Back to green again!

   








Sunday, 4-11-2010

Thur morning, 4-15-2010

Thur afternoon, 4-15-2010I gave in and started using some chemicals on the lawn and garden this week. Everything was looking rather faded. Know from last year's experience that it likely would not survive if I didn't do something about it.

I had watched a documentary called "King Corn" about two guys who grew one acre of commercial corn. One thing I learned was that commercial growers use as much as 125 lbs per acre of anhydrous ammonia per year, which accelerates plant growth. Now, I have no urge to get anywhere near that amount. It results in runoff which causes a lot of problems in the environment. Anhydrous ammonia is the same as household ammonia but about 5x stronger. To equal that, I would have to use roughly 200 lbs of household strength ammonia for my 1/3 acre. As of now, I've used less than 1 lb of household strength ammonia but with awesome results!

Healthy soil contains ammonia. If you apply commercial fertilizer, look at the label. At least some part of it comes from ammonia. If you apply animal waste, you are applying ammonia. There is also ammonia in the air around us, naturally occurring. However, desert soil is notoriously low in ammonia and is very alkaline.

For that reason, I also added vinegar to the mixture I applied. I only used a small amount mixed in a hose type garden sprayer to dilute it, then applied it. At first, I tried it on the grass only. I had good results in the test area in one day. The next morning, I applied it to the rest of the lawn. By that afternoon, I could see a dramatic difference. So, I applied the mixture to the whole garden in the evening. Not much difference could be seen overnight because the ammonia helps with the process of photosynthesis. But by the following afternoon, I could visibly see accelerated growth of both existing and new plants.

Unfortunately, it does accelerate weed growth, as well.

The pictures above tell the story. Everything in the garden has accelerated and become greener. Lettuce is growing like crazy and I'm going to have to thin it out. Corn is growing taller at a rapid rate. Existing pea plants have grown taller and new sprouts have shown up. I know that some of these things are following a natural progression and new sprouts had to be ready to show in the first place but things are definitely happening much faster than they were.

At the low cost of these materials, this is something I can apply as often as needed. I will continue composting and applying that. The garden still needs organic materials and nutrients which this mixture will not provide. I am still avoiding chemical weed killers and pesticides.

Some words of caution- If you follow suit and use ammonia and vinegar for your garden or lawn, watch for certain things.
Be sure your soil is alkaline. Test it or have it tested before applying.
Don't use too much of either chemical. Use a small amount in a hose type garden sprayer. Better to use too little than too much. You can always apply more later if that happens.
Check your label. Be sure you're buying/using pure ammonia with no added detergents. Do not use ammonia based cleaners, which can kill everything.
If you can actually smell the ammonia or vinegar while spraying, your mixture is too strong. Stop applying, water it down and try again.
Only apply just before sunset or early in the morning.
Test one limited area before applying everywhere. Give it at least a day to see the results before continuing.
You may want to apply either or both of these, then water over again to rinse the vinegar off the leaves and help the chemicals get down to the roots.