Ammonia - as a fertilizer in the garden
Nitrogen, as a chemical element, is extremely important for the development and growth of plants, especially at the beginning of the growing season. It affects all vital processes in the plant - nutrition and metabolism. It is an important component of cells, amino acids, chlorophyll, plant hormones, and vitamins. And at the beginning of development, a young plant especially needs nitrogen. Special nitrogen compounds are necessary for good growth of seedlings and leaves. Plants that receive enough nitrogen have beautiful green leaves and develop better. Over time, the need for this microelement decreases, and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers come to the fore.
The role of nitrogen is that it directly affects the quality and quantity of the crop. Judge for yourself, you are unlikely to get a good harvest from a bad and stunted plant. Therefore, starting from early spring, it is necessary to worry about what the harvest will be like by autumn. And if for some reason you cannot provide fertilizing with organic or mineral nitrogen fertilizers, ammonia will come to your aid.
The pungent odor of ammonia is extremely unpleasant for pests. Therefore, aqueous solutions will help get rid of such malicious insects as aphids, secretive proboscis, ants that carry aphids, as well as mole crickets, Colorado potato beetles, etc.
However, caution must be exercised when working with ammonia solutions. Since this is a toxic volatile substance, when inhaled, the product causes severe irritation and even burns of the mucous membranes; it is necessary to work with it in respirators or in the open air. Remember also that this is an explosive substance and should only be diluted away from open sources of fire.
Precautionary measures
Ammonia is a toxic substance, especially in concentrated form; if the vapor enters the human body in large quantities, poisoning can occur. The first signs of such a negative phenomenon are quite easy to recognize.
The person begins to feel bouts of nausea, vomiting begins, and there may be damage to the mucous membranes. To prevent this from happening, processing requires safety measures; these can include protective equipment: a respirator, goggles, latex gloves, an apron, a Panama hat.
When processing plants in a greenhouse, you should open the windows and doors of the room so that dangerous fumes do not harm the body. In case of poisoning, you can drink warm milk, it can relieve the first alarming signs, but if the symptoms are too bright, you need to call an ambulance.
Try to keep ammonia away from children and do not leave it in places accessible to them.
Using ammonia for feeding onions and garlic
Signs of nitrogen deficiency in onions and garlic are yellowing of their leaves. This happens for the following reasons:
- Consequences of return frosts,
- Lack of nutrition (nitrogen),
- The presence of pests, of which there are a lot of onion plants, but most often it is the onion fly.
If the leaves of onions or garlic turn yellow from frost, you can revive them with the help of anti-stress drugs - Zircon, Epin or hydrogen peroxide.
The lack of nitrogen can be compensated by fertilizing with green fertilizer or urea. Usually by this time there are already nettles and weeds, and it is quite possible to prepare a nutritious fertilizer from them. But if this is not possible, use an ammonia solution. But remember that nitrogen fertilizing should be used when the ambient temperature rises above +10ºС, otherwise the absorption of nutrients simply will not occur.
Fertilizing is carried out using a calculation prepared at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. They feed only on wet soil, that is, it is necessary to first water the beds with plain water, and only after that water the leaves with a diluted solution. Or they do it after it rains.
Simultaneously with fertilizing, pest control is carried out, of which there are a lot of onions. The most malicious of them are the onion fly and the secretive proboscis. It is best to plant onions (sets) in late autumn before winter. In the spring, the onion puts out feathers early, its root system quickly develops, so by the time of summer the onion fly does not have the opportunity to lay larvae at the bottom of the onion. For preventive purposes, water the beds well with ammonia solution. For this, 2 tbsp. l. diluted in 10 liters of water and watered over the bush. Treatment must be carried out at least 3 times with an interval of 10 days.
Features of processing greenhouse cucumbers
All treatments, including ammonia, that are carried out in the greenhouse must be monitored for increased humidity inside the structure. If the air in the greenhouse becomes too humid, the risk of developing bacteria and fungi will increase, for the reproduction of which such an environment is as comfortable as possible.
Greenhouse cucumbers must be treated with clean water before spraying with ammonia so as not to burn the delicate surface of the leaf blades. Treatment should be carried out only with a weakly concentrated solution.
Nuance! It is recommended to use hydrogen peroxide treatments for cucumbers alternately with nitrogen fertilizing. The latter improves soil aeration and the absorption of necessary planting substances.
How to use ammonia against pests on cabbage
The worst pests on cabbage when it begins to form heads are slugs. These land gastropods feed only on juicy young parts of plants; they love cabbage and strawberries. It breeds especially a lot in damp and rainy summers. They can not only destroy the crop, but also introduce viruses and bacteria. There are many methods of fighting slugs, but here I want to pay attention to treatments using ammonia.
To adjust the working solution, add 1 tsp to 1 liter of water. ammonia solution. Stir and treat the cabbage with the resulting solution, trying to spray them on the top and underside of the leaves. Repeated treatments are carried out no earlier than 10 days later, 2 more times. Don't forget to sprinkle the soil around the heads with wood ash or eggshells. Slugs will not be able to crawl through them without injuring their tender bellies. This will also scare them away.
Ammonia is unlikely to help as a top dressing, since at the moment the heads are set, it will no longer be so relevant.
Reviews from gardeners
Sergey, Kolomna
Ammonia water is used as a nitrogen fertilizer in advance, before planting. In the soil, ammonia becomes a chemical. reactions and turns into a form accessible to growers.
Source: dacha.wcb.ru
Anna, Saransk
Ammonia, used in moderation, is not only an excellent means of feeding, but also protecting cucumbers, tomatoes, and geraniums from parasites. With this fertilizer, plants literally grow before our eyes and bear fruit well.
Source: www.forumhouse.ru
Using ammonia for strawberries
I have already told you how to care for strawberries in early spring. But I want to draw attention to feeding and treatment against pests, primarily against the strawberry weevil using ammonia.
One of the sources said that strawberries absorb nitrogen poorly. But as a preventative against weevils, ants and slugs, ammonia solution is simply not replaceable. Moreover, the treatment is carried out on mulch, since it, especially mown grass, can also contain pests. The working solution is prepared at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. 10% ammonia solution per 10 liters of water, mix well and water the bed completely. A bed 5 meters long should require at least 10 liters of solution. Strawberries are processed on damp soil after watering or rain.
It is not recommended to feed and treat strawberries for pests during flowering and fruiting. But after harvesting the bushes, you can carry out another feeding.
Safe feeding with ammonium hydroxide
If you water correctly and follow the dosage recommendations, you don’t have to worry about harmful effects on the plant. The main thing is to choose the right time of day - early morning or evening, ammonia oxidizes in the sun. Cloudy weather is ideal. But ammonia is dangerous for humans. It enters the body not only through oral consumption, but is absorbed into the bloodstream through epithelial tissues and mucous membranes, and penetrates through the respiratory tract, affecting the bronchial branches. Even a weakly concentrated solution, in direct contact with the skin, can cause a burn.
Therefore, cucumbers must be processed carefully, following safety precautions:
- Do not forget about rubber gloves, glasses, a respirator - personal protective equipment.
- When you have to spray in windy weather, stand so that the spray does not settle on your clothes and face (that is, on the windward side).
- When treating cucumbers with ammonia in a greenhouse, ensure access to fresh air. To do this, open the frames and raise the canopy at the entrance to create a draft.
- Do not allow ammonia solution to come into contact with wiring, watering hoses, or decorative design elements. The solution may damage them. While it is easy to buy a new hose, after a short circuit the wiring often has to be changed completely.
- When fertilizing or fertilizing cucumbers, pets should be locked up and children should be kept safe.
- You cannot eat cucumbers from vines treated with ammonia, “from the bush.” They definitely need to be washed.
Attention!
Drops of a concentrated solution of ammonia are not wiped off the skin, but washed off with plenty of running water. If symptoms of intoxication appear due to inhalation of toxic fumes, it is recommended to drink milk and seek help from official medicine. Gastric lavage may be required.
Feeding seedlings of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with ammonia
When planting seedlings of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in an unheated greenhouse, even one made of polycarbonate, she experiences severe stress when the threat of return frosts arises. At low night temperatures, nitrogen from the soil cannot be absorbed by plants, so they are stunted in growth and their leaves turn yellow. Therefore, as soon as the weather settles and the threat of frost disappears, the plants in the greenhouse must be urgently fed. And the first nitrogen fertilizing is best done by spraying with an ammonia solution.
Already after the first feeding, you will notice a transformation of the plants: the leaves will acquire a rich green color, and active growth of the plant will begin. This feeding gives a strong impetus to the growth and development of the plant. In addition, this is an excellent remedy for pests, of which there are quite a few in the greenhouse. These are aphids, root-knot nematodes, tobacco thrips, woodlice and slugs, etc.
For the first feeding, dilute 2 tbsp. l. ammonia solution per 10 liters of water, if using a 10% solution, and 1 tbsp. l., if the concentration of the original drug is 25%. Stir the working solution well and water it over the damp soil with the diluted solution at the rate of 1 liter for each bush.
In total, at the beginning of the growing season, you need to carry out 2-3 feedings, but before flowering and fruiting begin. You shouldn’t get carried away with this type of feeding either, otherwise the plants will become fatty and all the energy will be spent on the growth of the tops. Do not forget to fertilize with potassium fertilizers 10-12 days after nitrogen fertilizing.
How to dilute ammonia from pests
Aphids are a terrible evil for almost all plants in the garden. There are about 1.5 thousand representatives of a dangerous pest that can ruin the entire harvest of currants, gooseberries, apple trees, cherries, strawberries, grapes, many vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes) and flower crops (roses, clematis) and many others crops
Insects feed on the sap of young leaves and shoots, causing their dehydration and subsequent death. A sweet sticky coating appears on the leaves, causing fungal infections. In addition, this plaque attracts ants, which then become carriers of fungal infections and the same aphids.
Sometimes gardeners have to make a lot of effort to get rid of both aphids and ants. One way to combat them is to spray with a solution of ammonia. To do this, as soon as the snow melts, before flowering begins, you need to generously spray the plants with the following composition:
- liquid green soap - 3 tbsp. l.,
- 10% ammonia solution – 1.5-2 tbsp. l.
Mix the ingredients and spray the leaves very generously on all sides using a fine spray, literally washing off the insects. Carry out the treatment every 1.5-2 weeks 3 times. Have time to do this before the plants start flowering.
And for ants, make a mixture of green soap, vinegar and vegetable oil, and pour this mixture onto the soil around the bushes and trees.
Fighting mole crickets with ammonia is an old, proven method. The principle of operation is that the pest does not tolerate strong odors and leaves these places. To prepare the solution, dissolve 3 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. 10% ammonia solution (or 10 ml). The working solution is watered between the rows. The dosage must be strictly observed, otherwise the plant itself can be harmed.
You can moisten rags with a concentrated (10%) solution and stick them into the passages where the mole cricket lives. And so that the smell does not dissipate for a long time, the rags can be put in a plastic bag, pierced several holes in it and placed in the tunnels.
