# fertlize ? Replacement for amonia nitrate



## kyfred

I have been shopping for amonia nitrate to find it is not avialable here where we live. In Northern KY. Seems homeland security has done a number on the dealers I have been told. 
They have a replacement for amonia nitrate in the bags. I have to buy in 50lb bags since our hayfields are to steep to pull a fertlize buggy on. 
The nitrate replacement is a combination of ( Urea, Ammonium Sulfate, and nirhsphere) not sure on the spelling of the last word but it is supposed to make the mixture time released instead of a quick shot of nitrogen or possibly the nitrogen from the urea evaporate in the event of no rain for a few days. 
It still carrys the 34-0-0 numbers like amonia nitrate but it is not supposed to be combustable like amonia nitrate. (Thats where homeland security comes in). I was told it doesn't have to have the same plackard on the load since I am going to have to haul it this year instead of being able to buy local since our local dealer is not carrying fertilizer this year.I was told it is non flammable.
Have any of you used this (urea, ammonium sulfate nirhsphere) fertilizer as a replacement for amonia nitrate?
It will be going on our grass type hayfields and some on cow pasture. 
I was wondering if it does as good as amonia nitrate.


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## mlappin

That last word in the mix might be N-serve.


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## LaneFarms

I believe you are talking about a product called nutrisphere-N. It is added to Urea to help control volitization. I have experience with both the Urea and AMS. Urea does not seem to hang around quite as long as AN and is alot lighter and fluffier when put in a spreader. Usually about 3 tons is all we can get in a spreader.Like you in our area there are getting to be fewer dealers able to get AN. AMS has been one of our mainstays in this area, it seems that the sulfur helps with early spring green up. Last year we put out a 27-0-0 on our pastures that was a 50/50 mix of AMS and AN.


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## rjmoses

According to my fertilizer dealer, the insurance, bonding and security requirements to handle ammonium nitrate are outta sight! E.g., he said that the have to have a 10' fence around their AN. The costs are so much that they won't even consider handling it, even on a special order.

Untreated urea evaporates in 3-5 days unless it's rained on. The rain will carry it into the ground. N-serve, Agrotain, and other treatments slow down the evaporation to about two weeks (Agrotain).

This year, I am going to try 28% liquid on my grass hay at the same time I do my wheat before it comes out of dormancy. Urea tends to bridge up in the spreader when the humidity get high if I let it set too long in the buggy.

Ralph


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## Mike120

I've been using the Urea/Nutrisphere combination for a couple of years now. My dealer is only a few miles away and I've been pretty lucky at getting it spread just in front of a rain. I've had it go around me though and the stuff layed in the fields for over a week until I finally got some rain. When I ran the next soil test it didn't appear that I had lost any and I'm pretty satisfied that the stabilizer works.

I've used liquid as well, but I have to drive further and often they don't have applicators available. If you don't get rain with the liquid it will burn the grass, so I'd rather use the Urea/Nutrisphere.


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## nosliw

i used urea in my mix last year and think it was 46-0-0? i had the nutrisphere added. i think they described it to me as a "urease inhibitor". basically limited the loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere.

using urea instead of ammonium nitrate saved me some money.

My guess would be that one would perform just as good as the other. Nitrogen is nitrogen.


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## haybaler101

I have always used urea on grass hay in the spring. Local co-op's have a product called Super U here now which is urea already treated with the urease inhibitor. Timely rain here is not usually a problem in early spring. Never tried 28% liquid on grass hay, but really like the results on wheat. Urea will always be a cheaper alternative to ammonium nitrate. Simple rule, the more concentrated the nitrogen, the cheaper the product is to apply because of less freight to move the actual nitrogen. That is why the corn belt uses a bunch of anhydrous ammonia (82%), because it is the cheapest form of nitrogen.


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## Vol

Fred, I also used urea with nutirsphere last spring on my grass haylands. It was about 5-6 days before it received appreciable rain(supposed to come earlier). My co-op distributor sprayed the additive on as the fert mixed. They said not only does it help in eveaporation but supposedly helped the N release slower into the soil. Anyway, the facts were that it was cheaper and when harvest time came I could tell no appreciable difference from the previous years in tonnage.
Regards, Mike


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## hutch

What is the cost of the nutrisphere?


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## kyfred

I don't know. Maybe someone else could tell you. I was told by Southern States farm store that was the only way I could get the amonia nitrate replacement was with it. The man said the nutrisphere made it non explosive (to where someone could not make a bomb with it) in bag form.


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## Mike120

hutch said:


> What is the cost of the nutrisphere?


If I remember right, I was paying $10/ton for them to add the Nutrisphere. It does add up, but I figured it was cheap insurance and even cheaper than letting it gas off in the field.


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## Vol

Article came out this week in my Tennessee Co-operator monthly paper touting the virtues of Avail(Phosphorous fertilizer enhancer) and NutriSphere-N. Bottom line said that both supplements increase yields by 10-15%. Article went on to say that on RFD TV there will be programs featuring "experts" of both products. Show dates are on Mondays at 7 P.M. Central time on Feb. 21, March 21, Aug.1, and Nov.28. RFD-TV is available on Dish Network channel 231, Direct TV Channel 345 and through many local cable providers. FWIW. Regards, Mike
Also, my co-op charged $9.00/ton to add NutriSphere last year.


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## kenanselm

I am also having problems with finding good spreadable Ammonia Nitrate. I am looking at ESN Nitrate (Urea) which is encapsulated. Crop Production Services sells it down here in WKy. Have you heard of it? You can look it up online.


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## vhaby

nosliw said:


> i used urea in my mix last year and think it was 46-0-0? i had the nutrisphere added. i think they described it to me as a "urease inhibitor". basically limited the loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere.
> 
> using urea instead of ammonium nitrate saved me some money.
> 
> My guess would be that one would perform just as good as the other. Nitrogen is nitrogen.


You are correct to say that nitrogen is nitrogen. And plants cannot tell the difference between nitrogen sources. But, urea is not ammonium nitrate. By that I mean that ammonium nitrate loses very little nitrogen through volatilization as ammonia, possibly as much as 2%. Whereas urea can lose as much as 40% of the applied nitrogen through volatilization as ammonia, even on cold soils. Coating urea with Agrotain, a urease inhibitor, is supposed to delay hydrolysis (taking up water) by up to two weeks. I doubt the effectiveness of Nutrisphere as a urease inhibitor, despite how much it is advertised. In research on hybrid bermudagrass, urea treated with Nutrisphere failed to produce any more yield than untreated urea. In that research we were attempting to apply the treatments at a time when no rain was predicted for as far out as we could get a prediction.

That said, I have been a staunch supporter and user of ammonium nitrate, but following the first cutting of our bermudagrass this year, we applied untreated urea blended with ammonium sulfate sufficient to get 30 lb of sulfur in the blend at a time within 24 or less hours of a rain. We received about 0.2" of rain within 12 hours of treatment and 1.6 inches within 24 hours.

A 50% urea blended with 50% ammonium sulfate to achieve a 34-0-0 plus sulfur is not ammonium nitrate which is 34-0-0.

There are several options for using urea on grass if one cannot get ammonium nitrate. If there is dew on the grass, don't apply urea until the soil surface and the grass both are dry. Urea applied to a dry soil will not hydrolyse and therefore will not volatilize ammonia. When a rain comes, the precipitation will move the urea into the soil. If possible, apply urea when there is a reasonably sure chance for rain to occur within 24 hours after application. If rain is not predictable, treat the urea with Agrotain to delay hydrolysis and volatilization of ammonia from the urea.


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