BROADCASTING FERTILIZER - Spring 2016

Recent conditions offered an opportunity to broadcast liquid fertilizer, --early in the season, firmed up ground, heavy residue to help support machine and product weight, and rain every other day.  March 1st, Kye put 30# phosphorous and 20# sulfur  on alfalfa (streaming ammonium poly phosphate 11-37-0, and ammonium thio sulfate 12-0-0-26.  On the 4-5th, he put 60# nitrogen and 10# sulfur on ground that will be seeded to spring mustard and canola (streaming URAN 32% and ammonium thio sulfate 12-0-0-26.
      --I'm not a fan of broadcasting fertilizer on the soil surface.  Phosphorous does not move into the soil profile well, and nitrogen sources are exposed to potential loss into the atmosphere.
              In the future we need to look at the spoke-wheel applicator from Oregon.  With it's capability of placing fertilizer four inches into the soil profile, and it's very low surface disturbance, the spoke-wheel offers a potential solution to resolve all issues related to applying fertilizer in a growing crop, or for a sensitive crop.  Currently though, spreading phosphorous, nitrogen, and sulfur during the 1" rainfall we have received the past six days, has allowed us to do the second best option with minimum loss.
               My understanding is that in our heavy residue mat, it's preferable to use dry fertilizer.  The theory is that more dry product will work through the residue to the soil surface than a liquid product.
      --I am confused about fertilizing a tap rooted plant.  Last December at the Wheat Academy, there was a presentation on fertilizing various cultivars. Pictures illustrated a serious problem with a concentrated nitrogen band below or near a cultivar with a tap root.  It appeared that a similar effect was present in cultivars with fiberous roots; however, because of the rooting type (not dependent on a tap root), the yield hit was significantly less.  
                I have attended two oil seed conferences since the December meeting, and not a word was mentioned that would indicate a concern over the proximity of concentrated nitrogen.
                In the past we have put all our N down in one pass with the mustard seed.  We have not been satisfied with our yields.  Was that due to frost damage, which we have had every year, or have we had damage from the concentrated fertilizer band?  We'll try broadcasting the fertilizer and dig roots this year.  We'll also reseed frost damaged areas instead of waiting and watching to see if the stand will recover.

Streaming N & S in the rain.  In this case it is a timely application where the rain will move the N into the soil profile, minimizing loss of a volatile product.  The ground condition supports the equipment quite well.   

OOPs!, --I watched this happen in two blinks of the eye.  Notice the track coming down over a grass patch behind the GVM.   There is no difference between residue, or rubber at the interface with soil, --if the interface is wet, it's lubricated and gravity wins.  Our soil has good surface cover and a high infiltration rate, but rolling across steep ground with a heavy machine in the rain, will send you to the bottom.  Kye had most of these steep places fertilized the day before when no rain was falling.