The first two articles in the modern nitrogen cycling series are up.
First we talk about pines:
https://agroforestry.co.nz/nitrogen-fixation-in-pinus/
The second deals with nitrogen fixation in sugarcane:
https://agroforestry.co.nz/nitrogen-fixation-in-saccharum/
Both of these plants are occasionally used in forest gardening / permaculture / agroforestry situations, but it’s relatively unknown (outside of the fields of forest ecology and horticulture, respectively) that they both can fix significant amounts of nitrogen. The picture of nitrogen cycling has changed a lot in recent decades, and over the coming weeks I will be trying to adapt this knowledge for a forest gardener audience so that we can be more effective in our work. As a result, I won’t make sweeping generalizations until the bigger picture has emerged – but for now, know that nitrogen fixing in nature is a lot more common than previously believed and the next few articles will hopefully make that amply clear.
-Jon Colyer