What is your #fertilizing #strategy?

There are different approaches to crop #fertilizing strategies. How many do you know? What is yours?

Today, let’s see the 3 main approaches,i.e. Sufficency, maintenance, buildup&maintenance.

The #sufficiencyapproach focuses on the plants need.

Uptake of immobile nutrients such as potassium (K) and phosphor (P) depends totally on plant reach and absorption “skills”.

Each crop has a specific sufficiency index and a recommended application rate of #nutrients, so the sufficiency approach simply aims to apply enough fertilizer to maximize profitability in the present year .

If done properly, with soil tests calibrated according yield response, this approach allows to minimize nutrients application(fertilizers cost) while applying enough fertilizers to #maximize harvest.

To put it simply, it’s the “feed-the-crop” approach.

During trials to test soils, all we need is to discover the “critical level”, the point in which there is no increase in yield no matter your inputs (fertilizer,compost, new soil….)

PROS: Yields are maximized, input minimized

CONS: Fertilizers applications need to be followed up closely every year, in order to mantain that level.

Usually, this approach is suited for short term leases.