# Nitrogen choice



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I have a question what would be your choice for a nitrogen source for the first cutting of grass. I was also wondering does anyone use ammonium sulfate as a sole source of nitrogen on your first cutting of grass, I like the sulfur it gives but because it is a bit slow acting does it give the grass that initial kick like needed. On dry fertilizer I sometime use a blend of two nitrogen sources


----------



## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

I just posed that question to the coop. Wanted to know if I could use Ammonium Sulfate to make up the balance of N need after MAP. Way too much S to get there so we will stick with Urea. What I really want is Ammonium Nitrate, just can't get it thanks to Timmy and the bomb. I have also tried CaNH4NO3. unfortunately, it is more expensive here as it is not used much and really clumps bad if it is humid when spread. I did not like the pattern and distribution with the Coop truck. When I spread it myself it was better but it took a while and was not cheap.


----------



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Here we use urea 46-0-0. Earlier this year we put down some DAP which is 18% nitrogen and supplemented later with urea, finishing that application last weekend.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

endrow said:


> I have a question what would be your choice for a nitrogen source for the first cutting of grass. I was also wondering does anyone use ammonium sulfate as a sole source of nitrogen on your first cutting of grass, I like the sulfur it gives but because it is a bit slow acting does it give the grass that initial kick like needed. On dry fertilizer I sometime use a blend of two nitrogen sources


I also use a Nitrogen mixture. Supposedly, Urea is very hard on earthworms.....I do think Urea affects them to some degree, but I do not know how much. A lot of conflicting information to wade through. One thing is for certain, the little worms help with compaction.

Regards, Mike


----------



## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

I never use ammonium sulfate as the sole source of nitrogen for grass hay...too expensive per pound of nitrogen, even if it also provides sulfur. Also it is too acidifying in the soil. Normally I prefer to use ammonium nitrate as the nitrogen source, but, in a pinch, and if a rain is eminent within the next 12 or so hours, I will use urea as the primary nitrogen source blended with sufficient ammonium sulfate to provide about 12 pounds of sulfur per acre.

This past Saturday with Hurricane Barry approaching south Louisiana, and even though my hay meadow is 80 or more miles west of the projected path of Barry, I gambled, rented a fertilizer buggy and put out urea, potash, and sulfur at the rate of 200 lb of 20-0-25 + 6 S from ammonium sulfate with the gamble that sufficient precipitation would wrap around west of Barry's projected path to dissolve the urea and ammonium sulfate and put it into the ground before much of the urea nitrogen would volatilize as ammonia. I won the bet in that several good rain showers occurred Saturday evening to dissolve the urea and ammonium sulfate and move the nitrogen into the soil. A few potash crystals were still visible on the soil surface this evening. The low rate of nitrogen and potash is bc I need only about 50 additional rbs to fill the 50 x 100 hay barn and provide sufficient hay for the next two winter feeding seasons. Hopefully, the second cutting will occur before the army worms appear this year.

For the first cutting of Coastal/common bermudagrass, I applied 90-22.5-112.5 + 12 S per acre and after a prolonged period of frequent rainfall, we cut and baled one hundred and seventy two, about 1200 lb 4x5 rbs off 38.5 acres of hay meadow.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

For the first cutting of Coastal/common bermudagrass, I applied 90-22.5-112.5 + 12 S per acre and after a prolonged period of frequent rainfall, we cut and baled one hundred and seventy two, about 1200 lb 4x5 rbs off 38.5 acres of hay meadow.

Did you weight those 4X5 1200# bales or guesstimate their weight? Irregardless that's some nice production of rd bales per acre.


----------



## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

No, I didn't weigh the rbs, but I intend to do so. The baler operator proposed that the bales might weigh 1,250 lb bc he increased the tension on the baler to make them heavier after previously considering the bales to be about 1,000 lb each . The number of bales was the highest I've ever produced on this acreage bc this is the first cutting I dared make due to lack of a 5 to 6 day rain free window to get the grass dried and into the barn without getting it rained on. So the hay is quantity rather than quality. It took me two full days and two flat front tractor tires to get the bales moved into the barn by moving 8 on a flatbed trailer and one on the front hay spears each trip to the barn.


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

vhaby said:


> No, I didn't weigh the rbs, but I intend to do so.


Please post when you do, I'm curious also.

Larry


----------

