Rostraulation: How It Works, How It Works and What to Expect

No, there are not exactly effective ways to do so. Some scientists think that it's not possible, and that's not even the best thing. For example, if we're going to keep growing our crops without the use of fertilizers, we need to find a way to regulate the nutrients within the soil.

So what exactly do we mean by "naturalization"?

The best example of this is the work of the United States Department of Agriculture. As the USDA explains, "In the 1940s, the Department of Agriculture recommended a naturalized soil (mostly organic) with nitrogen fixing and manure treatment, and the U.S. was so enthusiastic about that idea that we would routinely find ourselves growing food scraps in the soil."

"For the first time in 150 years," said the USDA's National Agricultural Botanic Garden in a statement. "This was one of the few things we saw in the 1940s about our use of fertilizer."

A cover crop of the USDA’s National Agricultural Botanic Garden (above) creates an easy soil to cultivate.

(Photo: USDA/Flickr)

There's a lot to grow up to that, and while you have a variety of alternatives, there are some that could potentially work better to achieve the goal of conserving a wide range of nutrients that have been declining in abundance in U.S. soil, the USDA notes, including nitrate and phosphorus.

One way to achieve this would be to learn by planting different cover crops. "There are several strategies that are effective but effective." For instance, a cover crop that has a "high concentration of nitrogen fixing and manure treatment would help achieve the ideal environment," the USDA explains.

Another approach is growing native crops. A variety of vegetables like potatoes, eggplants, radishes, peas and carrots are good choices. USDA explains that a variety of vegetables like potatoes, carrots and carrots that feed livestock eaters also feed small mammals.

Of course, there are many reasons to grow a variety of different varieties of cover crops, from low-growing peas, to large-growing, monouns, arborio and bushflowers, which thrive in urban areas. One potential answer to that problem is to grow corn (which is one of the most rotundest crops in the U.S., even in regions with strong soil).

"When corn is grown, you can grow it in areas that are otherwise unsuitable for this plant species," said Peter Pankow, an assistant professor of crop, livestock and livestock science at the University of Georgia.

But that doesn't mean you couldn't be an organizer of a new corn-based crop. That could potentially provide a new crop to cultivate, since corn is one of the oldest and most productive crops in the U.S. So the USDA says it's best to choose varieties with strong nutrition.

Another way to grow corn is to grow corn in areas of heavy use for cattle farming. "Grassy corn is good for cattle, and also a good livestock crop to grow beef, pork and other meat products," says the USDA. "As a result, corn is an easy source of protein for farm workers."

It's a good idea to plant trees to provide more genetic diversity. As for planting corn in these areas, "it could be a wonderful crop for people to grow," said Tom Chasley, director of crop at the USDA. "But if you have to grow trees in areas that are not appropriate for corn, you are probably going to get less use for these crops."

As the USDA explains, "Cantines can be invasive in many parts of the country."

Chasley admits that it might not all work for an agroforestry-type crop, but she says the agency may still grow corn on the edges of the fields they grow.

But a variety of corn and soybeans could fit under the definition of agroforestry, including teas that have a similar combination of agro and agroforestry. "There is also a host of corn varieties from the USDA."