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Minnesota

I was thinking of buying anomium sulphate by Hi-Yield for nitrogen, seemed o'k to me, was just wondering if anybody uses it.

2/18/2009 2:01:51 PM

Ham Lake, Minnesota

Richard, I believe anything 'sulphate' will lower your soil pH. I think most people end up trying to push their pH up for pumpkins.

2/18/2009 2:14:40 PM

Columbus,ohio

If you back a few pages I put the stuff on my small plant when I didn't know much...Put about a handfull near the stump and almost killed it.

2/18/2009 2:42:14 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Richard, use the "site search" area and you will find some results...ammonium sulphate....

2/18/2009 3:28:01 PM

Minnesota

thanks

2/18/2009 3:35:21 PM

Minnesota

I bought some urea, good deal, 3.55 for 5 pounds.

2/18/2009 6:26:30 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

Richard,

Ammonium sulfate is a very good product on AG's. I have been using 3-7 lbs per 1000 ft2 in late May early June, depending on how much N I thought was there from the manure/compost I applied in the fall. The sulfur can tend to lower pH over time, however there really isn't all that much sulfur so this is not really a concern. If your soil is high pH like mine (origional soil is 8.1), you want the sulfur anyway.

The trick to soil applied nitrogen for AG's is that you want it there to promote rapid vine growth in June, but if you have too much residual N in July, you will have problems with pollination. Ammonium Sulfate is fast release and is pretty well gone in 3-4 weeks after application.

I would be very careful with Urea. Urea is 46% N as apposed to 21% of AMS, so you would only apply 1/2 as much. The Urea Nitrogen is not availale to the plant until it has time to break down in the soil to ammonium and to nitrate. This makes urea much slower release. Urea will often persist in the soil for as long as 8-10 weeks, depending on soil moisture and temperature. If you are going to use urea, apply it as soon as you till your patch in early May.

John

2/18/2009 10:04:42 PM

Wi

I'll just throw this out there regarding nitrogen. I believe it's pretty well accepted that N feeds disease. Knowing I have disease issues I used ZERO nitrogen in one area of my patch last season. That particular plant literally pushed the vine tips across the ground. Everything was limp and dragging on the ground from I assume lack of nitrogen. That plant grew a 1200# taping pumpkin by the first of Sept. Take it for what it's worth I guess. More than one way to skin a cat.

2/18/2009 10:19:24 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

I don't buy into this 'N feeds disease' thing. There is no doubt that over fed, nitrogen bloated plants are more suseptable to disease, however the N dosn't 'feed' it!

I think proper nitrogen rates are a very important part of growing a big pumpkin. If you look at many of the HH's, they are applying some nitrogen rich manures in the fall, i.e. chicken manure. This type of manure carries a lot of nitrogen over to the next season. The plants can't tell weather the nitrogen is organic or synthetic. All it knows is that it needs N to maximize growth. The real challange is figuring out the correct combinations of the manure/ compost material you have and the additions of synthetic materials to make up the diferance if necessary.

I see a lot of begining growers post on here and ask about adding chemical ferts or water soluables. There are growers here who will steer them away from them, saying "the big boys don't do that" or "organic is the way to go". Well, the fact is that these plants need large amounts of nutriants. If your soil is built up over time, like many of the HH's patches, you will not need any or very little granualar or water soluable ferts. There is already plenty there. If you have a new, unamended patch, the carefull addition of sythetic ferts may be necessary to get even modest results.

The answer is that you need the right amount of N. For most of us this is a trial an error, experiance driven exercise. In my case, I have found that along with heavy compost applications (in the range of 5-7 tons per 1000ft2 in the fall) the addition of 5 or so lbs/ 1000ft2 AMS works very well and does not promote disease or reduce pollinations.

John

2/19/2009 1:08:09 PM

Minnesota

Thanks, the guy I bought it from said a little go's along way, I probably would'nt use that much.

2/19/2009 2:07:02 PM

Saegertown Pa.

In the past I have had my soil tested by a plant pathologist and this is some of the recommendations for control of fuarium and pythium and rhizoctonia
1.Add aged mauure + composted materials, if partialy composted or raw manure is applied , pythium will be increased.
2. Make sure that nitrogen is applied at recmmended rates only. Do not over-fertiliza with nitrogen fertilizers. If possible use a slow release form of nitrogen.Excess nitrogen in the soil will often increase infection by pythium, fusarium and rhizoctinia. Applications of calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate reduce pythium infection.

2/19/2009 5:41:22 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Thanks John and Quinn for your insight on this...interesting stuff!

2/19/2009 6:41:13 PM

Utah

Ammonium sulfate is a very common fert out west. I have used it for years on my patch.
looks like you got some very good replies above.

2/21/2009 1:26:23 PM

anytown U.S,A,

dear dane blows i love you pumpkins because it was so much fun at the giant pumpkin sate record for the pumpkin love elizabeth kopp

2/22/2009 11:34:51 AM

Germany (Bavaria)

Great stuff here to read!

Here in germany there exist two other common fertilizer I thought about to use...but do not know how they are called in english:

ammonium nitrate + calcium carbonate (total 27% N)
ammonium nitrate + ammonium sulfate (total 26% N)

The first one will not lower pH!

Calcium nitrate is also a good one to use as foliar fert.

2/23/2009 11:13:44 AM