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Winter is a great time to review yield results, fertilizer rates and potential fertilizer shortcomings evident over the growing season. Winter provides the time to look at soil test results from the fall (and even sample fields that weren’t done sooner – albeit with specialized equipment for frozen soil) and make plans to pre-buy and maybe even take delivery of…
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Closer to freeze up is best time to capture soil test results that more closely resemble the situation next spring. BUT...sampling soon after combining may satisfy a number of other issues: (1) That is the only time you can get the custom soil-sampler. (2) You want test results in time to make fall fertilizer applications. (3) You want to see…
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Fall fertilizer is best applied as close to freeze up as possible to balance two objectives: (1) allow soil to seal over the band and (2) reduce losses due to high microbial activity in warm soils…
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Some growers are already doing soil tests and making fall fertilizer applications. While this may not be the ideal timing for soil tests of fertilizer applications (closer to freeze up is better), this timing may satisfy a number of other issues, including custom soil-sampler availability, wanting test results before fall application, and checking to see if current soil nutrient levels…
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Western Canada has a short growing season. Crops in Western Canada start to take up nutrients early and uptake escalates quickly. For these reasons, the ideal timing for fertilizer application is at seeding. This saves an extra pass over the field and ensures that the expected fertilizer requirement is in place when the crop needs it. But there are times…
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The combination of warm weather and moist soils is almost ideal for losses. Growers may want to reassess the nutrient situation with a time-of-seeding soil test, then top-dress if amounts are less than expected…
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Given the warm temperatures and moist soil conditions, the ideal time for fall soil samples may still be ahead of us. For results to be as close as possible to the situation next spring, the ideal time to take fall samples is when soil temperatures drop below 10°C and as close to freeze-up as possible…
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The key strategy of fall fertilization is to store nitrogen over the winter in the ammonium form – which is held on clay and organic matter – and is referred to as stabilized N. To keep nitrogen in this stabilized ammonium form and protect it for crop use next year…
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Snow in October is not usually a major problem for fall soil tests. Temperatures often improve before winter sets in for good, so sampling opportunities usually present themselves…
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