liquid fertilizer

[dmiller]

Anyone use liguid fertlizer?
Specifically thinking about it for 16 acres of winter wheat this spring.
Not aqua amonnia but these new ones that are applied with a sprayer.
Supposedly about the same cost per acre but more efficient on the uptake and usage that ureau (the main option around here) also supposedly more effecient with the ability to apply micro-nutrients.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

I top dress with liquid and apply fungicide (quilt) in one pass. Works great. You want to wait until the wheat comes out of dormancy though.
 

[dmiller]

How do you know when it's out of dormancy? My assumption was that there's no point in fertilizing until the plant is photosynthesizing actively again as I see new growth.
I was kinda' thinking of putting out about 60% of the rec. from the soil test on as urea as soon as the growth shows and the soil temps are above 60. Then topdress the rest in 1 or 2 applications later on (need to read again when the right stage is to try and boost seed count and then again to boost protein).
Sound like a plan? Lots of learning here, not much experience (yet !!!)
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

Here you do D, straight from the Kstate wheat growers handbook....some of these boys seem to think you need to go "by the book". I look for new growth and a slight yellowing of the plant as go time for top dressing. I would just wait and put it all on in one shot, less plant damage, less application cost.

Tillering
Warming temperatures in late winter cause wheat to
“green up” and resume growth. Tillers that were initiated
in the previous fall grow rapidly and change back from
the prostrate form to an upright form as the sheaths, the
parts of the leaves that cover the stems, become longer.
Nitrogen fertilizer should be top-dressed at this time to
stimulate growth of the tillers, which will produce most
of the grain at harvest. The growing points are still at
their protected underground position at this stage, but
drought and other stresses may restrict growth of the
tillers. Herbicides such as 2,4-D stop development of the
tillers and should not be applied at this stage.

[url]
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/c529.pdf[/url]
 

[ihman73]

We used to topdress 28% liquid but have used urea the last few times we had wheat so we could blend it with the DAP and Potash and save a trip spreading. What do you average yieldwise on wheat out there Erik? We stopped growing wheat on a yearly basis here over 10 years ago because it wasn't competetive with corn or beans, and we were having more and more disease trouble. We have some in this year so we can get in some summer dirtwork to put in some drydams to fix some big ditches and experiment with some cover crops. The 3 years lately we put in some wheat we raised some of the best we ever had 2008 75-80bpa, 2010 70-75bpa, and 2011 70-75bpa. The first 2 years were Croplan vareities and the last was 25R78 Pioneer I believe. We have 2 Pioneer numbers in this year, all of it was no-tilled some in bean stubble some shredded corn stalks.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

I usually put my wheat on poor dirt that doesn't grow beans well. Averaged 45 last year.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

Didn't have a lot of time earlier, I fall apply some dry urea, p,k, zinc and sulfur for a starter mix. I think I put on 20-40-20 and a little zinc and sulfur...I'd hafta did out my map book to be sure. Then I apply 80 units of 28% and the first app of quilt at tillering. Then I put on a second app of quilt around late April or early May. I have planted Everest variety from Polansky seed in Belleville, Ks the last 2 years.
 

[ihman73]

I've never tried using fungicides as the results locally have been inconclusive as to increasing yield. When you have lower productivity ground you really have to make your input dollars count as I'm sure you know. We are in the lower end of ground in our area, go a little ways north and you run into flat, coal black 180-200 bu./ac. avg. corn ground. I get a kick out of the BTO's that bid the lighter ground up high and then find out that it doesn't produce the same. I really admire what you are doing out there, building your operation up from scratch. I know how hard it is to make a go of it farming with my dad in an area where the sharks are getting more numerous, let alone starting from scratch.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

Last year about 2 days after that second app of quilt I saw orange streaks running through my wheat, at first I thought it was from residue left in the tank. On my way to talk with my applicator I saw it in every field I drove past. Mine and a neighbors who had quilt cleared up inside a week, the others did not. I believe that keeping the plant healthy is the key to seeing higher yields, but with that said, everyone had high yielding wheat around here last year, even the fields with streak.