Content
- 1 What is "ammonium nitrate"
- 2 What is ammonium nitrate used for in agriculture
- 3 Methods for using ammonium nitrate
- 4 When and how to add ammonium nitrate to the soil for feeding
- 5 The use of ammonium nitrate, depending on the type of soil
- 6 The use of ammonium nitrate for weeds
- 7 Does Ammonium Nitrate Help From Wireworm
- 8 Why is ammonium nitrate harmful
- 9 Storage rules
- 10 Conclusion
The use of ammonium nitrate is an urgent need in summer cottages and large fields. Nitrogen fertilization is essential for any crop and promotes rapid growth.
What is "ammonium nitrate"
Ammonium nitrate is an agrochemical fertilizer commonly used in vegetable gardens and orchards. The main active substance in its composition is nitrogen, it is responsible for the development of the green mass of plants.
What does ammonium nitrate look like?
Fertilizer is a small white granules. The structure of nitrate is very hard, but it dissolves well in water.
Ammonium nitrate is white and very hard
Types of ammonium nitrate
In gardening stores, ammonium nitrate is available in several varieties:
- ordinary, or universal;
Common saltpeter is most often used in the garden.
- potash;
Ammonium nitrate with the addition of potassium is useful in the formation of fruits
- Norwegian, the use of calcium ammonium nitrate is especially convenient on acidic soil;
Calcium-ammonium fertilizer contains calcium
- magnesium - especially recommended for legumes;
Magnesium nitrate is advised to be added on soils poor in this substance.
- chilean - with the addition of sodium.
Sodium nitrate alkalizes the soil
If one of the garden crops needs several substances at once, then the gardener can use ammonium nitrate with additives, and not make additional fertilizing separately.
The composition of ammonium nitrate as fertilizer
Fertilizer ammonium nitrate consists of three main components:
- nitrogen, it occupies an average of 26 to 34% in the composition;
- sulfur, it accounts for 2 to 14%;
- ammonia.
The formula of the chemical compound is as follows - NH4NO3.
What is also the name of ammonium nitrate
Fertilizer can sometimes be found under other names. The main one is ammonium nitrate, and the packaging may also say "ammonium nitrate" or "ammonium salt of nitric acid". In all cases, we are talking about the same substance.
Properties of ammonium nitrate
Agricultural fertilizer has many valuable properties. Namely:
- enriches the soil with nitrogen, which is especially well absorbed by plants in combination with sulfur;
- begins to act immediately after application - the decomposition of nitrate in the soil and the release of nutrients occurs instantly;
- has an effect on the health of crops in bad weather conditions and on any soil, even in extreme cold.
An interesting feature is that the use of ammonium nitrate in the country almost does not acidify the soil.When using ammonium nitrate on neutral soils, there is no need to worry about pH balance.
Effect of ammonium nitrate on soil and plants
Ammonium nitrate is one of the main fertilizers in agriculture, it is necessary for all crops, and on an annual basis. Ammonium nitrate is needed for:
- enrichment of scarce soil with useful substances, this is especially important in spring, when plants start growing;
- improving the processes of photosynthesis of horticultural and horticultural crops;
- accelerating the development of green mass in plants;
- increasing yields, up to 45% with proper application;
- strengthening the immunity of crops.
Ammonium nitrate protects plants from fungi by increasing their endurance.
Ammonium nitrate enriches the soil on the site and accelerates the growth of crops
What is ammonium nitrate used for in agriculture
In the garden and in the fields, ammonium nitrate is used:
- to improve the nutritional value of the soil in the spring;
- to accelerate the growth of crops in regions with difficult climatic conditions;
- to increase the yield and quality of fruits, saltpeter makes vegetables and fruits more juicy and tasty;
- for the prevention of fungal diseases, with timely processing, plants are less likely to suffer from wilting and rot.
The introduction of ammonium nitrate in the spring becomes especially important if garden crops grow in the same place year after year. The lack of a normal crop rotation severely depletes the soil.
Methods for using ammonium nitrate
In the garden and in the garden, ammonium nitrate is used in two ways:
- wet, when watering;
When feeding developing plants, saltpeter is diluted in water
- dry, when it comes to preparing the beds, then the fertilizer is allowed to fall asleep in granular form and mix properly with the ground.
Ammonium nitrate can be embedded dry directly into the soil prior to planting
But it is not recommended to sprinkle fertilizer on the beds with already developing plants. Nitrogen will not enter the soil evenly and is likely to cause root burns.
When and how to add ammonium nitrate to the soil for feeding
Crops have different requirements for nitrogenous substances. Therefore, the timing and rates for the introduction of ammonium nitrate depend on which plantings need to be fed.
Vegetable crops
Most vegetable plants need to be fed twice, before the flowers appear and after the fruit is set. The average fertilizer consumption is from 10 to 30 g per meter of soil.
Cabbage
Saltpeter is sealed at planting, a small spoonful of fertilizer is added to the hole and sprinkled with soil on top. In the future, once every 10 days, the beds are watered with a nitrogenous solution, for its preparation, a large spoonful of ammonium nitrate is diluted in half a bucket of water.
Top dressing of cabbage with saltpeter is carried out before the formation of heads of cabbage
Beans
Before planting crops on the beds, it is necessary to embed ammonium nitrate in the soil - 30 g per meter. In the process of further growth, the nitrogen of the beans is no longer required, special bacteria that develop on its roots, and without that, take the necessary substance from the air.
Legumes need little nitrogen - saltpeter is added only before planting
Corn
It is necessary to close up dry fertilizer in the soil when planting a crop; a large spoonful of granules is added to each hole. Subsequently, a 2-year dressing is carried out - during the formation of the fifth leaf and at the moment when the cobs begin to develop. Dilute corn nitrate in water in an amount of about 500 g per bucket of water.
Corn can be fed with ammonium nitrate before planting and twice more during growth.
Tomatoes and cucumbers
For cucumbers, saltpeter must be added twice - 2 weeks after planting in the ground and the appearance of flowers. In the first case, only 10 g of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water, in the second, the dosage is tripled.
For cucumbers, saltpeter is applied twice before flowering.
Tomatoes are fed three times even before planting - at the seedling stage. For the first time, fertilizer is applied after picking seedlings (8 g per bucket), then a week later (15 g) and a couple of days before transferring to the ground (10 g). When growing in a garden bed or in a greenhouse, nitrogen is no longer necessary to add, unless there is a pronounced deficit.
Tomatoes need to be fed with saltpeter 3 times at the seedling stage
Luke
It is customary to fertilize onions with ammonium nitrate 3 times during the spring-summer. Namely:
- when planting - add 7 g of dry matter to the garden;
- 2 weeks after transferring the culture to the ground - 30 g of fertilizer are diluted in a bucket;
- after another 20 days - the beds with onions are watered with a solution prepared in the same concentration as the second time.
For onions, ammonium nitrate is added at planting and twice more with an interval of 2-3 weeks.
Garlic
Garlic does not have a strong need for nitrogen, so it is enough to embed 12 g of fertilizer per meter into the soil before planting.
Spring garlic is not overfed with nitrogen, you need to add saltpeter only when planting
If we are talking about a vegetable planted before winter, then with the onset of spring heat, you can water it with an ammonium nitrate solution - 6 g of fertilizer is stirred in a bucket of water. After another month, feeding is allowed to be repeated.
Potato
The use of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the garden is highly recommended for potato plantings. Before planting the tubers, it is advisable to scatter 20 g of saltpeter for each meter of the garden.
For potatoes, ammonium nitrate is very important, it is not only responsible for growth, but also protects against wireworm
During the growth process, the potatoes can be fed again before the first hilling. In this case, 20 g of nitrogenous substance is added to the irrigation bucket.
Garden flowers and ornamental shrubs
Garden flowers respond positively to feeding with ammonium nitrate. Their decorative effect increases from this, the buds become larger and bloom more abundantly.
It is customary to apply fertilizer in early spring during the period of active snow melting, granules can be poured into flower beds in a dry form, melt water will contribute to their rapid dissolution. It is enough to add a large spoonful of granules per meter of soil. The second feeding is carried out during growth in mid-spring - 2 large spoons of the substance are diluted in water and the flowers are watered at the root. Similarly, ornamental shrubs are fertilized with ammonium nitrate.
In the spring, any garden flowers react well to ammonium nitrate.
Fruit and berry crops
Pears, apple trees, plums, as well as currants, gooseberries, raspberries and other fruit and berry plants need three times fertilization. For the first time, you can scatter granules under bushes and trunks even before the snow melts, the norm is 15 g per meter.
You need to feed berry crops and shrubs with saltpeter before you start pouring the fruits
Further, the use of ammonium nitrate in horticulture is carried out at intervals of 20 days before the start of the formation of berries. Use a liquid solution, 30 g per bucket. When the fruits begin to ripen on the shoots, the rate for the last application can be raised to 50 g of saltpeter.
Strawberry
It is possible to add ammonium nitrate for strawberries to the soil only in the second year after planting. Shallow grooves are dug between the rows of the culture, dry granules of 10 g per meter are scattered into them, and then they are covered with earth.
Strawberries are fertilized with ammonium nitrate in the second year
In the third year, the volume of the substance can be increased to 15 g.Top dressing is carried out in the spring, during the period of leaf growth, and after harvesting.
Pasture grasses and cereals
Ammonium nitrate is mandatory used in the fields when growing grain crops and perennial forage grasses:
- For wheat, saltpeter is usually used twice throughout the season. When cultivating the soil, 2 kg of dry granules are poured per 100 square meters, when feeding during the period of grain filling - 1 kg for a similar area.
For wheat, ammonium nitrate is used in the spring and before filling the grains.
- In oats, the need for nitrogen fertilizers is slightly lower, for feeding about 900 g of dry matter is added to the "weave", during spring digging, the rate is taken twice as much.
Saltpeter is required for oats mainly in the spring when digging the soil.
As for pasture grasses, most of them belong to the category of legumes with a reduced demand for nitrogen. Therefore, the dosage of nitrate is reduced to 600 g of the substance per "weave" and the introduction is carried out in the process of soil preparation. You can feed the herbs again after the first mowing.
Houseplants and flowers
It is allowed to feed indoor flowers with ammonium nitrate, but this is not always necessary. For example, succulents usually do not need nitrogen fertilizers. But for ferns, palms and other crops, the attractiveness of which lies precisely in the foliage, ammonium nitrate is in demand. It is diluted in a volume of 2 large spoons per container of 10 liters, after which it is used for watering, usually in spring, during a period of active development.
Ammonium nitrate can be beneficial for flowering plants such as orchids:
- It is used in the event that the culture has lingered in the dormant stage and does not develop, and also begins to turn yellow from the lower leaves.
- To push the orchid to grow, 2 g of ammonium nitrate are diluted in a liter of water, and then the pot is lowered into the solution to half for 10 minutes.
- Liquid fertilizer abundantly saturates the soil; after the expiration date, it is important to ensure that the excess is completely drained through the drainage holes.
For orchids, ammonium nitrate is only needed for poor growth.
The use of ammonium nitrate, depending on the type of soil
The timing and rates of application depend not only on the requirements of the plants, but also on the type of soil:
- If the soil is light, then ammonium nitrate can be repaired right before sowing, and it is recommended to fertilize heavy and moist soils in autumn or early spring.
- For depleted soils, poor in minerals, you should use 30 g of ammonium nitrate per meter. If the site is cultivated, it is regularly fertilized, then 20 g will be enough.
The use of ammonium nitrate for weeds
When applied excessively, the nitrogenous substance burns the plant roots and stops their growth. This property of ammonium nitrate is used for weed control.
Weeds on the site can be burned out with ammonium nitrate
If, before planting useful crops, the garden needs to be cleaned, then it is enough to dissolve 3 g of ammonium nitrate in a bucket and generously spray the overgrown grass on top. Weeds will die as a result of processing and will not start new growth for a long time.
Does Ammonium Nitrate Help From Wireworm
For potatoes in the garden, a wireworm is a particular danger; it gnaws numerous passages in the tubers. You can get rid of the pest with the help of saltpeter, worms do not tolerate nitrogen and when its level rises, they go deeper into the ground.
The wireworm reacts poorly to ammonium nitrate, it goes into the ground below the roots and tubers
To get rid of the wireworm, even before planting the potatoes, dry ammonium nitrate, 25 g per meter, can be sealed into the holes. When a pest appears in the summer, it is allowed to shed the plantings with a solution of 30 g per 1 liter.
Why is ammonium nitrate harmful
Agricultural fertilization is beneficial for plants, but can negatively affect the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits. Fruits accumulate nitric acid salts, or nitrates, which are dangerous to humans.
For this reason, melons and greens are not recommended to feed with ammonium nitrate, in principle, nitrogen is retained in them especially strongly. Also, you can not add ammonium nitrate to the soil when the fruits ripen, the last treatment is carried out 2 weeks before the start of the harvest season.
Storage rules
Ammonium nitrate belongs to the category of explosive substances. It must be stored in a dry, well-ventilated place, protected from light, at a temperature not exceeding 30 ° C. It is strictly forbidden to leave the granules in direct sunlight.
It is imperative to store ammonium nitrate away from light and heat.
In a closed form, ammonium nitrate can be stored for 3 years. But opened packaging must be used within 3 weeks, nitrogen is a volatile substance and quickly loses its beneficial properties when it comes into contact with air.
Conclusion
The use of ammonium nitrate is indicated for most garden and horticultural crops. But an excess of nitrogen can be harmful to plants and reduce the quality of the fruit, so it is necessary to follow the processing rules.
