Nitrogen fertilizers - the value for plants, how to apply correctly in the garden?

In case of proper use, nitrogen fertilizers are of great benefit, allowing to obtain excellent yields even on poor soils. It should be understood that if the optimal dose of application of these substances positively affects the development of plants, their excess causes diseases and pollution of the environment.

Nitrogen fertilizers - their importance and application

The question of what nitrogen fertilizers are for, it is necessary to consider beginning gardeners and vegetable growers who want to get good harvests in their areas from season to season. The cultivated plants on sandy and sandy loam soils suffer most from the lack of this element, the best situation is observed on rich chernozems. If your plantations grow poorly and bush, the foliage is shallow, it is painted mainly in a light green color, then you need to immediately correct the situation by introducing nitrogen fertilizers.

What concerns nitrogen fertilizers?

In agriculture, to increase soil fertility, liquid ammonia and solid nitrogen compounds are used, in which the basic substance can be in various forms. The role plays both the aggregate state and the chemical composition of the fertilizing used. Nitrogen fertilizers include a large list of drugs, divided into several groups.

The main nitrogen fertilizers with the maximum nitrogen content:

1. Ammonium sulfate - ammonium sulfate (nitrogen up to 21%), ammonium chloride (up to 25%), ammonia water (up to 20.5%), anhydrous ammonia (up to 82.3%), ammophos (up to 12%), ammonium sulphide to 10%).
2. Nitrate - calcium nitrate (up to 15.5%), potassium nitrate (up to 13%), sodium nitrate (up to 16.4%).
3. Ammonium nitrate - ammonium sulfonitrate (up to 26.5%), ammonium nitrate (up to 35%), calc-ammonium nitrate (up to 20.5%).
4. Amide fertilizers - carbamide (up to 46.2%), calcium cyanamide (up to 21%), urea-formaldehyde (up to 42%), methylene-urea (up to 42%).

Properties of nitrogen fertilizers

The method and timing of the application of useful elements, the effect of nitrogen fertilizers on plants, depends strongly on the form in which the main active substance is contained. For example, the amide form is perfectly absorbed by the leaf mass and is suitable for foliar fertilizing, and the ammonium form must undergo interaction with bacteria in order to become available to the root system. Nitrogen fertilizers in nitrate form are directly absorbed by vegetable plants, flowers and trees.

When to apply nitrogen fertilizers?

A popular method earlier, when nitrogen fertilization was made on snow cover, is now considered erroneous. In this case, often useful components are washed into the lowlands during melting of snow, in addition there is a risk of uneven distribution of the active substance on the area. Determining the time and method of fertilizing, you need to consider the temperature of the environment and the type of nitrogen fertilizer, climatic region and soil composition.

When it is allowed to apply nitrogen fertilizer in late autumn:

1. Ammonium chloride - for the purpose of washing out harmful chlorine with melt water.
2. Carbamide - can give a positive effect on sandy and sandy loam soils in warm and dry weather.

Spring and summer fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers:

1. Dry types of fertilizers are sealed when planted in the holes, spreading the substance over the surface by hand effectively exclusively in rainy weather.
2. Filling fertilizers in the ground with rakes, hoes, harrow for root feeding of perennial plantations.
3. Use of an aqueous solution for watering in the spring-summer period.
4. Foliar top dressing for green mass (the urea is the best).

Which nitrogen fertilizer is better?

Beginners often incorrectly make top dressing, without taking into account the chemical composition of the purchased product. As a result, the money spent and efforts do not bring tangible results, the plants do not receive the proper nutrition. Looking for the best nitrogen fertilizer, you need to decide on the purpose of its use, the time and method of application. For example, you need to consider several of the most popular ready-made preparations:

1. Carbamide is ideal for foliar application, does not burn foliage, is suitable for fertilizing in spring, although the decomposition time will be longer than that of saltpetre.
2. Saltpeter - can not be used in the autumn because of washing out with water, but elegantly suited for spring-summer period with top dressing and during sowing.
3. Liquid nitrogen compounds - are quickly absorbed, cheaper to purchase, have a long life and are more easily distributed throughout the site. The disadvantage of this type of fertilizer is the difficulty in transporting and storing, special tools are required for work.

Nitrogen fertilizers for the garden

For household purposes, various ready-made mineral preparations or substances of organic origin, prepared by hand, are used. All nitrogen fertilizers for plants can be divided into several groups:

1. Ready nitric fertilizers - saltpetre, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonia water and others.
2. Complex fertilizers with a large amount of nitrogen - ammophos, nitroammophoska, diammophos, nitrophos and others.
3. Organic fertilizers - peat, compost , fresh litter, siderates, silt and others.

Nitrogen fertilizers for indoor plants

It is desirable to purchase nitrogen fertilizer for indoor plants of a complex type, where, in addition to the basic substance, microelements, potassium and phosphorus are present. In the apartment it is more convenient to use special preparations for flowering plants, they are delivered in small packages with powder, tablets, chopsticks. Liquid compounds are in vials of different volumes. For self-preparation of nitrogen fertilizing, 1 g of ammonium nitrate, urea or ammonium sulphate can be diluted in 1 liter of standing pure water.

Natural nitrogen fertilizers

More and more often truck farmers try to use natural nitrogen fertilizer for plants and look at the wide introduction of organic fertilizing. There is a large list of available products that have a high content of substances useful for the growth of ornamental and garden plants:

1. Compost of industrial and domestic origin - the standard content of the main elements of the NPK often ranges between 2: 1: 1, nitrogen - up to 0.7%.
2. Manure - the content of nitrogen and other substances depends on the origin. For example, in bird dung, NPK is 3: 1: 1, and in manure from cattle it is 1: 0.5: 0.5.
3. Ciderates - the grass embedded in the bed has a high value, it is often 2-3 times more efficient than manure.
4. Household waste - the nitrogen content reaches 1.5%.
5. In the lake silt of nitrogen up to 2.5%.
6. Peat - up to 3.5%.

Nitrogen fertilizer with own hands

Even in those households where there is no cattle or poultry, you can independently prepare excellent nitrogen fertilizers at home on a compost basis. To facilitate the process, it is desirable to add material to special boxes or pits. The recipe for fertilizer production is simple:

1. We prepare a container or pit of the appropriate size.
2. At the bottom lay a layer of old branches for drainage.
3. Compost layer is laid to a thickness of 1.5 m.
4. To increase the number of bacteria, you can add earth or humus.
5. More nitrogen is obtained when processing flour products, when decaying fruits, food waste or vegetables.
6. After 7 days there is an increase in temperature inside the heap, with time the percentage of oxygen inside decreases. It is required to shift up to 4 times the compost to strengthen the process.
7. To accelerate ripening, preparations " Baikal ", "Shining", yeast (1 tablespoon yeast and 200 g sugar per 1 liter of water) are used.
8. The finished compost has a dark brown color and a loose consistency.

How to replace nitrogen fertilizers at home?

Infusion of nettle and other weeds is good. If you keep poultry in the household, then the question of how to replace nitrogen fertilizers, is solved even easier. The highest value is considered the littering of chickens and pigeons, the waste of ducks and geese contain less useful substances. To obtain a nutrient infusion, first pour it with water in a ratio of 1: 1, and a week later the resulting liquid is diluted 1: 10 before use. When using dry manure it is necessary to spread the fertilizer in an amount not exceeding 0.2 kg / m ^{2 of the} bed.

Nitrogen fertilizers - harm to humans?

Ammonia and nitrates in unreasonable amounts become poison, poisoning the environment, polluting water bodies. Harm to nitrogen fertilizers is felt in many regions, there is a massive death of aquatic organisms, there are whole dead zones near the coastline of the continents. Work with nitrogenous substances is a potentially dangerous occupation and is fraught with careless handling of severe poisoning, which requires immediate hospitalization.

Symptoms of nitrogen poisoning:

• attacks of severe fear and panic;
• trembling in the muscles;
• violation of the respiratory rhythm;
• general weakness;
• blue hands and lips;
• arrhythmia;
• cardiopalmus;
• heat;
• high blood pressure;
• moist cough;
• loss of consciousness.