Ammonium Sulfate users?

[dontsayit_sprayit]

My boss has me using ammonium sulfate as a fertilizer for a quick green up. we're only doing 3 applications in the year up here. what are your thoughts on ammonium sulfate as a whole? also in a 3 step program?
Thanks

[Ric]

Originally Posted by dontsayit_sprayit

My boss has me using ammonium sulfate as a fertilizer for a quick green up. we're only doing 3 applications in the year up here. what are your thoughts on ammonium sulfate as a whole? also in a 3 step program?
Thanks

(NH4)2SO4 Ammonium Sulfate breaks down fast to NO3 and is up taken by the plant very quickly. Therefore it helps to Green up. However it is an acid forming fertilizer because for every 1 pound of N you are applying 1 1/4 Pounds of Sulfur. BTW the Sulfur also helps in green up and is an important part of Photosynthesis. Old school chemistry was Iron Sulfate and Ammonium sulfate to create a Dark Green color. Iron Sulfate tears up your pump and stains everything.

Take Ammonium Sulfate a step farther and note the soluble blend comes in 51 pound bag. The reason goes back the Agriculture and the days of 300 gallon Ag spray tanks. Today most farmers are using 500 tanks. 51 pound in a 300 gallon is 17 pounds per 100 or 0.17 (approx 1/5 #) per gallon as a SURFACTANT. Because Ammonium Sulfate is up taken so fast it acts as a surfactant to help up take the Pesticide being sprayed. Add that 1/5 of a pound of 21-0-0 to Roundup to get a quicker kill. etc.

The Below Picture shows NO3 Ammonium Nitrate as the final stage of Nitrogen being broken down before being Up Taken. 34-0-0 is Ammonium Nitrate and cheaper per pound than 21-0-0 Ammonium Sulfate. Ammonium Nitrate is up taken by the plant quicker than 21-0-0 but doesn't give as quick of a green up.






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[greendoctor]

Originally Posted by dontsayit_sprayit

My boss has me using ammonium sulfate as a fertilizer for a quick green up. we're only doing 3 applications in the year up here. what are your thoughts on ammonium sulfate as a whole? also in a 3 step program?
Thanks

How long is your growing season and how much N are you putting down with the ammonium sulfate? Ammonium nitrogen can have a substantial residual in certain types of soil. However, I use it as part of a spoon feeding program on grass that is growing 12 months out of the year. For northern areas, the best use of ammonium sulfate seems to be as part of the winterizer that feeds the grass for the winter and preps it for a good start in spring. I use it because it supplies sulfur and does things to soil chemistry that I need. Unless your soil is based on or is on top of limestone, you need to watch for rising soil acidity. Ammonium sulfate is a very good way to acidify soil.

[cgaengineer]

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[RAlmaroad]

Northern soils are notoriously acidic except around the coast. A serious pH test would determine where Ammonium sulfate vs. Ammonium nitrate should be used. Blue grass will burn if an excess of Ammonium Nitrate is overdone. Your boss may know this and is why so insist ant to use the Sulfate. However, you'd be wasting your other fertilize should you already have a low pH. The Ammonium Sulfate will lower the pH even further and lock up the other fertilizer components and natural or added micros due ionization of root walls. This tends to show up in a fast greenup then a yellowing of the grass. We use Ammonium Sulfate on coastal area where pH tend to run closer to 7.0. Most grasses like a pH of around 6.0 or slightly acidic. Are you not using any Potassium? Potassium is needed as much or more than Nitrogen for a healthy lawn. I realize that just the use of Ammonium Sulfate would be a cheap showing of color but short lived. Potassium is root food. That soil test would indicate to need for phosphate also. Seems like you are starving the clients lawn if only using A.S....I couldn't do that just to make an easy buck and would do it professionally and correct or get out but I have very high standards for the industry and believe in being forthright with clients on cost and the health of turf and probably see more ER cases than healthy lawns. Sorry for the rant but the truth hurts.

[Hineline]

Big fan of A/S back off in the heat of summer but spring, fall, winter dormant there is no better.

[Ric]

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The reason Urea CO(NH2)2 isn't used for spring green up is soil temperature. Urea needs microbial activity to break it down to NO3 to be up taken by the plant. The Beneficial Microbes that break down urea are inactive in colder soils.

My soil being a calcareous sandy has a natural pH of 9.5. Therefore I want all my fertilizer to be acid forming. Therefore I use Ammonium Sulfate year round and want a high percentage in any fertilizer blend I use whether I mix it myself or buy it. Being in South Florida my soil never gets cold enough to stop microbial activity and Urea can be used year round effectively unlike the North.

Part of our Calcareous sandy soil is the lack of CEC or Chemical holding power. Therefore our fertilizer must be spoon fed or it leached out very quickly.



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