how do I use ammonia for nitrogen in clay soil, and will this help whatever is killing my phlotinia ?

There are several forms of nitrogen in nature.
Raw fresh animal manures are high in ammonium nitrogen.
Alfalfa meal and other grain meals are high in protein nitrogen.
The problem is, both of these forms of nitrogen are inappropriate or unavailable, for most plants' nutrients uptake via its roots or by foliage.

That is only one of the major reasons why composting is so important to gardening. As beneficial aerobic microbes digest these forms of nitrogen into nitrites and ultimately nitrates, then plants can use this nitrogen without any danger of overfeeding or plant burning.

The best economical thing to condition clay soils is well rotted or composted wood products like sawdust. Don't use the fresh stuff! It will can cause a temporary nitrogen deficiency in the soil for nearby plants as the microbes try to digest and balance the available carbon and nitrogen levels in the organic matter. Fresh sawdust is also very acidic. Composted wood products have a near neutral pH like regular compost does.

There are many ways to get organic nitrogen into the soil or on the plants. My favorites is of course mature compost, alfalfa meal, corn meal, cattle feeds, and fish emulsion.

You can also speed up plant uptake of available nutrients just by apply a high protein/nitrogen organic material source in a special compost tea recipe. That way the nitrogen can be absorbed in the foliage and roots, in a safer way. Teas are best when used as both a foliar and soil drench.

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The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton

Is it phlotinia or photinia? If you're having trouble with a red-tipped photinia, you're not alone. Check out Howard's Sick Tree Treatment elsewhere on the Dirt Doctor website.

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David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum