The water rinses the fertilizer off the grass blades so there is no burning and helps the nitrogen dissolve into the soil so the roots can access it. We'll respect your privacy and unsubscribe at any time. The general public used manure with added nitrogen since the 1940’s. Store the fertilizer in a dry area and away from any heat or flame sources to avoid combustion. Due to the ammonium toxicity, the reaction when swallowed in high concentrations include dizziness, headache, stomach ache, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, convulsion and heart failure. Often applied as ammonium nitrate or urea, household ammonia can also be used to obtain the same results. Always use gloves to avoid chemical burns. Plants will consume nitrogen in the air, but this method may appear troublesome. Wear gloves to protect your hands from chemical burns when handling any fertilizer. Store any unused ammonium nitrate in a cool, dry place. Tara Shore holds a Bachelor of Science in business finance and has written for online publications since 2007. Add … When applying ammonium nitrate to plants, always apply in a circular pattern away from any exposed roots. The production of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is a complicated process. Proper application ensures your plants get the nitrogen they need to produce lush, green growth. Previously, she owned her own business, selling handmade items online, wholesale and at crafts fairs. Jenny Harrington has been a freelance writer since 2006. Anhydrous ammonia makes another example as it brings some advantages but also carries potential dangers if mishandled. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer makes a perfect example of this. By entering your email address you agree to receive a daily email newsletter from Plant Care Today. It provides nitrogen from both the ammonia and the nitrate. Shore is also a master gardener and a travel agent. Add 1 cup of ammonia to a 1-gallon container. Always ask the shop owner or sales associate at your local garden center about which fertilizers fits your project. If you apply ammonium nitrate to vegetable or ornamental plants, sprinkle it in a circle 6 inches away from the base of the plants and water it in immediately. Use the documentation that came with the soil-testing kit to interpret the results of the test. Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer makes a perfect example of this. Once you determined the value of nitrogen in the soil, look up a guide chart to check the recommended measure of ammonium nitrate for your soil and the your growing plants. Fill the fertilizer spreader with the fertilizer, filling it no further than the fill line marked on the inside of the spreader. Ammonia, one of the key building blocks, is a gas at room temperature, and this gas must be combined with nitric acid in order to produce fertilizer.The end product of this reaction is a solid whitish substance, ammonium nitrate, which is quite stable, safe, and easy to work with. Because solid ammonium nitrate can undergo explosive decomposition when heated in a confined space, government regulations have been imposed on its shipment and storage. Place the top on the container, and attach the sprayer to the end of a garden hose. Home-testing kits vary, but typically, you dissolve soil samples from multiple areas in the testing vials and then insert test strips to determine the nitrogen levels in the soil. At higher temperatures, and in windy conditions, the urea is broken down faster than it can soak into the soil. Open the spreader and begin pushing it across the lawn, applying the fertilizer in horizontal passes that do not overlap. How to Use Ammonium Nitrate. Cover yourself well and stay away from ignition sources during use as it may cause an explosion if incorrectly handled. Garden shops carry a wide variety of fertilizers, which can cause confusion when you have no idea about what best fits your needs. Harrington's specialties include small business information, crafting, decorating and gardening. The second pass provides the full rate of the ammonium nitrate. For crop cultivation or other concerns regarding plant nutrients, the following will serve as great alternatives in the absence of ammonium nitrate: With proper application of ammonium nitrate, it may serve as a boon to any plant, allowing it to grow healthy and happy. Ammonium nitrate is only accessible to plants for two to four weeks, so it's usually reapplied at one month intervals during the growing season. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. At colder temperatures, the ground is frozen, making it difficult to incorporate the urea into the soil. Anhydrous ammonia makes another example as it brings some advantages but also carries potential dangers if mishandled. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NH4NO3. Calcium ammonium nitrate is made by a chemical process to create a nitrogen fertilizer. Dormant Oil: What Is and How Do You Use It? To make calcium nitrate fertilizer for your garden, you only need to combine two to four tablespoons with a gallon (3.8 l) of water and spray on leaves. Some of its great sources include liquid nitrogen, calcium nitrate, anhydrous ammonia, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and more. Add 1 cup of ammonia to a 1-gallon container. Phosphates That Make Grass Grow Faster & More Efficiently, How to Weed and Feed Your Lawn & Not Hurt Your Pets, Lawn Care Simplified: How to Use a Hose End Sprayer, How to Use Baking Soda to Kill Lawn Algae, How to Use Malt Extract as Plant Fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate is a scentless, almost transparent salt. Plantcaretoday.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, How To Apply Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer In Your Garden, Precautions To Take While Using Ammonium Nitrate, Most Functional Alternatives For Ammonium Nitrate, How to Choose the Best Sago Palm Fertilizer, How Do You Get Rid of Flies in Potted Plants, How To Reduce Shock When Transplanting Hostas. For example, if your lawn requires 1 1/2 pounds of nitrogen per 500 square feet and the ammonium nitrate is a 34-0-0 blend, which provides 34 pounds of nitrogen per 100 pounds, you must apply approximately 22 pounds of fertilizer to every 500 square feet. Fill a manure spreader with ammonium nitrate granules and set your spreader alignment to evenly distribute the manure. Add additional ingredients as desired as part of your lawn fertilizer mixture. How Do You Get Rid of Wasps With Vinegar? Ammonium nitrate in gardens is made stable with other compounds. To accomplish this, regular lawn maintenance including the application of fertilizer is necessary. 2. This is a potent and dangerous substance used in explosives. Pour the ammonia fertilizer mixture into a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer. Straight nitrogen compost contains around 34% ammonium nitrate, though that percentage may vary in manure mixes containing other plant supplements or with condensed forms of nitrogen. The chemical reaction creates concentrated ammonium nitrate. How to Get a Mortgage Loan Modication on a FHA Mortgage, International Plant Nutrition Institute: Ammonium Nitrate, Penn State University Extension: Nitrogen Fertilizers, University of California Extension: Sources of Nitrogen. Her published articles have appeared in various print and online publications. Perform a soil test using a soil-testing kit or take a soil sample to a testing lab, which may require a small fee. Many gardening enthusiasts use common fertilizers without even knowing about its contents and their specific uses. Make another pass of applying fertilizers in a perpendicular way to previous application to make sure you apply it at maximum. The fertilizer is an almost instantly useable form of nitrogen due to its porosity and solubility. Ammonium nitrate provides much needed nitrogen to lawn grasses and garden plants in an easily accessible form that doesn't leach out of the soil. However, inhalation in large amounts and will result in chemical poisoning. It is highly soluble in water; heating of the water solution decomposes the salt to nitrous oxide (laughing gas).