Fertiliser

[Ken]

Hi I have some 20/10/10 to put on my grass fields somebody suggested I put on three hundred weight an acre ( which I work out to 150kg an acre does this sound right

Many thanks

 

[ED.D]

1 hundred weight is about 50kgs, as to applying 3 in one hit will depend what you want to do with the grass ie graze or cut and its worth taking into account the amount of fym you have to apply also.

 

[Walterp]

The 'standard' measure around here for grassland intended for first cut would be 2 cwt an acre, but a dairy man would fall over laughing at that....

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Without knowing the facts you can't realy comment, if it's for grazing that amount of potash would not be a good move due to a higher risk of staggers, for conservation it would be fine

 

[Walterp]

Without knowing the facts you can't realy comment, if it's for grazing that amount of potash would not be a good move due to a higher risk of staggers, for conservation it would be fine

I didn't know that the potash increased the risk of staggers?

Does that mean if I cut it out, I can save on all those expensive hi-mag buckets?

 

[Ken]

The grass will be used to put sheep on we never really fertilised last year mistake so it needs a good covering we will hole to get a first cut as well thanku

 

[RDL]

100 kg on grazing if you need a lot of grazing, I would put 150 kg on for silage. But 150 on grazing creates a lot of grass that will get way ahead of livestock. And be trapped by stock ( wasted ) or need topping. Better in 2 maybe 3 splits. And yes to much potash will increase staggers, but if on poor soil high potash won't increase staggers

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I didn't know that the potash increased the risk of staggers?

Does that mean if I cut it out, I can save on all those expensive hi-mag buckets?

Long time since my dairy days but grazing land after slurry it being high in potash was bad for staggers and dad would never put potash on for early bite, little and often latter in the season was told

 

[Sussex Martin]

What type of info are you guys giving out!!! As someone who posts on here says 'advice is worth what you pay for it', including mine. Sixty units of nitrogen will give very little growth, on my silage/hay ground I usually put 100 units, P + K put on after cutting. What he has is the wrong product!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I can't afford more than 60 units an acre and for hay you be better with 40 units

 

[bobk]

We soil test 50% of the fields each year, takes the guess work out of it and saves applying expensive fert when it's not necessary .
Grazing fields only get N , cutting fields tend to get potash and nitrogen but this year no fields require phosphate .
PH needs topping up in some and imo lime is alot cheaper than fert
It's a significant saving , only element I'm unsure of is sulphur , may get some tissue tests done

 

[Amcnab]

I didn't know that the potash increased the risk of staggers?

Does that mean if I cut it out, I can save on all those expensive hi-mag buckets?

thot every livestock man knew that! potash on grazing ground late summer/autumn

 

[Cowabunga]

For optimum economic grass growth the decades old standard is two units applied per day of growth with more early season and less as the season progresses. So I apply about 100 to 120 units for first cut, including that from slurry and depending on weather and timing of both application and cutting date.
First application for grazing gets no less than 80 units.
Total yearly application in an ideal year can be up to 320 units per acre but in an exceptionally wet or dry year down to 270 or even less in extreme.
This is far more intensive than most, but not all, beef units. I do know some intensive beef units, with some sucklers in some cases, that do grow grass as a crop in this way. And they don't have to top that much either. That is down to the management.

For those that don't know, three cwts of 20-10-10 per acre applies enough P and K for soil maintenance on grazing land that has good levels to start with and for the year. In terms of units it applies 60-30-30 respectively. A heavy cut of silage in a single cut system can remove a lot of potash.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

You like them at you know where, he came here to look at some grass it was nearly a foot high, price was £40 odd an acre, won't pay he said after I put firtilizer on it, he could not get it into his head you could grow grass without it, dairy farmers are brainwashed into applying it in their sleep

 

[Cowabunga]

As I remember it you were as intensive as anyone and more so than most when your family were dairy farmers. Now that you rent it all out you seem to have changed your tune.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Nitram £30/ton yes intensive

 

[Cowabunga]

What the heck has the historical price got to do with it? Grass is still by far the cheapest feed for grazing animals unless a high rent is paid or more land has to be bought for £10k an acre.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I get really peaved when I read this kind of thread, because I could take you to a farm where the chap finishes beef and lamb faster than anywhere else I know of by a long, long way. He spent money on lime and fibrophos to get levels good, but now spends NOTHING AT ALL on any purchased ferts. You can pick his fields out from a mile away, and I MEAN a mile away from the main road. He will turn out cattle in february and they are still out in novemeber. An excellent farmer who knows how to keep land in good heart.

I get peaved, because if I tell you where he is, he would string me up for giving away "his secrets"!! There are some good grass farmers around here, but he is head and shoulders above the rest. You won't be surprised when I tell you all his ph values are 7 or above. Higher than any text book will tell you. He bought a lot of lime from me and my father before me, but has had none for the last 4 years. I can't see him needing any either.

Bagged fert is the expensive way to grow grass. Looking after your soil is the sensible way.

 

[Cowabunga]

Grass needs nutrients and the correct ph. How a farmer supplies those nutrients is up to him and if he can't get an economic response from fertiliser or can't utilise all the grass then he would be sensible not to use it or limit its use to economic levels for his enterprise.

 

[Dave6170]

How do you use fibrophos? Tons/acre? What values of P and K does a ton supply? Have heard of it but is probably expensive to get supplied up here. But maybe good value.

Should our fields really be up to good ph levels, apply products like fibrophos and just use bagged N.? No 20.10.10 16.16.16 etc?.