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Prevent Anhydrous Ammonia Losses
Ammonia is released at the shank tip as a mixture of liquid and gas under pressure. It will react with free water in the soil system and the water film coating all soil particles almost instantaneously. This is the chemical basis for trapping vapor and preventing application loss. Reactions with the soil to fix nitrogen against leaching loss proceed at a slower clip but are likely complete in less than a day.
The physical mechanism for preventing application loss is to assure all the gas comes into contact with soil before it reaches the surface. When soil is mellow and flows freely around an application shank it traps gas at normal operating depths. When shanks are smoking more than they should, try running deeper.
Other techniques can be used to an advantage. An 8- to 10-inch section of ammonia line attached to the bottom of the ammonia tube and trailed behind the shank allows more time for soil particles to fill the trench.
Wet ground and extremely dry or hard ground are special problems. Occasionally, in fall work, ammonia shanks move the soil in chunks and little can be done except wait for rain and favorable field conditions.
If using anhydrous ammonia as your nitrogen source, remember to follow good safety procedures. These include always wearing chemical goggles and rubber gloves and making sure you have water available on the anhydrous ammonia nurse tank. It is also helpful to carry a small squeeze bottle filled with water in your shirt pocket. It may save your sight.
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