Question

When rotating crops to manage soil nutrients, what is the biological reason for following a heavy-feeding crop with one that fixes nitrogen?

Accepted Answer

Heavy-feeding crops are plants like corn or broccoli that use up a lot of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a nutrient in the soil that acts like a vitamin to help plants grow big and green. When a crop takes too much of this vitamin out of the dirt, the soil becomes tired and needs a refill. You follow those plants with nitrogen-fixing crops, such as beans or peas. These plants have a special partnership with tiny living things called bacteria that live on their roots. These bacteria act like little factories that pull nitrogen straight out of the air and turn it into a form the soil can store. Think of it like a bank account: the heavy feeder withdraws all the money, and the nitrogen-fixing crop deposits new money back into the account so the soil is rich again.

When rotating crops to manage soil nutrients, what is the biological reason for following a heavy-feeding crop with one that fixes nitrogen?

Heavy-feeding crops are plants like corn or broccoli that use up a lot of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a nutrient in the soil that acts like a vitamin to help plants grow big and green. When a crop takes too much of this vitamin out of....

Community Answers

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When rotating crops to manage soil nutrients, what is the biological reason for following a heavy-feeding crop with one that fixes nitrogen?

Heavy-feeding crops are plants like corn or broccoli that use up a lot of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a nutrient in the soil that acts like a vitamin to help plants grow big and green. When a crop takes too much of this vitamin out of....

Community Answers