The Grass Doctor

Garden guide said to fertilize my asparagus plants with ammonium nitrate. Will Urea Nitrogen Fert. do the job?

I didn't have the ammonium nitrate, but thought the whole point of the suggestion was to get a nitrogen based fertilizer to the plants. Was I correct in thinking that adding the 34-0-0 urea nitrogen would fit the bill?

Public Comments

1. I would go with organic fertilizers. Compost in quantity is great. If you don't have your own, I recommend Espoma's Plant-Tone. It's slow release, which is what you want. Urea is fast-release, and too much can burn plants. You'll also turn your plants into junkies with the "fast" stuff, and they come to depend on it. I side dress my asparagus with homemade compost each year, and add some mulch. I'll sometimes throw in some Plant-Tone if I have some on hand. Giving them a more balanced fertilizer will help them be healthy. Nitrogen is all well and good, but they need other things in small amounts too. Just like protein is good for you - but protein alone, and nothing else, and you'll end up malnourished even though you're eating a lot.
2. Yes, if all you want to give the plants is nitrogen. Urea has been replacing Ammonium nitrate more and more in the last few years because of it's high nitrogen content. It is even mixed with Ammonium nitrate in some foliage feeding products. Bear in mind that it can have as much as 46 percent nitrogen and most horticulturists recommend a balanced fertilizer such as 15-15-15 or even 5-10-10 for the heavy feeding asparagus.
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