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Denver, CO

Can someone please explain the general diffrence between the terms, Nitrate, Carbonate and Sulphate. For example, I can find Calcium Nitrate & Calcium Carbonate and some sulpahtes but I dont understand what distinguishes one from the other? In particular, how do each affect or realte to growing AG's

3/8/2009 2:48:36 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Rock bound potash (langbenite) holds the potash as a useless rock. Something needs to remove the lock. Over hundreds of years plant roots will yield humic acid which eventually liberates minuscule quantities of soluble potash.

Most commercial fertilizers are the result of a chemical reaction to make a rock source available to plants. For instance sulfate of Potash can be found in dead brine shrimp. Great Salt Lake Industries (largest source of true organic potash) keeps floating lagoons with captive shrimp. The lagoons are drained & the shrimp dry in the sun. A little mechanical grinding & washing yields organic sulfate of potash. This is expensive.

In recent years, to meet growing demand, cheaper rock potash has been reacted with sulfuric acid to yield sulfate of potash. Muriatic acid is used the same way but instead yields salty (& cheaper) muriate of potash aka potassium chloride.

Nitrates contain Nitrogen. Cal Nitrate yields both calcium & Nitrogen in a very low salt very soluble form.

all 4 now.

3/8/2009 9:27:09 PM

Utah

I have found that Wikipedia is good for stuff like this to learn what things are. As for how they relate to AG's- that's a whole different ballgame.

http://www.wikipedia.org/

For example...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_Carbonate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_nitrate

3/10/2009 11:13:50 AM