As a result of a series of experiments, Schloesing stated that the nitrification of ammonium salts is not for all plants a necessary preliminary to the absorption of nitrogen by the plant. While for some plants, as for example buckwheat, the preferable form of the food material is that of a nitrate, others, for instance, tropeolum, thrive even better when the nitrogen is presented to them in an ammoniacal form.
Artificial Fertilizers For Pot Plants.
I.—Calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, ferric phosphate (sodium chloride).
II.—Calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulphate, magnesium phosphate, iron chloride (or sulphate) (sodium silicate).
It is well known that in nature nitrates are formed wherever decomposition of organic nitrogenous substances takes place in the air, the ammonia formed by the decomposition being oxidized to nitric acid. These conditions for the formation of nitrates are present in nearly every cornfield, and they are also the cause of the presence of nitrates in water that has its source near stables, etc. In Peruvian guano nitrogen is present partly in the form of potassium nitrate, partly as ammonium phosphate and sulphate. As a nitrate it acts more rapidly than in the form of ammonia, but in the latter case the effect is more lasting. Phosphoric acid occurs in guano combined with ammonia, potash, and chiefly with lime, the last being slower and more lasting in action than the others. {337}
Nearly all artificial fertilizers conform, more or less, to one of the following general formulas:
I.—Artificial Flower Fertilizer.—
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonium nitrate | 0.40 | 1.60 | 40.0 parts |
| Ammonium phosphate | 0.20 | 0.80 | 20.0 parts |
| Potassium nitrate | 0.25 | 1.00 | 25.0 parts |
| Ammonium chloride | 0.05 | 0.20 | 5.0 parts |
| Calcium sulphate | 0.06 | 0.24 | 6.0 parts |
| Ferrous sulphate | 0.04 | 0.16 | 4.0 parts |
| 1.00 | 4.00 | 100.0 parts |
Dissolve 1 part in 1,000 parts water, and water the flowers with it 2 or 3 times weekly. Dissolve 4 parts in 1,000 parts water, and water with this quantity 10 or 12 pots of medium size.
II.—Compost for Indoor Plants.—