Citric Acid

[southgalawn]

I plan to use 50 lbs. ammonium sulfate, 50 lbs. potassium nitrate, 3 lbs. manganese sulfate, and iron and micros per acre. I will decrease rates depending on the weather. I am wanting to add citric acid to this mix. I will not be able to run the irrigation immediately after treating but I can leave instructions for customers to run irrigation the following morning. Would citric acid be possible in this scenario and if so what rate and water volume would I need? Treating mostly Centipede.

 

[greendoctor]

Cut your Ammonium Sulfate to no more than 10 lb and the Potassium Nitrate to no more than 10 lb if you are not in total control of when irrigation runs

 

[greendoctor]

Minimum water volume is 50 gallons per acre

 

[southgalawn]

Thanks. I currently spray at 4 gallons per 1,000. Can I add citric acid to this also? And if so what would be a safe rate?

 

[greendoctor]

Oh. If you are spraying at 4 gallons/M the mix you proposed above is fine with up to 10 lb Citric acid per acre. I thought you were going to do this low volume. Assumption is the mother of all screw ups

 

[southgalawn]

Haha. I used that mix last year (without citric acid) and it work well. I started getting a little tip burn when it got hot so I cut the rates back in middle of summer. I'm assuming the tip burn was coming from the potassium nitrate?

 

[The Green One]

Ammonium, converted to ammonia can also cause "tip burn".

Follow Greendoc's recommendations, lowering rates and in addition to adding CA, you may want to add a pound of Humic Acid as well to your 175 gallon mix/Acre, to "Stabilize" the Ammonium.

Green ON!

 

[greendoctor]

Ammonium, converted to ammonia can also cause "tip burn".

Follow Greendoc's recommendations, lowering rates and in addition to adding CA, you may want to add a pound of Humic Acid as well to your 175 gallon mix/Acre, to "Stabilize" the Ammonium.

Green ON!

Careful on adding Humic to that mix. Humic will bind up the micronutrients unless they are chelated a specific way. Humic is also extremely likely to fall out of solution if put into a solution containing acids, Over the years, I have created insoluble bricks by adding Humic to fertilizer mixes containing Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron and Manganese. Just one of those elements in the tank is enough to brick the mix. I have also created messes by trying to spray Citric Acid for pH correction and Humic at the same time.

 

[The Green One]

Hey Doc,

Indeed with Phosphates and Calcium Nitrate and Sulfates/Calcium Nitrate. I have not had that experience with The CA,HA,AS blend. The HA I use is Potassium Humate.

Will do a Jar test in a gallon jug.

10 pounds: 4800 grams Divided by 175 Gallons is 27.5 grams by weight into the gallon of mix. A pound of product would be 2.7 grams into the gallon mix.

Metric conversions make it simple.

The Brick lesson was learned many years ago. Much to (still) learn.