TOTAL NITROGEN (N)..............................16.0% Chilean
Nitrate (NaNO3), also known as Natural Nitrate of Soda (NNS), is
a mined product from a desert in Northern Chile, which is the
only known deposit of this mineral salt in the world. NNS has an
analysis of 16-0-0 and is considered soluble. NNS is commonly
used in New England and elsewhere on organic farms as a form of
nitrogen that is available to plants in cold soils. The
microbial activity needed to mineralize natural organic nitrogen
(protein) is suppressed during those times of the year when the
soil is cold. The sodium (Na) content of sodic soils makes NNS
incompatible in arid and semiarid regions. It contains 26
percent Na. Na, in small quantities, does not cause damage to
the soil ecosystem. Plants can use this element, and it is an
essential nutrient for most animals and other organisms. The
nitrate is used directly by the plant and does not need to be
biologically processed. However, microorganisms will also use
this source of nitrogen for t