Ammonia & Flowers

Ammonia causes some flowers to lose their color.

Ammonia affects the color of certain flowers--specifically, red, orange, pink and purple. Using ammonia based-cleaners to clean out garden sprayers can lead to discolored flowers, according to Mike Dooley, owner of a landscaping company in New Mexico. Landscapers need to take care if using ammonia-based fertilizers when planting certain colors of flowers.

Significance

Ammonia's chemical name, NH3, represents one atom of nitrogen and three atoms of hydrogen. While many use ammonia-based products as cleaning solutions, there are also liquid fertilizers sold online, in gardening stores and home improvement stores made from ammonia.

Benefits

The agricultural industry uses ammonia to provide nitrogen to plants--an essential ingredient for plant growth. Liquid solutions which contain urea and aqua ammonia and ammonium nitrate contain ammonia. While ammonia provides nitrogen--a major benefit to most plants--it has a negative effect on some types of flowers.

Effects

Ammonia causes some flowers to lose color or pigment. Liquid or gas easily passes through flower petals. Ammonia readily diffuses through both air and water. Ammonia diffuses through flower petals. Since ammonia is a base, its chemical reaction with floral pigments could potentially change the flower's pigment. Taking care not to spray liquid solutions containing alcohol directly on flower petals, or spraying flowers with bleach or cleaning garden sprayers with alcohol will help protect the pigment on your flowers. When using fertilizers containing alcohol, take care not to apply the fertilizer on the petals of your flowers.

Colors

Red, orange, purple and pink flowers seem vulnerable to color changes when exposed to ammonia, states Organic Gardening author Geoff Hamiliton. Yellow and white flowers seem to remain unharmed by ammonia. The various pigments that make up flower colors are susceptible to the color changes brought on by ammonia.

pH

Some plant pigments are sensitive to the pH of solution when exposed to ammonia in liquid form. Ammonia produces an alkaline solution when dissolved in water. Thus, ammonia causes the acidity or alkalinity in the flower pigment to change, resulting in the loss of color.

References

• Mike Dooley; Owner; High Desert Gardens; Albuquerque, New Mexico
• R.M. Technologies: Uses of Ammonia
• "Organic Gardening"; Geoff Hamilton; 2004