Digestate for maize

[Digester Man]

We are putting in maize for the first time, and have 4000 gallons digestate to the acre available which will supply all of the crop requirement on NPK. I’m concerned that if we apply this to the current stubbles and it gets ploughed down, the crop won’t see the benefit of it. How do people normally work in manures? We have our own umbilical setup, I was wondering if 2000g onto stubbles, plough, then 2000g onto the furrows and work that with the power Harrow would be effective? I have never pulled the pipe on ploughed ground but can’t see why it wouldn’t work, the ground is light and pretty stone free

We are growing under plastic and wouldn’t want to be back in the field after the crop is planted

 

[RAF]

Plough it and put it all on . See it done last year was hell off a crop off maize

 

[Beef farmer]

Pipe it all on the ploughing

 

[stablegirl]

Would the same apply for slurry?

 

[Bald Rick]

Plough it in. Seed goes in 4” and tap root goes down 1m or more (ffs, mixed units) so wants to be down. Plus PK isn’t greatly mobile in solution so needs to be at rooting depth

 

[ollie989898]

Do you really need to plough?

A lot of digestate is got rid of using injectors on the continent and they work the soil as they go- two jobs in one?

Where are you growing this maize, the plastic option to me is dubious.

 

[Bald Rick]

Do you really need to plough?

A lot of digestate is got rid of using injectors on the continent and they work the soil as they go- two jobs in one?

Where are you growing this maize, the plastic option to me is dubious.

That’s fine and dandy but deep injection is expensive and slow plus you would still need to subsoil if there is any compaction as maize hates compaction.

 

[Digester Man]

I think the plan is to spread it onto the stubbles and then incorporate with the grubber immediately, then let it sit a few days prior to ploughing. Hopefully that will minimise losses and spread the nutrient through the soil profile a bit. What do you all think?

 

[cvx175]

I think the plan is to spread it onto the stubbles and then incorporate with the grubber immediately, then let it sit a few days prior to ploughing. Hopefully that will minimise losses and spread the nutrient through the soil profile a bit. What do you all think?

Why not incorporate as spreading with a cultivator type injector?

 

[Digester Man]

Why not incorporate as spreading with a cultivator type injector?

wouldn’t be many / any of those machines in this neck of the woods