Definition

Noun A crop, typically a fast-growing legume or grass, that is cultivated and then deliberately plowed under or incorporated into the soil while still green and succulent, in order to improve soil fertility and structure.

Usage

"Green manure" is an uncountable noun referring to the practice or the plant material used for this purpose. It is a specific agricultural term. - The primary purpose of using green manure is to add organic matter and nutrients, especially nitrogen, to the soil. - Farmers often plant a cover crop like clover as green manure to restore their fields.

Examples

• The organic farm uses clover and vetch as green manure to avoid chemical fertilizers.
• Plowing under the green manure in spring prepares the bed for summer vegetables.
• One benefit of green manure is its ability to suppress weeds.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: The term is frequently used attributively (like an adjective) before other nouns.
  • Green manure crops like alfalfa improve soil health.
  • They follow a green manure system in their crop rotation.

Variants and Related Words

• Cover crop: A broader term for any crop grown to cover the soil; a cover crop may be used as green manure, but not all cover crops are plowed under (some are used for erosion control or forage).
• Soil amendment: A general term for any material added to soil to improve its physical or chemical properties; green manure is a type of organic soil amendment.

Synonyms

• Soil-enriching crop
• Plow-down crop

Notes on Different Meanings

This term has a very specific, technical meaning in agriculture and horticulture. It does not refer to manure that is literally the color green. The "green" indicates the fresh, un-decomposed state of the plant material when it is incorporated into the soil.

Noun

1. a growing crop that is plowed under to enrich soil