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Spring 2018 sights around our area
BLUEBONNET BONUS: NITROGEN THE NATURAL WAY
It's ironic that the name Lupinus is derived from the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf. In fact, at one time bluebonnets were known as wolf flowers because they appeared to devour the soil, as they were often found growing in thin rocky soils which didn't support any other plant life. But it was later discovered that bluebonnets did not rob, but enhanced the soil.
In nature there exists a form of natural fertilizer which is pure and clean. It is the fertilizer, especially nitrogen, produced by soil organisms. The best known of these nitrogen- fixing soil organisms is a bacterium, known as Rhizobium, which lives on the roots of legumes such as clover, alfalfa and vetch. The relationship between this bacterium and the plant is referred to as symbiotic, meaning that both organisms involved benefit. The plant receives the much needed nitrogen from the bacterium which has the ability to take nitrogen from the air. The bacterium, in return, lives on the roots and receives life support from the plant. Man benefits as well because the plant, which has been nurtured by the bacteria-formed nitrogen rather than applied fertilization, can then be utilized as a nitrogen source when the plant tissue decomposes. The nitrogen produced from this system is "clean" because there is no salt or chemical toxin potential.
The use of legumes specifically as a source of nitrogen has not been a common practice in Texas. The main reason for this has been the expense involved in their establishment. There IS, however, a legume which thrives in all areas of Texas, produces nitrogen via Rhizobium bacteria, and is the state flower as well- - the bluebonnet. The Texas bluebonnet belongs to the legume or bean family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). Bluebonnets are probably the most important native rangeland legume in Texas, often occupying hundreds of acres of rolling hillsides during the cool (fall, winter and spring) months. The roots of these legumes are highly nodulated, making them important sources of nitrogen for the soil. Because lupines are able to invade soils low in nitrogen, they have become established in disturbed areas. This is the reason why certain species are used as cover crops for the enrichment of agricultural soils.
Bluebonnet plants have the capacity , with the help of Rhizobium, to produce as much nitrogen as soybeans, which often yield as much as 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Bluebonnets are not a preferred food of deer, as are clover and vetch. Therefore, survival of bluebonnet plants in areas heavily populated with deer is ensured. The bluebonnet is also extremely cold tolerant, so freezes normally will not kill the plants.
BLUEBONNET CULTURE AT A GLANCE
Plant in full sun, in soil which drains well and doesn't stay wet for long periods of time.
Utilize transplants or chemically scarified seed
Barely cover seeds with soil, don't bury the crown of transplants
Water seeds only on the day of planting and transplants only when the top one inch of soil dries
No applications of fertilizer are required but are helpful and will cause more abundant bloom
Interplant with pansies and other annuals for winter-long color
Don't overwater!
When spring arrives, we take a day to picnic while enjoying the beauty a new season brings. Photos taken at our family place and my brother in-law Scott
"Are we in Texas now?"
"Texas is a state of mind?"
E
Spring 2018 sights around our area
BLUEBONNET BONUS: NITROGEN THE NATURAL WAY
It's ironic that the name Lupinus is derived from the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf. In fact, at one time bluebonnets were known as wolf flowers because they appeared to devour the soil, as they were often found growing in thin rocky soils which didn't support any other plant life. But it was later discovered that bluebonnets did not rob, but enhanced the soil.
In nature there exists a form of natural fertilizer which is pure and clean. It is the fertilizer, especially nitrogen, produced by soil organisms. The best known of these nitrogen- fixing soil organisms is a bacterium, known as Rhizobium, which lives on the roots of legumes such as clover, alfalfa and vetch. The relationship between this bacterium and the plant is referred to as symbiotic, meaning that both organisms involved benefit. The plant receives the much needed nitrogen from the bacterium which has the ability to take nitrogen from the air. The bacterium, in return, lives on the roots and receives life support from the plant. Man benefits as well because the plant, which has been nurtured by the bacteria-formed nitrogen rather than applied fertilization, can then be utilized as a nitrogen source when the plant tissue decomposes. The nitrogen produced from this system is "clean" because there is no salt or chemical toxin potential.
The use of legumes specifically as a source of nitrogen has not been a common practice in Texas. The main reason for this has been the expense involved in their establishment. There IS, however, a legume which thrives in all areas of Texas, produces nitrogen via Rhizobium bacteria, and is the state flower as well- - the bluebonnet. The Texas bluebonnet belongs to the legume or bean family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). Bluebonnets are probably the most important native rangeland legume in Texas, often occupying hundreds of acres of rolling hillsides during the cool (fall, winter and spring) months. The roots of these legumes are highly nodulated, making them important sources of nitrogen for the soil. Because lupines are able to invade soils low in nitrogen, they have become established in disturbed areas. This is the reason why certain species are used as cover crops for the enrichment of agricultural soils.
Bluebonnet plants have the capacity , with the help of Rhizobium, to produce as much nitrogen as soybeans, which often yield as much as 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Bluebonnets are not a preferred food of deer, as are clover and vetch. Therefore, survival of bluebonnet plants in areas heavily populated with deer is ensured. The bluebonnet is also extremely cold tolerant, so freezes normally will not kill the plants.
BLUEBONNET CULTURE AT A GLANCE
Plant in full sun, in soil which drains well and doesn't stay wet for long periods of time.
Utilize transplants or chemically scarified seed
Barely cover seeds with soil, don't bury the crown of transplants
Water seeds only on the day of planting and transplants only when the top one inch of soil dries
No applications of fertilizer are required but are helpful and will cause more abundant bloom
Interplant with pansies and other annuals for winter-long color
Don't overwater!
When spring arrives, we take a day to picnic while enjoying the beauty a new season brings. Photos taken at our family place and my brother in-law Scott
"Are we in Texas now?"
"Texas is a state of mind?"
E