Fall Fertilizer Tune-Up

Believe it or not, the end of the growing season is the best time to start planning for next year. Have you done everything to make next year a success?

1. Start with This Year’s Crop Records

Are there some fields, or parts of fields, that didn’t do as well as the rest? Can you identify what the problem was in those areas? It may be weeds, insects, disease, or compaction, or it may be a nutrient deficiency. Be sure you have identified what the cause of yield loss was, and make plans to correct the appropriate problem.

2. Soil Testing

It is impossible to do better than guess at a fertilizer program, without knowing what is in the soil. It’s a little like writing a check without knowing how much is in your checking account…occasionally, a check will bounce. If you don’t have soil test results that are less than three years old, it is time to check your balance!

3. Manure Testing

There is tremendous variation in the nutrient content of various manures. Checking what is in your manure pile, or tank, only makes sense.

4. Legume Credits

Have you plowed down a decent stand of alfalfa or clover? The nitrogen fixed by these legume crops is real, and should be counted in your fertilizer planning.

5. Know What You Need

Applying too little fertilizer will mean you lose yield. Applying too much will waste money, and may cause environmental harm. Use your soil test results to plan how many nutrients you need to apply to each field for optimum yields.

6. Use All The Nutrient Credits

Once you have determined your total nutrient requirements, deduct all of the credits from manure, legumes, or any other nutrient additions that you have made to the field. The actual fertilizer you will need is the net amount after all these deductions have been made.

7. Plan your Applications

Put some thought into a fertilizer program that will make the best use of the fertilizer you are applying. Generally, most of the phosphate should be applied as a starter, if it can be managed at all, along with a small amount of nitrogen. Nitrogen and potash can be broadcast onto the soil surface. Maximum nutrient uptake may require splitting applications, but the benefits to multiple trips over the field have to be balanced against the cost. The optimum fertilizer program for each farm will be a little bit different.

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