To water peppers, ammonia is often used due to the huge amount of nitrogen in alcohol (82%). Plants obtain nitrogen by feeding on nitrates. The roots can absorb nitrogen from manure and chicken droppings. Ammonia is a compound of ammonia with water, that is, ammonium nitrate.
Why do peppers need nitrogen?
Pepper bushes intensively absorb nitrates, which are then converted into nitrogen. Nitrogen is needed by crops for intensive growth, growth of greenery, production of chlorophyll, and affects the flowering of bushes, that is, the quality of grown fruits.
Bushes do not absorb ammonia very readily, so beginner gardeners are advised to use ammonia - feeding peppers with ammonia will not oversaturate the bushes with nitrogen.
Ammonia is an essential intermediate compound that occurs during the natural nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is partially converted into ammonium simply in fresh air, if there is moisture, without the help of any microorganisms. Because of this, feed crops with ammonia - this can have a greater effect than using organic matter, since intensive soil biosynthesis is necessary to obtain nitrates from organic matter.
A small area that is actively used will usually have few microorganisms in the soil. In this case, it is difficult for peppers to extract nitrogen from the soil, even if fertilizers are applied. You can change the composition of the soil by adding humus, but this takes quite a lot of time and money. Treat the peppers with ammonia, which will help the crop avoid stress, take root and produce abundant harvests, and many parasites will not appear on the site due to the use of fertilizers.
Ammonium is an alkali. Because of this, fertilizing with ammonia along with fertilizing with organic matter prevents the appearance of soil with acidic characteristics. Lime is added to the ground only if the soil has become acidic.
Precautionary measures
Ammonia is toxic. A person inhales vapors, and ammonia can also enter the body through mucous membranes and skin. That is, when you decide to feed peppers with ammonia, wear latex gloves, a plastic apron, a respirator for respiratory protection, glasses, and a plastic cap. If any signs of poisoning appear (nausea, vomiting), drink warmed milk and call an ambulance.
In addition, ammonia vapor can damage various coatings, lead to discoloration of wire insulation, and the appearance of cracks in the insulation. Ammonia should be used very carefully. Use it in a greenhouse in the summer when the weather is warm, with the frames slightly open.
Ammonia as a top dressing
Water or spray the crops, making a working solution. First, ammonia is diluted in water in a certain concentration, then the composition should stand for several minutes. Next, it is poured under the root or on the leaves.
There are four options for the composition of the fertilizer:
- If you just want to feed the peppers, then pour in 3 tbsp. spoons of 25% ammonia solution into a ten-liter bucket of water. Pour under the roots of the peppers.
- To spray bushes, pour 50 ml of a similar composition into a ten-liter bucket of water.
- To feed newly emerged seedlings, pour 1 teaspoon of ammonia (25%) into 1 liter of water.
- The maximum dose for urgent watering of peppers when a nitrogen deficiency is detected is 1 tbsp. spoon of 25% ammonia solution in 1 liter of water.
Signs of nitrogen deficiency:
- the foliage becomes pale and turns yellow;
- leaves grow slowly and are small in size;
- growth stops;
- inflorescences do not appear;
- thin and brittle stems.
Already 3–4 days after watering the soil with this fertilizer, changes can be detected: the foliage becomes bright green, healthy and juicy. This occurs due to the saturation of the bushes with nitrogen and oxygen, photosynthesis becomes more intense, and the nutrition of the crop improves.
How to water pepper seedlings with ammonia
The containers in which seeds are sown and seedlings are planted are washed with a solution of ammonia - this will protect against the appearance of ants and wasps and prevent the occurrence of diseases.
14 days after picking the seedlings or after the appearance of the fourth true leaf, make a solution of 1 teaspoon of 25% ammonia and 1 liter of water. You can treat the seedlings by pouring the composition under the root.
Water the seedlings from a watering can without a sprinkler. This is done by pouring the stream only under the roots, trying not to get on the leaves. To prevent burns on the plants, spray the seedlings with a misty stream of water after using ammonia.
Root feeding and spraying on the leaves of planted peppers
Pour in 3 tbsp. spoons of a 25% solution into a ten-liter bucket of water, water the seedlings at the root 3 to 4 days after planting the bushes on the site.
When inflorescences form, spray the bushes by pouring 50 ml of a 25% ammonia solution into a ten-liter bucket of clean water. Since ammonia is a volatile compound, spray the bushes with a watering can that produces streams with visible splashes. This is done in the evening after watering or in cloudy weather. You can spray in the morning as soon as the sun rises. To spray large areas, switch the sprayer from "mist" to "spray" mode.
Ammonia for harmful insects
If the crop is attacked by a weevil, then dilute 50 ml of a 25% solution in a ten-liter bucket of water. You can water the bell pepper at the root every week until the parasites are completely eliminated.
If seedlings standing in the house are affected by fruit flies, pour a solution of 1 teaspoon of ammonia (25%) per 1 liter of clean water once.
If wireworms are found on peppers, pour 10 ml of a 25% ammonia solution into a ten-liter bucket of water. Pour 0.5 liters per bush.
If the plantings are attacked by aphids, then use ammonia against aphids - make the same solution as for wasps and ants, with soap. You can process the peppers once.Grate 100 - 200 g of laundry soap (72%). Pour the grated soap into 1 liter of boiling water. Then pour the resulting soap solution in a thin stream into a bucket of plain water, stirring until bubbles form. Pour in 50 ml of a 25% ammonia solution there. Spray the peppers and the aphids will die. The composition repels ants and wasps. If the plants are still affected by aphids, repeat the spray after 14 days, again using ammonia for aphids, until all the aphids are killed.
The advantage of ammonia as a pest repellent is that it absolutely does not pass through plant cells. But if, for example, aphids attacked the plants at the fruit-filling stage, and you sprayed the bushes, then before using the treated peppers, they must be thoroughly washed.
When feeding peppers with ammonia, do not forget about precautions. If you incorrectly calculate the required dose, you can harm the crop, which will subsequently affect the foliage and vegetables. If the dose of ammonia is too high, the peppers will have a watery taste and will not have the characteristic aroma of ripe fruits. Excessive application of ammonia will have a bad effect on the health of the person who eats the pepper.
It is possible and necessary to fertilize the crop with ammonia. But remember that it is necessary to correctly calculate the dose of ammonia, taking into account the abundance of flowering, the size and age of the crop.
