KDD - 12/14/2009 16:23

Someone above said "Put the phosphate and micros where it needs to be for corn and save money on fertilizer." That may apply in a low-fertility, short-term situation, but not for the long term in my view.

A crop needs the same amount of nutrients whether it is "in the row" or broadcast. The roots don't know the difference...they don't just feed only in the row. Now, that means putting the nutrient in the row vs. broadcast should not matter, as long as the amounts are right over the long term. BUT, hoping to use less fertilizer by putting it in strips or in the row is false economy.

I have said often that our farm has used starter on the planter for at least four generations. Until 2004. During my time running the corn planter (1977 until now) I have always had at least one test plot (read "screw-up/run out of starter") every year. We almost always would do a yield check on those areas. The starter areas always looked far better all season long. Never could measure a yield difference. (Yields were almost always the same, even though the non-starter areas got LESS fertilizer that year.) In 2003, I broke my hip, and was still moving slow by spring, so we didn't apply starter. Haven't since, and yields are still going up. Now I can enjoy planting without the hassle of handling starter.

Treat your soil right, and it will take care of you!