North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Michael Dossett <phainopepla@yahoo.com>]

----- Original Message ----
From: Jim Fruth <jfruth@tds.net>
To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 7:41:07 AM
Subject: [NAFEX] Wood Chips

<snip>

Plants can't use ammonium but bacteria
 will 

convert it to nitrate, the form of nitrogen plants can use but the
 plants 

won't get it until the bacteria release it. 

<snip>

Actually, that is incorrect.  Plants can take up both the nitrate and 
ammonium forms of nitrogen.  They cannot, however, take up the nitrite form 
of nitrogen.  Some plants, such as blueberries (and I believe some other 
members of the ericaceae) can ONLY use nitrogen taken up as urea or in the 
ammonium form and not the nitrate form.  Thus Calcium Nitrate may be a great 
fertilizer for your strawberries but will not help your blueberries at all.  
Blueberries need nitrogen provided in the form of ammonium or urea and it's 
uptake by the plant is independant of any bacterial action converting the 
nitrogen to nitrate.
 
Michael Dossett
Corvallis, Oregon
www.Mdossettphoto.com
phainopepla@yahoo.com







      
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