Nitrogen

[Jitterbugdude]

Be very careful with urea. It has the reputation of burning plants and is probably your fertilizer of last resort.

 

[Steve2md]

just cut it with plenty of water. use pool test strips on your mix. they check a number of levels. as long as the ph is right and the chlorine is not there, you should be fine

 

[johnlee1933]

It is my plan to add peat-moss, cotton seed meal, sulphur and urea at recommended rates. The whole works will be tilled in to a depth of about 10" and allowed to rest for three to four weeks. Last fall I chopped my stalks and turned them in so they have been there all winter. That sound OK to you guys?

John

 

[Steve2md]

as long as you use the rest period, I think the urea should be fine. that peat will raise the ph slightly. if you are nervous about the urea, you can start at half strength and go up from there.

 

[johnlee1933]

Yeah, I have been having problems with peat and ++Ph. This year I had to add sulphur ( as 18% free sulfur and 12 % gypsum) to my potting mix to get it down to 5.8. I am figuring to do the same with both plots as they are a little high.

John

 

[dkh2]

Be very careful with urea. It has the reputation of burning plants and is probably your fertilizer of last resort.

What I don't like about it is that it stays a long time.

 

[deluxestogie]

I believe that natural peat is acidic (lowers pH), and that gypsum does not alter the soil pH. Commercial peat mixes often add ingredients to mitigate the acidity of the peat component.

Gypsum is the neutral salt of a strong acid and strong base and does not increase or decrease acidity. Dissolving gypsum in water or soil results in the following reaction: CaSO4·2H2O = Ca2+ + SO42- + 2H2O. It adds calcium ions (Ca2+) and sulfate ions (SO42-), but does not add or take away hydrogen ions (H+). Therefore, it does not act as a liming or acidifying material. The Ca2+ ions simply interact with exchange sites in soil and sulfate remains dissolved in soil water.
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/node/1954/print

Bob

 

[Jitterbugdude]

This is true. Another nice thing about Gypsum is that it has a tendency to "fluff" up the soil thereby helping with tight compacted dirt.

 

[johnlee1933]

I believe that natural peat is acidic (lowers pH), and that gypsum does not alter the soil pH. Commercial peat mixes often add ingredients to mitigate the acidity of the peat component.



Bob

I read the attached with interest. I agree with their chemistry but find it funny the gypsum is listed as an "Active Ingredient" on the bag.

John

 

[Steve2md]

I read the attached with interest. I agree with their chemistry but find it funny the gypsum is listed as an "Active Ingredient" on the bag.

John

I believe that it is used mainly as a filler, to increase the overall weight of the bag. Nonetheless, it IS a trace mineral that plants seem to love, and , as Jitterbugdude said, it does tend to "fluff up" the soil some. and if you are worried about the urea staying too long in the soil, dilute it with water. with some elbow grease, you can dissolve it, and use partial doses when you water. then you can determine what dosage your particular plants respond to best. I always get my best plant results when I let the plants "tell" me what they want.