Whether you grow crops and plants to sell or for personal use, the entire process can be incredibly challenging when done on a larger scale. Since you’re planting the seeds on the open ground, you have to be careful of the dangers that the land brings and the nutrition the land doesn’t offer.
Therefore, you need substances like fertilizer for a good farming experience. But there is a large variety of fertilizers in the market. Not to mention, using fertilizers can be pretty tricky as well if you’re not a seasoned expert.
To help you keep your fertilizing costs down so you can use the services of a heavy duty fertilizer equipment dealer to carry out the job, check out the following useful tips.
Pay Attention To Soil Tests
To understand your soil and the level of nutrition your crops are getting, you need to do regular soil tests.
By testing your soil, you can also understand the level of nutrients each acre of your land has for the crops. For instance, you can trim costs where phosphorus and potassium are available and use fertilizer in the P and K deficient areas.
While there is a concern that applying less P and K than the rate that was removed by the crops can cause a drop in soil tests, many farmers apply around 40% of the crop removal of P and K to get optimum levels. However, you should still test your soil in case something changes.
Prioritize Applying Macronutrients Or Micronutrients
Many farmers may spend money on unnecessary micronutrients because many ads are telling them that applying micros is so cheap that applying them just makes sense.
However, you can’t cut back on applying nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur to free up the budget for micronutrients. If you do, you may get a lower return on your investment.
By cutting application rates of micronutrients, you can reduce your fertilizer expenses. Therefore, try to understand the macronutrient that will provide the most return on investment for the crop you’re growing. Then, you can use soil tests to find out how much more of that nutrient your soil needs to provide the optimum level.
Account For Your Nutrients
It’s important to understand the nutrients in the fertilizers that you apply all over fields. With an understanding, you can better account for all the nutrients that you’re giving to the soil. Remember, most fertilizers contain multiple nutrients. Therefore, you should credit those with any starter fertilizer you’re going to apply.
For instance, if you’re going to apply DAP or MAP into the soil around fall time, you need to credit the nitrogen in those products. However, it’s hard to say how much or how early you need to apply the DAP or MAP for the highest level of N. A basic rule is that the earlier they were applied, the more chance there is that the N will be lost come spring.
Use Online Resources To Expand Your Knowledge
Technology and research are coming up with a great number of findings and technologies that can help you grow your crops better. Not to mention, these resources can also be helpful if you see some pests or something on crops.
Therefore, use proper online resources and stay up to date on the latest research and technology.