Nitrogen, balance of minerals, fertility and soil testing
Nitrogen is vital for plant growth. It is found in healthy soils, and give plants energy to grow.
Nitrogen is part of the chlorophyll molecule, which gives plants their green color and is involved in creating food for the plant through photosynthesis. Lack of nitrogen shows up as general yellowing (chlorosis) of the plant. Because nitrogen can move around in the plant, older growth often yellows more than the new growth.
Nitrogen is also the primary building block for plant protoplasm. Protoplasm is the translucent substance that is the living matter in cells. It is needed for flower differentiation, speedy shoot growth, and the health of seeds. It also acts as a catalyst for the other minerals.
N,P and K are the major nutrients that are usually the first lacking from the soil because plants use large amounts for their growth and survival. These elements can leach from soil naturally due to rain or drought.
Most plants grow by absorbing nutrients from the soil. Their ability to do this depends on soil structure. Soil contains some combination of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. The makeup of a soil (soil texture) and its acidity (pH) determine the extent to which nutrients are available to plants.
Soil texture affects how well nutrients and water are retained in the soil. Clays and organic soils hold nutrients and water much better than sandy soils. As water drains from sandy soils, it often carries nutrients along with it. This condition is called leaching. When nutrients leach into the soil, they are not available for plants to use.
You might not need much fertilizer in your pasture. You may just need to liberate the nutrients already present in your soil with beneficial soil organisms, proper soil aeration, soil drainage, and re-mineralization. For the land steward, this means that organic fertilizers with low N-P-K labels are perfectly adequate ...... as long as you’re properly caring for your soil. Without proper soil aeration, mineral nutrients, and other factors, your plants may not be able to absorb phosphorous and potassium anyway, so loading up your soil with high levels of phosphorous and potassium may not make much difference with the health of your grass plants.
Nitrogen is typically available to the soil without additional fertilizers. The trick is having healthy soil full of beneficial microorganisms that can make use of the nitrogen that is available in the air. Earthworm castings and properly prepared compost are teeming with these beneficial organisms. Also, companion and cover crop plants like beans and clover can fix nitrogen that boost soil’s health. Other excellent natural sources of nutrients are fish meal, kelp, alfalfa meal, and manures
Soil testing
If you have too little nitrogen leaves become yellow-green, the oldest showing yellowing first. Since the plant can move nitrogen, when it is low it takes it from older growth and gives it to newer growth. Growth is reduced, there will be less and smaller leaf.
Too much nitrogen also hurts root growth and water efficiency of plants. It also will make your plants less tolerant to cold spells and can over-stimulate top growth at the expense of the root.
A soil test then, is vital to estimate how much nitrogen you need to apply. (We mostly apply slow release nitrogen to horse pasture so as to minimise a flush of grass and high sugar). This is because some commercially sold fertilizers contain too little slow release nitrogen, if any, or are applied in too large a quantity. So we must apply the correct type of nitrogen, in the proper amount, at optimal times throughout the year. How much nitrogen to apply can be found by getting your soil tested.
Testing your soil is the best way to evaluate the fertility of your pasture. A soil test is an important tool in improving the soil nutritional balance. Soil tests will definitely save you money and energy in the long run. The analysis is designed to look for nutrient deficiencies so that knowing the existing nutrient and ph content in your soil you can amend it accordingly.
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