v 2,869,998 United States Patent Office Patented Jan. 20, 1959 1 2 2,869,998 ganese sulphate, boric acid, copper sulphate, zinc sulphate, LIQUID FERTILIZER cobalt sulphate, iron sulphate, sodium molybdate. Donald E. Vierling, Pittsburgh, Pa. The composition of matter obtained from the procedure No Drawing. Application October 2, 1956 outlined above comprises the following salts: Serial No. 613,371 Potassium phosphate, dibasic (K2HPO4) 2 Claims. (C. 71-50) Potassium phosphate, tribasic (KPO4) This invention relates to compositions of matter in Ammonium phosphate, dibasic ((NH4)2HPO4) tended to assist plant growth, and more particularly to Ammonium phosphate, monobasic (NH4H2PO4) liquid fertilizers. 10 Potassium nitrate (KNO) It is, of course, well known that nitrogen (N), phos Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO) phorous expressed as phosphorus pentoxide (POs), and Potassium phosphate, monobasic (KH2PO4) potassium expressed as potassium oxide (KO) are Ammonium phosphate, metabasic ((NH4)4P4O12) nutrients to plant life, and such have, for many years, . Potassium ammonium phosphate (KNHHPO) been widely used in dry fertilizers. While these dry ferti 5 the following acids: lizers have been of some value in the trade, they have not 1. Nitric acid (HNO) been entirely satisfactory. For example, recent surveys 2. Phosphoric acid (HPO) have shown that most users of fertilizers much prefer that it be furnished to them in liquid form, thereby eliminat the following bases: ing any necessity for their having to make up solutions 20 1. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) from solid particulate form with its attendant disadvan 2. Ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) tages. Further, in many cases, it is desired to introduce the fertilizer through the leaves of the plant. This, how and the following ions: ever, cannot be done properly and effectively with dry fertilizers, for they are effective generally only by root 25 PO feeding. Kh It is, accordingly, one of the objectives of the present OH invention to provide an improved fertilizer in liquid form, NO particularly one which is completely effective for leaf NHt feeding, as well as root feeding, pre-plow and general 30 The amounts of the various chemicals present can ac fertilization. The liquid fertilizers of this invention are ceptably vary over a wide range and depend, in part, on absorbed by the plants in a tremendously increased man such variables as temperature, pressure, the desired ratio ner, thereby practically eliminating any possibility of of nitrogen, phosphorus pentoxide and potassium oxide leaching, evaporation or any other form of loss. There desired in the final liquid fertilizer, etc. For best results, fore, to all intents and purposes, the plant is able to utilize 35 however, I have found that nitrogen should be about one substantially the complete value of the nutrients present to about 30 percent by weight of the firal liquid fertilizer, in the improved liquid fertilizer of the present invention. phosphorus pentoxide about one to about 30 percent by In preparing the liquid fertilizer of this invention, I first weight and potassium oxide about one to about 30 percent place in a vessel in which the fertilizer is to be made the by weight. The wetting agent, when added in accordance amount of water which is to be present in the final com 40 position. To the water is added potassium hydroxide to with the preferred embodiment of the invention, should obtain the desired percentage of potassium oxide in the be present in an amount corresponding to at least about final composition. Sufficient nitric acid is introduced in 0.25 percent by weight, preferably about 0.5 to about 1.0 the resultant mixture to obtain a pH of about 7, although percent by weight of the final composition. the pH can vary from about 6.5 to about 7.5. Phosphoric 45 Illustrative specific composition acid is then added to obtain the desired percentage of phosphoruspentoxide in the final composition. The phos Into a vat was placed 42% pounds of water. While phoric acid is neutralized, preferably by bubbling am stirring, and at room temperature 72, and atmospheric monia through the aqueous solution. If desired, however, pressure, the following ingredients were added suc an aqueous ammonia solution can be added to the aqueous 50 cessively thereto: 10% pounds of 90 percent aqueous solution rather than by bubbling ammonia therethrough. potassium hydroxide; 15 pounds of 67 percent aqueous The desired nitrogen content is then obtained (considering nitric acid; 15 pounds of 75 percent phosphoric acid; 5 the nitrogen already added by the nitric acid to neutralize pounds of 82 percent ammonia; and 12 pounds of 67 the potassium hydroxide, and the ammonia added to neu percent of aqueous nitric acid. The entire procedure took tralize the phosphoric acid) by introducing into the solu 55 about fifteen minutes. The solution obtained was Suitable tion equal molecular weights of ammonia (by bubbling it as a liquid fertilizer in accordance with my invention. in) and nitric acid to obtain the desired percentage of The following chemicals (expressed as percent by nitrogen. weight of the final composition) were found to be present: While the liquid fertilizer obtained at this point is an Percent excellent one, particularly for root feeding, pre-plow and 60 1. K2HPO4------11.80 general fertilization, in the preferred embodiment, parti 2. KPO 192 cularly for leaf feeding, as will be seen, a wetting agent is 3. (NH4)2HPO4 ------1.70 added to the liquid fertilizer. While any of the standard 4. NH4H2PO4------0.70 wetting agents, anionic as well as nonionic, will be satis 5. KNO3 ------0.5 factory for purposes of this invention, provided they are 65 6. NH4NO3 ------20.50 not detrimental to plant life, I have found the following 7. KH2PO4 ------0.35 wetting agents to be particularly effective: Ultra-wet, 8. (NH4)4P4O12 ------0.18 Santomerse, Naconal, Oronite D-40, Triton X-100, Tri 9. KNH4HPO4 ------0.10 ethanolamine, Super wet LD, Dupanol, dodecyl benzene 10. HNO3 ------0.18 sodium sulfonate, lauryl alcohol, and algin. If desired, 70 11. HisPO4------X as are a as 1.15 trace elements similar to the following can be added to the 12, KOH ------0.10 liquid fertilizer to supply various soil deficiencies: man 13. NH4OH ------0.70 2,869,998

ch 4. In addition, the ions H+, PO,---, K+, OH-, NO, feeding, the composition without the wetting agent is un and NH will be present in equilibrium with the chemicals excelled for root feeding, pre-plow and general fertiliza set forth above. The above composition contained 8% tion, as mentioned earlier herein. by weight of nitrogen, 8% by weight of phosphorus pent The liquid fertilizer of the present invention has been oxide, and 8% by weight of potassium oxide. 5 found to serve as a very effective vehicle for additional As previously stated, while such a composition is ex water soluble chemicals generally used in agriculture, cellent as a liquid fertilizer, the preferred embodiment such as weed killers, soil conditioners, sequestering agents, of the present invention contemplates the addition of a vitamins, penicillin, antibiotics, etc. w relatively Small amount of a wetting agent in order to In hard water areas, some difficulty with the solubility assist entry of the fertilizer into the leaf of the plant 0. of certain of the agricultural chemicals might be ex being treated. It is a well-known fact that nitrogen in pected. However, I have found that, along with the an aqueous solution is readily absorbed by a plant through wetting agent, and preferably in equal proportions there its leaves. However, in the case of phosphorous and with to obtain the aforementioned total percentages, any potassium in an aqueous solution, it is exceedingly diffi one of the well-known sequestering agents (for example, cult to get these nutrients into the plant through the leaves of the polyphosphate variety) not only improves solu in Sufficient quantities to properly feed the plant. This bility, but actually aids in improved biological activity. has been a big drawback unil now in getting each of these This application is a continuation-in-part of my patent nutrients in plant life by leaf feeding. Thus, attempts application Serial Number 362,943, filed June 19, 1953, in the past in this direction have resulted in the plant and entitled "Liquid Fertilizer"; now Patent No. getting all of the nitrogen but very insufficient amounts 20 2,770,540, dated November 13, 1956. of phosphorous and potassium. More of the phosphorous Obviously, many modifications and variations of the in and potassium crystallized on the plant leaves and were vention, as defined above, can be made without depart subsequently removed from the leaves by the natural ele ing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only ments of wind and moisture. This, of course, meant that such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the plant received an unbalanced feeding of nutrients. I 25 the appended claims. have found that, when a wetting agent is added to an I claim: aqueous solution of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium 1. A Substantially complete aquecus solution for assist such as described above, a synergistic effect takes place; ing plant growth consisting essentially of the acids HPO, and all of the hereinbefore defined nutrients are readily and HNO3; the bases KOH and NH4OH; and the salts absorbed by the plant through the leaves, and a com 30 KHPO4, KPO4 (NH4)HPO, NH. HPO, KNH.HPO, pletely balanced feeding of the plant results. KNO3, NH4NO3, KH2PO4 and (NH), PO1; said acids, bases and Salts being present in amounts corresponding Example of specific. useage to the equilibrium ratio as established by the nitrogen, Ten tomato plants were sprayed with an aqueous solu phosphorous pentoxide and potassium oxide content, tion of a liquid fertilizer described in the aforementioned whereby the resultant solution contains the ions H+, illustrative composition, the same containing 10 grams of PO", Ki, OH, NOs and NHF in equilibrium with nitrogen, 10 grams of phosphorus pentoxide, and 10 said acids, bases and salts at a selected temperature and grams of potassium oxide. It was found that the plants pressure; the nitrogen (N), phosphorous pentoxide absorbed 9.4 grams of nitrogen and only 0.0082 gram (P2O5) and potassium oxide (K2C) each being present in of phosphorus pentoxide and 0.0015 gram of potassium 40 amounts ranging between approximately 1% and approxi oxide. One-half percent by weight of Santomerse (do mately 30% by weight. decyl benzene sodium sulfonate) was added to the same 2. The composition of claim 1 containing additionally composition. In the identical procedure, the solution was a Wetting agent. sprayed on ten similar tomato plants. The plants ab sorbed 9.8 grams of nitrogen, 9.6 grams of phosphorus 45 References Cited in the file of this patent pentoxide and 9.4 grams of potassium oxide. Accord ingly, substantially all of the nutrients were absorbed by UNITED STATES PATENTS the plants when the wetting agent was employed. Fur 2,314,091 Jones ------Mar. 16, 1943 ther tests showed that a wetting agent, such as those previ 2,350,982 Borst ------June 13, 1944 ously described, is absolutely necessary in order to enable 50 2,589,734 Ruosch ------Mar. 18, 1952 the plant to absorb all of the nutrients in quantities suffi 2,680,680 Coleman ------June 8, 1954 cient for leaf feeding. 2,706,151 Clarke et al. ------Apr. 12, 1955 While the above example shows that the addition of 2,713,749 Hult ------July 26, 1955 a wetting agent makes the composition superior for leaf 2,760,866 Nielsen ------Aug. 28, 1956