Post date: May 18, 2020 7:54:06 PM
What can one do about over-nitrogenization of plants?
If you add too much of manure, fertilizer and other nitrogenous material to your soil, you run the risk of too much nitrogen there.
Two tell tale signs that the soil balance is whacky:
1. Big dark leaves. Lot of Foliage and very little fruiting. Too many bright leaves and too few fruits.
2. Sucking pests like aphids and mealybugs.
What can you do about it?
A good plant rotation strategy will take care of it. You can divide your plants into leaf-fruit-root.
Leafy vegetables need most nitrogen. The nutrient requirements of a fruiting vegetable is more balanced. A rooting vegetable needs much less nitrogen.
When you sow, make sure you rotate by taking turns with the leaf-fruit-root order. A highly nitrogenous soil evidenced by pests can be corrected by sowing a thick patch of greens. Sow a fruiting plant next to balance it out. And then a rooting plant. By the time one cycle is over, the soil will be good.
Spinach-eggplant-carrot-peas-tomato-onion is a good cycle for example. Even if you just ensured that your next crop is not drawing the same kind of nutrients, you will balance the soil well.
Do not add fertilizers to the clock, even if it is natural fish fertilizer. It is better to add a layer of compost and any organic additions right at the start of the season.
There is no quick fix to soil high in nitrogen. Fertilize cautiously.