fert on w crops

fudge

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire.
This is bonkers. Applying nitrogen to crops now, when they don't need it, risks the environment and provides ammo for those who would further regulate N usage in agriculture. Why does this subject come up every year? Surely farmers can sense the wind of political change in favour of further environment legislation. None so blind as those who won't see I suppose.
 

Andy Howard

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Ashford, Kent
Winter crops got FYM or Hen Litter at sowing, The rest got 0.20.30. I still have V.Rate MOP to do. Thinking about going now instead of the usual Feb/March application
MOP is highly leachable and K is not needed in winter cereals in any significant amounts for a long time yet. I would keep it in the shed A least you know it's not disappearing out your field drains in February.
 
Whats the difference between putting MOP on in the autumn and putting it on now? Try putting some on now and the rest in spring and tell us which did the best.
I usually put 125kg/ha of 0.20.30 on at sowing winter cereals,then V.Rate p&k in the spring,usually march/april or late Feb if ground will travel.Ground is dry at moment so I was thinking of doing it now to reduce workload in March/April.
 
http://adlib.everysite.co.uk/adlib/defra/content.aspx?id=000IL3890W.16NTC0KI5O22M2

Potash leaching
Potassium does not leach anything like as readily from soils as does nitrate and sulphate. Potash additions not taken up by the crop will be held in the soil by the clay minerals or organic matter as described above. For the great majority of soils, which have a clay content of 5% or more, where normal rates of potash are applied, potassium not used by the crop will remain in the cultivated layer of soil and will not move further down the profile. However, significant losses of potassium can occur when any source of potash (fertiliser, slurry or manure) is applied under adverse conditions i.e. when soil is water-logged, frozen or very dry and deeply cracked. Most of this loss is by surface run-off and can be avoided by following codes of good agricultural practice. Soils with less than 5% clay (the sands and loamy sands) have a much lower retentive capacity for potassium. Such soils, especially if shallow and subjected to rainfall producing large amounts of through-drainage, have a greater risk of potassium loss. On these soils, potash should be applied 'little and often' and applications timed to suit crop uptake and amounts carefully matched to crop offtake.
 
You can apply P and K fairly freely unless you are on sandy or very thin soils or doing something daft when it is water logged or flooded. P and K (and a lot of other elements) are bound very strongly to the soil colloids, they will not re-enter solution freely, but you can lose them if those soil particles are in fact leaving the field via water running over the surface and carrying them away. If that were the case you would not probably be attempting to travel on the land. You must also be very careful on highly acidic soils where a lot of elements behave very differently.

I used to regularly get customers to apply P or K to land destined for winter cereals in the autumn, either in the form of organic manures, slurries or as TSP/MOP or 0.24.24. DAP also has a place, too but obviously it contains nitrogen which is a different beast.

It should be said of course that none of the above should be applied unless prior knowledge of the land indicates the need for these nutrients or you have a recent soil test as you could waste a lot of money very quickly for no appreciable improvement in crop yields.

I am convinced P and K levels were key to overwinter survival of many crops, particularly legumes and grasses.
 

DRC

Member
What amazes me is that some farms must be so depleted of reserves that they would need any fertiliser now. Use of manures and rotation should mean a well established crop won’t go hungry in January , and it’ll be dormant anyway . I guess people are bored and looking for a tractor fix
 
What amazes me is that some farms must be so depleted of reserves that they would need any fertiliser now. Use of manures and rotation should mean a well established crop won’t go hungry in January , and it’ll be dormant anyway . I guess people are bored and looking for a tractor fix
I am not looking for tractor fix.Read what I said. All I am trying to do is plan spring work. In the past in a late spring I have not got MOP applied till late April because N application,lambing,calving ect took priority .
 

Andrew K

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex
I am not looking for tractor fix.Read what I said. All I am trying to do is plan spring work. In the past in a late spring I have not got MOP applied till late April because N application,lambing,calving ect took priority .
How long would it take to get it on in an average season?
 
What amazes me is that some farms must be so depleted of reserves that they would need any fertiliser now. Use of manures and rotation should mean a well established crop won’t go hungry in January , and it’ll be dormant anyway . I guess people are bored and looking for a tractor fix

I agree, the use of manures and autumn applications of P and K and rotations should mean you don't need to be doing this stuff now but as we know not everything goes according to plan.

I would much rather people had their P and K applied by a spreader man using fibrophos or tonnes of FYM way before the crop is drilled but in this case, a bit of something from a bag won't hurt.
 

Devon James

Member
Location
Devon
Thinking of applying some P and K through the back end of a sheep!

Some wheats could do with a graze (on ground that has been fed well for years) whereas as some are hanging in there
 

Andy Howard

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Ashford, Kent
You can apply P and K fairly freely unless you are on sandy or very thin soils or doing something daft when it is water logged or flooded. P and K (and a lot of other elements) are bound very strongly to the soil colloids, they will not re-enter solution freely, but you can lose them if those soil particles are in fact leaving the field via water running over the surface and carrying them away. If that were the case you would not probably be attempting to travel on the land. You must also be very careful on highly acidic soils where a lot of elements behave very differently.

I used to regularly get customers to apply P or K to land destined for winter cereals in the autumn, either in the form of organic manures, slurries or as TSP/MOP or 0.24.24. DAP also has a place, too but obviously it contains nitrogen which is a different beast.

It should be said of course that none of the above should be applied unless prior knowledge of the land indicates the need for these nutrients or you have a recent soil test as you could waste a lot of money very quickly for no appreciable improvement in crop yields.

I am convinced P and K levels were key to overwinter survival of many crops, particularly legumes and grasses.
Upto around 80kg /ha of K can leach annually from soils. We are now January and there is potential for heavy rainfall and water logging during the rest of the winter. I agree soil type and local conditions need to be taken into account but I can't see why you would risk applying it now when it is the time of highest risk of leaching. Whether that be 5kg/ha or 75kg I personally wouldn't do it..not my money though.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Nitrogen doses - no. It's far too early, cold and there's not enough growth to warrant a tickle.
Phosphate - yes. It won't leach and as long as the run off risk is low, carry on.
Potassium - with higher clay and CEC levels, yes. Hold off if you're on sand.
Magnesium - the sulphur in kieserite is highly leachable. Hold off until there is more rapid growth when the crops can make use of it.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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