What are the common mistakes in urea application? These errors should be avoided
Urea is a high-quality nitrogen fertilizer with a nitrogen content of more than 45%. It has a long history of use in agricultural production and is applied in large amounts, but many farmer friends do not fully understand its properties, so there are some mistakes in the application process. Let's take a look together below.
1. Mixing with ammonium bicarbonate and alkaline fertilizers
After urea is applied to the soil, it cannot be directly absorbed by crops. It needs to be transformed by soil microorganisms before it can be taken up. Its transformation speed is affected by soil properties and can be fast or slow, and among these, an alkaline environment is much slower than an acidic environment. Ammonium bicarbonate, after application, causes the soil to become alkaline, so it greatly slows down the transformation speed of urea, causing fertilizer loss and volatilization. Similarly, the same is true for alkaline fertilizers. After application, they also cause the soil to become alkaline and slow down the transformation speed of urea. The correct approach is to apply urea and alkaline fertilizers at staggered times. In summer and autumn, they generally need to be staggered by 3-4 days, while in winter, 7-8 days are needed.
2. Broadcast application and use as seed fertilizer
Many farmers, for convenience, directly broadcast urea on the ground when applying it. This is a huge mistake. Urea broadcast on the ground needs several days of transformation before it can be absorbed by crops. Moreover, during the transformation process, a large amount of volatilization also occurs, and the general utilization rate is only about one third. If it is an alkaline environment, then the amount of volatilization will be even greater. The correct fertilization method for urea should be hole application beside the seedlings or furrow application at the side of the seedlings, with a depth of about 10-15 cm. Many farmer friends also like to use it as seed fertilizer. Urea produces a small amount of biuret during production. Once the content of this substance exceeds 2%, it will poison seeds and seedlings, affecting seed germination and seedling growth, and in severe cases causing seedling death. Therefore, urea is not suitable as seed fertilizer. If it is used, direct contact with seeds should also be avoided, and the amount used should also be controlled.
3. Watering after application
As we said earlier, urea is an amide nitrogen fertilizer. After application, it needs to be transformed into ammonium nitrogen before it can be absorbed by crops. This transformation time varies with the environment, generally between 2-10 hours. If watering is done immediately after fertilization, then urea will dissolve in the water and be lost in large amounts, causing waste of fertilizer. The correct approach is not to water immediately after fertilization. Generally, in summer and autumn, water 2-3 days after fertilization, while in winter, when temperatures are low, 7-8 days are needed.
4. Application on celery
Celery needs a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing during the growing period, but urea must not be applied, because topdressing with urea will increase and thicken celery fibers, age the plants, slow growth, and also give it a withered taste when eaten, resulting in poor quality. The correct approach is to apply ammonium bicarbonate, ammonia water and organic fertilizer, which helps improve quality.
The above is an introduction to common mistakes in urea application. I hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.