Improving soil indexes

DJ98

What is the quickest and most effective way of increasing soil p and k from index 1, lime and chemical fertilizers have been applied. Only small quantity of fym available from sheep.

patsy_mccabe

Just keep putting out the P&K. Simple as that. 18.6.12 or 10.10.20 depending on how much is needed for the N you want to spread. Build it up slowly in the ground over time. I think that is the most cost effective way.

Hard Knocks

DJ98 wrote: »

What is the quickest and most effective way of increasing soil p and k from index 1, lime and chemical fertilizers have been applied. Only small quantity of fym available from sheep.

Some pig slurry could be a help

davidk1394

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Some pig slurry could be a help

2k gallons per acre maximum. If you have access to dung that would be great to spread on the land before winter. Keep the pH right is the biggest thing

mengele

I know both are important but which would be considered more important to have at index 4- p or k?

Keepgrowing

Return slurry to silage ground.
Take lighter cuts of silage
SuperPhosphate in spring
MOP in autumn
18’s for 2 rounds
Sulphur every 2nd round
Spread slurry at no more than 2500/ac per application but you can apply more than once

Keepgrowing

mengele wrote: »

I know both are important but which would be considered more important to have at index 4- p or k?

If silage ground K
People are very hung up on index 4. A lowly stocked dry stock farm where margins are low shouldn’t be trying for even index 3 as its not necessary.
A high index 3 is as good as a low 4 iykwim

Who2

Get the ph right first and it will naturally help. Theres no quick fix without throwing heaps of money at it. ive been trying to build p's for years and its slow. i bring in a lot of pig slurry and mainly use compounds rather than straight nitrogen. i tried something new this year and bought in a fair chunk of my feeding when it was cheap, it should see a bit of an increase as ive very little to cut as i still have a pit of silage. As Keepgrowing said, you will have to weigh up whether you really need it in 3 or 4. Theres no form of beef farming profitable enough to bring it from index 1 to 4 chemically. If your milking it may be justifiable.

patsy_mccabe

Also remember that slurry from low indexed fields, will be low be in P&K too.

Bass Reeves

Unless you are getting slurry dropped into a tank in the yard fairly cheaply( 10 euro/1k gallons) it is not really an option. Depending on your stocking levels will depend on time and cost. Use 18-6-12 as much as possible as fertlizer of choice. buy in your fodder for the winter. If it is from a good farmer you be getting some of his P&K. You can get 18-6-12 with sulpher now. Fertlizer is cheap at present so you could consider a pallet of super phosphate at present and a pallet of MOP for the Autumn.

Cavanjack

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Unless you are getting slurry dropped into a tank in the yard fairly cheaply( 10 euro/1k gallons) it is not really an option. Depending on your stocking levels will depend on time and cost. Use 18-6-12 as much as possible as fertlizer of choice. buy in your fodder for the winter. If it is from a good farmer you be getting some of his P&K. You can get 18-6-12 with sulpher now. Fertlizer is cheap at present so you could consider a pallet of super phosphate at present and a pallet of MOP for the Autumn.

If he was a good farmer he wouldn’t be selling silage

blue5000

OP what are levels like at present? I see you are in sheep so early grass is probably a priority. I'd concentrate on getting pH right and getting phosphate levels up first. What type of soil have you?