Nitrogen promotes growth of a plant's leaves.
Nitrogen is part of every living cell, and plants need it to grow and develop normally. A plant that isn't getting enough nitrogen may have yellowing leaves and stunted growth. However, a plant that's getting too much fertilizer may develop huge leaves and no flowers. There are natural and chemical ways to adjust the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Commercial Fertilizer
1. Spread commercial fertilizer over the soil according to the directions on the package. Package directions should explain the size of the area that a cup of fertilizer will cover so you can approximate the correct amount of fertilizer to use.
2. Scrape the surface of the soil with the blade of the hoe to work the fertilizer into the soil. The nutrients in the fertilizer must be available to the roots of the plants as they grow, so mix the fertilizer into the soil to a depth of several inches.
3. Water the soil to dilute the fertilizer and to prevent it from burning the plants and their roots.
Cover Crop
4. Prepare the soil for planting by tilling it to break up the top 3 to 6 inches of the soil with a hoe. Rake the soil smooth.
5. Scatter the seeds of a cover crop plant such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), soybean (Glycine max), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) or buckwheat over the soil. These plants react with bacteria in the soil to add nitrogen that will be available to future crops.
6. Rake the soil lightly to cover the seeds so they won't blow away in the wind or wash away when you water them.
7. Water the planted bed with a fine mist. Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate, and water the plants twice a week throughout the growing season until the crop dies and turns brown. You won't need to water a cover crop that you plant in the fall. A fall-planted cover crop will die the following spring, and a spring-planted cover crop will die in the fall.
8. Till the dead plants into the earth with a rototiller, tilling the top 12 inches of the soil until you incorporate the dead vegetation completely into the soil. If you don't have a tiller, use a pitchfork or a shovel to dig up the dead plants and break them up. The organic matter will continue to decompose over time, releasing nitrogen into the soil.
Excess Nitrogen
9. Prepare the soil for planting by tilling it to break up the top 3 to 6 inches of the soil with a hoe. Rake the soil smooth.
10. Plant the seeds of a squash plant such as zucchini or yellow squash by following the directions on the back of the seed packets. Squash are known to be heavy nitrogen feeders, and they can remove significant amounts of nitrogen from the soil by consuming it.
11. Water the seeds and seedlings regularly to ensure that the plant can consume the excess nitrogen in the soil. When the squash plants start to produce blossoms, they have consumed the excess nitrogen.
Tags: into soil, cover crop, inches soil, Rake soil, soil with, break inches