9
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Managing Cover Crops
An important thing that many people miss is that if a cover crop produces fruit and seed (beans in your case) it is no longer a cover crop or green manure, but a crop, which depletes the soil rather ...
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8
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Managing Cover Crops
Normally with cover crops you want them to grow as long as possible, where possible is influenced by:
When you plan to plant the actual crop (including some time for breakdown of the cover crop ...
- 18.4k
7
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Managing Cover Crops
Usually, you would wait until the plants are in full flower, and have no ripe seeds, then cut/mow the tops down and turn them under. This will add the most nitrogen to the soil (the green tops are ...
- 51.5k
7
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What's a nitrogen-fixing ground-cover that grows on very little rainfall?
Not exactly a ground cover, but perhaps Mesquite? It is a legume...
New Mexico State University Guide 150
lists a number of cover crops (which may not suit the homeowner's sense of "groundcover") ...
- 18.4k
7
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What are the main benefits and cons of using manure?
No, it's not just for the nitrogen content, which is usually pretty low by the time the composting process has taken place (fresh manure should never be used on open ground, it needs composting first)....
- 129k
6
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Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?
If you have a household, you can generate enough waste to start some Bokashi bins. You can purchase these from Green Zone Egypt. These create compost in buckets but the process needs to be finished ...
- 23k
5
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Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?
In my experience, composting in place in a pot does not work well. I would recommend against that option.
Given that you don't have space for a compost pile and will be growing in containers, I ...
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Is rotten fish emulsion safe for plants?
The short answer is, probably. Rot is part of the cycle, even if it's putrification which is partially what I am guessing your fish emulsion did. Though it might not be pleasant to work with and it ...
- 6,326
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Improving soil for grass
My question is, if I let the clover take over, and let it naturally
replenish the soils nitrogen level, will the clover recede once the
nitrogen levels rise?
Unfortunately no. Clover is a very ...
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5
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Improving soil for grass
I'm sorry to say that the clover will continue to grow and spread in your lawn over time. One of the issues with clover in lawn if you have young children is that it flowers - bees like the flowers, ...
- 129k
5
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Accepted
I need nitrogen-poor soil. Where can I buy some (US)?
I see two possibilities:
You get poor soil
You transform your soil
You can walk around your place, and you will see some places with poor soil. This probably is also poor on nitrogen. Try a dry, ...
- 13.9k
4
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Do you need to worry about nitrogen fixing if you mulch heavily?
You appear to have confused nitrogen fixing (the process where bacteria and legumes work together to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil in a plant-usable form) with nitrogen depletion, a ...
- 18.4k
4
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Junipers and Fertilizer times and Nitrogen
I've been checking information for conifer growing where you are - if your Junipers are growing in open ground, there is no recommendation to give them fertiliser on a regular basis. There is a ...
- 129k
4
votes
How much nitrogen per bale in a straw bale garden?
The idea behind the straw bale technique is to take a predominantly carbon source, add nitrogen to parts of it to create compost, and to grow plants which are going to use the compost/humus while it ...
- 23k
4
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What is the quickest germinating leguminous cover crop?
In the summer, soybeans are usually my first choice, as they sprout and grow fast, and add about 30-50 lbs of nitrogen per acre. Red clover grows a little slower, but holds the soil together and adds ...
- 51.5k
4
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What's a nitrogen-fixing ground-cover that grows on very little rainfall?
The answer may be Falcata Alfalfa--an Alfalfa cultivar that is especially drought-tolerant. I've read 12" minimum rainfall, and we get 7", but maybe I can make it work growing with other native ...
- 1,545
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Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?
You should start a compost pile. From the linked source, be aware that the type of material you compost does make a difference in how much nitrogen you get in the end. IE:
fruit & vegetable ...
- 1,760
3
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What are the main benefits and cons of using manure?
We use aged manure on our tree crops and it's fine, as long as it's aged. It's full of ammonia and will absolutely burn up veggie crops if not seasoned (aged). Manure that's aged is wonderful for ...
- 107
3
votes
Scorpion Pepper growth
By the look of it, I would suppose that the plant isn't getting enough calcium, even if there's enough in the soil. That is, if the same leaves initially grew like that (if not, I'd suspect a pest or ...
- 17.1k
3
votes
Improving soil for grass
Okay, this is only useful for those who are not averse to using chemicals. Most selective broad-leaf herbicides are effective with only one treatment, but may take two.
Dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-...
- 51.5k
3
votes
I need nitrogen-poor soil. Where can I buy some (US)?
Nitrogen poor soil would be SUB SOIL. Dig down at least 2 or 3 feet and you shall find nitrogen poor soil. Get a test! From the Coop Extension Service and while you are there ask them what they ...
- 39.8k
3
votes
Accepted
How to increase nitrogen and potassium at the same time?
Most combined fertilisers won't have the ratios of the two elements you need, and will contain other trace elements too. The best solution is to follow the recommendations you've been given, even if ...
- 129k
2
votes
I've heard about plants fixing nitrogen into the soil, what does this mean?
If you are thinking that planting lots of plants with nitrogen fixing roots will increase nitrogen levels in your soil while they are growing, they will not. They will increase nitrogen levels IF you ...
- 129k
2
votes
Accepted
Does nitrogen-rich material become carbon-rich after drying?
You are missing the fact that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in organic material is nowhere near a 50/50 split. The difference between "nitrogen rich" and "nitrogen poor" is more ...
- 11.2k
2
votes
Accepted
Sul-po-may and blood meal at the same time?
Blood meal contains more sodium (by weight) than potassium, phosphorus, or calcium. So, if you plan to plant particularly salt-sensitive plants (like beans, carrots, bulbing onions, and strawberries), ...
- 17.1k
1
vote
How to extract nutrients from soil?
Yes it is possible; however, it would be more efficient to simply buy the raw materials and mix your nutrients from them. While your logic is correct the process itself would be very messy and in-fact ...
- 1,640
1
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Do nitrates really encourage weed germination?
from the paper Brōtsyorfuzthrāx cited, Effects of Different Nitrogen Compounds and Temperatures
on the Germination of Arena sterills spp. macrocarpa MO:
"The positive effect of nitrates on ...
1
vote
Do nitrates really encourage weed germination?
I did some searching, today, and found some kind of basis for what the article I read said.
Apparently, "… [potassium nitrate] has long been used to stimulate germination of weeds …" according to ...
- 17.1k
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Do nitrates really encourage weed germination?
It's nonsense, frankly, and I'd like to know why whoever told you that thinks it's true. If you dig an area over and add nitrogen in some form, perhaps the observation of increased weed germination ...
- 129k
1
vote
What do I do with cover crops before planting vegetables in a raised bed?
To use this as a green mulch which adds nitrogen to the soil, wait until they're about to flower, and then mow them down and let dry. Then dig into the soil. That ensures that all the nitrogen that ...
- 23k
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