North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Greg or Marie Jordan Tree Taxi" <treetaxi@mcleodusa.net>]

Anhydrous ammonia is a Gas, Gaseous ammonia.   According to Dictionary.com 
(Anhydrous) means "free from water and especially water that is chemically 
combined in a crystalline substance <anhydrous ammonia>" When a farmer 
Purchases Anhydrous Ammonia it is Ammonia gas compressed to the point of 
liquefaction.  (Like carbon dioxide CO2 in fire extinguishers is.  He uses 
it by bubbling the Ammonia gas into irrigation water or inject it directly 
into the soil.  Ammonia gas is very very soluble in water.  When you buy 
Ammonia in the store it is ammonia gas dissolved in water.  When ammonia 
dissolves in water it is so reactive it grabs a positive hydrogen ion from a 
water molecule, which also releases negative OH ion.  This makes ammonia 
solution basic or alkaline.



This whole thread is really only relevant to flavor if you are talking about 
growing things hydroponically not soil.


> The article referenced said that ammonium makes tomatoes taste better than
> ammonium nitrate makes them taste when the choice of fertilizers is either
> A: Ammonium or B: Ammonium Nitrate. Now I am looking to buy some Ammonium 
> as
> referenced in the article. What I want to know is where can I purchase 
> some
> Ammonium (not Ammonium Nitrate). Does it come in 40 lb. bag or maybe in a 
> 10
> ounce bottle at the nearest K-Mart. In the article they talk about 
> ammonium
> as if it is something that can be readily purchased. I was thinking 
> perhaps
> they are using anhydrous ammonia, but anhydrous ammonia is a dangerous
> chemical that is not used to fertilize already growing crops in a field, 
> but
> rather is applied at planting time. It could however be used in a 
> hydroponic
> setup although anhydrous in pure form always presents a danger to the
> applicator (boiling point is -28 C. and it is highly corrosive). What form
> of Ammonium do you suppose they used in the article.
>
> Rodney Eveland