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Nitrogen is the king of fertilizers, but you’re probably using it wrong. Across the world, farmers apply more nitrogen to their crops than all other fertilizers combined. But across the world, nitrogen is also the one fertilizer that is wasted the most. In India, for example, experts estimate that more than 50% of nitrogen applied is wasted and never reaches the plants it was intended for.
Now, wasting fertilizers is never a good idea. It’s expensive and has bad effects on the environment, so I’ve spent multiple years talking to experts and farmers from across the world to understand the most common mistakes that farmers make when they apply nitrogen. In today’s video I’ll share with you what I learned, and I’ll give you 2 key strategies for reducing nitrogen loss on your farm.
Why is nitrogen the king?
But before we get to those strategies, let’s take a minute to talk about why nitrogen is so important. The quick answer here is that literally every single part of your crop uses nitrogen. From the roots, to the stem, to the leaves, to the fruits of your plant - everything uses nitrogen.
The long, more scientific answer is that nitrogen is the core nutrient required for protein synthesis, which is the process by which plants grow. Nitrogen is also a key ingredient for chlorophyll, which is the chemical that makes the leaves of your plant green and allows them to collect energy from the sun. Lastly nitrogen is involved in multiple biological processes important to plant health.
So why is nitrogen the king of fertilizers? Oh, only because without it your plants can’t grow, collect sunlight or stay healthy.
Fertilizer Timing
So, if nitrogen is so great, then why aren’t all our yields amazing? Well, the main problem is that nitrogen is fast like a Ferrari. It mixes with water better than any other nutrient, which makes it really difficult to time well.
One of the most common nitrogen mistakes farmers make is to apply nitrogen right before a big rain. Nitrogen needs some water to move from the top of the soil to the roots of your plants, but in a heavy rain, more than 50% of your nitrogen can just “drive” away from your field together with rainwater.
So here’s the first strategy you need to know:
Always consult your local weather before you apply nitrogen and only apply it before a light or medium rain.
Crop specificity
Another mistake that a lot of farmers make with nitrogen, is that they apply too much of it too early. Even if you don’t have a heavy rain, nitrogen can travel through soil so fast that it often moves below the roots of your plants without being absorbed.
Let’s look at cotton as an example. Cotton grows slowly in the first 60 days of its life, between 60 and 90 days it grows rapidly, and after 90 days it slows down again. If you apply too much nitrogen early, the plant will be too small to absorb it, and nitrogen will again be wasted.
So here’s the second strategy you need to know:
Always apply nitrogen in multiple steps that are matched to your crop’s growth cycle.
For example, in cotton you can first apply 25% of nitrogen at planting and the remaining 75% at the beginning of the main growth cycle to maximize yields and reduce waste.
Today's Merry Tips
Well that was my post on the king of fertilizers, nitrogen. I hope that it will help you prevent the most common fertilizer mistakes on your farm. Please remember that
Nitrogen is the king because it helps plants grow, collect sunlight and stay healthy
You should never apply nitrogen before a heavy rain
Always apply nitrogen in multiple steps that match your crop’s growth cycle
Did you enjoy this post? If you did, then I’m happy to tell you that there will be another post next week to talk about fertilizers and nutrients. Please subscribe to get an update as soon as a new post comes out!
Merry Farming!
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