A soil test may sometimes reveal that you have too much of a certain nutrient or mineral in the soil. Sometimes you’ll even find instructions to extract them, whether it’s using water and gypsum to leach sodium or sawdust to pull out nitrogen. But how is this done, and are there alternatives to using the chemical fertilizers recommended when it comes to balancing those nutrients? Thankfully, the answers are yes and yes. If you’re a beginning farmer in need of soil balance, here are some techniques for replenishing the nutrient load.
1. Leaching
Leaching is the removal or loss of soluble nutrients through the application of water, either naturally from rain or intentionally through irrigation. It’s most commonly associated with the depletion of nitrogen in commercial farming situations; however, if you live in an arid environment, you could have a surplus of sodium in your soil that a soil test may suggest you leach out.…………
2. Cover Crops
Cover crops are nifty things. You can use them to retain valuable soluble nutrients or to remove ones in excess. For example, if choosing not to leach excess sodium, you can grow mustards or barley, both of which can handle the high sodium and will also suck it up. Once the crop has grown and while it’s still lush, you can remove the plant matter from the field to a separate compost pile (as to not later add the nutrient back to the ground) or to a sodium-deficient plot.…………
4. Rotational Grazing
Ruminants—goats, sheep, cattle, et cetera—are special kinds of lawnmowers that efficiently convert grass into manure. With a little manipulation, they can deposit that manure wherever you need it. If a soil test shows an excess nutrient, some farmers quickly graze that grass before moving them onto a deficient part of the pasture. This activity is called rotational grazing. If the livestock aren’t moved off the ground with the excess nutrients, they’ll simply deposit the nutrients right back onto the ground and into the soil.…………..
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Article source: Hobby Farms
Image source: The Ohio State University