Chemical fertilizers, aside from being benifical to the soil in some ways, can create negative results as well.Nitrogen fertilizers ,in particular,can cause acidity  in the soil and make it easier for some basic cations to be washed away.With the idea that the ammonium sulphate fertilizers, which have been used in tea farming for some time, makes it easier for the potassium in the soil to be washed away, research was conducted upon soil samples taken from 6 different tea fields which would produce different levels of potassium.

    These samples were air dried in the Institute’s laboratory then measured out into 1.5 kg samples and later placed in special washing containers.Four treatments were administered to the soil samples and each treatment repeated 3 times. In the first treatment 30 kg of ammonium suphate was administered to the dekar; in the 2nd and 3 rd treatments the same amount of ammonium, including azote as well, and urea were added; and in the 4th treatment no fertilizers were added.

    After washing, the washed percentage value of  K found in the soil was less than the percentage value of K found in the drained soil.This situation results from the fact that the available potassium in the soil which has decreased after washing was reinforced by the non-available potassium found in the soil.

    After washing it was seen that from the free potassium as a whole, the % of potassium which was washed away the most was found after the application of ammonium sulphate (40.59 %), thereafter ammonium nitrate (32.5 %) and later urea ( 30.46 %). In the samples where the least % of potasium was washed away was seen in samples where fertilizers were not administered.