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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | Pull a soil test first. Otherwise you are just shooting in the dark. Tissue tests are even better, as it shows what the plant is actually needing.
Alfalfa uses lots of K. But, I have never seen a response from K fertilizer here, regardless of the type of dry, put some foliar K on, no response. Guys 10 miles away in a different soil need lots of K. Soil tests always show it being on the low end, but tissue tests always show K being more than adequate.
I usually put on 11-52, and/or 16-20, and blend some elemental S or Tiger 90 in with it. Alfalfa uses lots of P, and you can skate for years without putting any on, but eventually it will catch up with you. Better to maintain good levels by always putting some on. 16-20 has a distinct advantage if your looking for quick results as it adds more S. Again, you have to know your ground, we are almost always S deficient. Use gyp at times, lots of elemental S. If something is stressed or doesn't look right, Tiger 90 is usually a quick fix here.
There are a number of products that I will occasionally water run, for lots of different reasons. The experts say you don't need N fertilizer on alfalfa, but I can show a yield increase from a small N application every cutting. 10-20 units of N with the last irrigation will bump the feed value a little as well. Usually only do one fertilizer application per year, so on the rest of the cuttings I try and put at least a little N and S on through the water.
Used to love APS through the water here. Make you gag if the wind was blowing back toward the pump while you are running it in, but it sure made stuff grow. No one makes it anymore from what I understand. I'm sure my neighbors appreciate that. I always thought it was nasty enough it would even kill of a few aphid/weevils as well. | |
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alfalfa inputs?
