Plant nitrogen is the most basic element in the diet. In order for any plants - indoor, gardening, even cereals in the fields - to actively grow, flutter, increase the green mass, actively bloom and bear fruit - they need nitrogen. The most readily available form for nitrogen absorption is ammonia or ammonium nitrate NH4CL. We will talk about its use in the garden and garden further.
What is ammonia
Ammonia is an ammonia solution in which nitrogen is in the form of a compound ammonium nitrate - NH4CL. In the surrounding nature, nitrogen is most often found in the form of such chemical forms as amide NH2 +, ammonia NH3, ammonium NH4 +, nitrite NO2-, nitrate NO3-, which, as a result of natural circulation in nature, pass from one form to another under the influence of bacteria and microorganisms.
As you know, plants very quickly absorb nitrates in any quantity, but they do not really like nitrogen in the form of ammonia. Or rather, nitrogen in this form is not able to accumulate in plant tissues, that is, when feeding fruits, vegetables, flowers with ammonia, one can not be afraid of oversaturation with ammonia.
In order for organic fertilizers to finally saturate the plants with the nitrogen they need, the process of decomposition of organic matter (manure, droppings) with the help of microorganisms must go through. Ammonia, on the other hand, goes into forms available for absorption by plants directly, without the participation of any microorganisms from the outside.
Benefits for the garden and vegetable garden
So, nitrogen is the main source of nutrition for plant organisms. A bright green lush crown, an abundance of flowers, and then fruits, active vegetative development - all this depends on the nitrogen content in the soil, since plants are able to take it only from the soil (in the air up to 78% nitrogen in a form inaccessible to plants). The state of your pets will tell you about the lack of nitrogen:
- yellowing, pallor of the lower leaves on seedlings and adult plants;
- thin, weak stalk and small leaves;
- growth retardation, lack of flowers;
- weak immunity - reduced resistance to frost.
Lack of nitrogen during development will result in significant crop loss.
In this case, immediate feeding of plants with nitrogen is required. In order not to oversaturate them with saltpeter, which they accumulate in their fruits and tissues, it is best to add ammonia to the soil (recipes for dressing will be given below).
Besides, the pungent smell of the product scares away many pests and insects, and the treatment with ammonia is an excellent means of dealing with them.
Ammonia solution as fertilizer
Solanaceous crops - potatoes, eggplants, as well as pepper, cabbage, pumpkin and zucchini - need a high nitrogen content in the soil for active development and fruiting. From fruit and berry crops - raspberries, blackberries, cherries and plums react very well to fertilizing with ammonia. They must be processed several times during the beginning of the growing season, bud formation and flowering.
Dahlias, roses, peonies, clematis, violets, zinnias and nasturtiums will delight you with luxurious flowering - these flowers simply adore feeding with nitrogen in the form of an ammonia solution.
Cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, corn, garlic, currant and gooseberry bushes, apple trees and annual flowers are content with an average nitrogen content in soils.
Moderate nitrogen intake of pears, radishes, onions and bulbous flowers... But legumes do not need additional feeding at all - they are able to absorb nitrogen from the air and accumulate it on the root nodules, enriching the soil for other plants.
A universal solution of nitrogenous feeding of any vegetable and fruit crops - dilute 50 ml of ammonia in 4 liters of water. If a weak solution is needed, dilute 1 tablespoon of the product in 10 liters of water, a solution of strong concentration (maximum allowable) - 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water.
How to feed
Fruit trees, bushes, perennial flowers are watered with a universal solution 2-3 times per season. Tomatoes are fed once a week, starting with minimal doses and gradually increasing the concentration. Under the cucumbers at the beginning of the formation of ovaries, a solution of 2 tbsp. spoons / 10 liters of water.
To obtain a lush green arrow on the onion, the culture is watered with a concentrated solution (1 tsp / 1 l of water). But in order to get a good harvest of large-headed onions and garlic, they are watered once a week with a weak solution of the product.
As a preventive measure, all vegetables, berry bushes, fruit trees and flowers are watered once every 7-10 days at the root with a weak solution of ammonia - 1 tablespoon per 1 bucket of water. The dose can be gradually increased if the plants need it.
Feeding with ammonia has a very beneficial effect on seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and cabbage, which are produced 2 weeks after the pick. When planted in open ground, half a liter of the mixture (10 ml / 10 l of water) is poured into each hole - this also serves as a top dressing and fights well with the bear.
Pest control
The pungent smell of ammonia affects very many pests, even in an imperceptible concentration for humans. It is successfully used against insects such as:
- ants;
- bear;
- wireworm;
- aphids, midges on indoor plants;
- onion and carrot flies.
To do this, prepare a soap solution: rub 100-200 g of laundry soap on a fine grater, dissolve in 1 liter of hot water, and then gradually, stirring thoroughly, add 50 ml of 25% ammonia to 10 liters of ordinary water. The immediately obtained solution is sprayed with fruits on trees, leaves, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers - in a word, all crops that need processing. This will not only scare off pests, wasps and beetles, but will also be a good foliar feeding for plants.
Soap is added to the solution so that the solution adheres better to the leaves, and before eating the fruit, it is enough just to thoroughly wash the fruit with running water.
To get rid of flies and ants, you can water the beds with a weak solution (preventive feeding will have a complex effect).
Security measures
The sharp smell of ammonia and its vapor, if basic protection measures are not followed, can be dangerous:
- sudden inhalation can cause respiratory arrest, so it is better to mix solutions in well-ventilated rooms;
- in people suffering from hypertension, it can cause a sharp increase in pressure;
- ammonia is a medicinal product and in no case should it be mixed with chlorine-containing substances;
- to avoid burns, be careful not to get the product on the skin and mucous membranes.
With proper use, respecting proportions and rules, ammonia will become your indispensable assistant and friend for plants. They will certainly thank you with a healthy appearance and a rich harvest.