Anyone growing crops with no fert ?

[bobk]

Excluding organic boys , could be interesting

 

[melted welly]

Doing a wheat trial with no granular fert, foliar sprays, humic/fulvics, various other sandal wearers stuff.

It’s looking pretty crap to be honest, but will see it through..

 

[bobk]

Doing a wheat trial with no granular fert, foliar sprays, humic/fulvics, various other sandal wearers stuff.

It’s looking pretty crap to be honest, but will see it through..

Keep us informed , it's margin not beauty .

 

[melted welly]

Keep us informed , it's margin not beauty .

Grew veg crop using similar programme and it worked out ok, so will see how it goes.

 

[roscoe erf]

yep

 

[ProDrive]

Surely you have to do a trail over a few years as nutrients will still be in the ground?

 

[Greythundercloudys]

It won't grow much, that's for sure.

 

[bobk]

yep

Grass ?

 

[JockCroft]

If fert don't turn up by the time I shake of the dreaded pandemic. Its going in without.
Found two cans of Seaweed extract my father must have bought 20 years ago. Will it still be usable.

 

[daveydiesel1]

If fert don't turn up by the time I shake of the dreaded pandemic. Its going in without.
Found two cans of Seaweed extract my father must have bought 20 years ago. Will it still be usable.

What is seaweed extract used for and is it still available?

 

[Skintagain]

If fert don't turn up by the time I shake of the dreaded pandemic. Its going in without.
Found two cans of Seaweed extract my father must have bought 20 years ago. Will it still be usable.

I’d be putting it on

 

[Hjcarter]

Will be brewing compost tea against soon.

Will be a bit more scientific this year.

 

[Chris123]

Nettles grow like bloody hell here with no fertiliser at all!

 

[roscoe erf]

Grass ?

yep

 

[melted welly]

Surely you have to do a trail over a few years as nutrients will still be in the ground?

I am

 

[Tarw Coch]

Found two cans of Seaweed extract my father must have bought 20 years ago. Will it still be usable.

Well it won’t grow anything sitting in the shed.

 

[Kidds]

Haven't put N on my apples for decades, soil is high in P and although quite probably low in K I haven't put any of that on either for 5+ years.
I do use Maxicrop Triple and a couple of foliar sprays of Epsom Salts. Also use Calcium Nitrate sprays against bitterpit but they tell me there isn't enough N in that to make any difference in the leaf (it is the Ca that is what I am trying to increase)
I have seen no difference in fruit quantity, size or quality that would make me decide to put N on even if it was free. Not sure if the Maxicrop makes a difference but for what I pay and amount used it doesn't matter if it doesn't (my suspicion is that it does) as it does act as a wetter for the potassium bicarb I use against mildew.
Alleyway grass is so lush I could graze sheep or even get a few good cuts off it, not sure why that is but possibly the amount of clover in it.

I haven't always done it like that and historically I was using bagged NPK, with hindsight I wonder why I ever did.

Potassium Bicarb 25kg/ha/year
Maxicrop Triple 4 litres/ha/season
Epsom salts 4kg/ha/season
CaN 30kg/ha/season

 

[Agrivator]

On otherwise healthy soils, judicious use of nitrogen will allow double the yield. There is no point in farmers doing their own trials: they have all been done during the early to mid nineteen hundreds.

On grassland in particular, nitrogen is extremely valuable in accelerating spring growth, and producing grass with higher energy and protein, to the nutritional and welfare benefit of whatever ruminant is grazing it. It also gives an improved root system, resulting in a higher mineral content of the grass, whether it is grazed or conserved. It is also a vital tool in the survival of small farms who can use it effectively to increase their acreage.

I don't think the Government and the sandal - wearing weirdos realise the extent to which artificial nitrogen improves the efficiency and quantity of home-produced food, and reduces our dependence on imported food and protein. We should utilise our own natural gas supplies even if they are to be used for nothing but production of nitrogenous fertiliser.

 

[neilo]

If fert don't turn up by the time I shake of the dreaded pandemic. Its going in without.
Found two cans of Seaweed extract my father must have bought 20 years ago. Will it still be usable.

It’ll likely be as effective as the day he bought it, which is maybe the reason it’s still sitting in the shed after 2 decades…

 

[Courier]

Miscanthus….