Snow

[Oliver Buckle]

We have had a fair snowfall here this year. Years ago my next door neighbour was an old boy, an avid vegetable gardener, he always welcomed a good snowfall and would say 'Six inches of snow is as good as a layer of manure'. My own anecdotal observation is that he was probably right, but I can't really think of a good reason for this. What do you think? Am I just deceiving myself, or can you think of a reason why, such as snow might bring down atmospheric nitrogen for example?

 

[YumYum]

According to this it is possible because when snow falls it collects nitrogen in the form of NH2. Atmospheric nitrogen is N2. From the best of my imagination and I might be wrong but when the snow melts slolwy and the ground is thawed, it gives time for the microbes to convert that to ammonia or nitrate which are plant usable forms of nitrogen, although it might be a small amount. Microbes must like NH2 better than N2?

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

Oddly enough, a blanket of snow can actually insulate plant under it. Orchard fruit growers often turn on irrigation sprayers during freezing weather after buds have started. As the water freezes on them, it stops their temperature going below freezing point.