How to Apply Ammonium Nitrate as Fertilizer

Ammonium nitrate supplies lawn and garden plants with urgently needed nitrogen in an easily accessible place and isn’t washed out of the soil. Pure nitrogen fertilizer contains typically 34% ammonium nitrate but mixed with other plant nutrients or combined forms of nitrogen, and the amount can vary. When used correctly, your plants will receive the nitrogen they need for lush green growth. Ammonium nitrate is only available to plants for two to four weeks, so it is usually reused at monthly intervals during the growing season.

What is Ammonium Nitrate?

Not everyone knows what ammonium nitrate is. Let’s take a look at this fertilizer and find out how and where it is used. Ammonium nitrate is a white granular mineral fertilizer with a grey, yellow or pink hue and a diameter of up to four millimeters.

What Is Ammonium Nitrate Used For?

The general public has been using manure with added nitrogen since the 1940s. Nitrogen-containing fertilizer is a simple, easy to produce, and affordable compound highly valued by agronomists. One of the primary sources of nitrogen used on a large scale is ammonium nitrate, which is found in conventional fertilizers such as the compound.

Ammonium nitrate is an odorless, almost transparent salt. Ammonium nitrate, used in the home or commercial gardening, promotes healthy plant growth and provides a constant nitrogen supply from which your plants can benefit, resulting in lush vegetation.

This industrial fertilizer is produced by mixing ammonia gas with nitric acid. A chemical reaction produces concentrated ammonium nitrate.

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer used in granular form is combined with ammonium sulfate to prevent instability.

A pure nitrogen compound contains about 34% ammonium nitrate, although this percentage may vary in manure mixtures containing other vegetable additives or condensed forms of nitrogen.

The correct application provides your plants with the nitrogen they need to create lush leaves. Your plants absorb the ammonium nitrate in the mixture for four weeks, so it is advisable to repeat the application every month throughout the growth period.

How to Apply Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer in Your Garden

Carry out soil surveys in affected areas to obtain precise nitrogen levels in the soil. It can be done by professionals or by using test kits for home use.

Once the nitrogen level in the soil has been determined, an indicative table can be used to verify the ammonium nitrate’s recommended measurement for the land and growing plants.

Fill the spreader with ammonium nitrate granules and adjust its setting so that the manure is evenly distributed.

Open the spreader and move it over the planting surface, applying compost in one layer.

Make another pass by spreading the fertilizer at the right angle to obtain the maximum amount of fertilizer.

Water the plants thoroughly and gently so that the crystals can dissolve and penetrate the soil.

Application Rate

the recognized methods for calculating the amount of each type of nutrient to be used, including ammonium nitrate. The simplest way is to divide the nutrient amount needed in pounds by the percentage of the nutrient in the formula and multiply the results by 100. Find the amount required using the table, which contains the amounts for each type of lawn and area where it is grown. If the result is 6 pounds per 1000 square feet, divide six by 33 (because this is the actual nitrogen concentration in ammonium nitrate) and multiply by 100. The result is about 18 pounds. Divide this result by all applications during the growing season.

Precautions When Using Ammonium Nitrate

It is a dangerous and robust substance used in explosives. During use, close the cover well and keep away from all ignition sources, as misuse can cause an explosion.

When using ammonium nitrate on plants, always use it in a circle, away from open roots.

Always wear gloves to avoid chemical burns.

Store ammonium nitrate when not in use in a cool, dry place.

Dangers of Ammonium Nitrate

If handled correctly, ammonium nitrate does not hurt. However, inhaling large amounts will cause chemical poisoning.

Because of the toxicity of ammonium nitrate, reactions at high concentrations include dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, convulsions, and heart failure.

Ammonium nitrate can cause a fire or explosion. It can ignite highly combustible materials such as fuel oil, wood, and paper.