A freidn of mine claims that thunderstorms, (specifically, the lightning) help bring down atmospheric nitrogen which the grass soaks up like a sponge, in his words.
Is there any truth to this? Free nitogen is found as a diatomic molecule, N2, which doesn’t tend to react. And, other nitrogen compounds, perhaps NOx, does not tend to break down readily to yield free nitrogen, as I understand it, or else NOx would not be a problem.
a) Is there any truth to his claim? He’s with the USDA, and he’s rather knowledgeable about plants. But, I have to call his bluff on this one!
b) Could his statement be implying the lightning helps put nitrogen or nitrogen compounds back into the soil?
If this were true, then we’d have Spring seasons with no need to fertilize…
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV
Arguably, nitrogen could get into the soil that way. But it’d still have to be fixed in order for the plants to absorb it. Otherwise, atmospheric nitrogen would be fine for plants
It’s because the grass likes the water that it greens up.
Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination.
I have to agree with the most obvious…it’s the water, not the N2! Grass, especially, is very resilient to harsh conditions. A small shower will bring back the greeness of grass after a lengthly period without watering. I highly doubt any atmospheric nitrogen potentially available is doing this…esp acting so quickly, too!
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV
I’ve heard and read about this in a number of different places. The idea is that the heating effect of lightning (30000 deg C) causes atmospheric nitrogen to combine with oxygen forming nitrogen oxides. These then dissolve in rainwater to form nitrous and nitric acid, which is washed into the ground.
A very old science textbook (Science for the Citizen, by a guy with the great name Lancelot Hogben) describes a process imitating the effect of lightning, where you make nitric acid by blowing air through an electric arc into water. I don’t know whether it’s ever been used commercially, it wastes a lot of energy.
“Whenever lightning flashes in the atmosphere, some nitrogen combines with oxygen and forms the gas nitric oxide (NO). This nitric oxide is converted to nitric acid, which is highly soluble in water and falls to the ground in rainwater.”
And:
“By measuring the nitrogen content of rainfall, atmospheric chemists estimate that fixation by lightning delivers about 3 million tons of nitrogen to the Earth’s surface, while bacteria add about 140 million tons to soils.”
After all these months of spouting off, here’s the first question I’m actually qualified (I’m a turfgrass researcher) to answer.
a) Yes
b) Yes
But…
As mentioned in previous posts, some nitrogen does come down in rainfall, although it’s not much. The amount depends not only on lightning but also on the proximity of heavy industry and automotive traffic, since they are big sources of nitrates.
Unfortunately, lots of nitrogen goes exactly the opposite way. Soil nitrogen compounds can be turned into N2 or N2O (denitrification) or NH3 (ammonification) by soil organisms. These compounds then volatilize and depart.
Rainfall nitrogen is obviously sufficient to keep grasses and other plants green in areas that no one ever fertilizes, but you can bet that’s in places nobody mows and that it doesn’t look like a real lawn.
A “domesticated” grass being kept as a lawn is probably gonna get hungry if you don’t throw a little fertilizer on it. Same thing with certain shrubs, flowers, etc.
I lead a boring life of relative unimportance. Really.
Despite the assurances of our brave moderators, my posting on this subject appears to have vanished. I’ll recap more briefly, in case it appears on its own later.
a) Yes
b) Yes
It’s not a lot of N, but it helps. Nitrogen goes the other way, too: denitrification produces N and N2O, and ammonification produces NH3, which volatilizes. Either way, the loss of N to the air is frequently as much as the gain from the rain. If you didn’t mow your lawn or trim your hedges, you might be able to get away with no fertilizer.
I lead a boring life of relative unimportance. Really.