A. Cottonseed meal has an acid reaction which makes it a great fertilizer for acid loving plants such as Azaleas, blueberries, etc. One of the most important elements for plant nutrition is nitrogen. It is the lack of nitrogen that causes plants to yellow and can cause plants to be stunted. On the other side, excessive nitrogen can cause abundant growth and delayed or no flowering. Excess nitrogen can cause plants to be more subject to disease and its fruit is of a reduced quality.
After cottonseed has been refined and the oil removed, cottonseed meal is one of the best and richest feed for animals. Very little of it comes back in the fertilizer product, because of the cows effective digestive system.
If a soil test indicates your soil is deficient in nitrogen, there are many ways you can amend the soil - by adding compost, manure or other nitrogen-rich fertilizers, such as dried blood, cottonseed meal, peanut shells, and bone meal. Using weeds, grass clippings and other garden waste to add to the soil will increase its humus content and improve the nitrogen content at the same time. Leaves, hay or straw that are not decayed or that are only partially decayed will rob soil of nitrogen if they are mixed into the soil, but when used as a mulch they do not create a nitrogen shortage. If nitrogen was deficient in the soil in the first place, mulch material will not raise the nitrogen level until it decomposes.
There are still a few people who use green (fresh) manure and swear by it. They say they have never seen any signs of nitrogen shortage, but if they did have a shortage it would be because of the large amount of straw mixed with the manure and the shortage of nitrogen would be temporary. One caution about fresh manure is that it can generate heat and if not placed properly will burn tender roots on small new plants. When the ground is cold and wet you can get a temporary shortage of nitrogen while using cottonseed meal.