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Plants that consume excess nitrogen

 
Mike Haasl
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I'm trying to come up with a list of plants that suck up excess nitrogen so we can put it in a BB for the PEP program.  What are your favorites?

Here are a few on the list already:
Grass
Corn (yes I know it's a grass)
Nettle
Rhubarb
Asparagus???

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James Freyr
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Tomatoes and cucurbits like musk melon and squashes for example. Those vining plants are considered heavy feeders and really love them some nitrogen.

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Leigh Tate
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Mike, you don't say why you want to suck up excess nitrogen, but what came to mind for me was a Gabe Brown video where he talks about using forage radishes to sequester nitrogen for future crops. I can't remember which video it was, but here are a couple of articles that say the same thing.

"Radish cover crop traps nitrogen; mystery follows" at Phys.org

This second one addresses a number of plants, including radishes.

"Nitrogen cycling and cover crops" at FarmProgress.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but I hope it helps!

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Mike Haasl
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Thanks Leigh!  I'm looking to find a permaculture solution to one aspect of aphid infestations.  Rumor has it they attack plants that have too much nitrogen available to them (near a urination station?).  So the idea was that you could maybe plant a nitrogen pig nearby to suck up that nitrogen and prevent your desirable plants from accessing too much N so that they don't become attractive to aphids.

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Leigh Tate
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Interesting! If that's true, it could be very helpful information. Thanks Mike!

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Trace Oswald
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Comfrey.  

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Tj Jefferson
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Anything c4, I’d recommend sorghum not Sudan grass. Unless you hate yourself. I also use fodder rasishes as mentioned. Maybe not optimal having root crops near a urination station though.

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Mike Haasl
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Tj, what's "c4"?

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Kc Simmons
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Maybe elephant ear/ taro
Canna
Banana
Root beer plant / hoja santa

These are all big feeders for me, but they'd probably have to be grown as annuals for folks with really cold winters.
 
Mike Haasl
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Good ones Kc!  My bananas suck up any nitrogen I throw at them.

Anyone know if asparagus is a N pig or am I imagining it?

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jordan barton
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Mike Haasl wrote:Tj, what's "c4"?



Here is a wiki link to what tj meant i am assuming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C4_carbon_fixation

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Mike Barkley
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Asparagus seems to do fine without any additional nitrogen. Just a bit of compost each spring & mulching with leaves. So I don't think it's especially a nitrogen hog.

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Ben Zumeta
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I can think of a plant not to be mentioned on this forum that consumes voluminous amounts of nitrogen. Sunflowers do as well.

This is all just my opinion based on a flawed memory

 
Anita Martin
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A plant that is used here in Germany to reduce nitrogen and enhance biodiversity is the Yellow Rattle / Cock's comb (Rhinantus minor). It grows hemi-parasitic on grass roots, then you mow the meadow and remove the hay over several seasons. Not sure how it would work with veggies.
Link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinanthus_minor

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