Fertilizer question for Northern guys

[jhwis]

Anybody ever fertilize hay ground in late fall after the grass goes dormant and before the snow flies? Long story short I have some ground that is low and isn't always easy to fertilize in the spring. I would assume as long as a few rains pound it in it should be effective with minimal loss of Nitrogen, etc.?

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

Very common to spread potash anytime in the fall. Not sure about N. Tom

 

[flying belgian]

I don't think you want to spread n.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Not sure what good it would do when the plant isn't taking up any nutrients now & the N could easily be watered down to nothing by Spring.

I'd check with your ag agent or local elevator/CO-OP if anything.

Mike

 

[560Dennis]

Interesting question to think about .
Whats your soil ?
What is the hay you got , Timothy ?

 

[Destroked 450]

I m not a northerner but will be applying potash to some of my hay fields today
Any nitrogen applied now will be depleted before spring
Many in my area apply P and K now, then apply N in the spring when they can get on the ground

 

[Bill(Wis)]

Have you had soil tests done? ph is the first thing to consider before any other nutrients. Now would be the perfect time to spread lime if required. P doesn't move around much on its own. K moves about twice as much as P but not much either. N moves around fast.
Recent testing has shown that P & K pretty much stay where they're put. In your case that would be in the top inch or so of the soil profile. It doesn't go ''down'' as previously thought and taught.

 

[DanielW]

Definitely not Nitrogen - that'd be a waste. It's very mobile within the soil, and by the time spring comes it would have washed itself into the water table. I sometimes put some K-Mag down on our fields in the fall - but seldom.

Like you, I have some fields that are pretty wet in the spring. If I can't get on them in the spring, I put some on after first cut and then a little more after second cut. There's always a chance of the Nitrogen/urea component getting burnt off when fertilizing in the summer, but for the few fields I do this way I spread myself using a mounted spreader. That way I can watch the forecast and spread a right before a rain. As long as you get 1/2 of rain or more within a day or two of spreading, most of it will go into the soil. Just don't spread when it's already raining or if the leaves are wet - you'll burn the foliage. It's a bit of a balancing act - you want rain to wash the N into the soil and to the roots, but only during the plant's growing period where they can use it as it comes. Any other time and it will just keep washing down into the water table.

As mentioned, fall is the best time to put lime down. And if your fields need both lime and fertilizer and you can only pick one, go with lime. Low pH really affects plants uptake of nutrients - especially K, so you're getting very little bang for your buck with fertilizer in low pH soils. In many places (but especially up here in the Canadian shield) aluminium toxicity is a big issue and can really affect plant growback, root health, and severely restrict K uptake. Aluminum is present in all soils (in the form of Bauxite) - usually in much greater quantities than you'd think. It only becomes toxic to plants, however, when the pH is below 5.5 or so. If it's in this toxic region, it's by far the biggest hindrance to plant growth - far more than lack of nutrients.

 

[caterpillar guy]

The 2 most important things are PH need a soil test for that then spread the lime and what kind of hay are you raising.IS it a grass like Timothy,or a legume like Clover or Alfalfa. IF a legume then you should not need to add N they will produce their own Nitrogen. Grasses will not do that so N is needed for them. IF you are going to spread N this fall wait till the temperatures are below 60 degrees for highs or it will escape so most is wasted. I would wait till spring to spread N before the first cutting then split the application in half for some after first cutting and half before first cutting later than that the season is typically drier and does not readily acccept N without a lot of loss due to the moisture and temperature being warm and dry. IF I did apply N in spring I would want to do it just before a rain so it got washed in.