# 46% N (urea) - spread or dissolve and spray?



## hkfan45 (May 11, 2019)

I picked up some 46-0-0 Urea online. It comes in 5lb packs. That small amount would seem difficult to accurately and evenly spread on the lawn. Would a better idea be to dissolve in water and use my 4 gallon backpack sprayer? Has anyone done this? If so, how should I measure this? Or is this a terrible idea?


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

With urea I find it's much easier to distribute it evenly if you dissolve and spray. Use hot water and melt it down in a 5 gal bucket with a paint mixer on a drill and use a filter to strain when pouring it in the sprayer as sometimes it all doesn't dissolve. I would also be sure it gets watered in.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I would also only spray at .25lbs/M or less the first time. Foliar apps are more likely to burn. Don't ask how I know.


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## hkfan45 (May 11, 2019)

Should I use a surfactant?


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

No. I don't think that is necessary.


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## ktgrok (May 25, 2019)

Seconding the hot water the the paint mixer thing for a drill. I was struggling to mix/melt some soluble 0-0-60 potash and this time used that mixer thing AND heated up some water in my electric kettle and brought it out with me. Didn't take much hot water, just a bit added to the cold water.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I have not tried urea yet and only use ammonium sulfate. I have heard that urea is VERY endothermic (gets cold) when added to water so any hot water will help it dissolve better.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Use as hot of water as you can. You'll get the best endothermic reaction with this stuff. Boiling water to ice cold in a second


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

Art_Vandelay said:


> Use as hot of water as you can. You'll get the best endothermic reaction with this stuff. Boiling water to ice cold in a second


Very interesting. I've never noticed when tank mixing. I apply both granular and foliar


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## TNTurf (Mar 20, 2019)

I need to water it in? I just bought a 50lb bag to start spraying it.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I spread and haven't had any issues. I use the granular mostly out of laziness. I don't want to have to clean out the sprayer. I've never had it burn the lawn. Just be sure to water it in well.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

I've never spread it-only sprayed it a few times. With that said, every time I spray it, I tell myself never again will I spray it. It's such a pain melting that much product and getting it sprayed. I was melting 50lbs and spraying it over an acre. It takes a bunch of 5 gallon buckets of hot water to melt 50lbs.

However, the only spots it would burn were overspray spots. I did not water it in


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## TNTurf (Mar 20, 2019)

Art_Vandelay said:


> I've never spread it-only sprayed it a few times. With that said, every time I spray it, I tell myself never again will I spray it. It's such a pain melting that much product and getting it sprayed. I was melting 50lbs and spraying it over an acre. It takes a bunch of 5 gallon buckets of hot water to melt 50lbs.
> 
> However, the only spots it would burn were overspray spots. I did not water it in


I might have my math wrong (please let me know) but you should only need about 17lbs for an acre. That would be at the high end. At the lower end you would need about half that.

When spraying you want no more than about .2lb per thousand. (maybe .25 but going with .2) That would be about 6.5 ounces of product per thousand. Over an acre, 43.5 multiplied by 6.5 ounces, you need 282.75 ounces or 17.67 pounds. Do I have this wrong? A whole 50lb bag would be about 3 times the recommended amount when spraying.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I get .45lbs of product would get you .207lbs of N each 1000sf.

.45 X 43.5 =19.575lbs/acre

It's a little higher than your comps but about the same.

50lbs of product on an acre would put you just over .5lb of N per 1000sf.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Redtwin said:


> I get .45lbs of product would get you .207lbs of N each 1000sf.
> 
> .45 X 43.5 =19.575lbs/acre
> 
> ...


There it is.

It makes it look good for sure. But if your sprayer is putting out 15gal/acre it takes a lot of melting to get that 50lb bag in there


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I bought a 50# bag today and will give it a go this week end. I'll spray at .25lbs of N per 1000sf.


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## hkfan45 (May 11, 2019)

at .25-.50lbs per 1K, is it essential to cean out my backpack sprayer very well? I'll admit I'm a bit lazy and don't always rinse it out after spraying herbicide. Will that level of fert, will it corrode the inside?


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## hkfan45 (May 11, 2019)

Just sprayed today. And then watered in. How long before I should see results?


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Sprayed mine as well at .23/M. I'm getting some light showers so I'm hoping to see a pop in a couple of days. The AS 21-0-0 only took two days to see a huge difference but it was rained on a couple of times.


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## hkfan45 (May 11, 2019)

Does dissolved Urea lose its effectiveness after a certain amount of time? I mixed some up about a week ago and didn't need all of it, leave about a gallon left in a 5-gallon bucket. This weekend I sprayed that amount but it doesn't seem to be very effective (no noticeable greening of lawn).

Does pre-mixed Urea o bad? I read about it possibly being affected by "volitization" but I'm no chemist so I have no idea what this refers to.


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