UREA - CARBAMIDE Did you know that many nitrogen fertilizers are literally obtained from the air? One of the most concentrated and common types of nitrogen fertilizers is carbamide, also called urea. What is carbamide? Carbamide is a highly concentrated, effective fertilizer containing 46% of the active substance nitrogen. It is white granules of a round-crystalline shape. It is easily soluble in water, highly hygroscopic, and has no odor. Manufacturers recommend it for all types of soil. Carbamide, also used as a source of protein in animal husbandry, is widely represented in the food industry - from a flavor enhancer to a component in chewing gum. What is really good about urea is that it is quickly and easily absorbed by plants, and with increasing temperature, absorption accelerates, which means that the use of urea for feeding during the period of active vegetation allows you to get a quick effect - after 48 hours, the protein content in plants doubles. Urea solutions used for foliar feeding allow plants to better tolerate the "aggression" of pathogens. The use of this fertilizer, subject to standards and recommendations, increases the yield several times. How to use urea? The simplest use of urea is to add it in the spring to the main soil dressing - 20 grams per square meter under digging or cultivation. Due to the fact that urea, being in the air (especially in warm weather), easily "loses" nitrogen, you cannot separate the application and incorporation in time. Moreover, the sooner it appears in the soil, the less nitrogen will be lost. When plowing the garden, do not apply urea to the entire area at once, do it in portions - scatter 13, dig in, then sprinkle more. You should not increase the dose, since nitrogen fertilizers are highly mobile and will be "washed out" of the root zone in a month or a month and a half. If there is a need to apply large doses, it is better to do this in several (2-3) approaches. The first application of urea begins when growing seedlings. When the time comes to go out into the field, urea is applied at the same time. If phosphorus and potassium can be applied in the fall, then nitrogen is applied only in the spring. If there is a need to feed the plants or for some reason you did not have time to apply urea before sowing crops - no problem, you can do it after. Urea is a fertilizer suitable not only for all types of soil and almost all climatic zones, it is also effective in application on many types of cultivated plants. Urea is also effective in growing fruit and berry crops. Fruit and berry crops can also be fed foliarly. The period for feeding is 10-14 days after the end of flowering. For apple trees, use a 0.5% urea solution, pears - 0.5, plums - 0.7, cherries - 0.5. Feed in the evening or in cloudy weather, otherwise sunburn will appear on the leaf surface. Storage Storing urea is one of the most unpleasant moments in working with it. If it remains at the end of the season, then you can’t scatter it around the garden, like phosphorus and potassium. Therefore, the most important thing is not to buy extra, and if this happens, then try to keep the packaging untouched until the end - closer to autumn, try to buy 1 kg bags. If it still remains, then it is best to store it in the original packaging, where the torn place is carefully sealed with tape. It should be stored in a cool, well-ventilated room with a limited place for children and pets, away from food products. If by spring it still absorbs moisture and turns into a "stone", then break it with a hammer and dissolve it in water - use in liquid form. So start making friends with urea and let it help your garden. Be with the harvest!