Just aqquired my first lot, and got the extention report in. Now what?

[Farmingusa]

I wanted to grow bahia grass. They are telling me in the report I need 87lbs of Nitrogen, 43.5lbs of Phosphurus, 87lbs of Potassium. Does tracter supply have buckets of this stuff, or is it more complicated than that? :confused2:

 

[General Lee]

I'm not 100% sure, but I would think that stuff would come 40-50 pound sacks. If so, you would need just 1 -2 bags of each. I do not know if Tractor Supply carries what your looking for. Good possibility though.

Oh, and welcome to TBN

 

[PossumHound]

Those amounts are most likely "per acre" recommendations. Fertilizer is sold mostly in bags with an analysis number, i.e. 10-10-10 or 20-10-20, which represents the percentage in each bag of each nutrient. If you buy a 50 lb. bag of 10-10-10 there are 5 lbs each of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), and K (potassium); the remainder of the bag are fillers and micronutrients. The fillers aid in even dispersion of the product. If we assume your plot is one acre and you need 87 lbs N, 43.5 lbs P, and 87 lbs K and you purchase a fertilizer with a 10-5-10 analysis in 50 lb bags then you'll need:

87 lbs N/(10% x 50 lbs)= about 18 bags
43.5 lbs N/(5% x 50 lbs)= about 18 bags
87 lbs N/(10% x 50 lbs)= about 18 bags

The actual calculations yield a slightly smaller, more precise number, but the small excess won't hurt anything. Keep in mind this is per acre, and the second year you will want to have another soil analysis to see where the first year fertilizer application/plant nutrient uptake ratio leaves your soil.

You didn't mention the pH level in the report. If the soil is acidic, an application of lime (available in bulk) can help minimize the need for chemical fertilizers by maintaining an optimum root environment for NPK (also FE++, MG++, CA++, and other trace elements) uptake.

Your county extension service will be happy to assist you with this; those guys and gals are usually looking for customers to help justify their jobs since there are so few farms these days.

PH

 

[Robert_in_NY]

You can go to your local seed dealer and around here most of the bigger seed/ chemical dealers sell fertilizer. The feed mill mixes custom mixes as well as some of the bigger farm stores. You can take your report to them and have a custom blend made specific to your report and if it calls for any trace minerals they will be added with the rest of the mix. If your dealing with any large amount then the dealers will have fertilizer tender wagons that you can use (generally there is a small fee for the use of the tender) to fill your spreader with the bulk fertilizer. It is much faster and easier then messing around with 50 pound bags. But if your only dealing with a small amount then the bags make more sense and the dealer can bag your mix for you.

If you don't know where the fertilizer dealers are in your area ask some of the local farmers who they deal with. The yellow pages might surprise you with some names of places as well.

 

[Western]

You can go to your local seed dealer and around here most of the bigger seed/ chemical dealers sell fertilizer. The feed mill mixes custom mixes as well as some of the bigger farm stores. You can take your report to them and have a custom blend made specific to your report and if it calls for any trace minerals they will be added with the rest of the mix. If your dealing with any large amount then the dealers will have fertilizer tender wagons that you can use (generally there is a small fee for the use of the tender) to fill your spreader with the bulk fertilizer. It is much faster and easier then messing around with 50 pound bags. But if your only dealing with a small amount then the bags make more sense and the dealer can bag your mix for you.

If you don't know where the fertilizer dealers are in your area ask some of the local farmers who they deal with. The yellow pages might surprise you with some names of places as well.

X's 2 Feed/fertilizer stores make this very simple, As Robert said, just go into one and hand them your report. You will know exactly what you need and how much it will cost. The fertilizer spreaders are very convenient and I have never had to rent one from dealers here in Texas, usually a courtesy for buying their products.

As mentioned, those analysis are figured by the acre.

Just using your Nitrogen of 87lbs per acre, assume you have 30-0-0 (all Nitrogen) it would take 3 bags for 1 acre, (3x 30 = 90) That is how it was shown to me years ago by a fertilizer rep.

The second year you will likely need less of the Phosphorous and Potassium, they move slower through the soil and are good for the roots. The Nitrogen moves quickly through soil, especially Sandy types and it used by the plant for above ground growth at a higher rate. Your soil type will be the biggest factor, along with rainfall.


If you use a fertilizer "buggy" (super easy and convenient) Make sure you COMPLETELY rinse off your truck or tractor with water after you are done.