder radish also produces large amounts of foliage which when incorporated into the top layer of soil adds lots of leafy organic matter & helps it improve its moisture retaining capacity & fertility & soil structure.

Fodder Radish is also thought to contain chemicals that help suppress nematodes e.g. cyst nematodes which attack potatoes.

It should be sown after the last frosts (May- August) and then can either be cut down on flowering or allowed to die back naturally through winter, used as a mulch and dug in during early spring. If it becomes too long it can be topped to about 20cm and allowed to re-grow.

It is part of the Brassica family and should be treated as such for crop rotation purposes.

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Sowing months	May, June, July, August
Growing period	2-6 months, may overwinter.
Ideal soil type	Acidic, Clay, Damp, Dry, Heavy, Loamy, Most, Poor, Sandy, Wet
Avoid soil type	N/A
Nitrogen fixer	No
How to sow	Clear weeds especially perennials ones, rake the soil to a fine tilth and broadcast sow seeds at a rate of 1g per sq m. Rake in to a depth of 0.5cm, firm soil and lightly water. Keep moist to help germination.
Care	The green manure should be cut down before flowering when the stems are nice and soft as they decompose quicker, retain more beneficial nutrients and are easier to incorporate into the soil. They can be dug into the soil by turning over into the top 15cms or left on the top as a mulch, the worms will drag down the organic matter and help to aerate the soil.
Sow rate	1 grams per square metre.
Area covered	25g pack = 25m² 50g pack = 50m² 100g pack = 100m²

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