Phacelia

ABOUT THE PLANT: Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is an annual plant yielding one cutting. Grows fast in the early stages, closes up herbage and suppresses weeds. Reaches 60-90 cm in height. Widely used as a melliferous plant and for green manure (yield – around 200 centner/he).

As a forage culture has mediocre qualities. Doesn’t get infected by pests and diseases. Grown in mixtures with other rapid-growing crops. Legume-cereal-phacelia mixtures yield 40-60 kg of honey per 1 hectare. The plant yields nectar during the whole day.
The plant is cold-resistant: withstands frosts to 5…6 C below zero. The seeds begin to germinate at 3…4 C temperature, better at 8…10 C. Has a good tolerance to drought but exposed to excessive moisture. Pollinated by insects. The vegetation period of lacy phacelia is 75-90 days. Depending on sowing terms and weather conditions, starts to bloom in 40-45 days and first flowers appear already on 30th day. Blooming and seed ripening are protracted and uneven, they last over a month. Undemanding to soils but still develops better in fertile soils clean from weeds.
It is sown with a row method to a depth of 1-2 cm. Seeding rate is 10-15 kg. Sown in spring until summer (July-August). To ensure the rapid growth it is recommended to apply the fertilizers N40–60Р30–45К30–45. After 7-8 weeks after sowing in the phase of budding – start of blooming has to be cut for fodder, because later the crude protein content is decreased rapidly. In pure form brings smaller output of nutrients than in mixtures with legumes.

IMPLEMENTATION: Our company offers to buy seeds of Phacelia (sort Alina) for a good price.

Sort Alina
The sort Alina is added to The State Register of plant varieties suitable for dissemination in Ukraine in 1995. It was created in branch of beekeeping Institute named after P. Prokopovich UAAS.Features of the sort: shrub spreading; complicated leaves , green, no waxy coating; The flowers are small, pink and blue; seed is oval, dark brown; weight of 1000 seeds is 1.8 g; plant height – 76 cm; growing season – 114 days.
The average yield of green mass – 200 kg / ha, of seeds – 5.4 kg / ha; nectar productivity – 268 kg / ha; pollen productivity – 281 kg/ha. Pests and diseases are not observed.
It is recommended to grow in wood lands and forest-steppe zones.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PHACELIA:
1. Phacelia genus has about 200 species which grow in America.
2. Honey productivity of Phacelia is very high 300 kg / ha to 1,200 kg / ha.
3. translation of the word “Phacelia” from Greek means a bunch, since the plant has an inflorescence in which flowers are collected in a bunch.
4. Sawing of Phacelia in a garden contributes to better pollination and fruit set in fruit and berry crops.