#OrganicGardening Soil #Inoculants - Benefits Of Using A Legume Inoculant
By Heather Rhoades
May 18, 2021
"Peas, beans, and other legumes are well known to help fix nitrogen into the soil. This not only helps the peas and beans grow but can help other plants later grow in that same spot. What many people don't know is that a significant amount of nitrogen fixing by peas and beans happens only when a special legume inoculant has been added to the soil.
"Using pea and bean inoculants is simple. First, purchase your legume inoculant from your local nursery or a reputable online gardening website. Once you have your garden soil inoculant, plant your peas or beans (or both). When you plant the seed for the legume you are growing, place a good amount of the legume inoculants in the hole with the seed. You cannot over inoculate, so don't be afraid of adding too much to the hole. The real danger will be that you will add too little garden soil inoculant and the bacteria will not take. Once you have finished adding your pea and bean inoculants, cover both the seed and the inoculant with soil. That's all you have to do to add organic gardening soil inoculants to the soil to help you grow a better pea, bean, or other legume crop."
Read more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/soil-inoculants.htm
However, the inoculants for most legumes will not work for peanuts...
"Will soybean inoculant work in peanuts?
A. No. The product may be similar in name, but the species of bacteria needed for these two legume crops are different. Bacteria know what their primary host is and the signal chemicals sent out from the roots of the soybean are different than those sent out by peanut. The soil is full of many different types of bacteria, but those signal chemicals tell exactly which bacteria to respond. Putting a soybean inoculant on peanuts is simply wasting money.
"To get the benefits of nitrogen fixation and the resulting vigorous root growth, disease protection and, ultimately, a boost in yields, an inoculant specially produced for peanuts should be used."
https://peanutgrower.com/feature/inoculant-guide-q-a/
#Gardening #SolarPunkSunday #GrowingPeanuts #Peanuts #GrowingBeans #SoilInoculents #GrowYourOwn #FoodSecurity
