As a grower, you’re looking at your fields…and checking out the results of decisions you made months ago. You’re always thinking about what worked, what didn’t, and how you can do even better next season.
Of course, there’s no one size fits all plan, since the soil and the weather make every year different. But, building the best crop nutrition plan isn’t a guess – it’s getting the right information to make the best decisions for your yield goals.
So how can you give your crops what they need and when they need it to maximize your ROI? Here are five ways to help create a smarter and more precise crop nutrition management plan.
1. Start with a high-quality soil analysis
This is the foundation of it all! A comprehensive soil test is like taking nutrient inventory. It looks beyond the standard N-P-K readings to tell you about:
- Micronutrients: Zinc, manganese, and boron are just as important for yield as the macronutrients.
- Soil pH: This is a major component of nutrient availability. For example, you might have plenty of phosphorus in the soil, but if the pH is too low, the plant can’t access it. Correcting the pH is the first step to using the potential of what’s already there.
- Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and organic matter: These tell you about the soil’s ability to hold and supply nutrients throughout the season.
You wouldn’t plan a trip without knowing what direction to go. Don’t plan a season without a soil test. Learn more about it in our Back 2 Basics video series.
2. Set realistic goals
Your nutrient plan should be designed to meet a goal. Look at your past data to set an ambitious – but achievable – target for each field.
Questions to ask include: What is the five-year average production history for this field? What did you best year look like? With the new variety you’re planting, what is its potential this year?
Setting a realistic yield goal helps you build a plan that supplies enough nutrition to reach that target.
3. Analyze your past records
Before you plan for next year, look back at the information you already have.
- Yield maps: Where are your best and worst performing areas? A yield map might show a consistent low spot. Check for the cause – compaction, broken tile, sandy spot? Maybe that zone doesn’t need more nutrients, but instead a different approach to managing an issue.
- Old soil tests: Look at trends over time. Are your phosphorus levels slowly declining? Is your pH heading downward? This long-term view helps you stop issues before they turn into a bigger problems.
4. Do in-season tissue sampling
A soil test tells you what’s in the soil…but a tissue test tells you what the plant has actually absorbed. This is your mid-season report card, and it’s a great tool for fine-tuning your nutrition plan. A crop can look healthy, but a tissue sample might show it’s lacking in something important. Catching a deficiency early means you can put on a foliar application to correct the problem before it limits your yield. Sometimes it’s the difference between seeing a problem and preventing one.
Learn more about tissue sampling.
5. Consider your nutrient source, placement, and timing
How you apply your nutrients is just as important as what you apply. Consider your starter fertilizer program. Your choice can make a huge difference in getting your crop off to a strong and uniform start. Likewise, for side dress or foliar applications, using a product that is readily available and efficiently absorbed by the crops means you get the most out of your investment, especially when the crop is under stress.
Building a plan
Creating the best crop nutrition program is a year-round process of planning, executing, and evaluating. By combining high-quality soil analysis, realistic goals, historical data, tissue sampling, and application strategies, you move from a generic plan to a more precise strategy designed to give you the best season ever.
At AgroLiquid, this is what we work toward. Our products and programs are developed to fit into your seasonal goals. Want to get started? Talk to your AgroLiquid rep to build your best plan yet.
