I have been to a couple of feed and seed stores and it's darn near impossible to get the ammonium nitrate. And please do not even say "blood meal" because that dog is not going to hunt either. The feed and seed guy said... "well just use Rid-X".... I know I've misspelled that. That's the stuff you put in septic tanks to get them bubbling again. Help me out here and tell me if an alternative can work. My bales are fescue hay and nice and firm. But they will have to break down. Also, seeds. I'm hoping to use seeds instead of plants.... Thanks everyone.... Lynn Cooper, Waxhaw, NC
ammonium nitrate Alternative???
Well I bought a box of "Stump Remover" last year it is in a granular form. Looked at the ingredients after I got home and it was just Ammonium Nitrate! Anything high in Nitrogen will work. 10-10-10 would probably work but just take a little longer.
Doug
Lynn, UREA is a good substitute. Also ammonium SULPHATE seems to be common.
Also, keep in mind that I didn't pre-treat by bales this year. Just kept them moist for about 30 days prior to transplanting.
So, fresh manures would work, too!
Just go out and pee on them daily!
I would pee on them, but I think there's a subdivision ordinance about that, LOL.
I have access to fresh horse manure, as well as composted manure with sawdust. I figured the fresh manure would cook the bales better/faster than the composted manure would. At least that's what I'm trying.
My tomato seedlings are still too small to plant so I have a couple weeks to experiment with the bales.
In all seriousness it is possible to use mammal/human urine. Urea is naturally occurring in pee.
1. Be cautious if you are taking medications as some have residual traces in urine.
2. There's always the ability to use a cup/jar in the house and then take it outside.
What is Urea?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-urea.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/619637/urea - Because its nitrogen content is high and is readily converted to ammonia in the soil, urea is one of the most concentrated nitrogenous fertilizers
Qinx, You're not the first to suggest the "slop jar" method of urea application. But I have visions of my great-grandmother's morning chores, well... I just can't bring myself to do it just yet, lol. I'll see what happens with the horse poo.
LOL... Didn't mean to bring up questionable memories!
Happy Planting and good luck.
Well, doggie! as Jed would say.
Hadn't heard the phrase "slop jar" in years.
My granny had one in her house when I was a kid, and taking a trip to the edge of the woods with it was a daily routine! :-)
I can still hear Ernie Ford (from Bent Fork, TN) in a great and funny appearance on the I Love Lucy show asking Lucy where the bathroom was:
"You mean it's IN THE HOUSE!!!??"
Thanks for the memories!
When I got to spend the night on the mountain, great-grandmother would make me take my slop jar to the outhouse to emptied. I was so afraid of spilling the contents on myself along the way. The loo was located within the pig pen, and Charlie the hog demanded to be petted in exchange for safe passage to the privy! It's comical now, but was a bit of a challenge at the time, LOL.
Bev: great story! Loved it!
Invite a bunch of guys over for a beer party. Give them all the beer they want, but lock the bathroom and tell them they have to go outback and use the bales!
Put a shower curtain around the bales! LOL
This message was edited May 20, 2009 12:23 PM
Believe it or not, my son made the same suggestion, LOL! He said he would furnish the beer if I cooked the burgers, hehehe!
Well, there ya go... all the urea you can use! LOL
I have a question...I'm very new to hay bales....Why must they be treated with this stuff?
gammy3: good question.
Somewhere in Parts 1 - XX we've discussed this and I've posted some good technical info, but I can't say exactly where.
So, if you're up to it, you might want to check them out. It's good, technical info on the decomposition process.
However, I did find a decent link, similar to what I've posted in the past, in which this is a portion:
"The speed at which the decomposition occurs, called the "rate of decomposition", depends on the temperature, moisture and chemical composition of the organic matter. If the temperature is too low, or too high, fungi and bacteria cannot grow and the rate of decomposition is slow. If the leaves have a low nitrogen content, the rate of decomposition is slowed because fungi and bacteria can not extract enough nitrogen to make proteins they need for growth. "
Here's the link: http://herbarium.usu.edu/fungi/FunFacts/Decay.htm
In a nutshell, the nitrogen addition is the "quick-start" method of getting the bales softened up and on their way to decomposing which makes the bales a nice host for your veggies.
It's kind of like giving vitamins to all the microbes that assist in the decomposition process.
I didn't jump-start my bales this year.
I only used water and let nature take the slow lane in preparing my bales, so I had to allow for more time.
Moved...
This message was edited May 25, 2009 10:34 AM
I used Blood Meal, going to plant tomorrow I'll let you know how it goes.
Paul
urea works great. as far as hay goes, I've heard that you don't have to add nitro to get it to start composting if you just wrap it with plastic and water it.
Wrapping up a bale would certainly help retain the moisture and heat necessary for a good decomposition process.
The Blood Meal seems to have worked well, the bales are breaking down fine.
I planted a couple of days ago and the plants are doing great.
The bales are also sprouting grass as expected.
Paul
Looks like you're right on schedule.
I used fresh horse manure, and blood meal. Bales were ready for planting after 3 weeks.