Free nitrogen, anybody else getting some?

Ralph in N.E.Oh · #1 04/08/07, 11:26 AM

I planted my oats 8 days ago (3 acres) Last Tuesday it was 80 degreees and sunny. It started snowing on Wednesday and hasn't stopped yet! The only good thing is that as snow falls through the sky, it picks up nitrogen molecules. This poor mans fertilizer is the only great thing about this late snow! We have 7 inches on the ground today Easter Sunday. My in-laws have 2 feet (in Chardon Ohio)

Hope the good dry weather returns soon I have a big case of Spring Fever!

**Cabin Fever** · #2 04/09/07, 07:25 AM

Hummm, I never heard of that. I do know that during lightening storms some of the nitrogen in the atmosphere (air is 80% nitrogen) is converted to nitrate. The rain from the storm delivers the nitrate to the ground. Lightening storms provide, on average, about 10 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year.

ceresone · #3 04/09/07, 07:32 AM

Cabin Fever, wish you'd been around to tell our weatherman that--when I mentioned hearing it, he said it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard!! And, on the radio, no less. Now. I feel better.

**Cabin Fever** · #4 04/09/07, 08:13 AM

Hey, cut your weatherman some slack. These poor guys are criticized constantly for being wrong. Your weatherman was just waiting for the chance to tell someone else that they were wrong. Remember that weathermen are correct less than 50% of the time. You should feel sorry for the guy.

Beeman · #5 04/09/07, 08:26 AM

I don't know about the nitrogen benefits, I figured the notrogen would leach thru when the snow melted. I thought more about it changing Ph from the acid in the air.

**Cabin Fever** · #6 04/09/07, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

I don't know about the nitrogen benefits, I figured the notrogen would leach thru when the snow melted. I thought more about it changing Ph from the acid in the air.

The acids in acid rain does little to change soil pH. Soil is a great buffer to this small amount of acid addition. On the other hand, rain....any rain....will leach the basic salts (calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium) out of soils and cause surface soil to turn acid with time. This is why most soils in the humid eastern part of the USA are acid and most dry soils in the western part of the USA are alkaline.

amwitched · #7 04/09/07, 10:37 AM

I remember hearing that snow is a great fertilizer when I was growing up.

We got about 4" of birthday snow here in Central Texas.

Being from New England, I always told people that it never failed to snow on my birthday. It was always so depressing because it just seemed like it would never go away. Now I got a good dose of it way down here. It's not fair!!!!

I will probably wait a couple of days before I uncover my garden, just in case it decides to give us some more freezing temps.