How to Reduce Nitrogen in Soil

Nitrogen is a crucial component in the soil. Not only does it provide plants with nutrients, but it also provides balance to your farm soil. However, its excessive soil can also cause imbalance and result in losses in plant yields.

Gardeners tend to try excessively when it comes to nitrogen use on a farm. For instance, your crops such as tomatoes do gain in their vegetative health, and vegetables including spinach or kale grow big in appearance while it retains the best green coloring. However, flowers keep growing and their flowers fail to blossom at the right time interfering with the harvest season.

Is it really?

Your plants including crops, trees, or shrubberies require a certain amount of nitrogen. However, each plant requires a specific amount at a specific period. Messing with the time is what results in excess nitrogen in the soil. The development process of a plant is prone to changes in nitrogen levels.

For instance, corn is a regular crop. According to studies conducted by the University of Nebraska, corn requires smaller amounts of nitrogen when the summer season begins.

Each type of vegetative species has different reactions to nitrogen presence and its extremes. For instance, the presence of extreme nitrogen content in your tomato garden will result in the largest tomato vines you have ever seen. However, the fruits will be minimal and not so healthy during the harvest.

Studies also pick out other fruits and vegetables as facing a similar challenge with nitrogen extreme presence in the farmland. These include fruits such as lemons and vegetables include squash, cucumbers, and more.

Lower yields and infestation or plant diseases are not the only negative impacts of excessive nitrogen content in the soil. Studies indicate that the nitrogen can leak into underground water sources from your farm. Nitrogen pollution in the water can travel far and wide resulting in other environmental disasters.

University professors and students in North Dakota indicate that the excessive algae population in lakes results from nitrogen pollution in water. Also, drinking contaminated water is harmful to human health.

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How to fight nitrogen extreme content in the soil

Reducing the amount of nitrogen present in your garden soil follows simple principles that you exercise daily. These include:

Adding Soil

A simple solution really. Imagine having a bowl of soup that is too salty for you to take. The only solution available is to throw it away or increase the water content by redoing the soup. Making more of the soup makes sense as you will have extra for use later. Similarly, apply the same principle to your soil content.

The only challenge with this solution is that it is only applicable to small pieces of land such as your kitchen garden, the backyard, or small pieces of land. A small amount of soil like a cubic yard will be essential to you and your small garden.

Adding soil means that your hand to mix it in within the garden. Use a spade to stir in the new soil and if it overflows, you will need to remove the surplus. You can design another garden depending on the amount of soil or use it to landscape around your home or office.

Once the process is complete, do not proceed to plant any crop. First, getting a testing kit or professional to help test the nitrogen levels present in your soil. The reduction levels will be available for you to see and you can make a decision on what to plant next according to the results.

Soak in the affected soil

Nitrogen is a chemical compound that undergoes different changes when it comes to contact with other compounds. One of these compounds in water. When you have too much nitrogen in the soil, you may decide to soak your garden thoroughly and allow it to rest for a few days to reduce the nitrogen content.

The only challenge with this theory is that water is a scarce commodity. Finding access to a large water source for your garden can present huge challenges. Besides, it is difficult to keep a piece of land sodden for a few days as it is a huge investment that many farmers are unwilling to do.

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Add compost

The above solutions may seem plausible but are not practical. For instance, if you have a rose garden, removing them to dig up the garden and mix in with the soil leads to their death as they wilt and wither. Soaking in the garden with your roses in it leads to the same challenge. However, adding a dignified amount of compost from your heap and specially designed and undigested is the only way to get rid of the excess nitrogen.

The content of the compost determines the amount of nitrogen it takes up to fully decompose. If wood presence is present, you even out the odds of nitrogen in the soil. However, on a later date after the compost undergoes the full decomposition process, you will be facing the same challenge once again. Also, woody materials are not advisable for use on possible farmland.

Engage Heavy feeder plants

It is the easiest and best solution amongst all available in this text. Plants intake of nitrogen differs exponentially and thus, some take in more than others. If your farm contains high nitrogen levels, consider bringing in some of the high nitrogen intake plants and farm them.

Corn is one of these crops that can help reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Leafy greens are also a possible alternative. Studies show that the leaves grow huge and flourish under excess nitrogen content.

You should give the garden a chance and plant several leafy greens. Some of the best candidates for commercial purposes include cabbage. Adding some kale or spinach can also save you from suffering poor yields.

In this final case, you fight nature with nature saving your farm from falling into nitrogen infestation. At the same time, you reduce the chances of water pollution saving not only the environment but also fellow humans.

Conclusion

Fighting nitrogen pollution follows a simple process. However, you must pick the best possible amongst all of the available solutions. Weigh the benefits of each and the cost you may incur while doing it and select one that costs least and has a possibility of bringing in some profits. We suggest the use of heavy feeders as they bring in profits after a suitable harvest and act in reducing nitrogen in the soil.