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Legumes: Family of Plants That Improve The Soil

Legumes is one of the most species-rich plant families, also known as legumes. Through a symbiosis with bacteria, they bind nitrogen from the air and thus improve the soil.

Legumes are a plant family of lepidoptera that includes around 17,000 species. They are also called legumes.

Legumes form a connection with so-called nodule bacteria. These bind valuable nitrogen for the plants and enrich the soil with it.

In this article you will read which plants are legumes and why they are so valuable for humans.

representatives of legumes

The legumes are divided into two broad categories. The so-called grain legumes form the first category. They form nutritious grains and seeds for humans. These include legumes, such as:
Chickpeas
Beans (bush beans, pole beans, soybeans)
Peas
lupine
lenses
peanuts
The second category mainly includes forage crops for livestock farming. These include, for example:
clover
alfalfa
Legumes also include trees and ornamental plants:
acacias
wisteria

Legumes and their symbiosis

Legumes form root nodules in which they enter into a symbiosis with so-called nodule bacteria. This is referred to as biological nitrogen fixation.

The nodule bacteria bind the volatile nitrogen from the air and make it organically available in liquid form for the plants. They convert the nitrogen in the air (N2) into liquid ammonia (NH3).

This makes the plants independent of nitrate levels in the soil. Legumes also thrive on very nutrient-poor soils and also enrich the soil for the following plants. As a result, less fertilizer can be used. This protects the soil and groundwater.

If you want to grow legumes yourself, make sure you don’t plant them in back-to-back years. Since the plants have already enriched the soil, the soil may already contain too much nitrogen for the legumes. Plant medium and heavy feeders in the improved soil the following year.

Nutritious legumes

Legumes play an important role not only in agriculture, but also in our diet. The University of Giessen has dealt extensively with the nutrients and antinutrients it contains:

Due to the nitrogen fixation, the plants have sufficient nitrogen available for protein synthesis. Therefore, the fruits of the legumes are very rich in protein.

In addition to proteins, legumes contain fiber and long-chain carbohydrates. Since the human body needs a lot of time to process these substances, they keep you full in the long term. Legumes are also rich in vitamins and minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

In addition to nutrients that are valuable for the body, legumes also contain so-called antinutrients. These inhibit the absorption of nutrients and are sometimes toxic to the body. Legumes contain phytic acid and tannins. The substances inhibit the absorption of minerals. They also contain lectin, which is toxic to the human body.

It is therefore advisable to soak legumes such as chickpeas or lentils and cook them for a long time.

benefits of legumes

Legumes play an important role in our agriculture.
They enrich the soil with nitrogen and keep the soil fertile. Farmers can take advantage of this effect by cultivating the soil with legumes in the last year of crop rotation and thus enriching the soil with nitrogen for future plants.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has decided on the so-called protein planting strategy to promote the cultivation of legumes. This could save on chemical fertilizer in the long term, which enables sustainable and ecological agriculture.
Healthier soil also reduces plant diseases and pests. This also means fewer pesticides and herbicides are needed.
The various types of clovers grow quickly and are well suited as cattle feed, while at the same time they can serve as green manure.
Most legumes develop taproots. These also loosen the deeper layers of soil and thus counteract soil compaction.
Due to their nitrogen-fixing properties, legumes are ideal as pioneer plants. This means that they can be grown in areas that were previously not covered with greenery. As a result, they also play an important role in the renaturation of areas destroyed by humans.

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Lifestyle

Instructions for Making Potting Soil Yourself

Good potting soil is a prerequisite for beautiful, healthy plants. We will show you how you can easily create good soil for your plants yourself.

There are different types of soil; include garden soil, blind soil, vegetable soil, and potting soil. Appearances are often deceptive because the quality of purchased soil is very important so that the plants can thrive at all. It is best to make your own nutrient-rich soil.

Benefits of homemade potting soil

Unlike commercial soil, you are not dealing with an industrial mass-produced product, but with a carefully selected mass. It goes without saying that your own soil will benefit the plants. They grow better, have less to do with pests, and appear healthier all around. Because the soil contains more nutrients, you naturally need less fertilizer. However, homemade potting soil can be excellently supplemented with home remedies such as plant fertilizer.

What has to go into the ground

There are many different types of potting soil. In general, compost, sand, and leaf soil are suitable for potting soil. In addition, coconut fibers, humus bricks, garden soil, vermiculite, perlite, horn shavings, or cornmeal can work wonders. In general, it can be said that homemade soil consists of different components. You always need a base. For example, garden soil or coconut fibers. In addition, you always need nutrients, e.g. B. Compost. And possibly something for the water capacity and loosening. Vermiculite or perlite are used for this.

1) The universal soil for almost all plants

The all-around soil is well suited to supply plants with nutrients for a longer period of time. It is versatile and has a good structure and good water drainage. What you need for this earth:

  • 2/9 compost
  • 5/9 garden soil
  • 2/9 sand

In addition to suitable soil, you should also pay attention to the correct watering of your plants. Because there are a few things to keep in mind.

2) Acidic soil is suitable for heather and bog plants

This soil is also called azalea soil and is particularly suitable for heather and bog plants, i.e. for plants that need acidic soil. Also almost all softwoods, as well as z. B. Rhododendrons need such soil. What you need for this:

  • 2/4 compost
  • 1/4 sand
  • 1/4 leaf soil

3) A special herbal soil with many nutrients

This very lean mixture is also known as light soil. It is ideal for plants that hardly tolerate nutrients, as this soil hardly contains any. For this you need:

  • each 2/6 coconut fibers, garden soil, and sand
  • add 1/6 crushed lime if necessary (for Mediterranean herbs).

4) The perfect soil for fresh tomatoes

As with the other soil mixtures, you should pay attention to the required PH value of the plant so that it can grow well. Tomatoes do best in slightly acidic to almost neutral soil. The following components are good for this:

  • 1.5/10 earth
  • 4/10 perlite
  • 1/10 hummus
  • 1/10 sand
  • 2.5/10 compost

5) Production of own rose soil

Roses grow in a neutral to a slightly acidic environment. You should also pay attention to how you then plant the roses correctly. The soil must not be too acidic under any circumstances, so you need the following to make the rose soil:

  • garden soil
  • compost
  • sand
  • Fertilizer mixture made from rotted cattle manure
  • horn shavings
  • bedrock meal

6) The right potting soil for cacti (substrate)

A special potting soil is required for cacti. The same applies to succulents (succulent plants). These plants have adapted to special climate and soil conditions. For this, you need soil with more mineral substances, for example with more sand and clay as components. This also includes the actual place where cacti normally grow, deserts. These are characterized by dryness and sandy soil.

You should therefore pay attention to their natural proportions when producing cactus soil. You only need the following ingredients to make it:

  • coarse sand
  • peat
  • Clay
  • humus soil

7) Make garden soil with Bokashi

Bokashi comes from Japanese and describes a process in which organic material is fermented by adding effective microorganisms. You can then use the resulting compost for your potting soil, as it is great as a liquid fertilizer. Soil mixtures can also work wonders in other areas. The healing earth helps you as an effective home remedy, for example, to eliminate facial blemishes, but also complaints such as flatulence and with a diet.

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