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As a simple grass farmer, does urea take longer to start working than an or is this another myth ?
As a simple grass farmer, does urea take longer to start working than an or is this another myth ?
Agree entirely. My preference is to start with in old money terms a bag of 34.5 AN to get early growth in cold weather which you don't get with urea and then put on all the urea in one go a fortnight later. In my experience you get nice steady grass growth through the main part of the season without any growth surges causing stock problems.
As a simple grass farmer, does urea take longer to start working than an or is this another myth ?
Urea has to go through an extra process where urease enzymes convert it to ammonium that AN doesn't. It takes a few days in early spring when frankly, there is little growth to actually stimulate so makes no difference. Posters of "I applied urea in February in the cold spell and it didn't work for weeks" stories ought to think about what they typed
And where do you farm NORFOLK... bet were 5/6weeks after you with our first doze every year.... makes a big diff using good old Nitram then !I'd second that. I swapped to urea for the bulk of my N, from imported AN a few years ago and I cant see any reason to go back. I'm on light sandy high PH soil in the east so according to the trade/experts urea should be a no no but my yields are just as good if not better than with AN but the important thing is to get good big doses on early and be done by end of march/early april at a push.
An and Urea are 2 different animals, which in my experience can both achieve the same result. Urea in my experience if used like An will give you a poorer result. Some people are in denial, it’s well proven now that Urea left on the surface, as temperatures are rising in the spring, will volatilise.
We find Urea brilliant in early spring, much better and safer than An. We also find Urea a pain in years like this trying to time applications just before a good rain event. Where as if we use An we can just throw it on and let it
wait for rain.
Its probably circumstantial, but when you see white powdery granules on the floor 3wks after spreading, and when there is a drying wind at 20c blowing.....
I didn't say a couple of days, I said a few. It depends on the temperature and plenty of other factors. Compare a sugar lump to the same energy value in a lump of steak. The sugar works quicker but long term, the meat is better for you.
Show me independent trials results where AN produces more yield than urea please. A plant going greener sooner is just vanity. Cheaper fertiliser is sanity. Margin is king.
The white powder is just the carrier. That doesn’t necessarily mean the N has volatilised off as ammonia, it just means there hasn’t been enough water to wash the carrier away completely.
Urea requires in the region of 27/28 degs before volatilisation becomes an issue. How often do we get those sort of temperatures for prolonged periods... even in the last 3 months?
Urea attracts moisture well. Go out first thing and you’ll see a damp patch under the granule on otherwise dry soil. It only takes a heavy dew to get the urea itself into the soil and away from the risky temps.