To give you a summary answer: calcium cyanamide is a chemical that is not allowed in organic farming . Below I try to give some more information on this product.
Calcium Cyanamide What It Is
It is a fertilizer used in conventional agriculture with a high content of nitrogen , with gradual release. The calcium cyanamide is found in granules or in powder form and is used only as a background fertilizer, so during the preparation of the soil . Using it during cultivation would risk damaging the plants.
We must always take into account that it is a toxic product : it must not be used in the organic vegetable garden and anyone who decides to use it must use precautions. Suffice it to say that the chemical reactions that cause it can also be used as herbicide.
In addition to fertilizing this product has other implications on the ground : thanks to its calcium content corrects the pH of the soil by lowering its acidity. Also because of the presence of cyanamide acid is also considered a “disinfectant” of the soil, or a product useful for killing terrestrial insects and nematodes . There are those who use this substance in the processing of soil to remove and dissuade rodents such as rats, voles and moles to dig their burrows in the field.
How calcium cyanamide is made up
Calciocyanamide is sold in granules or powder. Its percentage composition consists of:
- Total nitrogen 20.50%
- Cyanamide nitrogen 19.50%
- Soluble calcium in water 60%, derived from cyanamide
The product looks like a dark gray powder, due to the impurities of coal and lime. It is prepared starting from a reaction of calcium carbide with gaseous nitrogen at about 900-1000 ° C, in special electric arc furnaces. This exothermic reaction then proceeds spontaneously once it has been triggered. The final product, before being marketed, is ground and wet with a little water to decompose the un-reacted carbide part.
