How much nitrogen is enough?

Nitrogen is key to profitable vegetable farming. However, the application of this element can be overdone, causing crop loss, or underdone, with the same result, writes Bill Kerr.

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As mentioned in a previous article, many elements are Lessential for plant growth, not all. The one element that really stimulates growth is nitrogen (N). Too much N can push up the volume of plant material, but this can also have undesirable consequences in some cases. We need to know when to push the accelerator and when to hold back.

NITROGEN RESERVES IN THE SOIL

To begin with, we need to try and determine how much N reserves we have in the soil. The soil organic matter will have an influence. We will have to take note if there is a lot of plant residue on the soil that had not been decomposed before incorporation, as this is food for soil organisms.