Best fertilizing method

[riders2010]

Better with fertilizer seed placed or paired row? anhydrous then go put phos with seed single shoot. But is there a better way all with dry and a good opener?

[fjlip]

ESN with cereals happening here, single shoot one pass seeding. Seems to work. Some of every method, but less of no till due to wet years.

[riders2010]

So do you put all esn or a combo of with and without? I m leaning to that also.

[Klause]

Depends on your rates.

If your SBU allows it the max safe urea with the seed is 40 lbs... The max with ESN would be 80.


That's in a perfect world where the pills haven't been broken and handled too much.


If you only have a knife on 12 spacing your max safe N is 10 to 20 lbs so ESN would be 20 to 40.


Canola is extremely sensitive to seed placed N...

[riders2010]

how soon would esn break down and be available I guess would depend on moisture, so that's why I asked do you just add a bit without esn to get starter?

[Klause]

That would depend on the crop...

ESN releases all N at 6 to 8 weeks... counting the conversion to nitrates at around 8 to 9 weeks it would all be in plant form.



If you are trying for malt barley that would suck because you'd be feeding N at a time where it goes to protein... not the best idea.


If you are growing wheat on pea stubble with ample soil N then you can go all ESN and have high yield and protein.


For cereals if you put down some AMS with your phos and then ESN you should be pretty good.... other than malt.


Canola your probably better of banding the N first.

[TASFarms]

If you put 40lbs of n down in esn at spring seeding. Be prepared to only use 20 lbs of n. soil test I have done show over 20lbs of n available after harvest. The next years pulse crop won't have very good noduals and the weeds will be huge.

[tweety]

TAS, don't be throwing logic and experience into this ESN discussion! All our trials on that stuff showed no improvement in protein or yield.

Guys are apparently willing to leave on the table big yield just to single shoot!

You know, roots go down and immobile nutrients stay put, right?

The best fertilizing method is in the ground where the roots - not the seed - can get to it quickly and efficiently. Creating a band of high acidity also allows the release of more P.

Not 6" away making happy weeds, not on top, not with, but close by and down an inch or so.

[fjlip]

BG still claims higher protein wheat but never states that barley would be higher also. No doubt happy weeds in the midrow, lots of heavy high wear iron to drag through soil. Oh ya it's also NOT free iron. I'm just low cost old school. Correct that to save time, one pass is the perceived answer, not perfect of course, maybe not correct.

[tweety]

BG does great marketing.

[Hopperbin]

Everyone selling million billions of products does good marketting. Separate bull from fact.

[farmaholic]

So, as some may know I do have a 3320 paralink with midrow banders. First of all, I will be the first to admit any independant shank drill will end up worn out junk sooner than the old style c-shanks (especially if maintenance is a foreign concept to you) add in MRBs and it gets even uglier. I bought with my eyes wide open....

Tweety, so a ten inch spaced drill with MRBs can't feed a crop? N is very mobile and lateral roots can't grow 4-5 inches from the seedrow to reach N that has moved closer as well? Put some starter with the seed and away you go.

We've seen our best canola catches since we got this thing. Our wheat protien has been pretty darn high (but use a fair bit of fert as well). Happy weeds? Spray for **** sakes, who doesn't anyway? If the high rate of fert is too toxic for the crop in the seed row how the hell can the weeds benefit when twice as much fert is put in a band between every second seed row and none in between every other second?

Let's see what happens when things get drier, my experience with this unit is only two seasons of
more than adequate moisture. Too early to say it's the best thing since sliced bread for me.....on my farm. We grew crops with discers, hoe and air drills and by far what mattered MOST was moisture.

Good luck and take care this spring, please be safe, its not worth your life!

[farmaholic]

Another concern of mine with the Bourgault MRB configuration was the possibility of a nutrient starved crop before it reached the fert band. So far it doesnt "look" to be the case. We use some fert in the seedrow and absolutely no P in the midrow. Still would like to see the effects of a dry season with this rig, better watch what I wish for.

I've never dribble banded or foliar fed in the growing season, but think I has merit.... if things go south don't apply more. Makes sense.

[tweety]

Just think what you could do farmaholic if you put the fert in the right place!

[TOM4CWB]

Broadleaf crops and pulses don't like the P with the seed... research is showing much better results with N/P together a couple of inches down/offset to the side... for best utilization and seed bed. I agree with tweety... why feed the weeds!