Urea 46

[applestar]

Off the top of my head, I thought corn gluten meal might fit the bill as long as you don't need to grow anything from seed for at least 6 weeks.... It doesn't help with the pH so there might be something else that can do both though....

[farmerlon]

So I bought a cheap $5 soil test kit.
PH 7-7.4
High P & K
Off the chart low on Nitrogen.

I wouldn't rely on one of those "cheap" home-test kits. I would suggest having the soil tested at your local County Extension office. That usually costs less than $10.00, and (I hear) is even free in some places... that County test will supply you with much more accurate information.

[farmerlon]

... I get litttle to no complaint when I bring in cow or horse manure.

Again any advise for the immediate and long term fix.

If you have access to cow/horse manure, that would most certainly be my first choice for a nitrogen source.
For immediate results, you can side-dress with the manure, or incorporate it as you hill the corn. And, I think the long term benefits to your soil are many.

Can you tell that I'm not a "chemical fertilizer" kinda' guy?
I'm not trying to start any arguments, I'm just sharing what works for me... everyone has to decide what works for themselves.

[rainbowgardener]

But to the extent that the soil test is accurate, it is saying your soil is alkaline. Alkaline soil can lock up the nutrients so they are less available. So along with increasing the nitrogen (how ever you like to do that, the urea, or urine, grass clippings, blood meal, cottonseed meal, compost, composted manure, etc) you need to work on acidifying your soil. This can be done with sulfur, peat moss, pine needles, putting vinegar in your water, etc.

Here's an article about acidifying your soil:

[url=https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1560-e.pdf]acidifying soil[/url]

[applestar]

I was trying to think of amendments that wouldn't raise the other values (P and K). Isn't cow manure high in P? (That was my reason for not recommending Alfalfa meal, which is my usual first pick for N....) Also, my understanding is that if the soil is alkaline, we want to go fungal (if we're thinking organic gardening, that is). Hmm... maybe bran... (I'll have to check). Mushroom compost? (but that's high in something else that I can't remember, salts?).

Of course, if the test kit is off, then there's no point in trying compensate accordingly....

[2cents]

I typically don't get manures this time of year.
Usually it is by the truck load in fall.

Rainbow,
Would the low alkalinity cause the 7-7.4 be much of a difference maker.
Or are you thinking the test kit is not likely to be very accurate? And since it is the first time using it, It may not be easily interpretted? The second I can definitely relate to....An accurate interpretation of the result would be better if I had used this product dozens of times.

Is Urea a commercial product we hear so many cautions about?
What is the salt thing people worry about using commercial products?
What will happen to my soil short and long term?

I was trying to get away from some of the manure, believing UCG were some sort of super solution(nitrogen infussion). This part of the garden likely didn't get any other manure/nitrogen for last 2 years. And the old compost pile was neglected, while I was building up a HugelKulture bed.

This fall I will certainly be amending the area with manures.......I would like some chicken if anyone knows a cheap source in SW Ohio.

But, what do I do now....The quick fix and how will it marry with the long term manure solution?

[applestar]

2cents, were you part of the book club group that was reading Teaming with Microbes? I really think that would be a place for you to start. I realize you want a fix, but what would ultimately accomplish the best outcome is to re-establish the natural balance in your soil and your garden.

I don't really agree that manure is necessarily the BEST cure. (In fact, I'm looking at manure with deep suspicion now-a-days) As you have found out with UCG, too much of any one amendment (artificial correction) can over-balance nature's ability to regroup and recover. It's a good idea to keep in mind too, that almost anything that is available has a downside that would be multiplied.

OK, I know what *I* would add right now, given the situation -- earthworms, earthworm castings, or under-the-manure/compost-pile dirt loaded with soil denizens. Apply in small portions throughout the affected area. Let them do their thing and multiply.

[Gary350]

I think Urea 46 is much better than Ammonium Nitrate. Urea is much less of a problem in hot weather than Ammonium Nitrate. It is very easy to accidently kill your plants with Ammonium Nitrate in very hot weather. Once you over dose your plants there is no fixing the problem. I have never over dosed my plants with Urea. Urea is pretty close to double the nitrogen compaired to Ammonium Nitrate. I had an apple tree that made no apples for 18 year I followed all the instructions about growing apple trees but nothing worked until I decided to do my own thing and put a cup of Urea on the tree every weekend with water. That was the year the tree produced about 12 bushel of apples. It works best for me to mix about 1/2 cup of urea with 5 gallons of water then pour about 1 cup of water on each plant along with another quart of tap water. When the weather gets above 85 degrees F I never put nitrogen on my plants. Corn does much better with Urea because the plants love nitrogen.

The Haber Process is an improved process used during the civil war to make potassium nitrate for gun power. The improved Haber Process works much better than the old way of Urine + orgainic material + wood ashes, age about 1 year then wash with water then evaporate the water to get pure potassium nitrate. It has been years since I have read about this so I may have some of my facts mixed up a bit. Improved process was, save Urine about 3 months until it sours then add wood ash age 2 weeks then wash with water and evaporate the water to get pure potassium nitrate. Haber Process used nitrogen from the air, iron and heat, steam recycled through a loop to make ammonia.