Now that spring is here, with ample sunshine and warmer temperatures, many of us will start sprucing up our lawns.
Across Florida, there are more than 100 different ordinances written to address how and when people can apply fertilizer.
A recent study of Floridians revealed more than half of the people polled did not know if they live in one of the areas with a residential fertilizer ordinance. Twenty-two percent polled did know.
Stephanie Means of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences explained why proper fertilization is important and when people should fertilize or avoid applying.
Duval County has a fertilizer ordinance.
Means is also the Duval County Extension Florida-Friendly Landscaping program assistant.
Well it is spring in Texas … at least for this week.
Warmer temperatures herald the coming of greener pastures. To ensure your pasture meets the needs of livestock, or to produce high-quality hay, it starts with the soil. Like us, the soil can only grow big and strong if it has the complete balance of "fuel." Fuel comes from the nutrients in the soil - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are the major players. The four R's of fertilizer management Right Source, Right Rate, Right Timing, and Right Placement can help guide you to greener pastures.
When selecting fertilizer, it is important to have the right source or type of fertilizer to deliver nutrients to plants. Fertilizer comes in different forms, liquid and granular (solid), as well as types, ammonia or nitrate are both forms of nitrogen. Fertilizer can be organic, controlled-release, simultaneous delivery, etc. All important considerations to your operation. Answers to these questions depends on the crop you are growing, its needs, your goals, the type of soil and, of course, price.
There are many places you can purchase your fertilizer. To help find the best economical choice, you can use our online calculator at soiltesting.tamu.edu to compare different fertilizers to find the best price at pound/ton per acre.
The right rate of fertilizer application is extremely important. Too little and you are not meeting needs; too much and you are throwing away money. How do you know what the soil needs? To know exactly where your soil ranks on the nutrition scale, you need to have a soil analysis done. It is easy and cost-effective; contact the AgriLife office for more information on soil testing. Once you have your analysis you will be equipped to provide your soil the exact fertilizer needed to grow at an optimal level.
But wait!
Do you put all the fertilizer out at once, do you split apply? What if you need much more of one nutrient than the other, how do you manage that? Those are questions that need answers, and the answer is … it depends (my favorite answer).
Often the soil analysis will recommend split application, especially for hay fields. Split application means less potential loss of fertilizer (runoff, leaching, etc.) and ensures all cuttings of hay have adequate nutrition to grow. The test tells you how many pounds of each nutrient to apply, but that is 100 percent pure nutrient. You need to figure out how much of a 21-0-0 fertilizer you need to meet the requirements. Don't worry; once again, we have a handy-dandy calculator at the same website as above.
For example, a 21-0-0 fertilizer, you need to apply 238 pounds per acre to meet the 50 pounds of nitrogen recommended. Clear as mud right? Come see me and I can walk you through it online.
Third, right timing of application is important. You do not want to fertilize right after your last cutting of hay for the year. That does you no good for the next year except growing great winter weeds. The same can be said for too early. Many weeds and grasses start growing at different times of the year. This is why I do not like weed-and-feed fertilizers - I call them feeding the weeds fertilizers. The right timing takes into consideration the growth pattern of the crop and natural changes in nutrient demand during the season.
Rain is an important factor. You want the fertilizer to quickly reach the roots of the plants. Typically, you want it to lightly rain just after application; with our crazy weather, good luck predicting the rain.
The right placement of nutrients can be very important. Typically, broadcasting fertilizer and lightly disking the ground work well, depending on fertilizer type and crop. For maximum nutrient efficiency, nutrients need to be placed where plants will have the best access to the nutrients. This could be soil surface, just below or deep application. Phosphorus does not move well in the soil. Broadcasting it means it will stay pretty much right where we put it - on top - so disking it in helps.
The right placement may also relate to the form of the nutrient, such as urea nitrogen. Urea nitrogen can be subject to losses by volatilization when left on the surface of a soil with a high pH, incorporating it in the soil or adding a small amount of irrigation could help minimize this loss.
These four R's are an integrated approach, among other management practices that can help you maximize plant growth, nutrient efficiency, promote profitable crop production and environmental stewardship.
