Maintaining Various Types of Agricultural Equipment

« Back to Home

Three Practical Tips for Reducing Your Fertiliser Expenses

Posted on

The total cost of purchasing fertiliser for your agricultural operation can be high. If you are not careful in managing the expenses, you might end up with unexpected losses or reduced profits. However, most crops will not do well without the use of some fertiliser. Therefore, you cannot eliminate soil enrichment products from your budget. Fortunately, there are some simple methods that can help you prevent fertiliser wastage or overuse. Here are tips to get you started on cutting your expenses for agricultural fertiliser supplies.

Group Your Crops Appropriately

If you have multiple types of crops on your farm with different fertiliser needs, you should not plant them together. Instead, you should group them separately for the efficient use of the enrichment products. In general, if you plant the crops together, you will need to apply the quantity of fertiliser required by the species with the highest demand. This practice will prevent deficiencies. Unfortunately, this means that you will have used a lot more material than the other crops require. When you group each species of plants separately, you will deliver the right fertiliser quantity and minimise your costs.

Avoid Application by Broadcasting

There are two methods for applying most fertiliser products to the soil: broadcasting and banding. Broadcasting is a favoured method because it enriches the entire area of interest. In simple terms, the material will be applied to all the soil on the land before planting. On the other hand, banding involves placing the fertiliser close to the seed during the planting process. This method is time-consuming, but it is highly efficient. It delivers the nutrients to the crop directly, minimising wastage. You should avoid the broadcasting method, especially for nutrients or elements which are not mobile. By choosing banding, you will increase absorption and reduce wastage.

Irrigate Your Soil Efficiently

You should irrigate your crops efficiently if you would like to minimise the amount of fertiliser used on your farm. Simply speaking, if you are using water-soluble fertilisers, you should be careful about the water flowing into your soil. If you use excess water, you will end up wasting the fertiliser by causing leaching or allowing the nutrients to flow away. On the other hand, insufficient water could cause inefficient release of the nutritional compounds. Therefore, you should choose a suitable irrigation system such as drip irrigation for the best results.  

Finally, you should remember to monitor the soil through testing. The analysed data will help you choose the correct fertilisers to utilise on your farm.

Contact a company like Mirco Bros to learn more.


Share