Is sulphate of ammonia good for your lawn?

Ammonium Sulphate, or Sulphate of Ammonium, is known for its ability to rapidly green up lawns, but its use comes with certain caveats. This substance essentially provides straight nitrogen, which is a critical element in lawn care and the 'N' in the NPK ratio found in many fertilizing products. Nitrogen is the primary nutrient responsible for promoting green leaf growth. While this can result in a lush, green lawn quickly, it's important to weigh the potential downsides. Excessive application of Ammonium Sulphate can lead to an overabundance of leaf growth at the expense of other essential developmental processes. The immediate visual appeal might be tempting, but the long-term health of your lawn could suffer.

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Rapid leaf growth can increase the likelihood that your lawn will be scalped during mowing. Scalping can subsequently weaken the lawn, making it more susceptible to pests, weeds, and diseases. Furthermore, lawns that grow too quickly can struggle to self-repair and may even perish if the soil dries out too fast. If the crown of the lawn gets too high and is cut during mowing, it can kill that section of your lawn.

Even if applied with caution, Ammonium Sulphate only provides nitrogen, neglecting critical elements like phosphorus, potassium, and other trace minerals vital for lawn health. Without these additional nutrients, your lawn will not achieve optimal health. Since Ammonium Sulphate is stored primarily in the green leaf, frequent mowing can diminish its nitrogen content as the nitrogen is removed with the cut grass. Thus, the effects of Ammonium Sulphate are often short-lived. A more balanced approach involves using a high-quality, well-rounded fertilizer throughout the year to ensure your lawn gets all the nutrients it needs. If you opt to use Ammonium Sulphate, apply it sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

For more lawn care tips and advice, contact the team at Daleys Turf, your local turf farmer.

Robert Morris

Xtreme Horticulture

Question:

 I was very interested in a recent article about adding ammonium sulfate to one's lawn to keep it green. Can I do this all summer long, every 8 weeks?

Answer: The short answer is yes. Once a year use a high-quality lawn fertilizer as one of the applications. The best lawn fertilizers have a ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 with most of the nitrogen available as slow release. One example would be 21-7-14. There are many others.

The principal nutrient lawns need is nitrogen on a regular basis. Nitrogen fertilizers keep lawns green and lush. Nitrogen is the first number in the triad of numbers on the fertilizer bag.

In the case of ammonium sulfate, this is 21–0–0. A bag of ammonium sulfate contains nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen in mineral form. There is no 'filler' in it. Ammonium sulfate is 21 percent nitrogen. The usual recommendation for lawns is 1 pound of nitrogen every 1000 square feet.

This is applied with some sort of spreader such as a drop spreader, a broadcast spreader, or hose end applicator. Since ammonium sulfate is 21 percent nitrogen, then 5 pounds of 21-0-0 delivers about 1 pound of nitrogen.

However, I find this rate is higher than necessary, and lawns do just fine at half to three-quarters of this rate. This is particularly true if mowing with a mulching mower and the clippings are allowed to fall back on the lawn. Lawn clippings are very high in nitrogen and act like an extra fertilizer application.

In about 99 percent of the cases, we have two types of lawns out there; tall fescue and Bermudagrass. Both of these lawns require a high nitrogen fertilizer about every eight weeks. However, the timing of these applications is different.

A fertilizer application at Thanksgiving is extremely important if you want a dark green lawn with tall fescue through the winter. It is unnecessary for Bermudagrass.

To make it simple, I recommend applying lawn fertilizers to tall fescue on Labor Day, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving. For Bermudagrass, switch the Thanksgiving application for the Fourth of July.

There is no problem applying a fourth application to tall fescue during the heat around the Fourth of July as well, but it is probably unnecessary. Any application to tall fescue during the summer should be the half rate I mentioned earlier.

Question: What is causing brown spots and leaf scorch on my tomato plants? I grow about 17 different tomato plants and several different varieties in containers. I always use good potting soil and compost each year in the containers. They are drip irrigated.

Answer: This is the time of year that brown spots begin to develop on tomato leaves. As the season progresses, disease problems on tomatoes are often inevitable. Prevention of disease should be high on your list of things to do with tomato plants.

It’s too late this season, but some varieties are more susceptible to diseases than others. If you don’t know which variety you have, do a little homework and pick varieties more resistant to disease that give you the types of fruit you like.

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Tomato cages are nice as they support the fruit off the ground, reducing the likelihood of rot. However, they also promote crowding, which prevents sufficient sunlight and air circulation from reaching the interior of the plant, increasing the risk of disease. Prune the oldest leaves near the center of the plant to improve air circulation and reduce disease occurrence.

Drip irrigation is recommended since it waters the base of the plant, preventing the spread of disease through water splashes. Regular feeding is essential; once fruit sets, continue monthly feedings as plants deplete soil nutrients. Address disease issues promptly with appropriate fungicides, remembering they are preventive rather than curative.

Question: I put a passionfruit vine on the north side of our house. I noticed many flowers but later on, the flowers dropped after self-pollination. What should I do?

Answer: Passionfruit requires support like a trellis and may need winter protection in colder climates. Planting on the north side is good but the east side, which offers morning light and afternoon shade, would be better. Incorporate compost into the soil, mulch with wood chips, and use drip irrigation or a large watering basin. Regular fertilization is crucial, and manual pollination may be necessary if the flowers fail to set fruit naturally.

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