How to feed garlic with ammonium nitrate in the spring

Content

1 Is it possible to feed garlic with ammonium nitrate in the spring?
2 Advantages
3 Flaws
4 Timing for feeding garlic with ammonium nitrate
5 Soil preparation
6 How to dilute ammonium nitrate to feed garlic
7 How to properly feed garlic with ammonium nitrate
8 Recommendations from gardeners
9 Storage
10 Conclusion

Ammonium nitrate for garlic in the spring is a granular fertilizer that quickly saturates the soil with an easily accessible form of nitrogen, which the crop needs to increase vegetative mass and increase the size of the bulbs. To ensure the effectiveness of fertilizing, you need to know the rules for using this agrochemical.

Nitrogen deficiency in the soil can be determined by the appearance of the plant

Is it possible to feed garlic with ammonium nitrate in the spring?

At the beginning of the growing season, all crops, including bulbous ones, need nitrogen, which plants need for rapid growth and active growth of the above-ground part.

Feeding garlic in early spring with ammonium nitrate, which contains, in addition to nitrogen (30%), other minerals - sulfur (15%), calcium, potassium and magnesium, which also participate in the process of plant vegetation, helps to satisfy this need. Sulfur promotes better nitrogen absorption, while calcium and magnesium help increase resistance to common diseases.

It is for this reason that the use of this agrochemical in the process of spring feeding is one of the important measures in crop farming.

Small granules help replenish the deficiency of nutrients in the soil

Advantages

It is not for nothing that ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer for garlic is considered one of the favorite spring feeding preparations for gardeners. In addition to quickly saturating the soil with nitrogen, this mineral complex has a number of other advantages:

contains minerals necessary for active growth, full development, and fruiting of bulbous plants;
this is a relatively inexpensive and accessible means for feeding both spring and winter garlic, which can be bought at any garden store;
using such mineral fertilizer is easy and simple (can be used dry or in the form of an aqueous solution);
the drug dissolves well not only in water, but also in moist soil;
universality of the fertilizer (can be used to fertilize almost all garden crops);
this agrochemical can be combined with potash and phosphorus fertilizers, creating a complete NPK complex.

Unlike organic substances, which have a beneficial effect only at above-zero temperatures, ammonium nitrate (another name for ammonium nitrate) works in any weather. That is why in the spring, when winter garlic experiences so-called mineral starvation, this fertilizer is used to feed it.

Attention! Ammonium nitrate can even be spread on snow. Thanks to its chemical formula, the drug easily overcomes snow cover and reaches the ground, providing it with useful elements.

Fertilizing with ammonium nitrate does not take much time

Flaws

Despite the large number of advantages, ammonium nitrate also has disadvantages.

The main disadvantage of this agrochemical is its ability to disrupt the soil structure. As a result of prolonged use of nitrate, there is an accumulation of salts in the soil and an increase in its acidity. And too acidic soil is known to create the likelihood of developing fungal diseases.

The list of disadvantages also includes the fact that this fertilizer is quickly washed away by groundwater, which sometimes becomes the reason that the plant does not have time to obtain the amount of mineral elements it needs. Experts do not recommend watering garlic with saltpeter too often in the spring, as this can lead to excessive growth of vegetative mass to the detriment of fruiting.

In addition, fertilizing the soil in beds with bulbous crops with this preparation alone will not be able to satisfy the plants’ needs for other microelements. In this regard, there is a need to use additional mineral complexes.

Warning! Do not mix saltpeter with flammable materials - peat, straw or sawdust, as this may cause a fire.

You must use saltpeter strictly according to the instructions.

Timing for feeding garlic with ammonium nitrate

The timing of spring feeding of garlic with ammonium nitrate varies depending on the type of crop. For example, winter garlic is fertilized immediately after the snow melts.

The spring crop is first fed at the time of planting, incorporating fertilizer into the soil before making planting furrows.

Subsequently, the plantings are regularly fed with saltpeter throughout the entire growing season, using it as the main fertilizer or an additional source of nutrients.

The second time, fertilizers are applied three weeks after emergence (for spring garlic) or three weeks after the first feeding (for winter garlic).

The plant is fed the third time two weeks after the formation of garlic greens. And in the latter, saltpeter is added to the soil no later than 14 days before harvesting.

Attention! If ammonium nitrate can be added in its pure form to alkaline soil, then when growing garlic in acidic soil it is better to dilute it by half with organic matter.

Fertilizer can be diluted with compost

Soil preparation

In order for fertilizing to benefit garlic, the soil must be properly prepared before adding ammonium nitrate.

3-4 days before planting the spring crop, granules are embedded in the soil at the rate of 40 g of dry matter per 1 square meter. m. When using organic substances (compost, rotted manure, etc.) during planting, the rate of saltpeter for garlic is halved.

For spring feeding of winter garlic, the beds are watered with an aqueous solution of fertilizer on pre-moistened soil.

Attention! In rainy weather, there is no need to water the beds before fertilizing.

How to dilute ammonium nitrate to feed garlic

The process of preparing an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate is not particularly difficult. To do this, 30 g of the dry drug is diluted in a small amount of water. After the granules are completely dissolved, add another amount of liquid so that the total volume of fertilizer is 10 liters.

Advice! The working solution must be prepared immediately before use.

Wear gloves when working with chemicals

How to properly feed garlic with ammonium nitrate

Ammonium nitrate is small white granules that dissolve without residue. In addition, ammonium nitrate is able to saturate the soil with nitrogen only after interacting with water.

There are several ways to apply fertilizer to the soil:

In dry form directly into the ground when planting spring garlic. This will be the first feeding.
Dry on snow (first feeding of winter garlic).
In the grooves made between the rows of garlic. In this case, dry granules are embedded in the soil to a depth of 3 cm, and then watered abundantly (gardeners recommend using this method for the second feeding).
Foliar application with an aqueous solution of the drug (for the third and fourth).

You can feed garlic with ammonium nitrate leaf by leaf only if there are obvious signs of nitrogen starvation (yellowing of leaves, slower growth, deterioration in the general condition of plants). This procedure should be carried out very carefully so as not to burn the flower arrows.

Ammonium nitrate can be mixed with potassium (potassium sulfate) or phosphorus preparations (superphosphates) to prepare a complete NPK complex. However, they should be connected immediately before embedding into the soil.

Attention! At the first signs of an increase in soil acidity, fertilizing garlic with ammonium nitrate should be stopped.

The method of applying fertilizer depends on the time of feeding

Recommendations from gardeners

Despite the generally accepted rules for growing garlic, professional vegetable growers are constantly coming up with new ways to increase the yield of this crop.

To get a good harvest of large bulbs, gardeners recommend:

Feed garlic with ammonium nitrate in spring in combination with urea. This will not only increase the yield, but also improve the taste of the fruit.
Do not spray plants unless absolutely necessary with a solution of this agrochemical during the period of shoot formation.
When using a dry preparation, be sure to incorporate ammonium nitrate into the soil. Otherwise, nitrogen will quickly evaporate, and fertilizing will be useless.

Advice! Ideally, embed ammonium nitrate to a depth of at least 5 cm.

You can watch the video on how to fertilize garlic with ammonium nitrate.

Storage

Ammonium nitrate should be stored in hermetically sealed packaging in a well-ventilated, dry and cool place.

Considering the explosive nature of the substance, the drug should be protected from mechanical influences (impacts, jolts, shaking). Also, it is not recommended to keep it near flammable materials.

The shelf life of the dry substance is six months; the prepared working solution quickly loses its beneficial properties, so it should be used within 24 hours.

Special attention should be paid to storing saltpeter

Conclusion

Ammonium nitrate for garlic in the spring is a good way to eliminate nitrogen starvation and active growth of the crop. The correct dosage and proper use of this fertilizer will help you get an excellent harvest of large and juicy heads.