soil fertility

ford 5600

Hi all. I am into my last year of REPS 4 and had to get soil tests done. Last tests 5 yrs ago were in good heart with the result that I wasn't to spread any P. I use 150 round bales of straw a year and the resulting dung is usually spread on grazing ground or last yr put some on small bit tillage. Now most grazing is index 2 for k and 2 and 3 for p. Silage ground would get approx. 3000 gals acre of slurry and 20 0 10 x 4 bags or 22 2.2 4.5 x 3,5 bags acre for last 5 years. Silage ground however only tested index 1 for p but 2 for k. My question is what would you spread on it now. 0 7 30 is 390 ton, quoted can at 300, 18 6 12 at 400 or cut sward the same. I thought myself what slurry I was spreading should have kept land in better heart, dung seems to have done a much better job. Used to always use 18 6 12 on grazing and found it hard to beat , will use again but what on silage?

blue5000

sort of contradicting yourself there, with 22 2.2 4.5?

0 7 30 probably be best on silage ground if p and k are low with either can or urea.

Round Bale

If silage ground is 1 for P and 2 for K, wouldn't 0-10-20 be a better mix than 0-7-30???

ford 5600

Got it on paper as 20 0 10 as had no faith in fert with no P, I wasn't wrong it seems. Glanbia had that stuff at fairly good value.

mf240

Hard to beat 18 6 12.

It's expensive but then so is a poor cut of silage.

It costs a lot of money to keep fertility up in silage ground as far as I can see.

Thinking of going with 18 6 12 for first cut and then cut sward for second and third cuts. Hard to beat dung alright.

onyerbikepat

In the old days we always put out 0-7-30 followed by Urea for silage. In the last few years, I have been putting out 18-6-12.
I find the 18-6-12 gives a more grassier silage and the Urea / 0-7-30 gives a bulkier stemier grass. I always put this down to the 0-7-30 having greater time to work before the Urea is put out. I'm waiting on soil results at the moment but the plan this year is to go back to the Urea and 0-7-30. I need that extra abit of silage.

Farrell

onyerbikepat wrote: »

In the old days we always put out 0-7-30 followed by Urea for silage. In the last few years, I have been putting out 18-6-12.
I find the 18-6-12 gives a more grassier silage and the Urea / 0-7-30 gives a bulkier stemier grass. I always put this down to the 0-7-30 having greater time to work before the Urea is put out. I'm waiting on soil results at the moment but the plan this year is to go back to the Urea and 0-7-30. I need that extra abit of silage.

Thinking of 2 bag 10.10.20 followed by 1 bag of nitrogen 3 weeks later.