K use this year

[Secret Agronomist]

What are thoughts for K use this season. We have generally good levels, mostly in the moderate range, some high and some in the low category.
With the price of MOP at the moment I am toying with not putting any on cereals this year and saving what was earmarked for that for next year on carrots and potatoes that are obviously more responsive to K applications. This MOP is valued at an average of maybe £400/t. And the tonnage I have in stock would be enough to cover 90% of next years root crops.
Could I substitute some of the omitted K with a bit of foliar (and if so what product and at what timing?) maybe applied 2 or 3 times with fungicides instead, but I don't want to impact yield.
This is obviously not a long term sustainable plan, we use all the straw on the farm for covering carrots so we keep as much K here as possible and we get as much chicken litter as we can but do still need to top up with K.
Any opinions welcome.

 

[teslacoils]

I've given up on foliar as the benefits did not exceed the costs.

 

[Bogweevil]

What are thoughts for K use this season. We have generally good levels, mostly in the moderate range, some high and some in the low category.
With the price of MOP at the moment I am toying with not putting any on cereals this year and saving what was earmarked for that for next year on carrots and potatoes that are obviously more responsive to K applications. This MOP is valued at an average of maybe £400/t. And the tonnage I have in stock would be enough to cover 90% of next years root crops.
Could I substitute some of the omitted K with a bit of foliar (and if so what product and at what timing?) maybe applied 2 or 3 times with fungicides instead, but I don't want to impact yield.
This is obviously not a long term sustainable plan, we use all the straw on the farm for covering carrots so we keep as much K here as possible and we get as much chicken litter as we can but do still need to top up with K.
Any opinions welcome.

Analyses coming back with reasonable levels so thinking insufficient rain to leach much this winter in the SE at least.

Plants use a lot of K so hard to slap on enough to make a significant difference by foliar feeding.

In this region summer drought is always probable so the purported drought hardening aspects of K put me off stinting it, especially on sands.

 

[robbie]

What are thoughts for K use this season. We have generally good levels, mostly in the moderate range, some high and some in the low category.
With the price of MOP at the moment I am toying with not putting any on cereals this year and saving what was earmarked for that for next year on carrots and potatoes that are obviously more responsive to K applications. This MOP is valued at an average of maybe £400/t. And the tonnage I have in stock would be enough to cover 90% of next years root crops.
Could I substitute some of the omitted K with a bit of foliar (and if so what product and at what timing?) maybe applied 2 or 3 times with fungicides instead, but I don't want to impact yield.
This is obviously not a long term sustainable plan, we use all the straw on the farm for covering carrots so we keep as much K here as possible and we get as much chicken litter as we can but do still need to top up with K.
Any opinions welcome.

Id say not to bother applying any except for those low category.
I know it's expensive and probably going to be even more so next year but you don't want to cut your nose off to spite your face. Apply maintenance or just below to anything index 1+ just so index doesn't drop too low, it'll drop quick but is hard to build back up again.

 

[T Hectares]

I have supplies of poultry muck, fym and sludge and a small amount of K in Polysulphate any bagged P&K purchases next year will be the same as this year, zero.
To me it’s why we maintain indices to sustain us through periods like this, it can be built up again in the future when we can afford to do so.

 

[Secret Agronomist]

I've spent the past 14 years building them! Still a way to go.
Got plenty P but K is low in some areas, so that's something.

 

[redsloe]

No bagged K on anything that had fym and 1cwt an acre of MOP on the rest including silage ground this year.

Less than some of it should, but better than nothing.

 

[PSQ]

Yara Krista SoP for foliar has risen from £600/t to £1000/t.

f**k that.