Do you leave your pea roots in the ground for the next crop?

16 years ago

I read a British gardening website where the author advises people to cut their pea plants off at ground level before removing the vines from their support so that nitrogen in the roots will be available to the next crop. He also recommended mulching crops with pea vines for the same reason.

My question is about the roots rather than any beneficial nitrogen residue. If you leave the roots in the earth and plant something else in your pea-bed right after you remove the vines (I'm planning to put tomatoes and cucumbers there, using the same sturdy trellis), will the disintegrating pea-roots crowd the other roots?

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PS & Off-Topic: Does anyone else find a very very annoying Imodium advertisement appearing at the top of the screen where you must either manually collapse it to a small size or wait for 5 seconds before it reduces to a smaller size and shifts everything on the screen upward? I use the Mozilla browser, and the pop-up blocker doesn't block it, probably because it isn't really a pop-up. The smaller sized advertisement remains at the top of the screen when it reduces size. I WISH they'd put it somewhere else. I get angry every time I refresh my screen or go to another forum. It is SO aggravating.

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Comments (13)

hamiltongardener
16 years ago
I did that last year with my pea plants and also with my beans at the end of the year.

I didn't notice a problem but it didn't take long for the pea roots to disintegrate. The bean roots are taking much longer but that's probably because it has been cold weather since I cut them, I did mulch with the pea vines but tossed a tiny coating of dirt over them. After the first rain they also disintegrated well under the thin layer of dirt.

And yes, the immodium ad is annoying.
anney
Original Author
16 years ago
Okay, then I'll leave the roots in the ground, too. That's a lot easier than pulling them up.

Still grouchy about that ad...
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cambse
16 years ago
Anney,
I also use Mozilla and I have never seen that ad. Do you use Adblock? It's a free ad blocking add on that firefox uses. I see very few ads on Gardenweb and if I do I right click on them and click on block image. They all go away. Perhaps it's an Adobe Flash Player ad? Adblock won't work on them. You can right click on those and uncheck the play button. That won't make it go away but it will make it stop moving.
I know how irritating those ads are, I hate them too.

Carole
anney
Original Author
16 years ago
cambse

Oh, thank you!

I added Adblock to Mozilla, and sure enough it disappeared, in fact the entire ad at the top of the page is gone now. It was also interfering with accessing other forums through that Forums button at the top. The dropdown choices appeared so far below the Forums link that they disappeared if you tried to move your cursor to them.
denninmi
16 years ago
The roots, as said above, will rot very quickly, and enhance the soil.

The vines are rich in N too, and you can use them as mulch or whatever. I grind most of my garden waste with the lawnmower, and then put them back on as mulch.
justaguy2
16 years ago
I always cut legumes off at ground level. The roots are never a problem for subsequent plantings.

I also use Firefox with Adblock and the automatic updater and haven't seen the annoying ads that I know TPTB have here.
steve2416
16 years ago
Anney, if the stalks aren't too thick, I use my weed-eater and just skim the ground with it. It tends to chew up a lot of the aboveground remnants also. Let everything rot in place while you are planting through it. You will be pleased. When the plants are large enough, toss extra mulch around them.
Yep, that Ad is annoying and so out of place: Does a vegetarian ever need Immodium?
gonefishin
16 years ago
I mow my peas and leave the roots in the ground. I have pulled up a few and seen the nodules of nitrogen on the roots, but as stated above they do not take long to disintegrate and do not get in the way.

You can also add NO SCRIPT to your FireFox browser that is also good. I never see any aggravating ads like that on my screen any more.
Bill P.
thepodpiper
16 years ago
The Firefox you are all refering to is it the free download off the web?

Dale
anney
Original Author
16 years ago
podpiper

Yes, that's the one. It's an excellent browser, though I use its older cousin, Mozilla, for GardenWeb browsing.
kayhh
16 years ago
I cut off all plants at the crown and lay them down as mulch. Roots from plants past are not a problem. Soil food. There is, of course, an exception for diseased plants.

Since GW joined ivillage I see more agressive ads here than on any other site I visit. Do companies really think that annoying me will make me want to buy their product?
justaguy2
16 years ago
Do companies really think that annoying me will make me want to buy their product?

Yes. They are going for the 22.3% of us who haven't switched to a Mozilla based browser with AdBlock. IVillage has a long history of running sites into the ground while trying to milk them for all they are worth. They don't even care enough about the place to notice this post slamming them.
sinfonian
16 years ago
Thanks for the info on both the peas and the adds. I was happy when I checked back late this evening and they'd switched adds to something that wasn't an expanding/shrinking one. I am all for a company that operates a free site to recoup the costs with ad revenue but it doesn't have to be annoying. Though I must say, I will not soon forget that Imodium is the only FDA approved drug for my 6-11 year old (my eldest is 4, so we've got a ways to go). And yes, tons of fruits and veggies is a sure way to avoid needing the product. If I didn't live in Microsoft town, I would consider switching.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's gardening adventure

Do you leave your pea roots in the ground for the next crop?

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Do you leave your pea roots in the ground for the next crop?

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