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Bloomington, IN

I woke this morning to the intense sound of lightning striking close by. Two bolts of lightning struck in what sounded like the same spot within a minute of each other. A few hours later I went out to the pumpkin patch and found that this pine tree only twenty or so feet from my nearest pumpkin had a fresh wound all down the bottom portion of it characteristic of a lightning strike. The flash heating of the water in the tree by the lightning to several thousand degrees caused the bark to explode and so I was finding bits of pine bark all around it and in the patch. Fortunately my pumpkins survived, lol.

7/12/2008 1:59:06 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Watch the pumpkin really grow now Lightning is Natures Nitrogen Maker.

7/12/2008 8:43:59 PM

Pennsylvania

Hows that?

7/12/2008 9:21:55 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

It fixes nitrogen from the air into the soil!

7/13/2008 2:22:24 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Let me see if I can explain this..Better than it simply fixes. Nitrogen Fixation is common in legumes. Lightning is a little different. The Earths atmosphere "air" contains 78% Nitrogen(N2)the heat from the lightning oxides the nitrogen. The Nitrogen and Oxygen mix together to make Nitrogen Oxide. Which the plant is able to uptake. Most of the time nitrates are created by bacteria digesting plant matter and the waste they produce is ammonium. Which is then consumed by nitrifying bacteria. Making nitrides. More nitrifying bacteria feed on the nitrides(N02), converting them to nitrates(NO3). Which then through assimilation the plant is able to uptake. Don't even get me start how the rain captures the oxygen making Hydrogen Peroxide. All this time you thought it was just rain

7/13/2008 12:03:58 PM

Pennsylvania

You gotta make a post telling us all about this stuff.

7/13/2008 10:32:29 PM