

Photo by Le Adcock/Flickr

Super Plants

When we imagine word ''fertilizer'' we can almost instantly picture animal manure, compost or even just chemicals, but the word ''plants'' doesn't ring a bell at all. And jet there are a lot of plants which should deserve our attention more because they are, many of which are high in nitrogen, organic matter and any number of things that soils love. And almost all leguminous plants are parental plants for mycorrhizal fungi which are extremely beneficial to all plants in their surroundings because the fungi effectively extend the root area of plants thus your plants can eat better, can be healthier and overall be happier. Any of those plants can be grown at home on a smaller scale to boost up your garden, compost or wherever you may need to give some extra fertility.

Nutrient-Rich Plants

1. Comfrey

(lat.Symphytum uplandicum)

Comfrey is very useful perennial and prolific plant. It grows fast, colonize fast and has big juicy leaves full of precious nitrogen. Also has a medicinal side, it is used for bone and muscle regeneration. Comfrey roots reach up to 10 feet down to mine minerals, so the plant can be used to enrich the soil or break up compaction. Comfrey leaves are often brewed into a compost tea or added as top layer on growing beds for additional organic matter and nitrogen supply or just applied to compost piles to activate them.

2. Alfalfa

(lat. Medicago sativa)

Alfalfa is legume plant form pea family widely used as the best forage crop because of its possibility to reach deep into the earth's belly with its root and touch a huge number of minerals that are otherwise unreachable for regular plants same as Comfrey. Also, it contains triacontanol fatty alcohol which is known for being the best natural plant booster for both vegetative and flowering stage. It can be applied for activating compost piles or for mulching growing beds with organic mass and as nitrogen and potassium boost, can be also brewed in compost teas and it is widely used for feeding animals when it is dried (grass hay). Alfalfa is rich in vitamins such as A, C, B1, B6 E and K as well as proteins, calcium, carotene, zinc, iron, and potassium.

3. Nettles

(lat.Urtica dioica)

Leguminous Cover Crops

We hear a lot on nitrogen fixation but what is it? Nitrogen fixation is the point at which a plant takes nitrogen from the air where most of it resides and then transforms it into form in which plants can use it, this action is where legumes outshine. By sowing leguminous cover crops, then working them into the soil prior to growing season, you are getting that nitrogen fixation as well as biomass, which is useful for making hummus and getting back nutrients.

Nettles is almost favorite crop among organic farmers, same as first two plants nettles has all desirable properties of a super plant. Heats up compost pile very fast and decompose even faster making it a great addition to boost a cold or below temperature compost pile. It can also be fermented along with comfrey leaves and alfalfa in water for a few days and applied to heavy feeding crops, this is called a famous compost tea. To make a compost tea pick some nettles, pick some comfrey leaves don't forget to get some alfalfa too. Put them together in one small barrel or a bucket or whatever you like, fill in water and then stir it once a day for 10-15 days the more you wait for stronger tea you get simple as that. Before use, combine one part of the resulting liquid with 10 parts water to dilute it, and then apply directly to the base of plants. And your plants will be happiest plants on planet.

4. Red Clover

(lat.Trifolium pratense)

Red Clover is a highly productive legume plant which gives a big amount of biomass over time and tends to accumulate both nitrogen and phosphorous which are necessary food for our lovely plants. Sow in spring or fall, particularly around perennials similar to asparagus, as weed control and green compost for your plants. For medicinal use, red clover is used for cancer prevention, indigestion, high cholesterol, whooping cough, cough, asthma, bronchitis, and sexually transmitted diseases.

5. White Clover

(lat.Trifolium repens)

White clover develops well as a partner plant among turf grasses, grain crops, field grasses, and vegetable lines. It’s a perennial plant, so expect it to come back year after year. White clover can endure close cutting and grazing, and it can develop on wide range types of pHs and soils. Other than making an excellent forage crop, white clover is valuable survival food: it is high in proteins, widespread, and abundant.

6. Crimson Clover

(lat.Trifolium incarnatum)

Crimson clover creates good ground cover and provides a dense rooting system to hold soil in place and help break up compaction. It delivers a high amount of organic mass and is generally sown in fall. This excellent annual legume which root is home of wide variety of mycorrhizal fungi that are beneficial as a root extension which enable more nutrient uptake and it's also widely grown as a protein-rich forage crop for cattle.

7. Vetch

(lat.Vicia sativa)

A winter-tough annual legume, vetch can be sowed in the fall as a cover crop and then turned into the soil in the spring. It is very good at capturing nitrogen and gives additional advantage when grown in conjunction with rye (the other very good forage crop plant).

8. Peas

(lat.Pisum sativum)

Non-Leguminous Cover Crops

Of course, fertility is not only fixing nitrogen from the air and getting bigger roots. A fair amount of time that is blocking weeds and keeping you precious elements, minerals, and all good stuff in place. For an example, if you only have legume plants in your garden you are risking an invasion of legume-loving pests and diseases, so you need to mix things up from time to time.

Usually sown in spring but in some warmer areas can be sown at fall too. It has roots rich with mycorrhizal fungi and it is great nitrogen fixator, because of this it is a great forage plant to proceed tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, celery and almost anything that is not another legume.

9. Cereal Rye

(lat.Secale cereale)

Cereal rye is a quickly developing, winter-solid cover crop that is capable of holding soil and recycling nutrients. It has an allelopathic impact on weeds and different grasses, so don't plant it where you will be growing corn. Because of its submissiveness to mold, wet areas should be avoided for growing this plant

10. Oats

(lat.Avena sativa)

This cover crop establishes itself quickly, creating a nearly impenetrable layer for weeds. Numerous people will sow it in the fall over their garlic, so it will stop weeds and enable green manure for spring to mulch and feed our garlic. Oats doesn't fixate nitrogen but it provides plenty of biomass which can be turned into the soil at spring for an aditional food supply for your plants.

11. Sudangrass

(lat.Sorghum × drummondii)

Sudangrass is a hybrid specie of grass raised for forage and grain.This is even faster growing cover crop than previous. It is very good because it produces huge amount of organic materilal for the soil. For best results sow it together with legume or after.

12. Buckwheat

(lat.Fagopyrum esculentum)

This is speedy Gonzales among weeds it can outrun almost any summer weed, but this plant doesn't fixate nitrogen or give a big amount of biomass like other plants before. In spite of that if sown and left to flower it will attract vast majority of beneficial insects to pollinate your crops in garden and automatically increase its fertility.

And remember:

"A good foundation in the ethics and principles of Permaculture allow you to truly design anything. Permaculture is, as a design system, largely based on our available information and the ability to apply that information creatively. We now live in a world that is more connected than any other time in history. You can find solutions to almost any question related to building a better world."

Nutrient Dense Farming with Mary Johnson

Thank you all dear Steemians for reading!

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