Latest in Fertilizer News:
Thoughts about Potassium
Potassium often isn’t the first nutrient on everyone’s mind during a fertility plan but it’s equally essential as nitrogen. In fact, most crops take up just as much or more K2O as N during their life. Fortunately in typical grain crops a lot of that K is returned to the soil in straw rather than removed in the seed, unless you are haying or baling straw of course. For example, 3 tonnes of alfalfa hay will remove about 180 lbs/ac K2O!
We are already in a window in some parts of western Canada where topdressing hay could be done since snow is gone and growth will resume soon. I’m often asked how efficient broadcast fertilizer is on crops and the results of one alfalfa study below gives some insight into the efficiency of potash. Applied K will typically will move 2-3” in a season so the efficiency in year 1 is actually not too bad, likely around 40%. So if you are struggling with how to get high rates of fertilizer blends through an air-drill this spring, broadcasting MOP or Aspire may be a good option… there is no environmental risk to this method and as long as you are putting on a high enough rate (maybe 2-3 yrs worth of K) it is agronomically viable as well. You could always look at blending a portion of N needs as well through a protected urea source and easily drop 100-200 lbs/ac of product going through an air-drill. If nothing else, it’s good to know there are options that don’t compromise the environment or good agronomy.
For more information check out www.mossaicco.com
We are already in a window in some parts of western Canada where topdressing hay could be done since snow is gone and growth will resume soon. I’m often asked how efficient broadcast fertilizer is on crops and the results of one alfalfa study below gives some insight into the efficiency of potash. Applied K will typically will move 2-3” in a season so the efficiency in year 1 is actually not too bad, likely around 40%. So if you are struggling with how to get high rates of fertilizer blends through an air-drill this spring, broadcasting MOP or Aspire may be a good option… there is no environmental risk to this method and as long as you are putting on a high enough rate (maybe 2-3 yrs worth of K) it is agronomically viable as well. You could always look at blending a portion of N needs as well through a protected urea source and easily drop 100-200 lbs/ac of product going through an air-drill. If nothing else, it’s good to know there are options that don’t compromise the environment or good agronomy.
For more information check out www.mossaicco.com
Not Enough Sulfer?
Occasionally I have conversations with people about MicroEssentials® S15™ and hear comments like, “it doesn’t have enough sulfur for canola”. While there might be certain cases this is true, I often reply with, “Or are you not putting on enough phosphate?” The reality is, we know what the approximate nutrient uptake and removal numbers are for canola:
40 bu/ac Uptake: 58 lbs P2O5, 24 lbs S
Removal: 32 lbs P2O5, 10 lbs S
60 bu/ac Uptake: 87 lbs P2O5, 36 lbs S
Removal: 48 lbs P2O5, 15 lbs S
With these figures, unless manure or some other major P source has increased your soil P to the point of wanting to actually draw it down, MicroEssentials S15 analysis is perfectly suited to canola in western Canada. The slow release elemental S portion helps mitigate potential leaching loss in season, so no matter what your yield environment, in theory there should be 4-5 lbs of additional S to be available in the following season if you match P removal. This is why 100 lbs/ac of MicroEssentials S15 has performed so well on many western Canadian farms. But now many farms are far surpassing 50 and even 60 bu/ac, so to keep up with P removal we really need to be looking at higher rates of MicroEssentials, which we can be confident will always supply a proper ratio of P:S for canola.
For the exceptions where you need more sulfate, AMS (21-0-0-24), ATS (15-0-0-20), and K-Mag (0-0-21.5-21 + 10.5 Mg) are all very good sources of immediately available sulfur. AMS and ATS should rarely be placed in the seedrow, but K-Mag has the benefit of being a very low salt index, NH4-free source of sulfate, so can often be safely applied in the seedrow if needed (and it also supplies K!)
For more information : www.mossaicco.com
40 bu/ac Uptake: 58 lbs P2O5, 24 lbs S
Removal: 32 lbs P2O5, 10 lbs S
60 bu/ac Uptake: 87 lbs P2O5, 36 lbs S
Removal: 48 lbs P2O5, 15 lbs S
With these figures, unless manure or some other major P source has increased your soil P to the point of wanting to actually draw it down, MicroEssentials S15 analysis is perfectly suited to canola in western Canada. The slow release elemental S portion helps mitigate potential leaching loss in season, so no matter what your yield environment, in theory there should be 4-5 lbs of additional S to be available in the following season if you match P removal. This is why 100 lbs/ac of MicroEssentials S15 has performed so well on many western Canadian farms. But now many farms are far surpassing 50 and even 60 bu/ac, so to keep up with P removal we really need to be looking at higher rates of MicroEssentials, which we can be confident will always supply a proper ratio of P:S for canola.
For the exceptions where you need more sulfate, AMS (21-0-0-24), ATS (15-0-0-20), and K-Mag (0-0-21.5-21 + 10.5 Mg) are all very good sources of immediately available sulfur. AMS and ATS should rarely be placed in the seedrow, but K-Mag has the benefit of being a very low salt index, NH4-free source of sulfate, so can often be safely applied in the seedrow if needed (and it also supplies K!)
For more information : www.mossaicco.com
Have we been applying boron correctly
There have basically been two ways of applying boron to crops in the past – high analysis granular sources (normally 10-15% B), or foliar applications (often ~10% B @ ~0.5 L/ac). Traditional granulars are relatively cheap per lb of B, but can have problems with early season localized toxicity & deficiency due to poor nutrient distribution. Foliars can be easily applied in season, but B is phloem immobile so it doesn’t translocate to new tissues. Therefore foliar application timing is really a gamble, and even if applied at proper timing, these rates only provide a single season “bandaid”, with no ability to build the soil B supply. Complicating it even further is the effect of weather, particulary soil moisture, on boron uptake from the soil. But we know if we feed the soil enough, the soil will feed the crop.
These facts likely explain the relative variability of response to boron fertilizers in western Canada, and the reason why organizations like the Canola Council have made blanket statements that we don’t need boron, even though there have clearly been some trials show a response. Forget blanket statements – we need to figure out when, where, why, and how crops will respond to boron, because if a farmer can get a return on investment that is worth figuring out.
Aspire was designed with the agronomics of boron and 4Rs in mind. It offers a low analysis, inexpensive granular boron source that can deliver nutrients evenly across the field. Aspire delivers boron to the crop in a way we’ve never had before, opening up an opportunity for crop responses that we’ve never had before.
These facts likely explain the relative variability of response to boron fertilizers in western Canada, and the reason why organizations like the Canola Council have made blanket statements that we don’t need boron, even though there have clearly been some trials show a response. Forget blanket statements – we need to figure out when, where, why, and how crops will respond to boron, because if a farmer can get a return on investment that is worth figuring out.
Aspire was designed with the agronomics of boron and 4Rs in mind. It offers a low analysis, inexpensive granular boron source that can deliver nutrients evenly across the field. Aspire delivers boron to the crop in a way we’ve never had before, opening up an opportunity for crop responses that we’ve never had before.
Liquid FertilizerWe carry a variety of liquid fertilizer products including Commodity Liquid Fertilizers:
28-0-0, 10-34-0, 15-0-0-20, and Alpine ortho phosphate 6-22-2 and Controlled Release Nitrogen. For more information visit Alpine's website below: www.alpinepfl.com/east/research/starter-fertilizer/ |
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