Treating plants with urea: how to dilute and apply urea to benefit different crops

There are big problems with organics due to a significant decline in the development of livestock farming, which forms the bulk of organics. But mineral fertilizers come to the rescue. Fortunately, acquiring them will not be difficult, if only you had the means! Summer residents, mostly pensioners, try to buy cheaper mineral water. There is a wide range of chemical mineral fertilizers on the market – both single-component, containing one element, and complex, with a full range of macro- and microelements. The main thing is to make the right decision and, without spending extra money, bring maximum benefit to the plants without harm to humans.

Urea: what is it and in what cases is it used

Urea or carbamide is a mineral fertilizer with the highest nitrogen content (at least 46%). The scientific name is carbonic acid diamide. Chemical formula: (NH2)2CO or H2N-CO-NH2. Synthesized from carbon dioxide and ammonia. It is of great importance for plant growth as a source of nitrogen, affecting the growth of green vegetative mass and the growth of the entire plant.

Regardless of the manufacturer, the fertilizer is large, 1.5–4.5 mm, white (sometimes light, grayish or completely colorless) odorless granules. Recently, urea tablets have been available on sale (it is claimed that they are of higher quality), coated with an easily soluble coating that prevents the rapid volatilization of nitrogen. This made the application even more convenient, but more expensive. Urea is available in two types – A and B. Type B is used in gardening.

Signs of plants indicating nitrogen deficiency

1. Stunted growth. Trees and shrubs have short, weak and thin shoots.
2. Reduced yield due to premature entry of plants into the flowering phase.
3. The leaf apparatus acquires a pale green color, the leaves become smaller.
4. The lower leaves often fall off.
5. The buds are underdeveloped, there are very few of them on the shoots.

Yellowing of leaf blades – indication for application

Pros and cons of using urea (urea)

Positive properties of urea.

1. Requirements for storage conditions. When stored correctly (dry place, closed container) it does not cake, maintaining good flowability of the granules.
2. Supplying soil with nitrogen. Decomposing in the soil, it supplies the soil with nitrogen in a form easily accessible to plants.
3. Good solubility. It dissolves well in liquids (water) and moist soil. The speed of this process is greatly influenced by temperature conditions: water for irrigation, soil, environment, and the condition of the plant.
4. Versatility. It has the property of forming solutions not only based on water, but also based on other liquids (for example, alcohol). Easily combines with other substances of organic and inorganic origin. You can combine fertilizer with the application of manure, sodium nitrate, potassium chloride, superphosphate and other substances that do not contain lime and calcium. It can be used either in liquid form or by simply adding dry granules to moist soil or followed by watering.
5. Safety. Does not cause burns to leaves when the solution gets on them.
6. Slower onset of flowering. Spring spraying with urea helps slow down the flowering process, preventing flowers from falling off during possible spring frosts. This is fraught with the loss of the entire harvest or part of it.

Despite all the positive aspects, the fertilizer also has some disadvantages:

1. High volatility. This is the main drawback of the drug. It evaporates very easily from the surface of the soil and is just as quickly washed out of the soil. Therefore, the drug is applied in the spring, and not in the fall, with quick incorporation into the soil or rapid watering.
2. Soil acidification. With prolonged, and especially uncontrolled application, soil acidification occurs, requiring additional costs for the application of deoxidizers.
3. Decreased germination. An excessive increase in the dose of urea can lead to poor seed germination and reduced germination.

When is the best time to apply urea in spring?

Nitrogen strongly activates the growth of green mass of plants. Plants in the spring need to stimulate the formation of vegetative mass. With excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers, a process of “fatification” is often observed, when green bushes reach enormous sizes to the detriment of crop formation.

Gardeners often complain: they added a lot of manure (also a good source of nitrogen), fed them with urea (again, nitrogen). The plants stand tall and beautiful, the foliage is bright green, but there is no harvest. In this case, all the plant’s forces have gone into the development of the vegetative mass, and it has neither the strength nor the desire to bear fruit. Therefore, urea is mainly applied in the spring before flowering begins. It is not recommended to treat plants with urea in the fall before wintering, so as not to cause unnecessary growth of young shoots that may freeze in winter.

How to feed urea in liquid and granular form: a cheat sheet for summer residents

Urea has found wide use among gardeners and farmers due to its low cost and ease of use. For the same reason, some land owners sometimes try to replace the lack of other fertilizers with this nitrogen representative, which is fundamentally wrong and harmful. When using this drug, it is very important to follow the correct dosage and frequency of use.

The fertilizer is used on almost any type of soil. But well-moistened turf, loamy and clayey, heated soils with low acidity (neutral and close to alkaline) are preferred. The following is the algorithm:

1. In early spring (one and a half to two weeks before sowing), the granules are evenly scattered over the surface of the soil and embedded to a depth of about 10 cm.
2. When planting seedlings or seedlings, urea is poured into planting holes (up to 4 g of the drug), followed by mixing with soil and watering.
3. Typically, 30–50 g of granules are used to prepare a nutrient solution, dissolving them in a bucket (10 l) of water. This fertilizing is applied by spraying on the leaves during the growing season of plants, spending up to 10–15 ml per plant, before flowering or by watering under the bush. When applied dry per 10 sq. M is distributed in 50–100 g of the drug. The granules are scattered onto pre-watered soil and embedded to a depth of about 10 cm. In this case, the drug does not evaporate, quickly dissolves and enters the soil.

How to dilute urea to fertilize different crops: a clear table

Urea cannot be applied equally to all crops, and especially not without control. Each crop reacts differently and at different times to nitrogen deficiency:

We treat with urea against pests and diseases

A solution of urea is often used as a fungicide against fungal infections and an insecticide to destroy pests: insect larvae, aphid eggs, and weevils. Only in this case should you use a more concentrated solution. For example, you can treat garden plantings in the spring before the buds swell by dissolving at least half a kilogram of the drug in 10 liters of water. In the fall, after the leaves have fallen, it is advisable to carry out a similar treatment of trees and shrubs. Below we will talk about carrying out health spraying of pumpkin crops against peronosporosis and bacteriosis.

For the prevention and subsequent control of a very common fungal disease of pumpkins – downy mildew (peronospora) and bacteriosis, especially in the presence of weakened plants, we have developed and conducted many years of successful trials of foliar fertilizing. At the first signs of the disease, dissolve 30 g of urea and 2 g of microfertilizers (copper sulfate, potassium permanganate and boric acid) in 10 liters of lukewarm water and foliar spray the foliage.

With further development of the infection or to prevent the disease, treatment with the composition should be repeated 1-2 more times in two weeks, increasing the dose of urea to 50 g. This fertilizing leads to the activation of nitrogen metabolism processes, stimulates moderate growth of plant vines and helps to increase their productivity.

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Read also our other articles about fertilizers:

Azofoska: how, when and why to use an effective fertilizer

Bordeaux mixture: how to properly prepare and use an effective fungicide

Ash as a fertilizer: for vegetables, trees, flowers, soil, seedlings, against weeds, diseases and pests

Iron and copper sulfate: when to use and how to dilute
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Do you use urea? Share your feedback with other gardeners in the comments.