One of the important conditions for obtaining a good harvest of berries, vegetables and fruits is additional nutrition of the soil and plants. And if earlier the choice was limited to ordinary organics, now modern mineral fertilizers have come to the rescue of gardeners and gardeners , significantly improving the results of the seasonal harvest. One of the most sought-after balanced agrochemicals is urea (urea). That is why novice farmers wonder about urea, what it is. Is this substance suitable, for example, for caring for a garden or lawn?
Urea Fertilizer: Benefits
The benefits of this tool are many. When choosing mineral compositions, it is important to know about urea that this is not only the most positive effect on plants, but also the convenience of uniform distribution in the soil. Organic fertilizing, unlike granular urea, is difficult to distribute evenly in the soil, which can lead to an unsatisfactory crop. In addition, urea has a long-lasting effect, so it slowly gives away mineral components to garden crops.
So what is urea
Let's give a brief description: urea - what kind of substance it is, what are its characteristics and appearance. This nitrogen fertilizer in the form of white or translucent crystals is odorless and dissolves quickly enough in ordinary water and ammonia, as well as sulfur dioxide. Melts at a temperature of 132.7 ° C.
The urea fertilizer has the chemical formula (NH2) 2CO and is obtained industrially by the synthesis of carbon dioxide and ammonia. Of particular value is the high content of concentrated nitrogen (46%), which is so important for plant life. Of the other names for urea, the most common is urea, as well as carbonic diamide.
The use of urea (urea)
And yet, urea - what is it: a harmful or useful chemical substance, and can it be used as fertilizer for a lawn or garden? Where is it most often used?
(NH2) 2CO is widely demanded in crop production, horticulture, animal husbandry, as a complete nutrition for lawn, an additive in industrial resin synthesis, the manufacture of fiberboard, thermal power plants, etc. In addition, urea is used in medicine as one of the components of individual sleeping pills and anti-cancer drugs, and in the food industry - for the production of chewing gum. In other words, the benefits of urea are obvious.
Fertilizer storage, safety measures
Large-scale production of urea and other nitrogen-containing substances according to state standards in the Russian Federation is carried out by chemical enterprises of Perm, Tolyatti, Cherepovets, Novomoskovsk.
To prevent the product from caking during storage, its release in the form of granules packaged in moisture-proof bags is provided. By the way, the granular state of the substance facilitates uniform sprinkling on the surface of garden soil, improving the yield of agricultural products.
The packaging can be paper bitumen or laminated, as well as urea fertilizer is well preserved in ordinary plastic bags, even in the open. The main requirement for storage conditions is protection against moisture, and during bulk storage it is important to prevent mixing with other compounds. The usual period of use of urea is six months, but retail products can maintain their qualities for about 2 years.
In order to ensure safety when working with nitrogen fertilizer, basic protective equipment should be worn, such as overalls and shoes, rubber or cotton gloves, and a respirator. If such measures are followed, burns and poisoning can be avoided.
Autumn garden treatment
Processing the garden in the fall with urea can be carried out with a solution or dry powder. In any case, this is an excellent tool for periodically spraying plums, apple trees, pears, starting in early spring, until the buds open. Then the processing of the garden is carried out after fruit setting and in late autumn. A urea solution will help protect the future crop from all kinds of harmful insects. It is also a good top dressing.
Processing the garden in the fall with urea is carried out as follows. Nitrogen fertilizer (500-700 grams) is bred into a 10-liter bucket of water and finely sprayed on a tree and the ground around the trunk. It is best to do this procedure in late autumn, in October-November, at a temperature not lower than +10 degrees.
Urea for fruit trees
Spring garden care will help get rid of pest larvae in the soil. In addition, urea will somewhat slow down the spillage, for example, of plums, which will protect the early flowering tree from frost.
To protect apples, plums, pears and cherries from aphids, leafworms, apple blossoms and other pests, trees are sprayed at the end of flowering, after about a week.
Carbamide concentrations of 7-10% are used for processing in late autumn, which is an important factor in preparing the garden for the next season. The result is increased frost resistance, healthy development of trees and fruits.
Urea for the garden
Organics are important for the nutrition of plants grown in the garden, but this is not enough for the excellent harvest of farm labor.
Urea fertilizer is widely used for growing vegetables as a complete supplement. For zucchini, two-time treatment with a liquid solution during fruit set is optimal, and an interval of 10-12 days is sufficient.
For beets, a combination of urea (1 tablespoon) with potassium chloride (15 g) and boric acid (5 g) will be ideal, which will strengthen the culture and will contribute to the good development of leaf surfaces. A yield increase of at least 20% can be achieved by fertilizing the soil with zinc, manganese and copper sulfates in a proportion of 10/10/10 g per 10 liter bucket of water.
Cucumbers are more whimsical, therefore, to obtain a good result, they require an integrated approach. Spraying with urea will qualitatively improve and greatly accelerate the fruiting period. Greenhouse cucumbers will develop well thanks to regular foliar feeding already at the 5th week at least 2 times a month. The dosage of mineral compounds is easy to determine independently, based on the recommendations on the packaging. The composition may include: urea, potassium top dressing, superphosphates and nitrate.
For tomatoes, it is useful to prepare liquid urea for spraying garden crops lagging behind in development (1 tbsp. Spoon) at an approximate consumption of 10 l of solution per dozen bushes.
Berry bushes
Urea can be processed favorite berries of all: strawberries, gooseberries, currants and others. This will contribute to abundant flowering and an excellent harvest in the coming season. For example, in August, strawberries are well fertilized with granular urea (30 g).
For gooseberries and currants, a spray solution is prepared: 1 tbsp. urea and 2 grams of zinc sulfate and boric acid. They perform the procedure during the ovary and flowering, which accelerates growth by 10-20% and improves the yield.
Urea as a fertilizer for flowers
Those who are engaged in popular garden flowers or want to surround their home with a beautiful lawn will find it useful to know that roses, cloves, lilacs and delicate lawn grass also require seasonal soil replenishment with mineral nitrogen fertilizer.
For a rose, additional nutrition is important during a period of abundant flowering, which can be carried out every 2 weeks from its beginning with a weak solution of urea, as well as potassium and phosphorus.
Clove cuttings already a month and a half after planting need weekly spraying with urea (50 g) and mullein (1:10).
From mid-May, when the lilac buds begin to swell, the bushes can be sprayed 3-4 times with an interval of 10 days with a 1% solution of urea, and then the garden will delight with lush flowering for a long time and fragrant with a charming bittersweet aroma.
To create a neat, bright green lawn, urea as a fertilizer for the lawn is sprayed onto the stems and foliage in the proportion indicated on the package with the composition.
Urea fertilizer price
The price for nitrogen fertilizer urea varies depending on the season and volume (wholesale or retail) - from about 7 to 17 thousand rubles per ton. It is most advantageous to buy this product in advance, in the late autumn, and put it in storage in a dry room. This is the only way to save a significant amount of money, since the spring deficit will certainly cause a rise in the price tag.
Urea is a unique nitrogen-containing fertilizer suitable for almost any soil. It has a stimulating effect on the growth of horticultural crops, saturating them with necessary microelements, but at the same time inhibits the propagation of weeds. Being affordable, relatively inexpensive additional nutrition and protection of garden plants, urea remains in first place among other mineral compounds.