Jim,

Thanks for the photos and descriptions. Always a learning experience.

Our experience 'here' in SWOntario is that fall banded P&K, especially in a deep band garners no response in the following crop. This was replicated, mult-year, multi-location data. On the other hand, a 2x2 planter band almost always had a response.

Because of this data, coupled with the research done by Paul Jasa (where everyone was worried about stratification in long-term no-till soils and thought we needed to deep band, but the phenomenon is largely mitigated by the fact that the soil surface is cooler and the shallower roots will find the nutrients), we still band our P&K in a fall made strip (150 lbs MAP, 300 lbs K2O), but place it essentially in the top 2" the width of the strip. 'Here', where our soils tend to be cool for a prolonged period of time and corn roots can remain as shallow as 3" until the 5th leaf, we find placing P&K in a "deep" band essentially 'hides' it from the corn crop.

Not to throw stones at this producer's system, but in our soils this would be two passes with two pieces of iron to 'hide' the P&K, and then create a spring made strip. If this is an area of proven response to P&K placed at whatever his depth of application, that is great.

Comments meant to be challenging and Constructive only,

Luke