https://soiltesting.tamu.edu/publications/E-59.pdf
This is the best educational material I have read about nitrogen. Now I understand why plants can over dose very easy with Ammonium Nitrate 33-0-0 and not over dose easy with Urea 45-0-0. Plants can only use Nitrate NO3 and Ammonia NH3. Ammonium Nitrate converts to Nitrate and Ammonia vary fast. Urea converts to Ammonia very slow. Your soil needs to contain Calcium Carbonate for Urea to convert to Ammonia.
Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes remove nitrogen from the soil.
BEANs take Nitrogen N2 from the air and put it into the soil in a form of nitrogen plants can use.
It is best to fertilize a little every week rather than 1 large dose of fertilizer. Several things can remove nitrogen from the soil.
Get your soil tested find out what it needs. If it is low in Calcium Carbonate Urea will be very slow to convert to Ammonia. You also need to know how much nitrogen is in your soil so you know how much fertilizer to add to the soil.
Ammonium Nitrate is no longer available. Another good choice is Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Phosphate, Urea.
Plant BEANS with your Corn & Tomatoes you will not need to buy factory fertilizer.
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Albert_136
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Gary350
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There is a new type none explosive ammonium nitrate available for the garden, I tried it and it seems to do nothing for plants. I put fertilizer on several plants and nothing seemed to happen. Plants usually get greener and grow taller but that did not happen. I fertilized the plants again with double the amount and nothing happened. Next I used 4 times the amount and nothing happened. Next I tried 8 times the amount on the same plants nothing happened. If it had been real ammonium nitrate it would have killed the plants but they did not get greener or taller. The price of Urea has dropped to $5 for a 50 lb bag at Farmers Co-op. After reading the LINK above I learned fertilizer is not available to the plant in the fertilizer form it needs until it lays in the soil and converts to something the plant can use this is a slow process so it is not easy for plants to over dose and die. This slow release fertilizer stays in the soil longer. If your soil does not have the correct minerals for the fertilizer to convert to a type nitrogen plants can use the fertilized lays in the soil and does nothing for plants.Albert_136 wrote:In the US Amazon has ammonium nitrate.
I bought a bag of 15-15-15 it still has real ammonium nitrate it in. The way to test fertilizer to see if it contains real ammonium is mix 1/2 cup of 15-15-15 with about 1 cup of water stir well if the room temperature water drops to about 30 degrees in 60 seconds it contains real ammonium nitrate. Ambulance service & hospitals have ice packs that are ammonium nitrate with a pack of water inside, hit the water pack hard enough to break it inside a chemical reaction takes place when water mixes with ammonium nitrate it gets cold just like ice in about 60 seconds. Used ice packs can be used for nitrogen fertilizer.
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Albert_136
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Fertilization is something everyone should be aware of. Fertilizers can be overapplied and end up in the water system and polluting streams, rivers, and oceans. Organic fertilizers can do the same thing. it can be worse especially with manures that are not fully composted as they may contain pathogens that not only pollute waterways but can move downstream to pollute farms or if crops are grown in former pastures they may be contaminated but left over manures.
Soil testing every couple of years is a good thing to do to keep the garden productive and environmentally sound. Even organic gardens should be tested because the phosphorus levels in an organic garden can be very high. Phosphorus contamination is more of a problem than nitrogen contamination because nitrogen is lost much faster than phosphorus. Even minor elements like magnesium and aluminum can build up in the soil and interfere with the uptake of other nutrients. Mother nature never intended to do intensive farming or adding more than was taken out. Forests actually do not have very rich soils, but if left alone what is taken out of the soil by the trees is eventually put back when the trees lose leaves or they die.
Soil testing every couple of years is a good thing to do to keep the garden productive and environmentally sound. Even organic gardens should be tested because the phosphorus levels in an organic garden can be very high. Phosphorus contamination is more of a problem than nitrogen contamination because nitrogen is lost much faster than phosphorus. Even minor elements like magnesium and aluminum can build up in the soil and interfere with the uptake of other nutrients. Mother nature never intended to do intensive farming or adding more than was taken out. Forests actually do not have very rich soils, but if left alone what is taken out of the soil by the trees is eventually put back when the trees lose leaves or they die.
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ID jit
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Funny to find that here now. I have been researching hills of green beans between tomato plants. Looks like that will be the plan for next year.Gary350 wrote:... BEANs take Nitrogen N2 from the air and put it into the soil in a form of nitrogen plants can use.... Plant BEANS with your Corn & Tomatoes you will not need to buy factory fertilizer.
Whats up with the dog pic? I don't get it. Then again I don't get a lot of the spoonfuls of alphabet soup either.