So I know I've been talking alot about foliar fertilizer applications, but this is the time of the season to be doing that. We have a made a big effort to test foliar fertilizers on a variety of crops as a way of increasing yield and quality. Well today we finished the majority of foliar application efforts, and I am glad to get out of the sprayer. For those who don't wish to follow today's spray log blog, then just look at one of Brian's cantaloupes below. They are coming along nicely, and he also said that pickle harvest commences next week. Halleluja!
Another crop you haven't seen too often at the NCRS is grain sorghum, or milo. Here we have some different planter programs, as well as some foliar applications. Birds have been rough on the milo plots in the past, but maybe this year they will all be at the sunflower plots.
Another crop you haven't seen too often at the NCRS is grain sorghum, or milo. Here we have some different planter programs, as well as some foliar applications. Birds have been rough on the milo plots in the past, but maybe this year they will all be at the sunflower plots.
The alfalfa plots were harvested last week, and we recommend that if foliar applications are to be made, it should be close to a week after harvest when there is around 4 inches of regrowth. Due to weather, todays application was 9 days after harvest and we have around 6 inches of regrowth. We often have to be on the lookout for leafhoppers and most insecticides that I am aware of can be applied with alfalfa fertilizer. We haven't seen any yet.
Here I am making foliar fertilizer applications to soybeans in the demonstration plot area, which will be on the NCRS tours. Now these soybeans are on some lighter textured soil that have been rather droughty in the hot weather of late. Yesterdays rain helped, but they are still stressed and smaller than other soybeans nearby on the farm. So we will see what the foliars bring to the table.
Here is a view from the Hagie cab of another soybean test a few hundred yards from the demonstration beans. Now this ground has around 1% higher organic matter, and higher soil P and K levels, and is a little heavier in texture. But look at the size difference in the soybeans. And both are dryland beans. These are some nice looking beans and should respond well to this application of Sure-K and Manganese.
We also sprayed several other soybean experiments around the farm, and are done with that crop at last. We did check our wheat plots late this afternoon, and the moisture was still running 18 to 19%. So we will check again tomorrow and possibly harvest then. I also want to give Stephanie picture credit for most of todays shots, you know, the good ones.
