Questions tagged [nitrogen]

An essential element required by all life

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How does nitrogen-fixing bacteria access gaseous nitrogen if it's on root nodules that are below ground? (rhizobia) [migrated]

How do root nodules have access to nitrogen-rich air if they're located underground? Nitrogen-fixing plants (eg legumes) have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that live on the root nodules that ...
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Is there anything else besides lack of sunlight or excess nitrogen could cause a plant to become leggy?

I've recently been convinced that my potting soil which contains a lot of homemade compost (made primarily from leaves and fruit waste as the greens) is generally lacking fertiliser. My strawberries, ...
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Plants that absorb carbon monooxide and other drainage gases

I have drainage pits around the house, sometimes the drainage smells comes from the pit but they are odourless gases such as carbon monoxide which can be harmful and there are other toxic gases such ...
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Sul-po-may and blood meal at the same time?

My university extension suggested a combination of sul-po-mag and blood meal to increase my vegetable garden's potassium and nitrogen. Link: How to increase nitrogen and potassium at the same time? I ...
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How to increase nitrogen and potassium at the same time?

I had my vegetable garden soil tested by a local university extension. (If it matters, I'm in the northeast US, zone 5.) The results indicated that the soil was deficient in nitrogen and potassium. ...
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Does nitrogen-rich material become carbon-rich after drying?

So my compost is very nitrogen-rich since my yard is mostly lawn and grass clippings are nitrogen-heavy. I read that hay, on the other hand, is carbon-rich. Since hay is just grass dried in the sun, ...
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I've heard about plants fixing nitrogen into the soil, what does this mean?

I read that Goji berries fix 60lbs of nitrogen in the soil per acre, does this mean that one plant will put 60 lbs into the soil, or do i need many plants to do this?
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Does Marsh Mallow fix nitrogen?

I'm doing some research before installing a fruit forest as I can't grow vegetables on the STUN (sheet total utter neglect) method, and was wondering if the Marsh Mallow plant is a nitrogen fixer or ...
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Back to basics - nutrients and growth

I have started out my journey of growing things with strawberries and cacti. But I feel I miss some of the basics of how the growth cycle works. So I have a few questions. First of all, the plants ...
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What is the carbon content of tree seeds and would they be suitable to balance nitrogen rich compost?

On top of my garage was a full 2 inches of densely composted material that I presume has built up over many years. Right above the garage are 2 trees that seem to shed hundreds of thousands of tiny ...
Michael Sherpa's user avatar
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How to extract nutrients from soil?

I'm new to DIY farming and have invested in a vertical farming unit. I love the efficiency and effectiveness of these systems in providing nutrients, oxygen and water to the roots of plants in a small ...
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Do nitrates really encourage weed germination?

I've heard that nitrates increase weed germination. Is this true? If so feel free to mention what forms of nitrates encourage them to sprout most, if you happen to know (e.g. ammonium nitrate, calcium ...
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Does chicken manure interfere with fruit trees?

I have a lemon and orange tree which chickens roost in and poo around and causing the trees not to bear much fruit. What can I do to eliminate the nitrogen in the soil? I cannot move the chickens ...
Travis Walsh's user avatar
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What do I do with cover crops before planting vegetables in a raised bed?

I have a raised bed that I use to plant vegetables. Over the winter, I have planted fava beans as cover crop to get some nitrogen in the soil. What should I do with the fava plants before I plant the ...
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Pomegranate splitting: Why is it happenning and how to prevent this

Why do my pomegranates keep splitting every year? I have read some articles that they need even watering, with drip irrigation. Also too much nitrogen can cause the fruit to split. Does anyone have ...
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Scorpion Pepper growth

Backstory Hey everyone, first post in this stack, so sorry if I didn't see an answer to these questions (I did check though). So I have a Scorpion Butch T plant that I bought about 2 months ago (63 ...
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Junipers and Fertilizer times and Nitrogen

Reading around the web, many say the exact opposite of another 'expert'. Specifically pertaining to Junipers, I'm reading don't use nitrogen or use high fertilizers high in nitrogen. When is the ...
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I need nitrogen-poor soil. Where can I buy some (US)?

I am a student doing a science fair project relating to nitrogen content in plants. For some trials, I will need nitrogen-poor soil. Can anyone point me in the correct direction? And if you have used ...
Human's user avatar
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Do you need to worry about nitrogen fixing if you mulch heavily? [closed]

If you put about a 6"+ of mulch on the a food forest floor, do you need to worry about nitrogen fixing?
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Managing Cover Crops

I put some fava beans in my vegetable raised bed during the winter months to add nutrients to the soil. The seeds have sprouted and I have some healthy plants growing. Question I have is what next? ...
JStorage's user avatar
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Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?

In my country I don't have fertilizer products, but I know that I can get nitrogen from any greens. I already knew that I can soak them in water to make liquid fertilizer, but what if I want to make ...
user2120121's user avatar
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Is rotten fish emulsion safe for plants?

I have a many year-old supply of Charlie Carp (fish emulsion) fertilizer that has "gone off". Namely, it has a strong ammonia smell. It's "commercial strength", meaning it's very concentrated. Is it ...
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What are the main benefits and cons of using manure?

Manure is often part of a prescription for hot composting, and soil enrichment. But why? Is it just for nitrogen? Is that why people go and get the excrement of vegetarian mammals to add to their ...
Graham Chiu's user avatar
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What's a nitrogen-fixing ground-cover that grows on very little rainfall?

Here in the desert southwest (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall), clover doesn't seem to grow well due to lack of enough moisture. What's an alternative that ...
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What is the maximum amount (lbs/1000 sf.) of nitrogen that should be applied to turf in the spring?

Assumptions and details: we would apply slow release, predominantly insoluble, organic sources of nitrogen which could include compost, corn gluten meal or any of a number of organic turf fertilizer ...
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What is the quickest germinating leguminous cover crop?

I would like to find a good leguminous cover crop that sprouts quickly, and grows fast, especially the roots. What are the best ones for this purpose (and the pros/cons of those you mention)? Disease/...
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Improving soil for grass

My lawn is slowly being taken over by clover, I would be ok with this if the clover and the grass embraced diversity, but instead there are patches of one or the other. I understand clover likes soil ...
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Was my rosemary burnt by nitrogen, or something else?

I am trying to grow rosemary from starters. I am based in In California, San Francisco Bay Area. I dug up an area about what people are recommending on the other rosemary answers here. 30cm x 30cm ...
NOTjust -- user4304's user avatar
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Placing nitrogen fixers around established trees?

I have several young (1-4 years old) fruit trees and am considering planting nitrogen fixers around/underneath: white clover (ground cover) lupine (herb layer) siberian pea shrub (shrub layer) It ...
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How much nitrogen per bale in a straw bale garden?

I recently read a NY Times article about straw bale gardening. It says that you should add about 2 1/2 cups of 20% N fertilizer or three pounds of blood meal and feather meal per bale. Add water, wait ...
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How do you figure out if you have Rhizobia bacteria in your soil?

I have prepared a leaf-rich garden patch (see here). To promote decomposition of the leaves I have planted a lot of beans and peas to promote nitrogen fixation in the soil. However, I don't know if ...
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Raising Nitrogen in Hops

I have some hops growing and their leaves are starting to turn yellow, my research tells me that it is probably a nitrogen deficiency. What ways can I naturally add nitrogen to the soil of an ...
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Do wattles have the same ability to fix nitrogen from air as other legumes?

Do wattles (roughly Australian Acacia species) have the same ability as other members of the Fabaceae (legume) family to fix nitrogen from air via symbiosis with soil bacteria? For instance, it's well ...
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Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?

It's common knowledge that legumes (clover, beans, etc) can (with the help of Rhizobium bacteria) fix nitrogen from the air and hold it in the soil. Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should ...
bstpierre's user avatar
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Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost?

Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost? The cat litter used is made of recycled paper pellets so is rich in carbon. It doesn't contain the cat faeces because that is fished ...
Lisa's user avatar
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Which plants/trees will benefit from using urine as a fertilizer?

We know that urine can do a plant good. Certain plants (like citrus trees) will absolutely do well if you add urine to their intake. But urine is very high in nitrogen and could potentially "burn&...
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