Seeding, fertilizer tips | Seeding shallow with higher seeding rates among measures to take
Elston Solberg says there is a “hockey sock full of things” farmers can do to speed up the development of a late-seeded crop.
The first thing to keep in mind is that seeding depth is more critical than usual.
“You want to seed as shallow as you possibly can so that the crop gets out of the ground as quickly as possible and gets a solar panel happening as quick as possible,” said the president of Agri-Trend Agrology Ltd.
Farmers need to resist the temptation to seed their fields faster than normal because of the condensed seeding window, which usually results in deeper seeding.
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Growers planting cereal crops should consider increasing their seeding rates.
“Sticking a few more seeds in the ground per sq. foot will speed up the maturity process, sometimes rather dramatically,” said Solberg.
However, the technique does not work for oilseeds.
Another tip is to apply immobile nutrients such as phosphorus and zinc to help get the crop out of the ground and encourage root development.
Growers may want to consider priming the seed, which involves putting the immobile nutrients directly on or in the seed.
Another option is to use an impregnation technique where small amounts of immobile nutrients are incorporated into blended granular fertilizer.
Farmers can also apply small amounts of liquid fertilizer with or near the seed, which will accomplish the same thing.
“The combination of higher seeding rates, shallow seeding, priming, all of those factors can buy you four to nine days in terms of more rapid maturity, sometimes even more,” said Solberg.
“Some people are going to call bullshit, but I’ve seen it hundreds and hundreds of times over the years.”
He also offered a tip to speed up seeding: remove ammonium sulfate from fertilizer blends.
“Ammonium sulfate is the bulkiest fertilizer guys have,” he said.
“If you take the ammonium sulfate out of the system, that means less stops, which means more time seeding and less time filling.”
Farmers can broadcast the fertilizer ingredient on top of their fields following seeding. Ammonium sulfate is mobile in the soil and will work its way down to the plant’s root system.
Farmers may also want to reduce their nitrogen fertilizer rates at seeding and apply it afterward.
