What is the green manure technique?
Green manure is an essential agronomic technique in the management of the San Polo vineyards, one of the key activities of the company's production philosophy focused on maximum respect for the territory. The green manure carries out a fertilizing action and gives vitality to the soil to facilitate the development of the plant. The first process is fertilization with Humus, an organic and completely natural substance. Different types of essences are then sown, each of which brings specific properties to the soil; these varieties of plants are combined in a mix designed specifically for the needs of each plot. A green manure made up of legumes, thanks to their nitrogen fixation activity, significantly increases the nitrogen content of the soil; when the chosen essences have a very deep root system, they enrich the superficial layers of the soil with nutritional elements taken from the deeper layers. Another example is represented by grasses, such as barley and rye, which have a collated root system that develops in the first centimeters of soil, impoverishing excessively vigorous soils. These crops are often buried when they flower and, being rich in fibre, they will shift decomposition more towards the formation of Humus than towards the release of ready-to-use nutritional principles. Brassicas, on the other hand, have a taproot system. These plants allow the extraction of difficult-to-access nutrients, such as phosphorus, and reduce soil compaction.