By Krea Mecham, CCA, IFA Crop Advisor, Cedar City, UT.
As you know fertilizer prices are very volatile, we at Intermountain Farmers Association are committed to providing our customers the most effective use of nutrient dollars possible. I would like to offer some suggestions on how to accomplish this goal in alfalfa production:
1. Soil test- know what the nutrient level is in each field. Our plants require balanced nutrition for optimum growth. If you have only been applying phosphorus on your fields, your fields could be adequate in phosphorus. The limiting nutrient for increased production might be potassium or sulfur.
2. Keep records of each field; know what you applied last year. Remember that soil test readings are a measure of how available each nutrient is to the plant. Each field has different characteristics that make the nutrients applied more or less available to the plant. Use this history to help decide the nutrients and rates to apply to each field. Remember the four “R’s”: the Right nutrients, the Right rate, at the Right time, in the Right place.
3. Find ways to increase the availability of the phosphorus. Phosphorus is the least efficient of all the major nutrients we apply to our fields. Provide adequate levels of phosphorus in the soil. Make sure your micronutrient levels are adequate. Low levels of certain micronutrients can cause a decrease in phosphorus uptake. IFA can add humic and fulvic acids to phosphorus, which help prevent lime from tying up the applied phosphorus. Make foliar applications of liquid phosphorus when applying weed sprays or insecticides. Apply liquid phosphorus in water run applications through center pivots.
IFA has introduced two new products to help with phosphorus efficiency:
“Avail” is a product developed by Specialty Fertilizer Company that we use to coat the phosphorus dry prill. “Avail” has a tremendous negative charge that attracts the free floating positively charged calcium and sodium particles in the soil, thus making the applied phosphorus more available to the plant, keeping them from binding with applied phosphorus. “Avail” has been on the market for about ten years, but until fertilizer prices increased to current levels, the economic return was not there.
“Alfa-Boost” is liquid phosphorus based fertilizer developed by IFA for foliar and water run applications. “Alfa-Boost” has ingredients that make phosphorus more available to the plant. “Alfa-Boost” was designed specifically for alfalfa production in the intermountain area.
4. Split applications of potassium. Alfalfa will consume more potassium at one time than it needs.
5. Work with the IFA crop consultant in your area to develop a plan for your farm or ranch.
