Nitrogen in fertilizers and the truth about Urea
painterart
16 years ago
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sweetcicely
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agopainterart
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Dissolved urea fertilizer
Comments (3)Ah, I understand where you are coming from now. What you see on the bag is the result of CRF (controlled release fertilizer) having been added to the mix. Trying to maintain a set amount of nutrients in the mix is going to prove close to impossible without precision testing. Using a dilute water soluble with each watering and ensuring each watering is to run off is about the closest one can come to maintaining a consistent level of nutrients in a practical sense. Now, if I take a bag of Bovung (1:1:1) and mix it with an equal amount (by weight or volume, I'm not sure) of sand, does it make sense to think of the resulting mixture as 0.5:0.5:0.5 Yes, it does, but it doesn't really mean anything when those nutrients are not immediately plant available, but instead will be released over time. To know the relative concentration of each nutrient (lets say in parts per million) would still require precision testing. And then, what is the ideal NPK for my lettuce flat soil? Does it make sense to think of soil this way? In my opinion it only makes sense to think of it the way you are if you are doing hydroponics and have the relevant test equipment to ensure each parameter is within the specs you set. So maybe a much simpler question is how much urea to dissolve in a 1/2 gal of water with which to water/saturatea 18" x 18" x 4", and how often should I feed my lettuce flats this way. Sorry, but I am going to have to decline to answer this as I really don't know. I am not familiar with how effectively granular urea dissolves in water. Is the product coated? If you wish to persue this approach you still need a reliable source for all other nutrients major and minor. If you wanted to do some research and math I am sure you could work it out. Look at hydro sources for recommendations in parts per million for N and then figure out the actual amount of N in your product and do the math to figure out the amount you have to add to the water to get the ppm in range....See MoreUrea Nitrogen?
Comments (6)Technically urea could be used in orchid type soils, but it is not ideal. Urea will release ammonia in the presence of any water, even humidity, but for large particle (>1/4") mixes it is better to use ammonium and nitrate salts. I always nix a little nitrate in with my urea based fertilizers there is a long explanation but basically plants absorb nitrates easier than ammonium/ammonia and being able to switch between the two is helpful so that you can isolate nutrients that plants should absorb (ammonium is a cation, so if I want the plant to take up more anions like phosphate or sulfur I will make less competition and use very little nitrate; if the plant needs more cations like Ca or Mg then I will use nitrate so there is cation competition)....See MoreCorn Nitrogen Fertilizer... Bloodmeal ok?
Comments (35)Farmerdilla, am a little familiar with Augusta as I had to go over there for some melanoma surgery a few years back. Just learned to find the hospital and the Publix store as I love their bread and we don't have any near us. I, too, am a recreational farmer as I just do it for the fun and enjoyment of my family and close friends. Lol, I'm not much at cowpasture pool either... One of my best life long friends is a farmer and he suffers through the bad times with the good. Days of the small farm are gone. Even in the best years, one could never even break even as he could not afford the high dollar equipment needed to harvest it and his profit would be used up hiring out a combine. The pastures around here are suffering also. Farmers have been having to feed their cows hay which you know is not nearly as good as green grass. One farmer friend of mine lost his irragation equipment (center pivot) to the Mother's Day storm as it blew them over in two large fields. Fortunately, we have been getting some summer showers in the past week or so and that is helping things immensely although no help for the corn that has already burned up. Around here farmers this year are planting more soybeans and peanuts than cotton or corn. Ran up with an old hog farmer friend of mine the other day and he was out looking for soybean meal as he said the price of corn was too high even if you could find it. He has about 400 broad sows. Have never tried the Quick Pick, Big Boy or Tommy. Had lots of White Acres last year as it is popular with the family. In the spring I take my wife to a local seed store and she is like a man in Home Depot with jingle in his pocket. This year she decided mostly on Lady Creams which is about the smallest cream I've seen. Takes a while to fill up a bucket with them, but they shell out nice. Last night I talked with a friend of mine that lives in Donalds, SC and he mentioned how dry it was there. Oh yeah, I pulled a Black Diamond yesterday... was not sweet so threw it away. I saved some seed from a commericially grown watermelon that was sweet so think I will try them next year, if it's God's will. Shot...See Morefinding nitrogen fertilizer
Comments (4)>" I work at a garden center so I might be able to get a couple of bags order through one of our distributors, but befoe I go through the trouble ... " I would think that to be easiest - bring it to ME. You want a 50lb bag of urea....See Morestitzelweller
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLiz K 7b-8a Charlotte
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16 years agolast modified: 9 years agosweetcicely
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