Growmore fertiliser?????

[theothermarg]

to jeannine wow you started something there didn,t ya girl. learning from a4all continues to make me seem more intelligent than i am
marg

[theothermarg]

[vegging out]

Jeanine,I think it boils down to, if you try to garden organically don't use it,if you don't do! :)

[cleo]

Try buying saltpetre?-not a gardening issue but it`s getting hard to find for curing a leg of pork

[Jeannine]

No that's easy Cleo cos I buy it all the time

[legendaryone]

You can also dissolve some growmore to make a liquid feed.

[RobinOfTheHood]

You can also dissolve some growmore to make a liquid feed.

Bit early yet, I read that as 'You can dissolve Growmore to make saltpetre'!   :o

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

Jeannine - the only trouble with Growmore, is that if it gets wet, it turns to difficult to use gunk

the explosive stuff was just for interest, no need for a fuss

In the Battle of Somewhere, and the Battle of the Falkland Islands (the one with the Scharnhorst) Britain completely cut of the German's supply of Chile saltpeter, vital for explosives, essentially the world's only source. The consensus is that the War would have ended in 1916 without an alternative supply for Germany, so Mr Haber bears some responsibility for prolonging the war 2 years. The alternative process to Haber's for producing synthetic ammonia was the cyanamide process, tho the ammonia produced in this way was difficult to convert to nitric acid since the impurities in the gas poisoned the catalyst. Between 1915-Nov 1918 Haber-Bosch via BASF produced 414 million Marks worth of nitrogen compounds, of which only 24.5 M. Marks worth was for fertilisers. Presumably similar figures apply for cyanamide ammonia. The disastrous wheat harvests in Germany 1917-1918 are attributed to virtually all ammonia production being used for explosives.
I'd say that the foundation of the synthetic ammonia/nitrate industry was completely based on explosive manufacture

It's true to say that nitrates and ammonia aren't used in conventional explosives now, but all modern high explosives are made using nitric acid, via ammonia, so it's the same thing

I've forgotten how this started

[Jeannine]

All I need to know is . Am I using/buying a by product of bombs!!! I am a pacifist don't forget so I got a bit worried as war/guns/bombs/fighting etc is a no no for me . I mean no offence, it is just me personally.I thoroughly respect others right to choose.

The history is very interesting, it is quite amazing actually, well the bits I understand as some of it is very technical.

XX Jeannine

[Robert_Brenchley]

There's a very close historical link, but I doubt whether the companies making fertiliser now have any direct link with the arms industry.

[Pesky Wabbit]

Forget all the history, just chuck some on your rhubarb and see if it grows with a bang.

[Jeannine]

I do use salt petre in some curing recipes !!! Oh eck.Here we go again.

Really very interesting to read ,it is truly amazing what folks know ,and we all differ too.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

I just showed this post to John who said he sprinkled some around the veggies and fruit on Wednesday,apparently nothing exploded,but to be sure I have advised him not to wee wee in those areas.

I think we are going to dump the rest on the flat plot, and turn it in.

XX Jeannine

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

course saltpetre traditionally used to be extracted from middens. I know it used to be required in China for all villages to have communal dumping grounds for human wee, for fertilisers

[telboy]

Jeannine,
Get a life. Use salt petre for curing.
Use Growmore around your veg.
There's no issue!

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

tho Growmore don't quite say what's in it, there isn't any saltpetre

[Tee Gee]

Now for my bit of history;

It was actually produced & made by what was then ICI for; and as has already been mentioned it was produced as an uncomplicated fertiliser for the British public to use during the Dig for Victory campaign.

n.b. so much for the 'uncomplicated bit' ;D when you consider sixty + years on and it is still a mystery ;D

As you will see in the Link above companies such as Monro's introduced it (sold it if you like) as did many other companies throughout the country.

The fertiliser/explosive scenario was used a great deal in the 'quarrying' industry because it was much cheaper than gelignite.

In the earlies sixties the company I worked for had a license to produce it and without going into too much detail it was made from ammonium nitrate and diesel.

It was quite safe you could hit it with a hammer and it would not go off but a little gelignite and a detonator and you got a 'bl**dy  big bang from it!!

Back to the Growmore; I think it is a very good fertiliser still!  I buy a 25kg bag every year to use on my flower beds and as a top dressing  on my veg when I need to supplement my initial top dressing of fish blood & bone.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I know the stuff; the IRA used to use it. It's horribly easy to make (so are a lot of explosives, unfortunately) but you need a lot of it to do much damage.

[Jeannine]

Tee Gee, so on you veg how much and how often in handful round a plant for eg is a handful too much or OK and how often would you do it, and do you do it to all your veggies please Thank you

[cambourne7]

J,

I was given some as well but not sure how old it is how long does it last?

c7

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

growmore will last for years if it's kept dry, otherwise you'll start losing the nitrogen.

i don't like putting it round individual plants, just in case you put too much and damage the plant. i just broadcast it over large areas as per instructions